Nutrition
Elle Philips, from Studio57, has provided us with some very important nutritional advice for Marathon running. For any more information she can be contacted on elle@studio57clinic.co.uk or at www.studio57clinic.co.uk
Nutrition Advice for Marathon Training
Your Marathon training nutritional programme should balance your nutrients and fluids, to achieve top mental and physical performance, whilst minimising the risk of injury or illness.
Carbohydrates, which are stored as glycogen in the body, are the main energy source for muscle fuel. Complex carbohydrates (e.g. wholemeal bread, brown rice, potatoes, oats, root vegetables and pasta) should comprise approximately 60% of your diet.
Unsaturated fat found in oily fish, nuts and seeds, is vital for weight maintenance, and for metabolism. Avoid saturated and trans fats (chemically altered vegetable oils) found in cakes, and biscuits. Both have no nutritional value and have been linked to high cholesterol.
Protein is vital for muscle building and repair and for immune system support. Fish, lean meat, eggs, pulses and grains, should account for around 15% of your diet.
Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) help control energy production, bone & muscle health, immunity and electrolyte (your bodies’ essential salts) balance. Five to Eight portions of fruit and vegetables a day (1 portion= 3 heaped spoonfuls of vegetable/ 250ml fruit juice/ 1 piece of fruit), will help boost trace nutrients that are essentials to the body.
Hydration: Electrolytes (body salts) are rapidly lost in sweat, but water and electrolytes are critical for nerve transmission and muscle contraction. Therefore runners need to take on both water and/or sports drinks to replace these.
Specific Daily Dietary Advice
Training Days
Breakfast: Your liver glycogen stores will become depleted overnight, so help replenish them with porridge or muesli with a banana, or baked beans on wholemeal toast.
Pre Training
Carbohydrate-rich snacks, eaten 1.5- 2hrs before a training session, such as cereal, a bagel with hummus or peanut butter or a banana and a low fat carbohydrate bar will help maintain bloodsugar and maintain muscle energy supplies.
During Training
Treat a long run as a rehearsal for the day itself. Experiment with carbo gels and popular sports energy drinks which combine dilute simple carbohydrates with electrolytes.
Post Training
In the first half hour post training, sip around 500ml of fluid and immediately eat a high energy snack. Within two hours, a meal combining carbohydrate and protein will help with both glycogen replacement and muscle repair. Include pasta, lean meat or oily fish with a jacket potato, and a varied selection of vegetables and fresh fruit.
If training in the evening, a moderate meal should be eaten within two hours of training to aid overnight recovery. The evening before a long run, eat plenty of slow releasing carbohydrates (some starchy vegetables (eg sweet potato, corn and peas), whole grains, pasta and cold climate fruit (eg apples, oranges, berries, and stone fruit), but avoid too much fibre which can be hard to digest.
Hydration is vital and you should aim to drink small amounts of water regularly throughout the day. Drink 3-400ml of water on waking, or at least four hours before exercising; another 150ml immediately prior to exercise, and approximately 150-300ml for every 20 minutes you are exercising. Whilst running, fluids should be sipped and not gulped.
Rest Days
Continue a regime of combining complex carbohydrate, quality proteins, unsaturated fat and plenty of fluids to help repair damaged tissue and replenish glycogen stores.
Studio57 Sports & Postural Therapy Clinic is proud to be the referred massage therapists for the Brighton Marathon 2010. We have a long standing reputation for treating athletes across all areas of pre and post marathon training including sports injury therapy, performance and nutrition. With Studio57 clinic, you will be given everything that you need, from one single source.