Forums > General Running > Eating and the Marathon
What do you guys eat the last few days leading up to a marathon? How about a few hours before? I'll probably cut out dairy and a lot of fiber the next 2 days. And i'll do my pasta feed tmorrow night instead of Saturday. I was going to take a G1 about 30min before the race (like i did before my hard, long training runs), but I read somewhere that such an intake of simple sugars within 2 hours of the race would be detrimental to performance. As always, I appreciate any input!
Goals for 2011: Sub 16 5K Sub 33 10K Sub 1:15 Half Top 3 at Maine Marathon
mileage hound
Starting ~3 days out, don't let yourself get hungry. Snacks between meals. Other than that, I'm not too picky about what I eat, other then to get adequate carbs. Only once have I ever had GI issues in a marathon. That part will be individual.
It's not dinner the night before, but two nights before, you need to make sure you get your carbs. Don't over-eat the evening before, that will still be in your gut at race time.
Breakfast prior to race, I try to get in two packets of instant oatmeal at least 3 hours prior to race...not too close. A bit of Gatorade between then and the race. 4 gels during the race, with water. Gatorade when not taking gels. That's it.
2012 goals: Fastest race times since 2006.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
Back off!
Nothing special. Nothing new. Whatever you've eaten before your other long runs. There is no magical diet plan. The best course of action is to keep doing what you've been doing.
I am almost spot on with this - Except I do cut out my daily pound of carrots 2 days before the race ... Oh and I tend to eat 800 calories of easy to digest carbs 3 hours prior to the race ... but Spaniel is a stallion and I am a clydesdale
Starting ~3 days out, don't let yourself get hungry. Snacks between meals. Other than that, I'm not too picky about what I eat, other then to get adequate carbs. Only once have I ever had GI issues in a marathon. That part will be individual. It's not dinner the night before, but two nights before, you need to make sure you get your carbs. Don't over-eat the evening before, that will still be in your gut at race time. Breakfast prior to race, I try to get in two packets of instant oatmeal at least 3 hours prior to race...not too close. A bit of Gatorade between then and the race. 4 gels during the race, with water. Gatorade when not taking gels. That's it.
http://a-big-horse.blogspot.com/
2012 Goals ~ Mar < 3:00 2:56:07, 1/2M < 1:25, 50k < 5 hours 3:44:20, 24 hour > 145 miles
A Saucy Wench
This for sure. I tend to eat the big meal 2 nights out. Usually mexican, but really anything I want. Night before my best meal is usually salmon & red potatoes. Morning of a breakfast with some protein(2 1/2 - 3 hrs) and then a pop tart on the way to the race (1 hr.). Basically I eat what I normally eat except I get to eat more of it 2 nights before and I get poptarts for treats between meals the last 2 days. (unfrosted and therefore strawberry but I would kill for an unfrosted cherry poptart)
I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7
I'm focusing on ice cream in the evening and peanut M&Ms during the day, all while running a staggering 2 miles in the last 4 days. I'll let you know how that works...of course, were I at Baystate I'd be worried about you lapping me.
I do a one-day carb load. Works well for me. See "Western Australia" method:
http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/The_evolving_art_of_carbo-loading.htm?page=2
I've done this for the past ~40 marathons. Race morning, yeah, I finish my food & drink by 2 hours before the race. I will chug some Gatorade just before the race starts.
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasn't tired and kept running anyway" -- Ennay's 7-year-old daughter
I do a one-day carb load. Works well for me. See "Western Australia" method: http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/The_evolving_art_of_carbo-loading.htm?page=2 I've done this for the past ~40 marathons. Race morning, yeah, I finish my food & drink by 2 hours before the race. I will chug some Gatorade just before the race starts.
Tried this today...
Did 4 miles with a hard 800 thrown in and got about 600g of carbs into me today.
I did 3 "extra" bagels a day for the last 3 days. Mid-morning snack, mid-afternoon snack, bed time snack. Was SICK of bagels by race time but it worked awesome. No bonking issues and no gastro intestinal issues.
Race morning was 3 pieces of toast with jam about 90 minutes before race.
2012 Goals
Marathon BQ -3:15
2000 miles
5k - 20:00 19:53 Penticton Lakeside 5k (3/4/2012)
10k - 42:00
HM - 1:35 1:33:52 Okanagan Half Marathon (4/1/2012)
lace 'em up!
Tried this today... Did 4 miles with a hard 800 thrown in and got about 600g of carbs into me today.
I'll be interested in how this works out for you. I read the last part of the artcile, which didn't quite make sense, where it said, "this carbo-loading technique doesn't make a difference if you'll be consuming carbs during your event" or something to that affect. Doesn't everyone consume some type of carbs during a marathon?
It looks like something I may do for a 5K.
Run until the trail runs out.
2012**Run 40 miles week
50 miler**100 miler
PR 5K**10K**26.2
http://bkclay.blogspot.com/
My other pass time ....
Couple bagels with peanut butter ... and two diet cokes. Gotta have my diet coke.
Tim
Doesn't everyone consume some type of carbs during a marathon?
I'm considering giving this up
/reading all pre-race and during fueling threads with interest. I would not trust anything I might have to say on this so just Good luck and let us know what you choose and how it works for you!
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