Marathon Dinner Suggestions

britishswenglish

I'm running my first ever marathon in four weeks!

A few months ago I came on looking for suggestions for breakfast before long-distance runs, and everyone was very helpful; I have now found variations of oatmeal to be really ideal for my runs. As far as dinner the night before was concerned though, I never gave it much thought. I could feel runs being easier if I ate an entire (European-size!) pizza and obviously more difficult if I had too much beer or salt. Now for the last month I am cutting out alcohol and most artificial sugars and really want to focus more on the nutrition side of things to help push myself further on my training runs. Problem is, I've spent so many years now focusing on eating low-carb dinners as a means of losing weight, that I have no idea where to start when it comes to carbo-loading!

Does anyone have any personal favourite recipes for long-distance runs? Would love to try out a few different things before the big day.

livingleanlivingclean

A big bowl of fresh pasta?

Something with rice?

Starch vegie soup with bread?

Homemade hamburgers and baked chips?

Steak and chips?

(I'm not and never will be a runner... Just thinking of carbs )

TavistockToad

If your race is in a month then you will be up to 18/20 mile long runs? What do you eat now?

I only run up to half distance, my pre race meal is usually tuna pasta bake and garlic bread.

britishswenglish

TavistockToad wrote: »

If your race is in a month then you will be up to 18/20 mile long runs? What do you eat now?

I only run up to half distance, my pre race meal is usually tuna pasta bake and garlic bread.

I'm at 25 km right now, which according to Google is 15 miles (I'm way behind on my distance training, unfortunately, due to bad weather and a very strong cold). Usually I run on Saturday mornings and on Fridays we have breakfast at work that usually consists of lots of bread, meaning I'm not hungry for dinner and just have a salad or something else veggie-based. Looking forward to bringing pasta back into my diet though, will have to give it a try with tuna!

I live in Denmark and ryggebrød (very dark rye bread) is the main local food here. I have thought about giving that a try maybe topped with some avocado and salmon.

__TMac__

I think they usually recommend that you keep the fiber pretty low and the fat moderate in pre-run dinners. I'd likely go with pasta with protein and some veggies. Do you know Pasta Primavera? It's essentially noodles, vegetables of your choice (broccoli, asparagus, etc.), garlic, olive oil/butter or pesto, and some chicken or shrimp.

cforsyth617

Hi, congrads on all your hard work! My go to the night before the race is usually salmon and mashed potato. Please try it before the night before the race. Remember nothing new on race day. Good luck with your race!

TavistockToad

cforsyth617 wrote: »

Hi, congrads on all your hard work! My go to the night before the race is usually salmon and mashed potato. Please try it before the night before the race. Remember nothing new on race day. Good luck with your race!

I'd suggest try it the night before a long run...

RoxieDawn

I make the same dinner every Friday night before my long runs on Saturday. When race day comes no question I will be fueled on the same food I have been training on.

Homemade chicken fajitas (onions/peppers/chicken) with soft tortillas.

mitch16

I like (light) fettucine alfredo with roasted chicken and broccoli as my carbo (and protein) load.

I try to stay away from anything too spicy, garlic-y, or greasy as I fear it would upset my stomach during my long run. Definitely test out some meals well in advance of your race so you know how well you tolerate them.

deannalfisher

Pasta and chicken is normally my go-to, plus a small glass of wine and ice cream (helps me to chill out and sleep)

ellefox70

My husband swears by the marathon meal plan for the week before a marathon on the BBC Good Food website. We follow it (with a few variations for personal preference) every time he runs a marathon. Me, I can't even run for a bus but enjoy eating the high protein meals at the start of the week and just cut out some of the carbs towards the end! Plus I don't eat the recommended snacks which he pretty much inhales as he says they r so tasty!

Good luck with it!

AJ_G

Something with lots of complex carbs that break down into glucose, like pasta with some chicken for protein. You want to maximize the glycogen stores in your body.

janejellyroll

I ate an entire pizza the night before my marathon. It worked great. Note: this is what I usually ate the nights before my long runs, so I knew that I could handle it. I wouldn't eat an entire pizza the night before a marathon if I hadn't done it regularly during my training.

lporter229

I am gluten free, so pre-race carb loading can sometimes get tricky. I always make gluten free pancakes with maple syrup and an egg the night before a big race. Full of carbs, easy on the stomach, and the best part is that I can always save a pancake to eat with peanut butter prior to the race the next day. It has become my marathon staple and hasn't failed me yet.

ETA: If you have been eating relatively low carb for a while, I would suggest slowly ramping up your carbs about three weeks out from your race, or the sudden onslaught of carbs can be a shock to your digestive system. I also make sure that the week prior to a race, I start adding liquid carbs in the form of sports drinks and fruit juices. Glycogen binds with water for storage in your body, so this helps to make sure I am absorbing and retaining all the carbs I need.

britishswenglish

Thanks so much for all the suggestions, everyone. So lovely to have such a helpful community I'm looking forward to giving everything a try and will certainly post again once the race is over!