If you were running a marathon tomorrow, what would you eat today and tomorrow before the race?

JustRobby1

I have a half (my first) coming up, and while I am following a training regimen to the letter as far as the running itself, I was curious if anybody with experience has any insight on how to fuel up.

janejellyroll

I ran a marathon last year. The night before I ate a whole pizza (I had tested this on nights before my long training runs, so I knew it wouldn't cause any issues) and I ate a scone before the race.

I do much better on long runs when I eat a lot of carbohydrates the night before. I don't like running with a full stomach, so I usually don't eat much before a race.

I don't follow any particular fueling strategy for a half marathon, I haven't found that I need to eat a lot of carbohydrates the night before. In your longer training runs, did you notice any particular relationship between what you ate the night before and how you did? That's what I would go by.

deannalfisher

I do a fairly high carb diet as it is, so I don't really carb load (my carbs are in the 3-400g daily) - but I do reduce fiber in my diet a day or 2 before to prevent race day issues

if the weather is going to be warmer - I add more salt to my food - it helps with hydration in the long term; stay well hydrated with water/electrolyte drinks

rybo

By eating the same as you have been before your long runs over the course of training. Foods higher in carbs, and easy on the stomach. As far as what to eat prior to the race, again, depends on what you did during training. I don't generally eat before my runs, but if travel time & everything else affords me to having to be up hours before the gun goes off, I'll have a banana or half a bagel.

jjpptt2

A pint of ben and jerry's the day before, plus whatever else I would normally eat during the day. French toast for dinner the night before. A clif bar or bagel the morning of.

pondee629

Pretty much what ever I've been doing the day before my long training runs. What ever it is, if you did it and did your long training run without distress, you can do it and do your Half Marathon. Part of training is finding out what works best for you and then sticking to it.

dewd2

What you eat the night before won't help you the next day (it could hurt you though). If your intent is to 'carbo-load', then the meals you eat 2-3 days before are the important ones.

I normally eat pasta a few days before and I make sure I get enough water. The night before don't over eat and I avoid anything with too much fiber (that could make the race very 'interesting').

The morning of the race I generally eat something light. I've been experimenting for years with this and my most recent meals have been Kodiak Cake Microwave Muffins. You need to experiment during training to see what works for you.

FWIW, I ran a HM on Sunday and had a burger and a beer the night before. It wasn't planned this way but a group of us met for dinner and that was the most appealing thing on the menu. Since it wasn't my goal race I didn't really care. It worked out fine.

rsclause

I decided to run my first half when after my morning run I opened the paper and saw there was one the following day. I bought all kinds of goo and stuff but was too scared to do that for the first time on my longest run. I stuck to just popping some gummies. Pick times to add fuel before you feel you need it like mile 2, 4, 6 etc. On the morning of I like a half of bagel or english muffin with peanut butter. Night before I never thought about but probably not hot wings. Good luck.

Pamshebamm181

A burrito bowl (skip the beans) the night before, and a Clif Builder bar the morning of.

heybales

Ditto's to a carb-loading regime taking all week. Many times that night before change can have bad effect on people not used to eating that way.

But - you can confirm you are not in a deficit all week eating - that's not the time to diet. And since not running as much, may end up eating about the same anyway.

So whatever food and quantity aren't going to make you sick the next morning, or be racing to the porta-potty more than the finish line.

cwolfman13

What have you been eating the night before long runs? Eat that...

The night before an endurance cycling event I usually have a large pasta dish, lighter on the sauce...usually bolognese.

The morning of I usually have a bagel and cream cheese and I keep dried fruit and jolly ranchers in my jersey and a bottle of water on my bike along with a bottle of coconut water for electrolytes.

Afterwards I pound a chocolate milk and drive home and usually throw a burger on the grill along with a heaping side of a vinegar based potato salad and a cold beer.

yourfitnessenemy

Whatever I feel like the night before (as long as I know it doesn't give me diarrhea...my guts are fickle), dry cereal and maybe a half a banana in the morning is all I can stomach before a long run (I'm a puker).

Honestly, I just eat the same way I do when I train. Don't change anything!

JustRobby1

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. The night before long training runs thus far has been heavy on both sodium and carbs, which had been suggested to me by randos I encounter on the courses I run. This has seemed to work thus far. Though I can report that after about the 8 mile mark I start to encounter a dull pain on the left side of my stomach on occasion. About every other long run or so. It's not anything that hinders my running really. More annoying than anything else.

What I have also noticed is that, for whatever reason, some days I am just stronger and faster than others, even when it appears all other factors are equal. I have never been able to figure out why this is, but I just know some days I am just in the zone and running is as easy to me as breathing. On others I have to work at it more.

kami3006

JustRobby1 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. The night before long training runs thus far has been heavy on both sodium and carbs, which had been suggested to me by randos I encounter on the courses I run. This has seemed to work thus far. Though I can report that after about the 8 mile mark I start to encounter a dull pain on the left side of my stomach on occasion. About every other long run or so. It's not anything that hinders my running really. More annoying than anything else.

What I have also noticed is that, for whatever reason, some days I am just stronger and faster than others, even when it appears all other factors are equal. I have never been able to figure out why this is, but I just know some days I am just in the zone and running is as easy to me as breathing. On others I have to work at it more.

The bolded part is normal for everyone regardless of fitness levels or what type of workout they regularly do. There are too many small variables to account for.

janejellyroll

kami3006 wrote: »

JustRobby1 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. The night before long training runs thus far has been heavy on both sodium and carbs, which had been suggested to me by randos I encounter on the courses I run. This has seemed to work thus far. Though I can report that after about the 8 mile mark I start to encounter a dull pain on the left side of my stomach on occasion. About every other long run or so. It's not anything that hinders my running really. More annoying than anything else.

What I have also noticed is that, for whatever reason, some days I am just stronger and faster than others, even when it appears all other factors are equal. I have never been able to figure out why this is, but I just know some days I am just in the zone and running is as easy to me as breathing. On others I have to work at it more.

The bolded part is normal for everyone regardless of fitness levels or what type of workout they regularly do. There are too many small variables to account for.

Yep, in my experience and in talking to other runners, this is very common. Some days the run is just magic and other days you feel like you're fighting every mile.

kami3006

janejellyroll wrote: »

kami3006 wrote: »

JustRobby1 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. The night before long training runs thus far has been heavy on both sodium and carbs, which had been suggested to me by randos I encounter on the courses I run. This has seemed to work thus far. Though I can report that after about the 8 mile mark I start to encounter a dull pain on the left side of my stomach on occasion. About every other long run or so. It's not anything that hinders my running really. More annoying than anything else.

What I have also noticed is that, for whatever reason, some days I am just stronger and faster than others, even when it appears all other factors are equal. I have never been able to figure out why this is, but I just know some days I am just in the zone and running is as easy to me as breathing. On others I have to work at it more.

The bolded part is normal for everyone regardless of fitness levels or what type of workout they regularly do. There are too many small variables to account for.

Yep, in my experience and in talking to other runners, this is very common. Some days the run is just magic and other days you feel like you're fighting every mile.

Same with lifting. Some days it's just not feeling right.

TavistockToad

JustRobby1 wrote: »

I have a half (my first) coming up, and while I am following a training regimen to the letter as far as the running itself, I was curious if anybody with experience has any insight on how to fuel up.

The same as I eat before my long training run...

BrianSharpe

JustRobby1 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. The night before long training runs thus far has been heavy on both sodium and carbs, which had been suggested to me by randos I encounter on the courses I run. This has seemed to work thus far. Though I can report that after about the 8 mile mark I start to encounter a dull pain on the left side of my stomach on occasion. About every other long run or so. It's not anything that hinders my running really. More annoying than anything else.

What I have also noticed is that, for whatever reason, some days I am just stronger and faster than others, even when it appears all other factors are equal. I have never been able to figure out why this is, but I just know some days I am just in the zone and running is as easy to me as breathing. On others I have to work at it more.

Don't overlook your potassium too.

As to having some days better than others.....welcome to being a runner. Everyone goes through that. There are so many factors that come into play it's almost impossible to ever have all other things being equal. The two biggest factors that seem to affect how I feel are temperature and how well / how much I've slept (you can control most of the other variable more)

pondee629

pondee629 wrote: »

Pretty much what ever I've been doing the day before my long training runs. What ever it is, if you did it and did your long training run without distress, you can do it and do your Half Marathon. Part of training is finding out what works best for you and then sticking to it.

On the above, I got a "Woo" response. What does "Woo" mean?

kami3006

In the world of mfp, it means nonsense. But folks not familiar with that think it means woohoo. No way to know which they meant. Ultimately, it means nothing I guess.

curlsintherack

my last half was a taco pizza the night before and leftovers before the race. I ran a PR so next month when I run a half again I'll probably be eating taco pizza again.. During the race I swallow a gu gel around every 45 minutes. I recently learned on a marathon that I just hate those gels and eventually can't force them down after a certain point.

JustRobby1

BrianSharpe wrote: »

JustRobby1 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. The night before long training runs thus far has been heavy on both sodium and carbs, which had been suggested to me by randos I encounter on the courses I run. This has seemed to work thus far. Though I can report that after about the 8 mile mark I start to encounter a dull pain on the left side of my stomach on occasion. About every other long run or so. It's not anything that hinders my running really. More annoying than anything else.

What I have also noticed is that, for whatever reason, some days I am just stronger and faster than others, even when it appears all other factors are equal. I have never been able to figure out why this is, but I just know some days I am just in the zone and running is as easy to me as breathing. On others I have to work at it more.

Don't overlook your potassium too.

As to having some days better than others.....welcome to being a runner. Everyone goes through that. There are so many factors that come into play it's almost impossible to ever have all other things being equal. The two biggest factors that seem to affect how I feel are temperature and how well / how much I've slept (you can control most of the other variable more)

If only I could plan the days when I am "in the zone", so to speak. I have been running long enough now I have even tried to dissect what was so special about the days when my strength and endurance seemed limitless and I have not come up with anything. For some inexplicable reason, I was just on fire that day.

Djproulx

I follow the same general eating plan during the week leading up to a long race, whether running or triathlon. Early in the week I focus on eating plenty of greens (arugula, aka, "rocket lettuce") and drinking enough water to be sure I'm eliminating on a regular basis.

I don't go crazy with "carb loading" prior to a race, but I do be sure to eat a normal amount of carbs on Friday night and again on Saturday morning if my race day is Sunday. Then I eat a light lunch and fairly bland food for dinner so I don't have any stomach issues on race day.

For breakfast on race day, I'm looking for simple carbs to provide quick energy, so a plain bagel with honey or peanut butter, half a banana, plus coffee is typical for me. Depending on race day temps, I might consume a gel and water during the run, or if its hot, maybe a liquid fuel with some electrolytes.

Good luck in your race!

ritzvin

JustRobby1 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. The night before long training runs thus far has been heavy on both sodium and carbs, which had been suggested to me by randos I encounter on the courses I run. This has seemed to work thus far. Though I can report that after about the 8 mile mark I start to encounter a dull pain on the left side of my stomach on occasion. About every other long run or so. It's not anything that hinders my running really. More annoying than anything else.

If it's a muscle cramp (rather than a side stitch), make sure you are getting adequate potassium and magnesium along with the sodium.

zdyb23456

So far I've made sure to eat an extra snack before bed. I don't eat before running except for a bit of coffee and the second time I discovered I don't need to fuel during the run. I just drink diluted Gatorade. Note, this is for a half marathon. I've never run more than that.

bendyourkneekatie

For a half I wouldn't eat anything different, but as I've my third full marathon day after tomorrow I'm definitely thinking about my food a bit. But not too much. I just end up doing whatever really.
I haven't had breakfast (or coffee!!!!) yet today due to rushing to kinder drop off, but am gonna go split a bowl of Bircher with my 3 year old now. Tonight will be the usual Friday night burger and beer *without* the 16km run to justify it. Tomorrow will be similar, breakfast out, then a busy day of travelling interstate with two young kids (and probably not eating much), picking up my bib, getting to the accomodation, etc. we've booked dinner at a kid friendly Italian restaurant in the city so I anticipate a nice bowl of pasta and maybe some gelato.
Breakfast is a protein bar and toast. Afterwards I can guarantee I won't be eating solid food till nightfall.

spiriteagle99

Before a marathon, I like to eat my biggest meal at lunchtime the day before (or around 2 pm) rather than at dinnertime. That makes sure I'm not feeling loaded down. Dinner is then something light like a sandwich or eggs and toast. That big meal has carbs of some sort - whether pasta, or meat/fish and potato or chicken and rice. I try to avoid a lot of fat and fiber, because both can cause problems. Not too much sugar either.

Breakfast is either cereal or a bagel two hours before the race and a banana or juice 1/2 hour before. Not too much sugar for me. I have a friend who eats donuts and Mountain Dew for her pre-race breakfast. She's done 30 marathons on that.

KeepRunningFatboy

Air Force marathon Saturday. My 39th 26.2. I'll eat about 1750 calories on Friday - oatmeal, salad and fruit for lunch, subway veggie sub for supper and may snack on broccoli and an apple. Race morning - 1 cup old fashioned oats plain. During the race 3 or 4 gels, fruit if on course, fluids.

For a half, I would probably eat the same pre race day. Most distance runners eat sufficient carbs to store enough glycogen for runs about 15-17 miles. Carb loading is enjoyable, but greatly exaggerated.

Agent_Freckles

Pasta the night before and a protein bar and banana the day of. Pasta makes my muscles feel like they can do anything