Marathon Training - Help Getting Started

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dcoyle621
dcoyle621 Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition

Hello, I am training for the NYC marathon and just downloaded MyFitnessPal so I can start tracking meals to ensure I'm eating enough food each day and the right kind of foods while training.

I've never ran a marathon before and if I'm being honest, not much of a runner in general so I've never tracked food like this other than calories for weight loss. When setting this app up, I've been googling how much calories I want everyday, how much carbs, fat and protein each day, how many calories for breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc. and think it might just be better to post a comment here instead of googling these questions and possibly getting the wrong answer.

I am a 35 year old female that weight around 150lbs. Does anyone know what options I should choose while setting this app up and make sure I'm getting enough nutrition while training for the marathon?

Also, does anyone know if I should not be eating as much at first and gradually start consuming more as I start running more and longer runs?

Again, I'm not much of a runner to begin with so any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Kind regards,

Danielle

Replies

  • kmp9881
    kmp9881 Posts: 11 Member
    edited July 2

    Hi Danielle!

    I've run a ton of halfs, completed my first full last year and I'm training for my next one now. Here's some info I've learned from my own experience and also working with a running coach and nutritionist.

    For deciding on fueling, it depends on what your goals are. If you're running to lose weight, you may find your paces/recovery etc are a bit slower if you're in even a minor deficit. This also makes you more prone to injuries, especially as you get up into higher mileage. This doesn't mean you can't do this, BUT, you have to prioritize nutrient dense foods and recovery. I'm currently running in a deficit, which means I set my base daily calorie intake at 1400, and then fuel my runs with lower calorie/nutrient dense foods. On a run day, this means I generally end the day around 1800 calories overall, but that will increase as my mileage increases. Long run days are higher

    If you're looking to just fuel your body effectively and get the maximum out of your training, don't worry too much about calorie counts and just focus on balanced meals and hitting your carb and protein goals. This is especially important as a female runner as our hormones play a huge part in our build and recovery, and not giving your body what you need can make you feel like absolute trash. If you follow your body's hunger cues, you'll find your calories will naturally increase as you get into peak training. Don't restrict at this point, but make sure you're getting the right kind of nutrition and not grabbing "junk" to fill in. Complex carbs and protein are your best friends, but make sure you're getting healthy fats in there too!

    For recipe ideas, I love the Run Fast. Eat Slow. cook books by Elise Kopecky and Shalane Flanigan. Really great info and meal ideas for female runners in them!

    Finally, for setting up your daily goals, you will find what works best for your body as you experiment with your nutrition. For me, I set my macros at 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat. I focus on getting a minimum of 100g of protein in daily and 25g of fiber... the rest gets built around those numbers.

    Good luck in your training!

    -Katie

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