Looking for advice on how to fuel during a full marathon

cmcostello23

Hello!

I will be doing my first full marathon in 44 days...and I am looking for some advice on carb loading the 2-3 days before the race and especially the best way to fuel during the race.

I have been running for many years on and off...for the past year and a half I really started to focus on running again. I have lost 37 lbs and I am almost to my goal weight of 145 lbs (30 years old female, 5'5", 153 lbs). I have done two half-marathons (in about 2 hours 25 min) and weekly I try to run between 20-35 miles. I am not a fast runner, more like slow and steady. I do not have a set time goal for the marathon, I just want to finish it, lol.

During long runs I typically don't use too much fuel besides water and maybe some Gatorade. I have tried a gel once but it made me very sick to my stomach so I am a little nervous to try it again. However, I know I will need to do something for the full marathon.

Can anyone tell me the best fuel plan to use for my first full marathon? I would greatly appreciate any advice to help me prepare for this huge event!!

Thank you!!!!

RedBess

Hi!

I have only done two marathons so far and I don't really carb-load 2-3 days before race day, so I won't weigh in on that.

For fueling during the race, I have used Gu gels. They aren't as "jelly" as some of the other brands. And I stick to either the chocolate or chocolate mint as they taste more like frosting :-). All of them can mess a little with your stomach at first, but that is why you use them during your long runs for training and not just on race day. You should have a chance to get use to it by then. Your body is just not use to having to process anything while it is also running and it may take a little time for getting it to adjust. I have never had problem with them except for once, which was due to washing it down with too much water. A sip or two is fine to get the cotton mouth feeling gone, but too much liquid with the Gu seems to push it through the process too quick.

If you really cannot get over the stomach issues, you can always stick to bananas (usually provided on race day at the water stations) but they can be hard to take with for training.

Good luck and ENJOY the marathon! It is a huge time commitment to train, but totally worth it. I get done with one and cannot wait for the next one!

rybo

Ideally you would be figuring out fueling on your long runs. If you don't like gels, you can stick with Gatorade to get you thru. Opinions vary but the fact that you haven't relied on gels & fuel is good in my opinion. There are a lot of gels out there & different brands may not make you sick. Or like already said, Gatorade can be used too.

amandarunning

If you've not tried it in training then don't on the big day. I relied on energy drinks (Lucozade or SIS Rego), sugary sweets (jelly babies/jelly beans) usually but also got on well with small flapjacks - low fat option as easier to digest and absorb.

Don't carbo load as such - eat the same and the taper down in run miles will act as a carbo load. For me it was rice the night before and porridge for breakfast.

cmcostello23

Thank you all for your good advice!!! :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy:

KeithAngilly

I highly recommend this:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-new-rules-of-marathon-and-half-marathon-nutrition-matt-fitzgerald/1111561376?ean=9780738216454

And I would second what the others have said: make sure you practice your strategy, including what you do from the time you wake up. I use a few Sunday long runs to do this.

Good luck!

MinimalistShoeAddict

Below is the protocol (with sources) I followed for my first marathon with some success. That being said, everyone has different preferences. DO NOT try this or any new protocol unless you have first tested it during for a long training run. You do not want to change your diet on race day. If your stomach does not tolerate the energy gels being provided by the marathon volunteers, I suggest you carry your own fuel (something you tolerate well while running).

This is what I did:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1091070-carb-loading-the-western-australia-method

Topsking2010

Do the same thing on race day that you do in training!! Nothing more!!

Yes I did a marathon last November!!

nevertoooldtodoit

Hi! I have completed 7 marathons with the goal in each to finish, no speed involved! My go to resource has been Hal Higdon. I use water and diluted gatorade during the race. I also eat along the course. I pack granola bars broken into bite size pieces to eat throughout the race. I am also not afraid to eat the fruit/berries offered along the course. When I'm out there 4 to 5 hours I actually get hungry! I also do this during training so I know that it will work during my race. Don't try anything new on race day, do what has worked for you in training. Good luck, have fun!

STrooper

First, the ramp up long runs is the time to test your eating strategies for race day, including the couple of days just before the run. Whether you do it based upon time or distance (I use distance. Every 4-6 miles, I consume either a gel, usually GU but I've used power gel by Power Bar as well, a Power Bar, or a Clif Bar), pick what agrees with you. If you know ahead of time what the race is going to provide, then try that out. Keep in mind that although races may be well organized, sometimes the best planning goes a little awry and you have to rely on what you brought with you. I always have a little backup tucked away just in case in the late stages of the race, they run out.


More importantly, what you have practiced on multiple long runs so that on race day, don't change anything. I am currently experimenting with what seems to work for race day breakfast. I've got one more long run before my next marathon and so I'll be trying gel start as opposed to a breakfast that I've used previously.

As far as carbs loading... well there may have been a time when that was the popular thing to do. But if your marathon is on a Sunday, Friday is about the last day that any carbs conversion to glycogen can take place. Clearly, a high fat, high protein meal won't work for most people.

And too much carb loading can result in rather embarrassing carb unloading on the race course.

My meals for both the long training runs and the race have their own taper. They get smaller and have less fat. By default they have more carbs and a bit more protein as a percentage of the calorie intake.

Good luck on your training.