want some input on meals before my upcoming marathon:
dinner - water, grilled chicken, pasta without sauce, baked potato
breakfast - 2 powerbars, 1 banana, spoonful of peanut butter, water, gatorade
Is that enough food for both meals? Do i need more carbs?
bump
I had mexican food the night before I first BQ, it was great. Chicken in corn tortilla, with rice, beans and some mild spice and sauce,
For breakfast, hard to be granola.
And no I didn't sh#t myself.
I prefer having the "big meal" earlier in the day before a marathon and then a lighter moderately-sized dinner, something like stir fry over rice, so I'd move your chicken and pasta meal to lunch. You'll want to finish breakfast a few hours prior to race time and quit taking fluids about 2 hours prior.
Citizen Runner wrote:
and quit taking fluids about 2 hours prior.
Please explain your logic for this action.
I use the Western Australia method and have never bonked in a marathon. Two days before the race, I do an intense 3min run, then immediately carbo load. First, high glycemic index foods (such as gatorade), then I shift to mix in low, mid, and high glycemic foods (but not too much high glycemic which can cause elevated blood sugar / insulin imbalances).
The day before the marathon, I injest 600-650g of carbs. (I weigh 133 lbs). My last big meal is lunch. Then I nibble and drink in carbs the rest of the day and have a light dinner. My foods are all high in carbs (80-90%). I want 600+ grams of carbs with a minimal calorie intake.
The morning of the marathon, I may have a small bowl of cereal and rice milk and/or a couple cliff bars.
I would avoid the chicken. Way too many protein and fat calories. I would also avoid the gatorade the morning of - too high of a glycemic index. I would stick to lower glycemic foods. I start drinking gatorade right before the start or early in the race.
Good luck to you!
For me:
Pasta the night before, perhaps with chicken
Breakfast is 3-4 bananas.
EPO for dinner and a nice medley of hospital-grade painkillers in the morning
Looks pretty good, especially if you have tested it in training.
I do simple salad, bread, plain pasta or maybe with a little tomato sauce. Or Pizza. Same routine as most other nights.
3 hrs before race: toast with a little peanut butter and jelly.
foodie wrote:
want some input on meals before my upcoming marathon:
dinner - water, grilled chicken, pasta without sauce, baked potato
breakfast - 2 powerbars, 1 banana, spoonful of peanut butter, water, gatorade
Is that enough food for both meals? Do i need more carbs?
Pasta is pretty heavy on the stomach and shall be avoided, just like bread.
I have advised the folks in my box running the Marathon the following plan:
Lunch: ground beef with rice and avocado
Snack: Banana
Dinner: Coconut lamb with rice
Snack: Banana
---
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs (because it's awesome), 2 bananas for carbs
Also on the day before the Marathon, drink plenty of coconut water
Enjoy!
Can I drink a pint of melted lard with dinner, too?
Citizen Runner wrote:
and quit taking fluids about 2 hours prior.
Falling Water wrote:
Please explain your logic for this action.
Presumably you've been consciously hydrating in the days before a big marathon so you're close to topped up when you get up on race morning. The idea behind not taking fluids in the last two hours prior is to give your body time to absorb whatever is "in the pipeline" and eliminate what it doesn't need prior to the race start so you're not racing on a full bladder. You then start taking fluids at an appropriate rate just before the start or at the first aid station.
Whatever it is, make sure it isn't made by your wifes Japanese brother.
skinny fat w 6 pack wrote:
Can I drink a pint of melted lard with dinner, too?
You can substitute the other fat, yes. However, make sure to get adequate carbs from safe starches or white rice on the day BEFORE the Marathon.
Lunch the day before is more important.
I always do pancakes. To me pasta doesnt digest as well and often the sauce can be spicy, pancakes digest well and provide carbs.
The morning of I do instant oatmeal. 1. Its what I eat before my long runs, so Im not doing anything different from my training. 2. Its easy to bring with me and eat in a hotel room. I dont want to have to find a place, etc..
when is your race?
have you practiced with food to make sure what your GI system tolerates and what it doesn't?
i've found i do best with a big meal at lunch the day before, no later than mid-afternoon...no big meal the night before, just grazing and drinking a high-carb drink like Ultra Fuel
Hi, From personal experience, I found that it was crucial to train my stomach to be comfortable with eating specific foods 2 hours before the race. This ensures optimal performance and no G.I (gastrointestinal) problems. In terms of making sure we have enough energy and fuel on board, if a decent meal is eaten the night before, and a few hours before the race, the human body has enough energy for up to 80 minutes of endurance activity. This means “bonking”, or in other words, running out of glycogen stores for muscle recruitment is not so much of an issue for shorter races like a 5km or 10km. However, since you're running a marathon, it's important to incorporate in-race nutrition that has been tried and tested in training. Keep that in mind.
Breakfast
I like to stick with a mix of simple and complex carbohydrates. We want energy to be easily accessible and be enough to keep you satiated on the start line and throughout the race. For example, I generally eat oats, maple syrup/honey/brown rice syrup, and a banana 2-3 hours before the race. This is my go-to breakfast before some of my major 5 and 10km road races.
½-¾ cup of oats, cooked on the stovetop so they are well done. This decreases digestion time.
1 teaspoon of honey, or maple syrup (slightly more if using the latter option)
Chopped banana on top
Dash of cinnamon
Toast with banana and honey is also a very good option if you’re not a big fan of oats. I like to stick with white bread or sourdough the day of the race, rather than a grain bread or wholemeal/wholewheat, as this can cause stomach upsets.
What should I eat the night before ?
Remember for a marathon it's important that you've practiced and thought about your nutrition strategy. It's a good idea to use training to practice meals and see what works for you. A decent meal which includes a quality form of carbohydrates is really important to take on board the night before a race. For a marathon, 2-3 nights before this should be a focus. It ensures our body is stocked with energy to recruit for the race the next day. Since most road races are run in the morning, here are some examples of dinners to eat the night before (tried and tested!) and breakfasts for 2-3 hours before the gun goes off!
Personally, I like to keep it simple stupid. The night before some of my best middle to long-distance track races I eat a very simple take on fried rice:
-Long grain low G.I rice, the Dongara kind normally (the most important component, complex carbohydrates),
-Tuna/Salmon/Chicken or pork (lean protein, not a big fan of red meat the night before a race)
-Shredded carrot, steamed green beans (some simple veggies) - sometimes I roast up some potatoes, onions, zucchini etc.
-½ a small avocado sliced (Fats)
-Topped with soy sauce, a dash of sweet chili sauce and lemon juice + salt/pepper (for flavor!), sometimes I put mayo on my chicken.
I go into a lot more detail and explore the benefits of caffeine in my blog post. It's not just for the 5k distance - it's endurance fueling in general. The longer the race, the more fuel you'll need on board and the further out you have to plan this. Click the link if you want to give it a read: