At ’26.2’ we get asked a lot of questions about nutrition for marathon training. We have already published a couple of articles on this topic, but I thought I’d present a few extra ideas here.

First of all, let’s take a look at the basic training principle for most sports, including running...

Muscle strength is built up by doing a hard workout that results in tender or sore muscles. The next day you do easy workouts (or take the day off) until the muscle soreness disappears.

Now if you could recover faster from a hard workout, you could do more work and be a stronger athlete. Physiologists have known for years that you can recover faster by eating carbohydrates after you finish a hard workout.

Recent studies have also shown that eating additional protein on your harder workout day will help you recover even faster. The extra protein reduces muscle damage during hard exercise. Eating carbohydrates along with protein helps you to recover even faster. Eating within an hour after exercise is best...

Should You Eat Before Your Run?

Personally I like to have a very light breakfast before heading out for my morning run. I find this especially helpful for long runs. If you are going to work out for more than an hour, you have to eat or your muscles will run out of sugar. Your liver releases sugar from its cells into your blood as you exercise, but the supply is limited. So, eating before your long run will definitely help to keep you going.

If you do not eat before you exercise for more than two hours, your liver will probably run out of sugar. This causes your blood sugar level to drop, and you will start to feel fatigue and tiredness. This is actually what causes us to ‘hit the wall’ during the marathon.

Having said that however, everyone’s physiology is different and some people simply have a hard time exercising if they have just ate. My advice is to try both ways and see which works the best for you.

How Much Should You Eat?

My recommendations in terms of percentage of your calorie intake are as follows:

50 – 65 % calories from complex carbohydrates

15 – 25% calories from fat, unsaturated as much as possible

20 – 25% calories from protein. Use the higher percentage if you are doing weight training

Of course this could vary a lot, depending on serving sizes.

The amount you need depends on several factors including exercise level weight, and gender. Use our Online Calculator to get an idea of your marathon training nutrition requirement.

Marathoners - Get The Energy You Need To Keep You Going!

When you're training for, and running, a marathon you need to continually build up your energy reserves. FRS is a proven energy replacement product. It is naturally based, is low in caffeine and very easy to digest.

FRS is used by Lance Armstrong and many other endurance athletes.

FRS helps you keep healthy, and boosts your immune system.

Learn more and get a free sample of FRS products here.

More Information...

You can read our more detailed article on proper nutrition for marathon training on the Marathon Diet page.

If you’d like to read about the latest in marathon energy products check out the Energy Nutrition page, where FRS are offering a free sample of their product. I use this often and find it to be really effective.

If you like our marathon website...

Tell a friend!

We value your privacy - this email is not retained!