The greatest perk of the week before you run a marathon is CARB LOADING. Bring me lasagne! On top of a pizza! With chips! But before you start eating your body weight in Italian food: what exactly is carb loading? Is it even the right thing to do before a race? And what should a pre-run dinner actually consist of? We spoke to the experts to find out the golden rules of marathon nutrition, and get some tasty pre- and post-race meal ideas:
"Carbohydrates are indeed burnt for energy during your runs, but protein and fat are still very important as they can really give you that extra power to see you through as well as help with recovery," says Francesca. "Always include a source of protein, fat AND carbs in every meal and snack." An example might be avocado on toast or yogurt topped with and berries.
[pullquote align="L" ]Avoid rushing your night-before-the-race meal. Just enjoy it![/pullquote]
"Fat is necessary for lubricating and protecting your joints," says Francesca. "It helps with recovery, controlling body temperature, the absorption of nutrients, and keeping your body well-fuelled. Include nuts, seeds, avocado, hemp oil, coconut oil, real butter and oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines in your daily diet. Low-fat diets for runners (and most other people) are can be detrimental to health."
For your best chance of getting some sleep, eat early the night before. "Avoid rushing this evening meal, and enjoy it," says Dr Adrian Hodgson, senior sports scientist at Lucozade Sport. "Give your body time to digest it and relax, which should allow you to get a good night's sleep before the race."
You wouldn't start a marathon in a brand-new pair of trainers, and the same goes for trying out new foods. "During training, you need to work out which foods works best for you and stick to them," says Francesca. "Don't try a new carb gel or sports drink on race day that you haven't experimented with before, and try no to change up your breakfast on race day."
Now's the time to take on the fuel your body needs to start strong. "Keep fibre and fat to a minimum for your race-day breakfast, as these can cause upset stomachs," says Dr Hodgson. "Priming the body with carbohydrates is one way to ensure that your performance does not suffer during the race. Porridge, toast, cereal, bagels and fruit juice are all great choices."
It sounds obvious, but many runners don't remember to drink enough fluid the day before the race, or the morning of. "Little and often is key," says Dr Hodgson. "Dehydration may result in a decline in endurance performance - even a 2% reduction in hydration levels has been shown to negatively impact performance."
Imagine sitting down for four or five hours without food – you'd start feeling hungry, right? Now imagine you're running for all that time. "Our bodies are like cars – they can't run on empty," says Dr Hodgson. "Stores of carbohydrate in our body deplete during the race. You need carbs to avoid the onset of fatigue. It varies depending on your speed, but aim to consume between 30g-60g of carbohydrate per hour." This can come from energy gels, or even sweets!
Right after you finish, relax and drink some water (and maybe take a post-race selfie) before you eat. "Your body will have sent a message to your brain telling it you're under stress, putting you in 'fight or flight' mode," explains Francesca. "Eating in this state can be counterproductive as you are less likely to digest your food effectively. It's best to wait 30 minutes to allow your body to calm down. Your meal should be balanced with protein, carbs as healthy fats for muscle recovery, to replenish your glycogen stores and to support your joints." Most importantly, enjoy it – you've earned it!
Pre-race dinner: