Nutrition for marathon runners: maximise performance

Running a marathon is the ultimate endurance test. Without the right fuel, it will be even harder for your body to perform and recover. Understanding nutrition as a training and performance tool is key to a successful marathon. When training for a marathon it is not just what you eat to fuel your body and training but when you eat, too. “Nutrient Timing” is the best way to maximise and maintain glycogen stores, which is where you split each 24 hours into 3 metabolic phases to fuel with macronutrients.

The 3 Phases of “Nutrient Timing” are...

1. Energy phase

When? 10mins prior to and during training/race.

Studies have shown consuming both carbohydrate and protein together before, during and after can increase blood flow to the muscles, reduce glycogen depletion, and counteract dehydration.

This combination of nutrients helps to replenish muscle glycogen more rapidly than carbohydrates alone, therefore minimising muscle damage and allowing faster recovery. It also helps support the immune system.

During exercise, food and drink should be easily digestible and well-diluted and you should aim to be consuming 60g-90g of carbs per hour.

It is recommended that you trial food and drink combinations in your training runs; do not try anything new in the race as everybody reacts differently.

Dehydration is the biggest pitfall for marathon runners. Runners lose approximately 1ltr of water per hour through sweat. Drink 2 glasses of water in the morning when you wake up and another glass before you leave the house. From 10mins before the race, you can start to drink sports drinks with sugars and electrolytes. It is better to take big sips at frequent intervals.

Always start to take in energy shortly after you start running. Studies show that taking on energy at 15-20 intervals is more effective that taking on the same amount after 2 hours of exercise.

2. Anabolic phase.

When? 30-45 minutes after your marathon/training. 

This is when your anabolic hormones help your body to be most effective at replenishing its stores of glycogen and the repair and growth of tissue

Eat approximately 1- 1.5 grams of carbohydrate per kg of your bodyweight and 10-15g of protein within the first 30-45 minutes after your marathon training. E.g. For a 55kg person 2 bananas (30g carb each) and a protein bar.

3. Growth phase

When? The remainder of the day: 45mins after exercise to 10mins before next session.

As your anabolic hormones fall, it becomes important to focus on meals that contain smaller amounts of complex carbs (fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains) and slower digested proteins (meat and fish, low-fat cheeses and dairy).  

Aim to meet you calculated daily carbohydrate requirements and 20g of protein per meal.

Make sure you are eating enough! On the day of the race, breakfast is particularly important as your glycogen stores will have diminished over night.

Don't forget...

Micronutrients

High levels of physical activity lower immunity and increase oxidative stress so it is important to support these systems not only with ‘food as fuel’ (macros) but also food to support function. This is where vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, polyphenols and fatty acids come in.

Energy is what powers you through your runs. B vitamins are particularly needed for the energy production process so a deficiency may impair both aerobic and anaerobic exercise performance which is why we pack our VITL Superblends protein powder with B12 and B6. 

To combat injury and illness brought on by oxidative stress, aim to obtain high levels of antioxidants through the diet. Glutathione is the 'mother of all antioxidants' and is produced by the liver. You can improve your production of glutathione with green tea and turmeric.

CoQ10, berries, and super greens also contain anti-oxidants which help reduce the risk of damage from oxidative stress and can potentially reduce muscle recovery time.  

Your joints! 

It is well-known that high impact sports like running can cause joint problems later in life. Omega 3s found in krill oil, and turmeric and ginger all are potent anti-inflammatories and have been shown to have a positive effect on joint health.

Training for a marathon this year? Save 15% on all VITL Superblends using code MARATHON18