Marathon preparation check list

Marathon training demands a lot of time, effort, dedication, determination and preparation to be successful. The foundations for success need to be put down in the weeks and months preceding an event, however the week before a marathon is still a key time. Here is my guide to the final stages of marathon preparation based on my own personal experiences: 

Eat lots don't be hungry 

There is so much advice on pre-race nutrition and the importance of carb loading such as these great articles from Runners World and RealBuzz, 

Also you should also check out this video from Buzzfeed which gives you an entertaining yet informative guide to how the carb loading process works. 

But as well as eating more carbs its also important to just eat more. 

While preparing for a race it is common to cut down on your food intake to try and lose weight to be in the best shape for race day but in the final stages its all about fueling your body to be ready for the demands of the upcoming 26.2 miles.  

So I let myself go a bit and eat if I feel hungry as long as its good stuff I am eating. Regular readers will know I have enjoyed the carb loading phase from previous marathons as you can see here. 

I tend to snack a lot on dried fruit, Brazil nuts, almonds, peanut butter, flap jacks, tortilla wraps and that kind of thing as you might have seen in previous posts or seen on my twitter feed if you follow me on twitter @beoutrunning. 

My other advice is a common recommendation of eating familiar things, food you eat a lot, that you enjoy and that you know suits you fuels you correctly. 

I also try and stick to the mantra of eating little and often so that I am not overloading my body and I am providing a constant steady flow of calorific fuel for energy. 

Sleep lots don't be tired  

In the week or two post marathon I focus more on getting to bed that bit earlier as well as cutting down on the early morning training to perhaps once or twice a week.

Giving your body plenty of opportunity to rest and restore its self so it is in the best condition possible for race day is really important.  

Although relax if you don't end up getting as much sleep the night before a run because of pre-race nerves or a change of routine due to travelling for a race is fine and wont impact on your performance.  

Walk lots - well not lots but maybe a bit more than usual.  

As my training is cut down in the lead up to a marathon I try to replace this with a bit of extra walking. This is for a few reasons, to keep my legs ticking over all be it with a much less strenuous form of exercise and to keep burning off a few calories while not training so much. 

My other bit of walking related advice is to where running trainers as much as possible pre race. Your feet are important so its important to look after them and keep them as comfortable as possible. 

Roll and stretch 

If not already part of your daily routine it definitely should be in the build up to the big run. Keeping your legs nice and loose and getting rid of any stiffness and tightness is key to a great performance on race day, its amazing how brilliant and energetic your legs can feel through the week with a reduction in training but an increase in rolling and stretching. 

Hydration

Water water everywhere! 

There is an abundance of advice on staying hydrated so I wont bore you with that only reiterate its importance. Stay hydrated and drink loads in the days building up to your marathon! 

Along with lots of water I also enjoy drinking a variety of herbal teas to help hydrate and refresh me. As well as this they also provide a sweet touch that might be lacking from your diet as well as providing other digestion and health benefits. 

Nutrition 

As well as trying to eat a well balanced nutritious diet in the marathon build up heres a few personal specifics I throw into the mix. 

Vitamin C - Load up on some vitamin C, something that should already be plentiful in your diet but especially necessary in the final stages of a marathon training programme to ensure you can fight off any illnesses while you body is more susceptible to attack due to the strains of training and to ensure you are as fighting fit and healthy as can be come race day. 

Coupled with an increase in vitamin C i have also found taking a cold and flu remedy such as Beechams is a great way to top up your body's defences and keep you feeling tip top!  

Protein - In race week as well as stocking up on my carbohydrates I also try to increase my protein in take to help my muscles be fully repaired and raring to go!

Specifically I opt for plenty of protein shakes and chicken throughout the week along with a steak dinner a few days before interspersed with plenty of protein rich snacks like almonds.  

Good digestion - To help make sure my stomach is settled and can cope with the high amount of carbohydrates along with potential pre race nerves I make sure I have a couple of spoons of natural yogurt in the morning and evening just to be kind to my gut in the hope it is then kind to me! 

Preparation  

Along with all the training and nutrition advice the best piece of advice is to be prepared. Mentally prepared for the challenges that lie ahead as well as physically prepared taking care of the practical and logistical arrangements of; how am i going to get there? What time so i need to get up/leave? What am I going to wear? Etc, etc

Its good to have these arrangements clear in your mind a few days before so you can relax and just focus on the actual running. 

One last thing most importantly:  

Don't forget to enjoy yourself! Enjoy the run, the challenge, the atmosphere, the experience, the location and the scenery, embrace it all so you can remember it in the future. 

Good luck!

Post marathon eating binge

After a marathon you are meant to eat loads right?

Firstly to replace all the calories you have burned and to refuel your body with all the nutrients it needs to recover from its exertions.

Secondly to reward yourself for all the hard work during the actual marathon and all the efforts of training. 

I know using food, especially bad junk type food as a reward is not a healthy mindset but hey we all do it, right?! 

To be honest following this latest marathon I haven't had a massive appetite. Directly after running I felt empty and quickly consumed some water, a lucozade and a mars bar from my race goodie bag along with a tortilla wrap. But other than that I didn't feel hungry and writing this article three days on I still haven't had a huge hunger. 

Come an hour or two later I still didn't feel that hungry. Not really knowing what I wanted to eat only knowing I should eat we headed to wetherspoons as I knew they at least provided a wide range of food options, my selection was a Mexican chicken burger and two pints of cool refreshing cider.

To be honest I struggled to finish! It wasn't the greatest burger but was perfectly edible and wetherspoon chips are a personal favourite but I just couldn't really manage it all.

I know your body including your stomach takes an absolute hammering during a marathon and its not easy for your stomach to recover from all the sickly sugary energy gels and lucozades.

Later on in the evening I tucked into a few sweet treats, again not through a sense of need or hunger but from a sense of reward and entitlement.

What the old marketing phrase? A finger of fudge is just enough to give the kids a treat? Or in my case a whole pack is just enough to give the marathon runner his chocolate fix!

My post marathon sugary eating binges are nothing new, after the Beachy Head Marathon last year I consumed pretty much an entire packet of a Marks & Spencer chocolate biscuit selection pack at around 4am in the morning after the run as I couldn't sleep and felt bored in my hotel room with only the biscuits to keep me entertained! 

Monday morning the day after the race I was sure I would feel ravenous after not eating that much on the day of the race so I eagerly looked forward to taking advantage of our hotels buffet breakfast.

I didn't really feel that hungry and to be honest didn't eat a crazy amount, my metabolism is definitely working overtime though as I didn't feel stuffed or bloated at all and my stomach soon felt emptish again.

Tuesday and back at work I treated myself to a Japanese curry as a nice break from my training staple of brown rice or potatoes. 

I then carried on the chocolate eating with a pack of 'family sized' twirl bites. 

I blame supermarkets for providing these snacks at such a cheap price and the advertising them as soon as you walk into the store!

After an intense training programme I think its important to let yourself go for a few days and just eat whatever as its hard to sustain complete healthy eating for longer periods. In my case its necessary to have a few 'cheat' days with another event coming up so quickly so I can get eating bad foods out of my system before I refocus on a healthy diet again.

Thanks for reading, what do you like to eat after a long run? Any favourite cheat foods or weird urges you love to eat after running?

The fun part of marathon training

So now for the fun part! The early morning training is done, the grueling long runs are finished the aching limbs from high mileage weeks are over now its just time to take it easy and make sure I am ready for the marathon. And of course the fun part every runner enjoys race week carb loading! 

This week my focus has been on:

• Looking after my legs to make sure they are fresh for Sunday so not too much running plenty of walking and some stretching and ice baths.

• Staying hydrated in the build up right the week through by drinking plenty of water mixed in with some green teas and fruit juices.

• Plenty of rest by aiming to get to bed by 10pm every night and not being busy in the evenings.

• Carb loading, making sure I have been eating a good quantity and good variety of good carbohydrates.

A great article I found with some great advice on pre marathon preparation is here its an article written by Olympic Marathon runner Scott Overall so its definitely from a source you can trust! His blog on realbuzz is definitely worth checking out as it has some great advice on all things running related.  

I have increased my carbohydrate consumption a little through the week but now its Thursday I am really upping my game.

I have been sneaking extra carbs into my diet by eating plenty of potato and by adding a tortilla wrap to a meal or having a wrap with peanut butter as a snack.

My eating plan for today is shaping up like this:

Eggs on toast for breakfast, plenty of fruit, brown rice for lunch, flapjack for an afternoon snack, more fruit and steak and mashed potato for dinner. 

I try and minimize my wheat intake as I don't like being bloated so cut down on bread and pasta options.

Brown rice always plays a part in my pre race diet both in terms of a good low fat clean eating lunch option and a good carb loading source in the build up to a run.

Flapjacks are also a key ingredient of my pre race diet as a good carb heavy snack and as my pre race meal. They weigh in at over 400 calories and around 60g of carbohydrate so they are not a light option but will provide me with the fuel I need to complete the marathon ahead.

Thanks for reading, what are your carb loading secrets and tips? Any advice on marathon build up and what to do/what not to do in the week before a marathon?