Eating for marathons

foodia.org

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"Simple, wholesome, real food—not too much, and consumed at exactly the right intervals before & after workouts—is the key to boosting athletic performance."

So what are the right intervals?

The key on race day is to get as much water as your stomach can handle -- one coach (Benji Durden) recommends about a quart of water 1-2 hours before the race, and then almost a half bottle every 6 miles or so. That's a lot of water when you're trying to run 5:30/mile pace!

Be extremely careful if following this advice. Hyponatremia--dilution of the blood resulting in low levels of sodium--is a serious concern for marathon runners. Dehydration during a race won't kill you; hyponatremia might.

Absolutely, positively do not "get as much water as your stomach can handle". Your stomach can handle enough water to kill you.

Dehydration absolutely can kill you during a race. Ask most (if not all) race medics and/or first-aid volunteers and they'll tell you dehydration is by far the bigger issue at marathons.

You took that quote out of context. If you're an elite marathoner trying to run sub-3:00 pace, then I stand by my comment to get as much water as your stomach can handle. Hydration is the limiting factor.

And if you hadn't taken that quote out of context, you would have seen that I was recommending between 60-70 ounces of water from 1-2 hours before the race until race finish, which won't put you at risk for hyponatremia and is, in fact, in line with what the American College of Sports Medicine recommends.

I play soccer regularly and this insight is helpful. I should start to have a more analytical view of nutritions and performance from now on.

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