The Best Marathon Foods

Training Runs

• During your actual training runs, provide your body with sufficient water and carbohydrates to complete the practice. For this, many marathon training guides suggest 30 to 60g of carbohydrates an hour. So, for initial shorter runs, drinking Gatorade or another sports drink ahead of time may be sufficient. For longer runs towards the end of your training, you should bring bottles of sports drink or carbohydrate gel packets to consume during the run.

  If you plan on drinking a sports drink or consuming gels during the actual marathon, as many runners do, you must practice ahead of time during training. Some people have unexpected reactions to these products, especially gels, and you want to know how they affect you before race day.

Training Period

• In addition to fueling your body during your training runs, you must also provide your body with the nutrition it needs to repair and improve itself. For this, you should incorporate a full range of vitamins and minerals by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. It is also vital that you consume sufficient protein to allow your muscles to gain strength. While there are many opinions about the appropriate amount of protein you need, eat around one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight.

  Many tasty foods are excellent for marathon training. Yogurt, especially Greek yogurt, is very high in protein. Fish, chicken and turkey are good lean proteins. Whole wheat bread or noodles pack lots of carbohydrates. Spinach is high in many vitamins and minerals.

Morning of the Race

• The morning of the race, it is very important to eat a high-carbohydrate meal, preferably about two hours before, to give your body time to digest. Toast, cereal, bananas and orange juice are foods that provide carbohydrates and are easy for your body to absorb. Whatever you eat should be something your body is used to; avoid all surprises on race day. Regularly take sips of sports drink throughout the morning. Do not overdo your consumption, however, or when the race starts you'll be running to the bathroom instead of the finish line. Some people also drink so much water (not sports drink) that they dilute their store of electrolytes.

Race

• During the race itself, ideally nothing should be new to you, since you practiced during your training. Nutritionist Bill Meiser says in Runner's World that you should consume around 6 oz. of sports drink every 15 minutes to deliver constant energy.

  During the latter half of the race, you may want to incorporate some solid foods to give you a carb boost. Gels are popular, but you can also include high-sugar foods like raisins, dates, or jelly beans. Even small candies like fun-size Milky Ways, while not being the most ideal way of getting carbohydrates, can be a treat that gives you both energy and a morale boost. Runner's World suggests 50 calories every 15 minutes between miles 13 to 20.

  After the race, treat yourself and eat what you want, but eat something, as your body will be heavily depleted and in need of nutrients.