Here are my top 5 nutrition tips to get your Marathon training plan off to a flying start in 2015. It would be best to try to implement all of these tips together to get the best results in terms of your marathon training and performance.
Tip number 1
Carbs are King when it comes to endurance events. For any event over 90 minutes carbohydrate loading is definitely recommended. This means you should look at carbohydrate loading for your longer training runs, and for the marathon itself. Carbohydrate loading is essentially eating lots of quick release carbohydrates for 2 to 3 days prior to your long runs or events. Essentially you should eat a low protein, low fibre, low-fat and high-carbohydrate diet. This could include toast and honey, breakfast cereal and juice for breakfast; a snack of fruit and yoghurt; lunch consisting of rice vegetables and some fish; another snack of sports drink fruit and yoghurt; finishing off with dinner of more rice and vegetables and some meat. Remember this is not a particularly healthy way to eat, so should only be done in the last few weeks leading up to your event.
Tip number 2
Hydration can have a serious contribution to your performance. Dehydration can cause cramp and fatigue and even lead to serious consequences such as death. However ,drinking plain water is not always the best thing to do. Of course drinking some water is fine however you need to add both carbohydrates and salt to your drink so that your body can absorb it and prevent you from dehydrating. Aim to drink 250 mL of water with salt or an isotonic sports drink every 15 to 20 minutes of your long training runs or event to keep you hydrated.
Tip number 3
Protein helps your body repair your muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments after your long training runs or marathon. Protein comes in the form of animal products such as meat, fish, seafood or poultry. When you are not carbohydrate loading you can eat a fair amount of protein quite safely. Aim to have 2 to 3 medium to large portions of protein per day including it not only on your lunch and dinner but also at breakfast.
Tip number 4
Vitamins and minerals often get overlooked in terms of sports nutrition. But in order to turn your food into energy food must go through a number of metabolic reactions that are all powered by vitamins and minerals. In order to turn carbohydrate into energy you need B vitamins, vitamins C, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, sulphur and selenium. To digests proteins so that they can be used by your muscles and bones for repair you need B vitamins and zinc. In order to use fats efficiently you need carnitine. Make sure you have an adequate amount of animal products, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds in your diet to provide these vitamins and minerals.
Tip number 5
People who take part in a large amount of exercise often succumb to coughs and colds. We know that exercise can suppress your immune system. In order to protect yourself from colds and coughs it is best to consume foods and nutrients that help to boost your immune system. There are three vitamins and minerals that are particularly useful for the immune system. The first one is vitamin D, this is normally gained from sunlight however in the winter months you should take a vitamin D supplement. The next vitamin is vitamin C, this is found in broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, kiwifruit as well as citrus fruits. The last mineral that is useful for the immune system is zinc. This is found predominantly in meat products as well as nuts and seeds.
