What is the Best Diet for a Marathon

Easy - eat the same stuff you normally do. Now is not the time to start experimenting with new foods that might mess with your stomach. If you're looking for general nutritional advice, I feel like you can't go wrong with a mostly vegetarian diet, focusing on whole foods. Get a decent amount of protein from lean meats/fish, healthy fats from nuts/avocados/peanut butter, carbs from stuff like potatoes or whole-grain pasta. In the 2-3 days before the marathon, if you want to carb load, do so but do it smartly. Carb loading is not eating three times servings of pasta at each meal - it's replacing your normal protein/fat intake with carbs instead, but you should still be eating roughly the same caloric amount. Overeating right before a marathon is a recipe for disaster. You should also be carb loading 2-3 days in advance - the dinner before the race will be too late for your body to properly store and make use of the excess glycogen. If you haven't started yet, start experimenting with GUs/energy intake during your long runs and find what works so you don't risk an upset stomach on race day. (From Hooch Pandersnatch)

posted Thursday February 22nd