Nutrition/Running: Practice makes the pre-race breakfast perfect
and some newsletter updates/changes
I was listening to the Ali on the Run Show as per usual (also here is a shameless plug to listen to the episodes I was on, episodes 39, 123 and 216, though I may have different answers to some questions these days), and loved the conversation with pro runner Emily Durgin. My dietitian radar went up when they were talking about Emily’s first marathon (NYC in November!), her fueling and what she was going to eat for breakfast before the race. She mentioned she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to get much down that morning for breakfast, but maybe would rely on the nutrition she’d be taking in during the race (I’m paraphrasing here).
“Ahhh no don’t do that!” I said to my phone. This is one of the most common nutrition mistakes I see new marathoners making: not practicing pre-race nutrition, and/or underestimating how much fuel they need both before and during the race. The New York City Marathon throws you an added curveball because the timing for the race is likely different from your typical long runs. For anyone running NYC, including the pros, there are several hours between the time you have to get up and get yourself to the start (either by bus or ferry) and when you actually start running. If you haven’t been practicing a nutrition plan for this kind of timing, you are entering a somewhat uncharted territory that could result in both an unhappy gut and some serious bonking. The good news here is that there is still time (a little less than two months!) to formulate a pre-race breakfast plan, practice it, and train your gut to handle the amount of nutrition you need to have a good race.
Needs breakdown
Before a marathon, runners should be consuming 3-4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight starting at about 3 hours before the race. To get your weight in kg, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. What this means for a 130lb (60kg) runner is approximately 200 grams of carb. This can seem like a lot! For a race like New York, I recommend spacing things out so you don’t feel too full or uncomfortable. For example:
When you wake up: two pieces of toast or a bagel with jam and peanut butter, and some sports drink
On the bus or ferry to Staten Island: 1 cup overnight oats with dried fruit, honey or 1 cup plain white rice with cinnamon and sugar, sports drink
When you get to the start: 1 banana with peanut butter, sports drink (there will be more waiting time here)
60 minutes before go time: have an additional easily digestible snack, like a banana, gel, chews dried fruit and/or sports drink
What to do now
Simulate this fueling plan before your long runs, starting this weekend. Yes, that could mean waking up super early (at least three hours before you plan to run!), but I promise your stomach will thank you. If you’ve only been taking in a small amount of fuel before your long runs, work up to what you’ll need on race day slowly to allow your gut to adapt. For example: cut the above plan in half and start there to see how your stomach feels. Exactly what you have and when is very individual, so please keep in mind the above is only a general example. Taking this next 1.5 months to hone in on what you tolerate best, and when, will pay off on November 6.
Newsletter changes!
Starting this week, I’ve changed my subscription settings to include a paid subscriber option. In addition to once weekly free posts for all subscribers, paid subscribers will receive two additional posts per month on topics like nutrition myth-busting, nutrition Q&As, and some personal posts here and there. Paid subscribers will also have the ability to submit nutrition questions for future Q&As. If you’re interested, you can upgrade your subscription below (it’s $5 per month!).
And, if you’re interested in becoming a client, please visit my website :)
My current macro plan is about 200 carbs for maintenance and 240 in a surplus. I can’t imagine eating that before a race. I’ve tried increasing before long runs and feel so bloated during run or race. I’ve opted to do 60 for breakfast plus 2 additional UCAN snacks of 20-30 each leading up to race start and 50-60 carbs per hour every hour after the first hour of running. Any advice if you simply can’t eat that much before a hard effort? Do some people just perform better with less?