Marathon Training Program: Getting Started - Training Basics There are many topics pertaining to the fundamentals of marathon training. These will be highlighted.
FREE Marathon Training Plan for Beginners and Intermediate Runners 16-Week by week schedule with tips and resources for running your first or your best marathon.How to Fuel for a Half Marathon. So first things first—the carb- load. You might be wondering if it's as necessary for 1. Honestly, I think it can't hurt. A carb- load prior to a half- marathon needn't last as long or be as intense, but it is still important and will have a positive impact on your race performance. Technically speaking, carb- loading really comes into play any time you are out on the road for more than 9. If you're a beginner runner or running a race for the first time, this half marathon training schedule gives you a full fitness calendar that will guide you in how to. Listing of worldwide half marathons. 10 Foods to Liven up Your Marathon Diet; Strava CEO Runs in Solidarity with Immigrants. Carb- loading tends to lead to a bit of stiffness (because your muscles are fully stocked with glycogen) and weight gain (water retention), so for shorter events it's really not recommended. Since most of us take longer than 9. You can carb- load in as little as one day, but to prevent carb fatigue and the worry of . You don't necessarily need to increase your calories—just make sure the majority of those calories come from carbs, especially at lunch and dinner the day before race day. The day before race day, have your main meal at midday and a smaller meal for dinner so you have plenty of time to digest. The prerace meal is also very important, as you want to toe the starting line with a tank that's primed but neither empty nor overflowing. For more ideas on what to consume pre- race, check out this past lesson on how to fuel for an early morning run (since most races are held in the early a. Any longer, and you begin to deplete those stores. Your muscles run out of fuel, and your body — not to mention your attitude — starts to drag. Consuming carbs mid- run can keep your blood sugar steady, so you don't crash and burn. Instead of recommending something new on race day, here are some common techniques for fueling which should help you blow by that late- race wall. Since every runner is different, you may want to try one or more of the following tips during training. Maybe all of them will work, and you'll have plenty of options to thwart the feelings of weakness in those last few miles. RELATED: 3. 7 Great New Foods to Fuel Your Running. Tip #1: Make sure to take in adequate fuel the day before your long run. While you are at rest, your body will have adequate time and energy to absorb and store those nutrients you ate, and then you'll be able to rely on this fuel for the following day. And don't forget to eat a carb- rich, low- fiber, easy- to- digest, familiar breakfast the morning of the race! Tip #2: Fuel at regular intervals and before you need to. Wait until you're out of gas, and you won't be able to recover from feeling hungry or weak. Your muscles will be forced to play catch- up, and you won't be able to bounce back and finish the run feeling strong. If you've ever had a long run that started strong and then got slower and slower, it may be time to consider what you did during the first few miles of the long runs that you didn't do during the last few miles. Many runners head out the door with a full tank but, feeling great, they neglect to re- fuel over the next few miles. If you don't start fueling within that first hour, it's likely that your empty- tank will catch up with you, and you'll bonk. Not only will you hit the wall, but once your muscle glycogen stores are depleted, it can be very difficult to adequately recover during your run (and you may have to walk or crawl the last few miles). My advice to avoid this whole mess? Aim for 3. 0- 6. 0 grams of carb per hour (and start using your chews, gels, or sports drinks early and often). Maybe you've tried a product in the past and didn't care for it or it didn't sit well with you. If that's the case, know that there are always new products coming out. Try a variety of products and brands. For ideas on the many different fuel options available, check out this post on energy gels and this post on alternatives to energy gels. Don't be afraid to experiment with a few different products and see what works for you. Whatever concentrated form of fuel you are taking in, remember to dilute it with adequate water (or else it won't be absorbed, and you will get nauseous). Lastly, find out what gel/product your race will be handing out. If you can tolerate or like the brand that the race is handing out, you'll know that you won't need to pack your own on race day. But if their chosen brand doesn't work for you, you'll need to plan ahead. In addition, you might try to find out at what miles the race will be handing out product and mimic that in your training to practice for race day. For more fueling tips, check out this video on how to store mid- run fuel. The Power of Diet for Runners: How to Eat for Endurance and Lose Weight Effortlessly. This is what happens with a Wholefoods gift card. I go crazy like a kid in a candy shop – or like a food fanatic who can’t control his craving for healthy, delicious snacks. But I used to be a glutton. Being naturally skinny, I never had to worry about eating crappy food because I never gained an ounce. Running throughout high school and college only reinforced my bad eating habits. I had no idea what a healthy diet for a runner should look like. It’s somewhat embarrassing, but I want to tell you a quick story about my favorite time of day as a freshman in college. You might be thinking, “Saturday night!” or “Race day!” or maybe even “When Jason had class with that hot girl he had a crush on!”Unfortunately, none of those are true. Being 9. 9% residential, Connecticut College had a damn good dining hall and an unlimited meal plan. Every day, I looked forward to dinner after cross country practice like a normal person does with Christmas. I had also learned that the human body doesn’t register the feeling of fullness or satisfaction from a meal until about 1. So I loaded my tray with a big plate, several smaller plates, and at least one bowl – all full of food. Then the eating would start. I literally loved to stuff my face full of whatever they were serving: chicken breast sandwiches with double cheese, ranch dressing, and baconpepperoni pizza dipped in ranch dressingbarbecue pork subs with french friespasta with meat sauce and melted cheesehot dogs, cheeseburgers, and more Lucky Charms than is reasonable or sane (I LOVE cereal)Clearly, I had a problem. I was like the sheltered home- schooled kid who went buck wild and couldn’t contain his partying once he was set free from the parental leash. Except with food. Fast forward to February of my Senior year. I had a physical over Winter Break and my lab work came back with a startling result: my total cholesterol was at 2. LDL and HDL levels were all out of whack. After over 2. 2 years of pristine health, I came to the unfortunate conclusion that I was not immune to the side effects of a shitty diet. Despite a healthy weight of about 1. While cholesterol isn’t a great indicator of overall health (I now think slightly high cholesterol isn’t something to worry about), it made me realize that I needed to make some changes. Change Your Food Mindset. Over the years, I’ve refined how I think about food and the best diet for runners. Personally, I don’t believe in traditional diets – unsustainable cuts in calories, dramatic changes in eating habits, and a refusal of anything that might be considered unhealthy. I don’t consider that fun nor do I think it’s the best long- term solution for weight management or optimal health. With training being consistent over the years, what’s changed to help improve my blood panel, racing weight, and strength to weight ratio? I certainly haven’t been on a diet for the last 6 years. Instead of a restrictive meal plan, I’ve developed a new mindset about food. It helped improve my total cholesterol from 2. My racing weight is about five pounds lighter at 1. I’m a lot stronger. I still eat almost whatever I want – but I pick my battles. What’s changed is that I now understand what’s good for you and what’s not. I’ve learned from: Food is delicious and should be a great pleasure in life. I’ve learned that you can eat almost anything if you follow a set of simple rules when deciding what to eat and when. Diet for Runners: The Top 5 Food Rules to Live By. I’m usually not a fan of “rules” that deny you things that you enjoy. Yet these five principles of healthy diet for runners can dramatically help you change your eating habits for the better without much sacrifice. I’m a realist when it comes to diet but these rules might just change your life. Stock up your house with real food. The term “real food” means minimally processed with as few ingredients as possible. Think: High- quality meat (local, organic, or grass- fed if possible)Vegetables. Fruit. Beans. Nuts. Wild rice or quinoa. Take a look at the pictures in this article – this is what I eat for dinner. By stocking up on real food, you’ll need to get rid of all the processed stuff and junk food. Here’s your chance to have some fun: don’t throw it away, eat it! Have a cheat weekend where you only eat junk food and processed food. Not only will you rid your home of unhealthy food, you’ll be craving the healthy stuff. Don’t be a zealot – cheat on your diet regularly. Perfection can be the enemy of the good and you need to let yourself enjoy food that you love. What you usually do is more important than what you sometimes do. Remember that your diet can be more flexible after long runs or hard workouts. Your body is craving more calories and carbohydrates so cookies, a cheeseburger and fries, or slice of pizza can actually be a good thing. I usually have a bowl of ice cream every night. And I love it – no regrets. Cut back on your sugar intake (but be realistic about your carb needs as a distance runner). Every runner knows that carbohydrates provide the best fuel for running and that most runners don’t carbo- load for the marathon properly. But on a day to day level there’s no need to consume so much sugar. Do you really need a 3. Gatorade after your easy 5 miler? Are two plates of spaghetti necessary on a day you didn’t run at all? You know your body best but if you’re struggling with weight issues then excess carbs could be the culprit. Vegetables are the best food group for you. They’re calorie poor, nutrient dense, and usually have very little sugar. You should try to eat at least two servings a day. My challenge to you: have 1- 2 servings of vegetables at every meal for a week. Try new things, cook differently, use wacky spices. Sautee your vegetables instead of boiling them. Bake them instead of sauteing. Use a crock pot instead. Get a spice sampler to make sure you experiment with new flavors. Or, try ordering some different types of meat from a reputable vendor. Food can be a fantastic way of exploring the world. Don’t let yourself get stuck with the same 4 meals. My Typical Daily Diet. Marathon Training Meal: homemade pizza, sauteed beef, bok choy, black beans, mixed vegetables in coconut oil. Eating right doesn’t have to be difficult or a chore to plan. I enjoy the process of cooking and usually only spend 3. There’s no single best diet for runners, but this is what my typical daily diet looks like. Breakfast and mid- morning snack. Banana, coffee with whole milk, two whole eggs scrambled with mixed vegetables and cheese. Handful of cashews and a serving of full fat Greek yogurt with honey. Lunch and mid- afternoon snack. Small spinach salad with cheese, cucumbers, shredded onions, and carrots. Leftovers: sliced chicken breast, mixed vegetables sauteed in olive oil. Cottage cheese. Apple. Peanut M& M’s (my Kryptonite) or a few pieces of dark chocolate with almonds. Dinner and post- meal snack. Chips and guacomole or pita chips and hummus. Baked eggplant in olive oil, pan fried asparagus, ground beef with beans. Bowl of ice cream. Damn I eat a lot. I’ve never kept a food journal but I can see why it can be so valuable! Just by writing down my typical daily diet I see that I eat a lot of dairy. It doesn’t bother me but it can cause stomach issues for some who are more sensitive to lactose; be careful with all the cheese, milk, and ice cream. It’s also important to distinguish between “typical” meals during regular training and meals during heavy marathon training. The picture in this section is a “marathon meal” – with a homemade pizza and black beans. During periods of heavy volume I’ll try to add 2- 3 more servings of carbohydrates per day. I usually stick to better sources than pizza like quinoa, wild rice, beans, or whole- grain bread. But I’m not too picky when I’m preparing for a 2. Marathon Pace. 3 Diet Hacks for Runners: Performance, Weight Management, and Recovery. High fat, low carb: arugula salad with tomatoes, salmon, avocado. There are three “hacks” or diet strategies that you can use for specific situations in your training. I use these depending on where I am in my training cycle, how I feel, and my goals at the time. You can too. How to optimize performance: If you have a big workout or long run planned that you really want to nail, you can make a few tweaks to your pre- run meal to help you kick ass. First, make sure you’ve eaten enough carbs. Right before you run it’s fine to eat simple carbs (like pancakes or toast) since you’ll be using it very soon as fuel to run fast. Second, drink some coffee to help you feel better and run faster during your workout. Be cautious if you don’t normally drink coffee since it can. If you’re used to its effects, 1- 2 cups about an hour before your workout can help you run faster by improving focus, changing how your muscles contract, and blunting your perception of pain. Make another fresh pot! You’ll only run slower if you’re carrying unneeded pounds so determine your optimal weight and make it your mission to get there. A simple and relatively quick way to drop unwanted weight is to eliminate almost all sources of carbs from your meals. A Paleo diet isn’t 1. If you are running a lot, I highly recommend The Paleo Diet for Athletes for advice on how to time your carb intake to fuel your workouts (not your thighs). How to avoid over- training: The feelings of over- training can hit you like a sledgehammer: fatigue, soreness, lethargy, and poor performances in your running workouts. But to quote Mark Sisson, “Sometimes, over- training is actually just under eating.”Food is fuel and if you’re not giving your body what it needs it won’t recover and heal itself. You’ll feel the consequences during your next run. One of our RYBQ members was dealing with this issue while simultaneously trying to lose weight by restricting her diet and training for a marathon. You can’t do both.
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November 2017
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