Nutritional Guide for Marathon Runners

If you are taking a challenge this year, be it 10 k, 21 k or 42 k, whether you are first time runner or have been running marathon, getting a nutrition plan in place will help you complete the race not with just good run time but also fatigue and injury free. Right nutrition can fuel your run; get you better run time and reach the finish line without aches and pains.

Following points should be considered with regards to right nutrition:

1. Good Quality Protein: Good quality protein is important and integral part of training. Protein from egg whites, fish, and cottage cheese will not only improve your muscle but will also help you in recovering faster.

2. Small Frequent Meals: It is important to consider what you eat entire day. Small, frequent, nutritious wholesome foods will make sure you don’t deposit the food into fat but instead your muscle utilizes it.

3. Include Nuts & Seeds: Nuts like almonds, walnuts and seeds like flax seeds, chia seeds, contain crucial mix of nutrients and are packed with health boosting compounds. They contain good quality of proteins and fats, which will energize the run and reduce inflammation caused during running.

4. Whey Protein: Make sure to have whey protein either in processed form or natural form within 15-20 minutes of run. Whey protein will help in recovering from training and will replace the amino acids that have been scavenged and thereby reduce the muscle breakdown.

5. Include Beetroot Juice Before Run: Including beetroot juice 2 hours before run increases the oxygen capacity and makes you run faster.

6. Don’t Have Cheat Meal After The Long Run: After the long run the body is in the phase of exhaustion. It is important to emphasize on recovery and fill the body with nutritious foods like cottage cheese, smoothies with fruits and nuts, soups with different colour vegetables etc.