Nutrition Tips to Consider Before Running a Marathon
Running a marathon takes a lot of endurance and preparation. While you may have your body used to running long distances, that's not the only component you need to consider. Rather, you need to ensure that your nutrition leading up to the big marathon day is perfect so that your body is adequately prepared to perform at its optimal.
Mind Your Hydration Levels
Running a marathon saps your hydration level. Getting your body prepared to perform at its best starts with hydrating well before the race gets started. You should drink a lot of water in the week before the race. This will ensure that all of your muscles are full and your body is feeling good.
Don't Introduce New Foods
New marathon runners get nervous in the day leading up to the marathon. They tend to be susceptible to other people's suggestions about nutrition tips. The truth is that you should never change up your diet or introduce new foods in the weeks leading up to your marathon run. Stick to the same antioxidants nutrition bars that you're used to in the same quantity levels that you're used to. This will ensure that your body doesn't get upset with the food that you eat. You can't run your best when you feel sluggish or sick to the stomach.
Figure out Your Digestion Rate
It's important to take the time to figure out how your individual body works. More specifically, you want to determine how long digestion takes for you. Try eating one hour before running and see how your performance goes. If you feel too full, then try two hours next time. Keep going until you figure out how long it takes for your body to digest your food and get you feeling good.
Eat Lots of Complex Carbohydrates
You should opt for a diet that is rich in complex carbohydrates because this helps to maximize the glycogen stores in your body. Glycogen is your body's form of energy. Some examples of complex carbohydrates include bread, pasta, starchy vegetables, and rice. It's best to avoid methods like carb-loading if you're not overly familiar with how they work. You can end up ruining your race results by messing up your diet prior to running the marathon.
Before you run that marathon, there are some nutrition tips that you need to consider. The above four tips should help you to figure out the best diet for you leading up to your big day. Remember, don't make any major nutritional changes close to the race.
