Marathon Nutrition
Diet | Fluids | Pre-Race Meal | During The Race | Sports and Energy Drinks | After The Race
Diet
60% of your total calorific intake should come from carbohydrates. Carbohydrate is stored in your muscles so that it is readily available for energy when you are rowing. The normal diet provides about 50-55% of kilocalories as carbohydrates at best, so food selection for a marathon may have to change to create a good training diet. Foods supplying a high level of nutritious carbohydrate need to be increased; these include breads, cereals, pastas, fruits and vegetables, dried beans and peas and dairy products made from skimmed milk.Aim to eat small, high carbohydrate meals more often rather than three square meals a day. You should aim to eat 2-4 hours before you exercise, which will give your stomach chance to absorb some of its gastric juices, leaving you feeling less hungry when you set off.
Fluids
It is essential to drink fluids to maintain adequate body hydration and to help to dissipate the heat produced by exercise.You will need more than the eight glasses of water recommended for people who do no exercise. Try sipping on water throughout the day and eat plenty of high water-content foods such as tomatoes, soups and cucumber.
Cool fluids are more quickly absorbed than hot drinks. If a sweet drink is preferred, the carbohydrate content should be less than 10%, so as not to delay fluid emptying. During exercise, rehydrate by drinking 4-6 ounces every 10-15 minutes of activity. It's important not to wait until you feel thirsty to replace fluids. Thirst usually doesn't develop until 1-2% of body weight is lost through dehydration, and performance can be adversely affected at a 2% loss.
A simple way to test if you are drinking enough is to check the colour of your urine. If it is bright yellow, it may have become concentrated with metabolic wastes because you aren't drinking enough.
Pre-Race Meal
There is no single ideal pre-event meal and it will vary with the individual rower; you should try out as many pre-row meals as possible in training. The following general guidelines may be of help:Eat a small meal of no more than 500-800 kilocalories about 2-3 hours before the row, so the stomach has time to empty.
Emphasise starch or "complex" carbohydrate foods that are digested relatively quickly and can boost glycogen supplies in the working muscles. Avoid excessive intake of foods high in sugar, which may cause stomach upset and may trigger reactive low blood sugar levels.
A small amount of protein should be eaten, but avoid fatty foods or those prepared in fat. Fat takes longer than any type of food to leave the stomach.
Avoid spicy foods and those foods which tend to cause gas, such as beans, onions, peppers, apples etc.
Steer clear of caffeine-based drinks such as tea, coffee and cola as well as alcohol which can all promote dehydration. Fizzy drinks can cause bloating.
During the Race
Remember to drink before you are thirsty. The sensation of thirst is your body's way of telling you that it is already becoming dehydrated - the last thing you need during a race. Start drinking fluids as early as you can and take a few sips every 15-20 minutes throughout the race. Remember that in hot and humid weather you will need to drink more.Sports and Energy Drinks
Recent years have seen the growth in popularity of sports and energy drinks. These drinks contain easily digestible fuel in the form of carbohydrate particles and are an ideal way of boosting your energy stores mid-row.There are two main types to look out for, isotonic and hypotonic. Isotonic contain particles of carbohydrate at the same concentration as your body's fluids so that they are absorbed into the bloodstream at the same rate as water. Hypotonic contain particles that are less concentrated than body fluid, which means that they are more quickly absorbed by the body so that they can speed up the rehydration process.
After the Race
What you eat and drink after the marathon influences how quickly you recover,Recovery fluids: Try fresh fruit juice which will supply carbohydrate, fluid and electrolytes or body salts - dilute with water if it tastes too acidic. Water will replace fluids as well as any commercial drink.
Eat within four hours: As a rule of thumb, you should aim to eat 1.5 grams of carbohydrate for every kilogram of body weight 2-3 hours after you finish to top up your depleted glycogen stores (0.5 grams per pound).
Rest: A marathon will deplete your body's stores of glycogen and your muscles will need at least two days rest coupled with lots of carbohydrate foods.
