In order to run for a marathon race, it is not only the training that is important, but a consistency has to be maintained on many other fronts. Among these, diet plays an important role in a marathon runner.
Inclusion of specific food in your diet keeps the long lasting energy to build up your stamina in distance running.
Therefore a diet should be incorporated in the training schedule.
- Carbohydrates are the integral part of a marathon diet menu. As a plane requires fuel to fly, marathon runner requires carbohydrates to run for a long distance.Almost 60% of marathon diet menu should comprise of complex carbohydrates. This is because complex carbohydrates breakdown at a steady rate and supply the required energy at a constant pace for a marathon runner.
- Complex carbohydrates also provide vitamins and minerals.
- Food rich in complex carbohydrate are: oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat, bran and maize. A person can include pastas, brown bread, spaghetti, potatoes, lentils, beans, peas etc in his diet.
- Protein: marathon diet menu should include 30% of proteins. They are necessary for building healthy muscle and ligaments. Lean meat, eggs, fish, chicken, almonds, dates and milk products give fair amount of protein content.
- Fat foods should be 10% of marathon diet.
- Water and other sports drinks compensate the loss of fluid and elecrolytes during a race.
- No junk food.
Diet Menu for Marathon Runner
- Morning breakfast: breakfast cereal, oat meal, slice of bread, eggs.
- Lunch: fish, lean meat, baked potatoes and vegetables and salads, wheat bread.
- Snacks: almonds, nuts, bananas and apples, milk.
- Dinner: chicken, wheat bread, fruits, stew, tofu, yogurt etc.