Good Question: What Should I Eat Pre-Marathon?

My friends and I are running a marathon this weekend, and I've decided to cook a pre-marathon dinner the night before. Any tips on a perfect meal?

- Janice

(To All Good Questions)

We are a little late answering your question, Janice, but the New York Marathon is coming up November 3 and perhaps some of you are running that?

The classic pre-marathon meal involves lots and lots of carbs. In fact, this is the one time you can change up all the usual rules for eating well while training - healthy proteins and whole grains will be counter-productive the night before a race. You want digestible simple starches and carbohydrates that can be easily converted into glycogen stores to power you through the race. Avoid high fiber foods that will take longer to move through your digestive system and to get stored as energy.

About 2-3 hours before the race have another carbohydrate burst, like juice and a cereal bar.

Here are some suggestions for yummy, easily digestible pasta and carbs from our recipe archives:

• Fettucini with Butternut Squash, Sage and Brown Butter
• Lemon Pepper Pasta with Capers
• Fettucine with Preserved Lemon and Roasted Garlic
• Mezzi Rigatoni with Chorizo, Cockles, and Black Forest Ham

Any marathon runners out there who want to offer up pre-race menus?

Next question?

(Image credit: NYC Marathon)

Comments (9)

Lots of carbs. EASY to digest. And good luck!!

I'm running a marathon this weekend too! The MCM in DC. I hadn't thought much about the night before meal, I usually just have a pasta or large rice dish the night before my long runs. The day of about an hour and half or two before I make a big smoothie with about a cup and half of frozen strawberries, 2 bananas, 2 scoops of protein powder and about a cup and a half or two of milk or soymilk. It's held me over for training runs up to 24 miles, so I only need water and gatorade while running. I'm kinda hesitant to try anything new, just because I don't know how it will affect me, so I'm sticking with what I know. Though I'm considering trying the clif bar cubes to see if they help somewhat cause that 24 miler was tough!

Good luck!

The big Italian chains in Chicago hit their highest sales mark of the year the night before the marathon.

I'm running New York next weekend (my 5th!) and like to keep food the day before really simple, bland, and familiar, so as to avoid any potential digestive troubles.

My pre-race dinner usually consists of a HUGE bowl of pasta with a little olive oil, parmesan, and black pepper.

(and remember to take some gels with you for the race. they really help!)

good luck!

plus today i heard that 500 mg of vit c before a workout helps stave off the post-workout muscle fatigue, etc. Try this NOT on marathon day, though

My husband just finished his first marathon last week, and this is what we had at our "Vegetarian Pasta Feast":

Spaghetti with red peppers, onions, and asparagus in a lemon-pepper oil

Roasted Acorn Squash

Homemade wheat bread

The morning of the marathon he had a massive bowl of oatmeal at 4 am. :)

I ended up a lovely butternut squash soup, and The Wednesday Chef's fettuccine w/ mushroom ragu. It was really delicious and definitely kept me going. Thanks for the tips!