A Healthy Diet For Long Marathon

After running for a couple of years, you have finally decided to join a long marathon that would test your strength and endurance. This time, you want to establish a personal record which will be your gauge for succeeding long marathon events that you would join. Technically, a long marathon covers a distance of at least 10 miles. Commonly, the run would be at least 90 minutes so your stamina would be tested. The long marathon is just an element of the training for the full marathon which covers 26.2 miles. It's beyond physical strength but more of mental challenge since you have to encourage yourself in a long marathon. Aside from mental and physical preparation, an important consideration in preparating for a long marathon is eating the right kind of food.

A long marathon requires the right nutrition since the body must be able to endure the run by efficiently utilizing all the energy stored in the body. The body normally holds energy in the form of fat so once the body requires more power, glycogen is released to power the muscles. By training the body in a long marathon, the muscles are getting adapted to storing more glycogen. Thereby, it is crucial to learn how to properly nourish the body in a long run so you can endure the race.

A healthy diet for a long marathon consists of food rich in carbohydrates. This can include pasta or rice depending upon your preference. A day or two before a long marathon, avoid consuming fatty foods. Also,stay away from strong or spicy foods that can make your stomach very upset during the long marathon thus affecting your performance. However, do not consume more than required especially the night before the run. Also, stay away from alcoholic beverages since they dehydrate the body which is defeating.

Another way of lasting a long marathon is by eating a light snack in between stations. It would be of great value to take sports drinks or beverages that can replace electrolyte loss to prevent dehydration. If you are practicing for a long marathon, always do some carbo loading immediately after the exercise to prevent muscle fatigue.

Finishing a long marathon is possible as long as you have the right diet.