Carb loading before a marathon (how to, schedule, + ideas)
Michael Scott: “Time to carbo load”
*Takes a massive bite of alfredo*
I think we have all learned from The Office what NOT to do when carb loading!
Carb loading for runners is beneficial, especially for marathon race week. CARBS ARE THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF FUEL, so you want your body to be stocked up on them. You store carbs in your body in the form of glycogen. When glycogen is depleted, you fatigue. When it’s full, you are able to pull energy from it.
There are a few ways to do it, but here’s what I’ve seen to be most beneficial for myself and my clients.
And I like to start with one word switch. Switch “load” to “focus”. Race week = carb focus
The planning & prepping
Okay first we need to have everything on hand. Here is a list (I’m sure you could add to it!) of a few foods to keep stocked in the fridge/pantry:
Juice (I like Naked or fresh squeezed)
Crackers (saltines, graham crackers, etc)
Cereal
Energy bars (Clif bars, UCAN, Fig bars, etc)
Fruit (including frozen for smoothies)
Bread
Bagels
Pretzels
Granola
Electrolytes with carbs (this is a double whammy..we don’t talk about the necessary sodium- or electrolyte-load, which is just as important as carb loading)
I love Skratch, DripDrop, UCAN is another one
Rice/pasta
Potatoes
Oats
Honey, maple syrup, jam, etc
Applesauce
Dates
Start carb-focus 7 days out
Here’s what it looks like for 3 days. Start the official carb loading 7 days out. If your race is on Saturday, start the Saturday before by simply planning your week and gathering all the carbs. Take a look at your schedule, what you might need to pack at work in advance, so that each day, carbs are the STAR of every meal and snack.
From Saturday to Monday, simply make a few swaps or add in something extra. For example:
Swap butter on a toast for jam
Add a glass of juice at breakfast
Snack on dates and peanut butter
Sip on UCAN, Skratch, or Gatorade
Enjoy a bowl of cereal before bed
Take these days as a “practice run”, to make sure all the carbs settle well, and that your body is taking it fine.
Pro tip: track your food using an app (I like Nutritionix or MyFitnessPal) either before the day begins (what you think you might eat), or as the day goes. Keep track of how many carbs you are taking in. We want to shoot for ballpark, anywhere between 300-600+ grams of carbohydrate (if you are looking at numbers, I HIGHLY recommend fueling coaching to get an individualized number, since these are not for everyone).
Ramp it up 4 days out
Using our example, on Tuesday morning through Wednesday (4 and 3 days out), I recommend tracking in a food tracker if you haven’t started doing this already. REALLY focus on ADDING carbs, and using what worked the first few days. These are some of the key days, so don’t skip them. Try for a higher number of grams of carbohydrate for these days than you got in the days before. Hopefully at this point, if you were hitting around 300g, you’re now able to hit around 400g (again, I HIGHLY recommend fueling coaching to get an individualized number, since these are not for everyone).
A few of the things that might work well:
Add maple syrup, jam, or honey to everything it might taste good on (smoothies, waffles, toast, etc.)
Skip your salad lunch and go for a bagel instead
Sip on electrolyte beverages that have carbs in them throughout the day
Utilize energy bars instead of protein bars (ie Clif bar, UCAN, fig bars, etc)
Have meals with pasta, rice, etc.
Top it off 2 days out
The next two days (in our example, Thursday & Friday) need to focus on maintaining that carb intake, topping off those glycogen stores. Try again for a higher number of grams of carbohydrate for these days than you got in the days before. Hopefully at this point, if you were hitting around 400g, you’re now able to hit around 425-500+ (once again, I highly recommend getting individualized advice from a dietitian). Trust me, you might feel pretty full. You don’t need to gorge or feel sick, but you will feel full.
Key tip: The day before (in this example, Friday), be choosy in your carbs. Choose less fibrous carbs, and ones you are used to (we talk about this in the Fueling Course). I would also stop eating a few hours before you go to bed, especially if you have a morning race.
A few tips:
Use the tips from previous days, keep tracking, and use what worked on other days
DRINK YOUR CARBS! This is the easiest way to get the most bang for your buck- smoothies, juices, chocolate milk, electrolyte/carb drinks. The only caution is to not overdo this (meaning eat meals still) otherwise you might have bathroom troubles
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Wanna know my EXACT carb load for the 5 days before my latest PR & BQ?