Marathon Nutrition
Healthy, Strong & Well Fueled

By Suzanne Girard Eberle
As featured in the JulyAugust 2007 issue of Running Times Magazine

Deena Kastor, the first American woman to break 2:20 in the marathon,
trains hard and long, consistently logging more than 100 miles a week.
Through it all — winning a bronze medal in the Olympics, winning her
first major marathon against world-class competition, and setting a
new American record (2:19:36, a 5:20 pace) — Deena emphasizes the key
to her success: Don't be too obsessive in any one direction, don't get
in a rut, and don't be afraid to be creative. In her words, find a
balance. Read on to find out how she applies this mindset to decisions
about food and nutrition when undertaking a marathon.

Practice makes progress. Kastor empathizes with fellow runners on the
challenges of drinking while running at marathon pace. She reports
that she needed a couple of months to become comfortable with grabbing
a water bottle while on the go. Kastor says that marathoners shouldn't
shy away from drink stops even if they feel foolish or are flustered
on race day. Kastor recounts that during the London Marathon she saw
the elite runners' fluid station almost too late and banged her leg on
the table as she grabbed her drink.

Focus on getting in the carbohydrate that you need — no one cares that
the drink splashes onto your face or even into your eyes. All runners
have fumbled through an aid station or two at some point. The most
important thing is to stay conscious of your timing during the race.
Replicating what she does during her long training runs, Kastor
hydrates and refuels with a sports drink every 20 minutes, right from
the onset of the race.

If need be, readjust your attitude about drinking and refueling during
the race. For Kastor, a marathon isn't 26.2 miles. It's eight
water-bottle stations long. Kastor finds counting down the aid
stations a fun and easy way to break up a marathon and make it more
manageable. Each drink that she gets down brings her that much closer
to the finish line.

Because long training efforts before the actual race are so critical,
Kastor encourages runners to make a conscious effort to start out well
fueled and to be sure that they take in enough energy and fluids along
the way. Otherwise, going the distance has little purpose. Instead of
getting stronger, the runner's system is only getting out of energy
(caloric) balance. When the more popular sports drinks didn't settle
well, leaving her feeling bloated, Kastor kept experimenting until she
found one that she could tolerate. Instead of being discouraged and
disgruntled, runners can make a game of finding an acceptable sports
drink-for example, by conducting a taste test in which everyone in the
family, even the kids, can get involved. Your system can and will
adapt if you stick with it — learn what drink will be available on
race day and give yourself plenty of time to get used to it.

Make your prerace meals count. Kastor's joy around food continues
right up to the race. The night before the event she finds the best
Italian restaurant in town and dines with her supporters, even
toasting them with a glass of wine. Her focus is on getting in
carbohydrate with some easily digested protein, but she doesn't gorge
or overdo it. Her favorite meal? Pasta with pesto and fish.

Far more important to Kastor is what and how much she eats the morning
of the race. This is the only time during the year that she counts
calories. She is adamant about starting out in energy balance, so she
consumes 400 to 500 carbohydrate-rich calories, through a bagel, a
banana, and a sports drink, to replace the energy that her body burned
overnight.

If perfection is your goal, be perfect at balancing it all out. For
Kastor, it's simple. What runners need to succeed in the marathon is
what all humans need to stay healthy and enjoy life — exercise, food,
and rest. She is dismayed by athletes who are ruining the art of
perfection by making poor decisions such as fearing food, restricting
what they eat, or allowing their training to dominate their family
life. To perform, you need quality fuel. Kastor, who professes never
to have suffered from prerace anxiety, coaches athletes to make
decisions along the way that will lead to their standing on the
starting line confident and eager to go. That process includes showing
up healthy, strong, and well fueled.

Excerpted from Endurance Sports Nutrition, by Suzanne Girard Eberle.
Copyright 2007 by Human Kinetics, Inc., Champaign, IL,
www.HumanKinetics.com

Copyright ©2007 Running Times Magazine. All rights reserved.