Our Menu Plan the Week Before the Marathon

Carbo-loading is in full swing! We've started off the week by eating more or less what we normally eat with emphasis on fiber-rich foods, protein, and complex carbohydrates. Near the end of the week, we'll be eating more carbohydrates, less fiber, omitting sweet and fattening foods (i.e cake, cookies etc.), drinking more, and trying to not overeat :) We'll also stay away from hard to digest foods such as raw veggies and red meat. I will also be making my usual granola at the end of the week, like I normally do for long runs. Plus, we're going to eat beets! Not the morning of the race but at least the night before since it's suppose to do wonders for increasing blood flow and is great for endurance. We ate beets during training before and it didn't have any negative effects at least. It's not a good idea to try anything new in the diet within three days of the race. Also important is that carb-loading needs to start 2-3 days before the race so eating pasta only the night before is not going to do it :)

Red curry with coconut milk/oil, fish, green veggies & pasta

Pistou soup - our tried/tested carb-rich meal. Making this tomorrow!

Lots of food rich in fiber, carbohydrates, protein

Here is a quick look at our menu plan for the week leading up to our marathon race:

Sunday King crab (it was our moon festival feast!). Brown/white rice/quinoa mix served with 4 dishes: sherry/honey chicken, tofu with pork/tomato sauce, you choy, and eggplant. Treat: cookies, fruit.
Monday Leftovers from Sunday. Treat: moon cake, fruit.
Tuesday Pasta with coconut curried fish, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, yellow peppers, and tomatoes. Fruit.
Wednesday Leftovers from Tuesday plus pistou soup. Fruit.
Thursday Leftovers from Wednesday. Fruit.
Friday Beet salad and pasta with simple tomato sauce. Fruit.
Saturday Leftovers from Friday. Fruit.

Husband & I running in the half-marathon in Victoria 2005
The morning of the race, we will be eating something light 2-3 hours before the race. My husband, who is also running the marathon with me, will have a bagel and some fruit. He has tested this breakfast out many times already. As for me, I will have my usual granola bar and half a banana two hours before. We will also drink a full glass of water.

During the race, I will drink at least a bit of something at every water station even when I'm not too thirsty. I sweat a lot and need to! Lol. Keep in mind, water also helps release the glycogen in your muscles and that's where your fuel will come from. Don't worry; you won't need to pee really during the race. Near the end, you won't feel much either than pain anyway. Ha, ha! But seriously, I'm the type that pees three times within an hour or so of drinking a cup of coffee so trust me! Having said that, there is no need to over hydrate and be uncomfortable during the race :) When food is handed out, I will grab some of that. If it's stuff I haven't tried before, I will just skip it.

April of 2003, I ran my first marathon in Paris. I learned a lot from it and the above content is a bit of a quick summary of the article I wrote during that time. I had to revisit that article because I actually forgot a lot of stuff. Also, there is new research and information coming up all the time. I know what more or less works for me so I'm sticking to my trusted training and fueling plan. My husband's plan is slightly different. For instance, he likes to take coffee before runs to boost his performance. Your plan will be different too. Plan ahead and rest well. Most importantly during the race, start SLOW! Conserve as much energy as possible so that you don't hit the wall for the last 10 km. Because that really is no fun if you do.

5 more sleeps until the Victoria marathon!!!! Wish me LOTS of luck. Good luck to all the runners taking part in this weekend's race in Victoria! See you there :)

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