Marathon Training Nutrition (The Runger is real!)

 As usual, I need to start this post by stating I am not a professional running coach, nor am I a nutritionist. But, I always want to know what "regular people" runners like myself do to fuel. Let me just start of by saying the Runger (running induced need to eat everything in site) is so real at this point.
   
One of my fears with running this marathon is gaining weight while training. So far, I have lost weight and gained muscle definition. I want to keep that going, even with the crazy constant hunger. A surprising number of people have written about gaining weight during training. Most of the advice  is to not go over-board justifying snacking on cookies or other treats, and to stay hydrated. I'm also going to talk about what I fuel with during my run as that is something I'm constantly reading about.

First let's talk non-running hydration. I've been cutting back on alcohol, and increasing  my intake of  beneficial nutrition with my hydration. One thing I like to do to help with the alcohol cut back (anybody else like a cold beer or a nice  glass of red wine following a hard workday?) is making mocktails. Even my husband has started substituting his after work drink with a mocktail a few times a week. We now have a constant supply of flavored seltzer waters in our fridge. I like Bubly brand apple or strawberry, La Croix brand coconut or lemon, and Soliel (the Safeway store brand, I think) Pineapple Coconut  or Mango Passionfruit. We just combine those with a few shots of no sugar added juice. I prefer tart cherry because there's a lot of articles that boast about the benefits of tart  cherry juice.

As you can see here, I use organic, 100% juice that is sugar free. 

I also drink milk in my coffee and tea, and have a few big gulps of plain Kefir in the mornings. I like the kefir because it is a natural way to get probiotics into my diet. I'll be honest, the plain flavor kind of tastes like drinking sour cream, but to me the trade off  for not getting those hidden extra sugars is worth it. I like Fairlife milk (sometimes we buy the whole milk, but typically 2%)  because it's real milk that is filtered in a way that removes some of the sugar and fats, but keeps the protein. Some of sugars removed include lactose, so it's also lactose free. milk has been shown to benefit athletes in a lot of ways. And, as a woman, I really appreciate that cow's milk specifically is linked to higher bone mineral density.

Another way I am avoiding alcohol and boosting my recovery is with tea. I mostly only drink caffeine free tea because I already have enough trouble sleeping. I typically opt for teas with ginger, cinnamon, and or turmeric because all of those spices have been linked to decreased inflammation. I usually drink my tea before bed.

These are a few of my current favorites

Now, let's talk about fueling while running. Before I run I eat 5-6 dried dates because they are high in carbs and sugar. Generally, I eat them approximately 30 minutes before my run. As my distance increases I may consume 4 dates, but also eat a flour tortilla with honey and cinnamon approximately 45 minutes before leaving. 

Now, what do I carry with me when I run? I am trying to avoid the use of gels because a) I had a hard time even training my stomach to take water initially with all of the jouncing from running, and b) there are  a lot of chemicals in many of them!  I would like to be  able to say I fueled with almost entirely whole foods. I say almost  because I do use some Gatorade in one of my hydration bottles. My belt carries two bottles (I will do a gear post soon), and one bottle is always just plain water. The second bottle I do a combination of coconut water (has carbs, potassium, and some sugar), and Gatorade (I like the blue frost flavor). Because it's very hot and humid here, and coconut water does not have much sodium, I also add about 1/2 to 1 salt packet to that bottle. That gives me faster absorbable carbs and electrolytes than my whole foods. I also carry a pouch of baby food with me. I'm currently using sweet potato, banana, papaya for my fuel because it was the highest in carbs and sugars when I was looking through the food pouches at  the store. So far that has been sitting well in my stomach. I like the babyfood pouches because I can take a sip/bite or three then re-cap it and save the other half for later with no mess and no fuss. I also plan to start trying some pretzels as my runs get even longer. There's a large hill at mile 9 during the marathon, and I think that will be a good time to take a short walking break to chew some actual food.

As far as recovery supplements I take a few. The most important for me is the protein powder I use. I need the extra protein after my strength workouts to capitalize on the muscles I am working to build, and after my long runs to help stop my body to resorting to eating my own muscles for fuel (plus that's a quick and easy way to put some healthy food in my body right away to decrease my runger!). I've never been a huge meat eater, also. In the past I've tried animal based proteins, and they have made me very uncomfortable - bloated, constipated, nauseous. The powder I use (pictured below) is organic plant based protein (pea and sprouted beans) and is vegan, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and has no added sugars. I really think trying to avoid hidden added sugars in my non run foods has helped with my weight loss during this training. The powder (Garden of Life Organic Plant Based Protein Sport) has 30 grams of protein in the 2 scoop serving. It also has BCAAs (good for recovery!), Gutamine and Glutamic acids (good for joints!), probiotics, and turmeric, tart cherry, blueberry, and goji berry in it as well. I usually drink it three times a week. I find it mixes easily in a regular glass with a fork, but you can use a shaker cup for it, though it gets a bit foamy. I also take a fish oil supplement (I try to eat fish at least 2x  a week, but I don't love it) and a vitamin B supplement with plenty of folic acid (even though we're not looking for get pregnant, every women of childbearing age should take a folic acid supplement to be safe). I admit to only taking the vitamins 2-3 times a week, because they make me even MORE hungry, and if I don't eat before and after taking them, I get very nauseous. You'll also see a digestive enzyme there. I take that when I've eaten a really big meal, or a meal with a higher fat content because it helps with stomach discomfort I can get from over indulging. I'm definitely not a perfect eater, try as I might!

I've tried to cut back on not just alcohol, but also fried foods and white carbs. I have to admit that french fries, white rice, and a good sandwich roll are very hard for me to resist. I try to eat more baked sweet potato fries,  and brown rice, but I do still get "Italian Herbs and Cheese" bread at subway. 

So far I have not bonked on a run. My  muscle soreness and fatigue has gone way down since starting the powder, and so far I am still working full time, doing 85% if the household chores (my husband does work longer hours than I do), and haven't missed much/anything in training (if you don't count the hurricane week).

Upcoming posts  to include gear and safety.

Side note: when grocery shopping this week I got recognized by a stranger as "hey, you're that girl that runs all over the neighborhood! How are you doing?" Guess I'm legit now!