Marathon training requires a detailed caloric intake to keep performance at its best. Calories provide the energy for each step during a long training run. During the day, nutrition must be focused on replenishing energy stores by supplying an appropriate amount of calories. Caloric intake during marathon training can increase or decrease overall performance. Adequate intake provides a clean-burning fuel for energy that is quickly and easily used by the body. Without proper caloric intake, performance in a marathon can suffer.
Food Groups
Marathon runners need to eat a balance of macronutrients--carbohydrates, protein and fat. Following the food groups of meat, grains, fruits, vegetables and oils serves as a guideline to help with the balance. Shoot for 40 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent from protein and 30 percent from fat. As the marathon approaches, increase carbohydrate intake to about 60 percent of total calories. This prepares the energy stores in the muscles for the extended race. According to the Running Planet website, the average runner can store about 1,800 calories of carbs in his liver, blood and muscles. That's the same amount of carbs you will burn about 22 to 23 miles into the race, which also helps explain the feeling many runners have when they describe "hitting the wall" at that point.
Nutrient Timing
Eating continuously throughout the day is important to marathon training. Having five to six small meals per day will keep the metabolism and energy levels high. Keep each meal within four hours of the previous meal. Start the day with a balanced breakfast and consume a post-workout protein shake to repair damaged muscles. An example of a post-workout shake is eight to 12 oz. of skim milk, one scoop of protein powder, 1/2 cup of dry oatmeal and one banana blended together. This protein shake will supply about 555 calories, 28 g of protein and 102 g of carbohydrates.
Caloric Needs
Determine overall caloric needs to maintain body weight based on current weight and activity level. Calculating caloric needs is a three-step process that starts by taking your current or desired weight and multiplying it by 10 for females and 11 for males. For example, a male weighing 150 lbs. multiplied by 11 will need 1,650 calories. Use your activity-level factor--0.2 for sedentary, 0.3 for somewhat active, 0.4 for active and 0.5 for extremely active--and multiply the factor by the number found in step one. For that same male weighing 150 lbs. with an extremely active lifestyle, the resulting number will be 825. The last step is to determine calories needed for digestion by adding the numbers from the first two steps and multiplying them by 0.10. For example, 1,650 + 825 x 0.10 = 247. Add all three numbers together (1,650 + 825 + 247 = 2,722) to determine overall daily caloric needs. Reduce the daily total by 500 to lose one pound of weight per week.
Considerations
Consider supplementing your diet with electrolyte replacement drinks, multivitamins or mineral supplements. Monitor energy levels during the day and increase caloric intake if energy levels remain low. Increase caloric intake the day before and the day of a longer training day. Avoid excessive amounts of sodium, sugar, saturated fat and alcohol.
Calories Burned While Running
Every step taken during training burns calories. For each mile, someone can burn between 75 to 125 calories based on body weight. To determine the amount of calories burned during training, take 0.63 times the number of miles run times body weight in pounds. For example, a runner weighing 150 pounds will burn about 100 calories per mile. This calculates to about 2,600 calories over the 26.2-mile marathon.
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