What to Know about Marathon Pace Before Your Race
April 10, 2024
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Clif Bar & Company. All opinions are 100% mine.
Is your food keeping you energized throughout your marathon training?
I have mentioned several times over the past few months how one of my goals for marathon training is to optimize my nutrition for peak performance. Marathon nutrition in particular requires thought, planning, and deliberate choices to make sure that I am eating all of the carbohydrates, protein, and fats that my body needs. Nutrient dense food is important!
Beyond eating nutritious foods, the timing of meals has a significant impact on marathon nutrition as well. As I’ve discussed recently, eating within one hour of a run ensures you replenish your glycogen stores.
What and when you eat before a run and after strength training and cross training impact your running as well.
You need carbohydrates to provide direct energy for your body on a run. Ideally, you want to eat a snack rich in easily digestible carbohydrates (which can be simple or complex) one to two hours before you run.
If you run early in the morning or immediately after work, you need a quick snack or small meal that is easy to eat and digest. CLIF Organic Energy Food provides a satisfying, nutrient-dense option for a portable food that will energize you for your entire run.
Many runners love oatmeal for a digestible, energizing pre-run meal, but it can be a hassle to make oatmeal before a race or eat it on the go if you run after work. However, you want to practice your pre-race meal as best you can – which means if you plan on eating oatmeal before your marathon, you want to practice eating oatmeal before your long runs.
CLIF Organic Energy Food solves this problem! Their portable oatmeal pouch is made with real ingredients such as oats, quinoa, bananas, maple syrup, and seeds – nutritious ingredients. The pouches come in a variety of flavors, but I’m especially loving the new Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and Banana Maple Oatmeal flavors, which are inspired by breakfast recipes from Team CLIF Bar athletes.
The CLIF Organic Energy Food oatmeal pouches are made exclusively with organic ingredients and do not contain any partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, or synthetic ingredients. Instead, what you get is real food that will fuel your run for many miles.
Strength training is an important aspect of marathon training. Strength training is shown to improve your running economy and prevent injury. But when running 40-60 miles per week (or more) and balancing work and life with training, it can be tempting to neglect strength training and your post workout nutrition.
As a top sports dietician, competitive runner and triathlete, USA Triathlon Certified Elite Coach, Board Certified Specialist in Dietetics, Sports Dietician for the United States Olympic Committee, and NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Bob
Seebohar is one of the leading experts in sports nutrition for endurance athletes. Seebohar emphasizes fitting in your workouts throughout the day and focusing your nutrition on energizing yourself through these workouts. Especially during marathon training, you don’t always have the time to fit in long strength training workouts. Instead, some bodyweight squats, push-ups, planks, and lunges will give you the workout you need without requiring equipment or a large block of time.
In partnership with CLIF, he provides practical tips for how to incorporate strength training into your day, especially during busy times such as marathon training. The tips in the above graphic will help you seamlessly incorporate strength training and recovery nutrition into your day.
Refueling after a strength workout is just as essential as eating after a run. However, the macronutrients that your body needs after a strength workout is different than after a run, since these two workouts stress different physiological systems.
To maximize strength training workout, you should eat protein-rich food with some carbohydrates within 30-60 minutes of completing your workout. This food will facilitate recovery and building of strong muscles. With busy schedules, you can’t always have a meal immediately after your strength workout.
For an on-the-go option that you can keep in your gym bag or car, Clif Builder’s Protein Bar is made with nutritious, non-GMO ingredients and contains no partially hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup, unlike many other bars on the market. This bar provides the nutrition for total body fitness with 20 grams of complete protein to repair and build muscles, carbohydrates to replenish your energy stores (key for runners!), fortified vitamins and mineral to support protein metabolism, and zero trans fats.
Beyond strength training, the CLIF Builder’s Bar makes for great hiking food! Hiking is my favorite form of cross training and I stay energized for hikes during marathon training by choosing nutritious foods. The CLIF Builder’s Bars fit conveniently in a backpack. Since these bars are low glycemic, they provide sustainable energy and keep me energized for long hikes in the mountains.
The little things make a difference in marathon training, including strength training and timing your nutrition for optimal fueling and recovery. CLIF makes it simple to feed your body with nutritious foods before and after your workouts – so that you can focus on your marathon training.
[Tweet “Stay energized throughout marathon training and cross training with @CLIFBAR #feedyouradventure #ad”]
How do you fit in strength training during the day?
Would you try these products for your training?
How do you ensure you have the energy to train hard?
7 Responses
I like the idea of those oatmeal pouches- they sound perfect especially if you have to travel for a race and are eating breakfast in a hotel!
I often tell my patients that fitting small increments of exercise in throughout their day is better than skipping it entirely because you are “too busy”. Which btw, I think is hogwash. No one is too busy. You make the time! 🙂 I like to do planks, push ups and certain stretches throughout the day. It’s a great way to fight the mid day blah’s too!
Nutrient timing with QUALITY nutrients that also taste good is so freaking important during marathon training! That is also why I love CLIF products!
Food is so necessary for training hard! I don’t honestly understand how some people are able to get by on eating so little before and after workouts – I’d be passed out! Haha. Making sure I am eating enough healthy carbs is key for good energy!
I strength train with a group several times a week. Since it is scheduled and there are people to hold my accountable that makes sure I get it done.
Okay so, you know the word “workout” and how it’s a noun, right? Well what about when we change it to more of a verb, like when we talk about when we are going to “work out?” Should “workout” be two words when we use it that way? I have been wanting to know this forEVER, and you’re the one person who’d know the answer.
Oh, and I love Clif bars. 🙂
I like the concept of having a daily push up/strength goal and chipping away at it throughout the day. I tend to do things much more reliably if I can split them up rather than trying to fit it all into one time block!
I’ve tried many of their other products, but I hadn’t seen the oatmeal in a pouch before. I think I’d like apple cinnamon, especially since I know that I like the apple cinnamon oatmeal I make to eat before long runs. Glad you shared!