We’ve team up with coaches Jonny Mellor & Adam Craig from JM Run Coaching to give you their expert advice as your prepare for your marathon. Boasting a PB of 2:09:06, Jonny is one of the UK’s most consistent marathon runners and continues to get better year on year. Equally as experienced, Adam impressed byt running a 2:13 on his debut over the distance. In fact both have a vast amount of experience across a whole host of distances; and therefore couldn’t be better placed to advise on preparing for and fuelling a marathon.
In this final article we talk about the marathon race day itself, and some key points that will help you succeed in nailing your nutrition over the 26.2 miles.
1. Hit Your Points
Creating your own fuelling plan is key and having either distance or time points when you know you’ll fuel.
What you use to fuel is up to you and your personal preferences. You could go with an all energy gel approach or some people we coach choose to use Super Carbs for the first hour then discard the bottle and switch to Energy Gels.
The aim is to take on 60-80g of carbohydrates per hour, and splitting this into taking something on board every 30 minutes is an easy way to achieve this goal. It’s good idea to know the course map and where the feeds are. From this you can have a rough idea as to where and when you are going to eat and drink.
2. Mind Over Matter
The further into the race you go the less you want to take on more gels and drinks, but this is when it’s the most important. This is a mental battle many people face on marathon day. However following your fuelling plan for the entire race will help you get the best performance out on the day.
3. Take Your Time
When you’re fuelling on the go, take your time. It’s not a race to get the gels down your neck. Remember to catch a breath in between sips and this should help you avoid getting stitches. Grabbing a little bit of water from on course water stations and have a few sips after each gel will help with digestion, and reduce chances of experiencing an upset stomach.
4. Practise Makes Perfect
Top tip is to practise your fuelling a marathon strategy in training. Practise the specific products you intend to use and taking them on board at similar intervals to how you would take them in the marathon. And it’s good idea to practise the logistic of carrying lots of gels. It may feel like alot to carry but just tell yourself at least your getting rid of them as you go.