Does carbo-loading mean stuffing myself with pasta?
Should I avoid protein the day before the marathon?
Will carbo-loading make me fat?

If you are a marathoner who is fearful of "hitting the wall," listen up: proper fueling before your marathon, triathlon, or other competitive endurance event can make the difference between agony and ecstasy! If you plan to compete for longer than 90 minutes, you want to maximize the amount of glycogen stored in your muscles because poorly fueled muscles are associated with needless fatigue - the more glycogen, the more endurance (potentially). While the typical runner has about 80 to 120 mmol glycogen/kg muscle, a carbo-loaded runner can have about 200 mmol. This is enough to improve endurance by about two to three percent, to say nothing of making the race more enjoyable. While carbo-loading sounds simple, (just stuff yourself with pasta, right?) the truth is many marathoners make food mistakes that hurt their performance. The last thing you want after having trained for months is to ruin your performance with poor nutrition, so carbo-load correctly!

Training Tactics

The biggest change in your schedule during the week before your marathon should be in your training, not in your food. Do not be tempted to do any last-minute long runs! You need to taper your training so that your muscles have adequate time to become fully fueled (and healed). Allow at least two easy or rest days pre-event.

Fueling Tactics

You need not eat hundreds more calories the week before your marathon. You simply need to exercise less. This way, the 600 to 1,000 calories you generally expend during training can be used to fuel your muscles. All during this week, you should maintain your tried-and-true high-carbohydrate training diet. Drastic changes can easily lead to upset stomach, diarrhea, or constipation. For example, carbo-loading on an unusually high amount of fruits and juices might cause diarrhea. Too many white flour, low fiber bagels, breads, and pasta might clog your system. As marathon king Bill Rodgers once said, "More marathons are won or lost in the porta-toilets than they are at the marathon." Fuels wisely, not like a chowhound. Be sure that you carbo-load, not fat-load. Some runners eat gobs of butter on a dinner roll, big dollops of sour cream on a potato, and enough dressing to drown a salad. These fatty foods fill both the stomach and fat cells but leave muscles poorly fueled. The better bet is to trade the fats for extra carbohydrates. That is: instead of devouring one roll with butter for 200 calories, have two plain rolls for 200 calories. Enjoy pasta with tomato sauce rather than oil or cheese toppings. Choose low-fat frozen yogurt, not gourmet ice cream.

Meal Timing

NYC Marathon queen Grete Waitz once said she never ate a very big meal the night before a marathon, as it usually would give her trouble the next day. She preferred to eat a bigger lunch. You, too, might find that pattern works well for your intestinal tract. Instead of relying upon a huge pasta dinner the night before your event, you might want to enjoy a substantial carb-fest at breakfast or lunch. This earlier meal allows plenty of time for the food to move through your system. You can also carbo-load two days before if you will be too nervous to eat much the day before the event. (The glycogen stays in your muscles until you exercise.) Then graze on crackers, chicken noodle soup, and other easily tolerated foods the day before the marathon. You will be better off eating a little bit too much than too little the day before, but do not overstuff yourself. Learning the right balance takes practice. Hence, each long training run leading up to the endurance event offers the opportunity to learn which food--and how much of it--to eat. I repeat: During training, be sure to practice your pre-marathon carbo-loading meal so you will have no surprises on race day!

Weight Gain

Runners who have properly carbo-loaded should gain about one to three pounds--but do not panic! This weight gain is good; it reflects water weight and indicates you have done a good job of fueling your muscles. For every ounce of carbs stored in your body, you store almost three ounces of water.

Fluids

Be sure to drink extra water, juices, and even soda pop, if desired. Abstain from too much wine, beer, and alcoholic beverages; they are not only poor sources of carbs, they can also hinder your ability to perform at your best. Drink enough alcohol-free beverages to produce a significant volume of urine every two to four hours. The urine should be pale yellow, like lemonade. Do not over hydrate; your body is like a sponge and can absorb just so much fluid.

Protein

Many marathoners eat only carbs and totally avoid protein-rich foods the days before their event. That is a bad idea. Your body needs protein on a daily basis. Hence, you can and should eat a small serving of low-fat protein--such as poached eggs, yogurt, turkey, or chicken--as the accompaniment to most meals (not the main focus), or plant proteins such as beans and lentils (as tolerated).

Event Day

Carbo-loading is just part of the fueling plan! What you eat on marathon day is critically important and helps to spare your limited muscle glycogen stores. By fueling yourself wisely both before and during the event, you can enjoy miles of smiles.

Two Sample Carbo-loading Food Plans (3,200-3,400 Calories)

Appropriate for a 150-pound runner who needs about 4 grams carbs/lb body weight
	
				Approximate Calories	Carbs (g)
Wheaties, 2 cups			220		48
Milk, 1% lowfat, 8 ounces		100		12
Bagel, 1 (3.5 ounce)			300		55
Cream cheese,  lowfat, 2 Tbsp	         50              2
Orange juice, 12 ounces		        160		40     Breakfast: 830 cals, 75% carb
										
Whole grain bread, 2 slices		200		40
Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons		200		 8
Jelly, 2 tablespoons			100		25 
Fruit yogurt, 8 ounces			230		35
Potato chips, baked, 2 ounces		240		45    Lunch total: 970 cals,  65% carb								
Apple, 1 large				120		30
Graham crackers, 4 squares		120		22    Snack total: 240 cals; 90% carb								
Chicken breast, 5 ounces		250		--
Rice, 1.5 cups cooked			300		65
Brocolli, 1 cup				 50		10
Dinner rolls, 2 whole wheat		200		40    Dinner total: 800 cals; 60% carb
										
Banana, 1 medium (4 ounces)		100		25
Sherbet, 1 cup			        260		45     Snack: 360 cals, ~100% carb	
		
TOTAL Menu #1			      3,200		547 g	
  ~70% carb; ~4 g carb/lb for a 150 lb athlete	
	
---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Sample Menu #2
	
Oatmeal, 1 cup dry, cooked in	        300		55
Milk. 16 ounces			        200		25
Raisins, 1/4 cup			130		30		
Brown sugar, 1.5 tablespoons	 	50		12
Apple juice, 8 ounces			120		30     Breakfast: 800 cals; 75% carb
	
Sub sandwich roll, 6" (4 ounces)	320		60
Lean meat (4 ounces)			200		--
Fruit yogurt, 8 ounces			240		40
Grape juice, 12 ounces		        220		55     Lunch: 980 cals; 80% carb
	
Fig Newtons, 6			        330		65		
Jelly beans, 15 large			150		38     Snack: 480 cals; 85% carb
	
Spaghetti. 2 cups cooked		400		80			
Prego spaghetti sauce, 1 cup		250		40	
Italian bread, 2 slices			150		30
Root beer, 12 ounces			140		38     Dinner: 940 cals;  80% carb
	
Canned peaches in syrup, 1 cup	        200		48     Snack: 200 cals; ~100% carb

Tools to help you carbo-load

When carbo-loading, you want to consume about 3 to 5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight. (This comes to a diet with about 60% of calories from carbohydrates.) Divide your target grams of carbohydrates into three parts of the day (breakfast + snack; lunch + snack; dinner + snack), and choose foods that help you hit your target. You can find carbohydrate information on food labels and at www.fitday.com.
	
If you weigh:  	Total g carb/day          Target # carbs per five hours:  
	7:00 a.m.-noon; noon-5:00 pm; 5:00-10:00
100 lbs		300 to 500 g 			100 to 175 g  
125 lbs		375 to 625 g			125  to 210 g
150 lbs		450 to 750 g			150 to 	250 g
175 lbs		525 to 875 g			175 to 290 g	
	
	
Sample 50 grams of carbohydrate choices for the foundation of a meal or snack
Wheaties, 2 cups
Nature Valley Granola Bar, 2 packets (4 bars)
Thomas' Bagel, 1 (3.5 oz)
Banana, 2 medium
Orange juice, 16 ounces
Apple, 2 medium
Raisins, 1/2 cup
Pepperidge Farm multi-grain bread, 2.5 slices
	
Baked potato, 1 large (6.5 ounces)
Pasta, 1 cup cooked
Rice, 1 cup cooked
Fig Newtons, 5
Flavored Yogurt + 3 graham cracker squares

Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD is Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics. She counsels casual and competitive athletes in her private practice at Healthworks, the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill MA (617-383-6100). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Cyclist's Food Guide, and Food Guide for Marathoners: Tips for Everyday Champions all offer additional information about how to prepare for endurance events. See www.nancyclarkrd.com and www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com for more details.