London Marathon Milestones: In the Beginning....

London Marathon Milestones - In the Beginning...Are you about to embark on your training for the London Marathon on 2nd October?  Have you ever considered how the food you eat could impact on your running performance throughout your training???? Well, Over the next 16 weeks we will be hosting 5 episodes to get you “Marathon Ready”. Whether this is your first marathon or your 10th….we are going to journey through your training with you giving you advice at various stages regarding food and nutrition intake so you are “fit and fuelled” appropriately on race day!!Today is the first of our marathon milestone episodes….so…the beginning of the journey….We will:Give an overview of typical running distances at this stage and in the coming few weeksGive some background to why eating for training is important…even at this early stageGive some tips on how to put the theory into practiceSHOW NOTES(02:30)Outlining the various types of Marathon Training Plans available online and discussing how to decide which one may be the best one for YOUR marathon training.(10:47)Considering how a novice runner’s training plan may look as they begin their 16 weeks of run training for the London Marathon whilst highlighting the importance of strength training, stretching and yoga/Pilates.  (18:46)Focussing on the importance of food and nutrition for running performance before delving deeper into the area of “everyday healthy eating” as the foundation on which to build more targeted nutrition for running a marathon. The 3 areas discussed are:Food qualityPlate balanceTiming of meals and snacks(22:26)Delving into Food Quality (27:34)Moving on to discuss Plate Balance(32:26)Explaining Timing of Meals and Snacks and its link to blood sugar balance (BSB) (39:26)Some TIPS on how to put the nutritional principles into action to support marathon training including:Foods to eat to achieve plate balanceEasy and practical solutions to help “make change happen”Pre-planning meals and run training to support performanceFinishing with an Action Point to help get you started (53:36)KEY TAKEAWAYSThere are many different marathon training plans available online, so be discerning and choose one that best suits your running abilities and time available to trainDon’t forget to introduce other activities that may also support your running performance including: Pilates, strength training and stretchingRemember that your nutrition for training is as important as the training plan itselfA foundational everyday healthy eating plan is the bedrock on which to build nutrition specific for running performanceThere is no need to increase your overall energy intake at this point in your training, just ensure the food choices you make are healthy and ones that will support your overall health and run trainingBUT…there may be occasions when you require a snack between meals. Remember to make healthy snack choicesRELATED TOPICSFuelling Marathon RunningNutrition Basics for all RunnersThe Why of Sports Nutrition