Creating a daily diet for a runner can be challenging. This is because not everyone knows what they should eat and how much to have the strength and energy to train for a marathon. Such a long distance means it's crucial to pay attention to what they eat each day and before key training sessions – now, two months before the Energa Gdańsk Marathon, is the last good time to do so.
How to eat every day to train well and regenerate effectively?
A long-distance runner's daily diet is more than just "healthy eating." It's a tool designed to truly support the implementation of a training plan, prevent energy slumps, and accelerate recovery between sets in marathon preparation. For amateur runners who combine training with work and daily life, it's crucial not only What they eat, but also how they compose meals during the day.
A well-planned diet helps maintain high-quality training, reduces the risk of injury, and allows you to reach the marathon starting line in the best possible condition. And that's what we care about most, right?
Division of macronutrients and proportions in the nutrition of a marathon runner
The macronutrient requirements of long-distance runners differ from those of untrained individuals and even from athletes who train shorter and more intensely. High training volume and regular long runs are crucial.
Here are the approximate proportions of macronutrients in the diet:
- Carbohydrates: 50–60% of total energy
- Protein: 15–20% of total energy
- Fats: 20–30% of total energy
These proportions may vary depending on the stage of preparation, the number of training sessions, and individual dietary tolerance. However, for most amateurs, they provide a solid starting point, which is worth implementing and possibly modifying to suit individual needs.
Carbohydrates and the glycemic index – what do they mean in practice?
Carbohydrates are the main fuel for marathon running and a key part of your daily diet. Their quality is crucial.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly blood glucose levels rise after consuming a food. In runners' practice, it's important to use it flexibly, rather than in a binary fashion.
Every day:
- choose low and medium GI products that provide stable energy and satiety levels,
- Groats, rice, whole-grain pasta, oatmeal, and rye bread work well.
Peri-training, i.e. before and after training:
- choose products with a higher GI, which replenish glycogen stores faster,
- white rice, wheat pasta, wheat bread, fruit, honey and jam all have their justifiable place here.
The key is to adapt the type of carbohydrates to the time of day and training load, not eliminate them from the diet.
Sample daily menu – variants adapted to runner's training
Below are sample daily nutritional options for a runner preparing for a marathon. Remember to adjust portions to your individual energy needs.
Important: Now is the best time to test new meals and products, because experimenting with food a few days before the marathon is not recommended - it can disturb digestion, running comfort and the achievement of starting goals
Option 1 – a day with intensive training, e.g. intervals, uphill runs, running with increasing speed
- Breakfast: oatmeal with natural yogurt, banana and nuts
- Second breakfast: wheat bread sandwiches with egg paste and vegetables
- Lunch (after training): Czarniecki pasta made from durum wheat, chicken breast, tomato sauce, olive oil, salad
- Afternoon snack: kefir + berries
- Dinner: Whole wheat tortilla with hummus and vegetables
Option 2 – long run day
- Breakfast: wheat rolls with jam (and optionally with cottage cheese), banana
- Post-run snack: skyr yogurt + honey + fruit
- Lunch: Czaniecki fiber pasta, baked salmon, vegetables, olive oil
- Afternoon snack: fruit and vegetable smoothie
- Dinner: 2–3 scrambled eggs, whole grain bread, vegetables
Option 3 – regeneration day
- Breakfast: oatmeal with fruit
- Second breakfast: natural yogurt + muesli
- Dinner: basmati rice, turkey, steamed vegetables
- Dinner: quinoa salad with feta cheese, olive oil and pumpkin seeds
Intense training is characterized by higher glycogen consumption and significantly greater strain on the muscles and nervous system. It also requires greater regenerative capacity than long runs.
What does this mean in terms of nutrition? Before such a session, it's important to ensure an adequate carbohydrate intake to provide the body with sufficient energy. After training, it's crucial to quickly replenish both carbohydrates and protein to support muscle recovery. Intense training days typically require a higher total energy intake than easy running days.
ImportantThe preparation period (2-3 months before the race) is the best time to test new meals and products. A few days before the marathon, it's too late for nutritional experiments, which can disrupt digestion, running comfort, and the execution of your race strategy. A sudden change in foods can make it difficult for your body to digest them. It's best to test what works for you during the preparation period and then stick with it until the marathon itself.
What nutrition supports regeneration?
Regeneration begins on the plate. After intense and long training sessions, the body needs nutrients that reduce inflammation and accelerate muscle recovery.
Key elements of a regenerative diet:
- Protein after training – supports the reconstruction of muscle fibers (e.g. eggs, dairy products, fish, meat, legumes),
- Carbohydrates – necessary to replenish glycogen (e.g. pasta, rice, groats, potatoes),
- Antioxidants – support the functioning of the immune system (e.g. berries, leafy vegetables, cocoa, green tea),
- Omega-3 fatty acids in food – they have an anti-inflammatory effect (e.g. fatty fish, linseed, nuts).
Regularly supplying these nutrients limits the accumulation of fatigue during the preparation cycle and helps to regenerate.
A supplement can also help reduce tiredness and fatigue after exercise. B-PAC shot with magnesium and tart cherry extract. The natural cherry polyphenols contained in the shot have anti-inflammatory properties, support muscle recovery, and aid in better recovery after training.
How important are micronutrients in a marathon runner's diet?
With high training volumes, the need for certain micronutrients increases, and their deficiencies may negatively affect performance.
The most important things for marathon runners are:
- Iron (Fe): crucial for oxygen transport and performance (found in meat, fish, legumes, green vegetables, among others),
- Sodium (Na): essential for water and electrolyte balance, especially with heavy sweating (it is found in food, but in case of deficiency it is good to supplement it, e.g. in the form of electrolytes),
- Magnesium (Mg): supports the functioning of muscles and the nervous system (some nuts, including almonds and sunflower seeds, as well as vegetables and fruits, such as spinach, kale, avocado and cereal products, such as buckwheat, wheat bran, oatmeal, are rich in magnesium),
- Potassium, calcium, zinc: important for muscle contraction, immunity and regeneration (these can also be supplied as supplements along with electrolytes).
It's worth remembering that supplementation should be considered individually, preferably after a diet or physical examination, and that a well-balanced menu is always the foundation. Using supplements "at random," without considering your needs based on a thorough blood test analysis, can lead to health problems – excess is just as harmful as deficiency.
Consciously composing a daily diet allows amateur runners to train regularly, recover effectively, and avoid nutritional mistakes that often become apparent only in the final kilometers of a marathon. And there, as we know, every detail counts.
That's all for today. In our next article, in a month's time, we'll focus on advanced exercise nutrition—eating and hydration strategies before, during, and after exercise.
Agnieszka Gruszka, Sports dietitian and psychodietician
For years, she has been combining scientific knowledge with sports practice. In the past, she trained as a regatta sailor, and triathlon was her sporting adventure. Currently, she is active in mountain biking and running. In her work, she provides nutritional support to athletes of various disciplines, including young competitors—including her son Grzesiek, who trains mountain biking.
