Doing the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday? Here are a few tips on what to eat in the run up to the big day:

3-4 days to go

What you eat in the 3-4 days before the race makes a real difference to how well prepared you are to cover 26.2 miles without running out of fuel. By eating a carbohydrate-rich diet you can maximise the amount of glycogen (stored carbohydrate) in your muscles. Because you should be taking it easy with your training by now, there’s no need to eat at lot more than you have been in your training, as you won’t be burning it all off. But do try to ensure that you eat regularly, get most of your energy from carbohydrate, and have some lean protein at most meals. It’s best to avoid fatty foods such as crisps, chocolate and fried foods.

Example day
Breakfast: Cereal with milk, raisins, fruit juice
Snack: Granola bar and a nectarine
Lunch: Baked potato with tuna and sweetcorn, salad, yoghurt
Snack: Banana smoothie
Dinner: Large bowl of pasta with tomato sauce and vegetables
Snack: Toast with honey

Also, keep an eye on the colour of your urine – it should be clear and pale. If it is dark, you need to drink more fluids. Drinking small amounts (water, fruit juice, tea, coffee and sports drinks are all fine) regularly throughout the day is better for keeping you hydrated than drinking large amounts in one go.

Hopefully by now you’ll have practiced running with the drink or gel that you’ll be using during the race.  If not, make sure you do at least one trial run this week. It’s also a good idea to practice running after the same breakfast that you plan to have on race day.

The evening before

Choose a meal that you’re used to eating. Between now and the race, don’t eat or drink anything you haven’t tried before a training run. Good, high carbohydrate choices include:

• Large baked potato with beans and salad
• Pasta with tomato sauce, chicken and vegetables
• Vegetable stir-fry with large portion of rice
• Fish pie with potatoes and vegetables
• Lentil soup with lots of bread

If you don’t want to have a big breakfast in the morning, or aren’t sure if you’ll have time, have a snack later in the evening, e.g. a slice of toast and a fruit yoghurt.

Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol/caffeine.

Marathon morning

The aim is to start the race hydrated, so you should regularly sip fluids in the hours before (again, keep an eye on the colour of your urine and try to make sure it’s pale and clear). Have as big a breakfast as you can manage, ideally 3-4 hours before the race. Again, the most important thing is that the breakfast is something you’re used to eating before you run. For example, whatever you usually eat before you do your long training runs.

Good choices include:
• Large bowl of cereal with skimmed milk, banana, apple juice
• 2 toasted bagels with jam, yoghurt
• 500ml milkshake (if you find it difficult to run with food in your stomach)
• Porridge with honey and banana

Caffeine can help boost running performance, but don’t be tempted to take an energy drink/gel that contains caffeine unless you’re already used to it. If you normally have tea or coffee in the morning, have one or two cups. But give yourself plenty of time after breakfast to go to the loo before you need to set off!

During the race

During the marathon aim to drink mainly sports drink (e.g. the Lucozade Sport provided at the hydration stations around the course) as this will keep you hydrated but will also provide carbohydrate to help maintain your energy levels and electrolytes to replace the sodium you lose in sweat. Around 400-800ml/hour is generally recommended, but focus on drinking regularly, just as much as you need to quench your thirst, rather than trying to drink a specific amount. Drinking too much can be just as dangerous as not drinking enough.

What’s available during the Edinburgh Marathon?

Tips for the Edinburgh Marathon hydration stations:
Energy drinks are not provided until mile 11.4, so it’s important that you have enough carbohydrate in your blood and muscles when you start the race. Take a sports drink to the start line with you and drink it in the 15 minutes before the start (if you have tried this in training). Unless you are a very fast runner, consider taking a gel or something like jelly babies with you to top up your energy levels after an hour or so. If you start taking on extra fuel early on, you’re less likely to struggle towards the end of the race, when your muscle fuel stores run low. At the first three water stations, take a bottle and sip as much as you feel you need – there’s no need to down the whole bottle. At the stations where Lucozade Sport is offered, take that rather than plain water, as it’s really important to top up your carbohydrate and electrolyte levels. Only take the water if you are bringing energy gels with you and need something to wash those down with. Again, just sip as much as you feel you need. One 300ml bottle at each station is probably more than enough to keep you hydrated.

After the race

To help you recover, have another drink or a banana, energy bar or gel as soon as you finish. If you can eat some protein too, that will also help your body recover – something like chocolate milkshake, an energy bar that contains protein, or a yoghurt, is ideal. Try to have a meal as soon as possible after that – whatever you fancy, you deserve a treat. And again sip water regularly to re-hydrate your body. This is especially important if you’re planning to celebrate with a drink later on. It’s really important to re-hydrate before you go near alcohol!