Sample Day When Training
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N
As promised, here is a sample day of what I would eat when marathon training:
Snack before run: 3/4 cup Total or Wheaties either dry handfuls or with ½ cup soy or skim milk OR a banana
During run: Gatorade or water, depending on distance. If more than 10 miles, Gatorade every 2-3 miles plus some water. Sometimes I do gels instead of Gatorade and eat one-half of the gel at a time.
After run: Whole grain toast or English muffin with peanut butter, a little jelly, glass of skim or soy milk, and a banana or other fruit OR Oatmeal made with milk not water for protein with some frozen blueberries or dried cranberries added before microwaving (I like the Quaker Weight Control and I add ½ cup Allbran to it before cooking) OR Bowl of cereal (whole grain) with fresh fruit and skim or soy milk or light yogurt. I often add a small amount of Allbran or Fiber One mixed with other cereals to boost fiber.
Midmorning snack: Piece of fresh fruit OR light yogurt OR string cheese OR Pria, Zone, Luna, Lara, etc bar OR Vitamuffin top OR Glenny’s soy crisps OR Glenny’s Brownie or Blondie bar
Lunch: Frozen meal of choice OR Flatout wrap sandwich with hummus and veggies OR Salad with tons of different veggies, tuna, cheese, cottage cheese, or veggie pepperoni for protein, light salad dressing, maybe some whole grain crackers for crunch on the side.
Midafternoon snack: Same as morning choices. A little bit of chocolate may sneak in there instead of those snacks, though.
Dinner: Protein of choice (usually fish or veggie substitute), starch of choice (brown rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.), veggie of choice (I use a lot of frozen veggies and micro them for convenience). Usually have a small piece of chocolate to finish the meal like one Ghiradelli square
Snack in evening (if desired): Sorbet OR milk and a cookie OR Glenny’s brownie OR light popcorn
A few comments:
Remember that I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian who includes a little bit of fish in my diet. If you enjoy animal proteins, that is fine, just keep them lean.
Snack before run: 3/4 cup Total or Wheaties either dry handfuls or with ½ cup soy or skim milk OR a banana
During run: Gatorade or water, depending on distance. If more than 10 miles, Gatorade every 2-3 miles plus some water. Sometimes I do gels instead of Gatorade and eat one-half of the gel at a time.
After run: Whole grain toast or English muffin with peanut butter, a little jelly, glass of skim or soy milk, and a banana or other fruit OR Oatmeal made with milk not water for protein with some frozen blueberries or dried cranberries added before microwaving (I like the Quaker Weight Control and I add ½ cup Allbran to it before cooking) OR Bowl of cereal (whole grain) with fresh fruit and skim or soy milk or light yogurt. I often add a small amount of Allbran or Fiber One mixed with other cereals to boost fiber.
Midmorning snack: Piece of fresh fruit OR light yogurt OR string cheese OR Pria, Zone, Luna, Lara, etc bar OR Vitamuffin top OR Glenny’s soy crisps OR Glenny’s Brownie or Blondie bar
Lunch: Frozen meal of choice OR Flatout wrap sandwich with hummus and veggies OR Salad with tons of different veggies, tuna, cheese, cottage cheese, or veggie pepperoni for protein, light salad dressing, maybe some whole grain crackers for crunch on the side.
Midafternoon snack: Same as morning choices. A little bit of chocolate may sneak in there instead of those snacks, though.
Dinner: Protein of choice (usually fish or veggie substitute), starch of choice (brown rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.), veggie of choice (I use a lot of frozen veggies and micro them for convenience). Usually have a small piece of chocolate to finish the meal like one Ghiradelli square
Snack in evening (if desired): Sorbet OR milk and a cookie OR Glenny’s brownie OR light popcorn
A few comments:
Remember that I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian who includes a little bit of fish in my diet. If you enjoy animal proteins, that is fine, just keep them lean.
I try to eat every 3-4 hours to keep my energy level up and get necessary nutrients. Eating more often helps me get the calories I need without feeling overfull at meals. My meals are not very large portions because I snack often. I always try to have grain, protein, and fruit and/or veggie at every meal. Snacks just get me from meal to meal with provding energy and preventing hunger.
I drink a lot of water, occasional diet soft drink, or flavored water like Propel. I do not drink juice because I prefer fresh whole fruit to juice for more fullness. I know runners hate to eat before their morning run, but I really try to have at least a couple of handfuls of dry cereal or a banana (even a half banana) or a couple of swigs of Gatorade before I start to get the glucose flowing in my bloodstream from the long fast overnight.
Also, this is a near perfect day. I eat out fairly often, which is not reflected in this day. My choices are not as good when I eat out!
Photo courtesy of istockphoto
Labels: running, sports nutrition, Tara Gidus
5 Comments:
At Thu May 24, 07:14:00 AM 2007,
Christie Lee said…
Thank you for the post. I have trouble with my eating as far as balance. I stuggle with thinking less is better, and I know with running that is not the best thing. I eat healthy foods, but I dont think I eat enough calories, and I am fearful of eating the amount of should, but I have seen that I have put on weight and I am afraid it is because of the amount of exercise I do with the 1200-1400 daily calorie intake. I am 22 about 5 foot and i havent been on a scale in awhile (out of fear) I am sure I am about 105-108lbs. I work out 6 days and lift 3 days and do hard running 3 days. Would I follow around what you ate for your marathon or is there a way to figure out specifically how many carbs/calroies i should eat.
Thanks again!
At Thu May 24, 08:36:00 AM 2007,
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the insight. I have trained for marathons in the past and find your eating pattern very similar to my own during training. Currently I am not training for anything special but running about 25-30 miles per week, and find that when I eat a small breakfast 30-45 minutes before I run I feel so much better. I usually eat fruit, cereal, and skim milk and feel so energized during the run. I used to never eat before running but now I can really tell a difference. I also find that I need the snacks between meals to carry me over, and find nuts to be a satisfying snack with some fruit or graham crackers...usually about a handful of nuts does it, along with the fruit/crackers, to hold me until lunch. Enjoy your postings!
At Fri May 25, 05:27:00 AM 2007,
Anonymous said…
Have you ever heard of Keribars? www.keribars.com Just wondering if they are a good snack. they were developed by an RD.
Thanks
At Tue May 29, 10:30:00 AM 2007,
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N said…
I had not heard of Keri Bars before, but I looked up the website and nutritional info and it looks like a great bar. Thanks for sharing!
At Tue May 29, 10:33:00 AM 2007,
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N said…
Christie Lee- I understand your fear of gaining weight but it does sound like you are eating too few calories for the amount of exercise you are doing. This can teach your body to conserve fat and use muscle for energy instead of burning fat. Slowing add some calories (100 more per day for 2 weeks) and see if your weight changes. If not, you may be able to add even more and not gain weight. You do not want to teach your body to conserve energy because that means fat storage. It is a delicate balance and takes some trial and error!
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