Running Nutrition Plans
Do you run (10 km, half marathon, marathon)? Check out our advice and nutritional plans tailored to each format to best prepare you from a nutritional and hydration perspective.
Nutritional advice before a run
A few days before your outing or your race (from D-4), it is advisable to avoid or reduce the consumption of certain foods such as:
• Foods rich in lipids which slow down gastric emptying.
Example: fatty meat and skin, cold cuts (sausage, rillettes, salami, pâté, etc.), pastries and viennoiseries, cooked saturated fats (butter, cream, coconut milk), dishes in fatty sauces, breadcrumbs and fried foods (breaded fish, fries, nuggets, etc.), pies and quiches.
• Foods that may cause intestinal gas.
Example: very mature cheese (like Livarot, Maroilles, etc.), game and other hung meats, smoked products (herring, ham, salmon, etc.), dried vegetables (lentils, chickpeas, flageolets, etc.), cabbage, salsify, asparagus, artichokes, onions, peppers (rich in insoluble fiber), sweetened laxative confectionery (chewing gum, candy).
• According to personal tolerance: strong meat (mutton, lamb) and offal, molluscs and crustaceans, certain vegetables (tomato, spinach, turnip, endive, mushroom, leek), oilseeds (walnuts, almonds, flax seeds), jam with pieces (fig, plum, rhubarb), strong coffee and tea, strong spices and herbs, certain condiments (capers, onions, pickles, etc.).
On the contrary, it is advisable to:
• Stay well hydrated and regularly.
• Eat carbohydrates in the form of food (pasta, rice, etc.) or replenishing drinks (Carbo Powder from D-4 to D-2) or energy drink (Booster+).
The maltodextrin contained in Carbo Powder allows you to replenish your glycogen stores to be at 200% on D-day. A refill is the carbohydrate equivalent of 2.3 kg of cooked pasta.
Maltodextrin -Loading drink - Carbo Powder
Powdered drink mix made with maltodextrin for energy replenishment before exercise.
A glycogen-boosting exercise drink . Isotonic, it contains amino acids (BCAAs),...
How to eat the day before a half-marathon or marathon (D-1)?
All of these meals and foods must be tested beforehand: the day before a long test outing or a competitive race.
Always keep a small bottle of water with Booster + energy drink diluted to half (20g per 500ml), in order to hydrate yourself regularly, throughout the day.
Example of a pre-race dinner:
- Starter: raw vegetables (cooked raw vegetables such as beetroot or green beans, or raw vegetables without seeds, skin), soup.
- Main: al dente white starchy foods, not recooked or quickly cooked + low-fat meat/fish/omelet/defatted rindless cooked ham + cooked vegetables or vegetable coulis +/- white bread
- Dairy product or similar: yogurt, fromage blanc, faisselle, plain soy specialty, rice pudding or cake rice.
- Dessert: cooked or easily digestible fruit, very ripe, seedless, stewed, thin apple tart, sorbet, floating island.
- Drink: unlimited low-mineral water, caffeine-free hot drink, herbal tea + honey.
- Fats: limit fatty dishes and sauces (butter, mayonnaise, crème fraîche, béchamel, etc.).
+/- rapeseed, walnut, olive vinaigrette
What meal should you eat the morning of your race or before the start (D-Day)?
Like the rest of your nutrition routine, it is recommended to always test your pre-competition breakfast in the conditions of your race.
It should be eaten 3 to 4 hours before the start of your warm-up. Find all our advice on pre-race nutrition in our blog article "What to eat before a race?".
If this time seems too long and you want to prioritize sleep, you can consume a sweet potato pre-workout cake or chocolate pre-workout cake 1.5 hours before departure, or an energy cream up to 15 minutes before departure.
Is it advisable to take a waiting ration?
Yes, it is recommended to consume a waiting ration before the actual start of the race: 250ml of Booster + diluted to ½ (10g of Booster for 250ml of water). This waiting ration should help reduce stress through its comforting side.
Avoid magnesium waters which can accelerate transit.
How to eat while running?
General Notes:
- Test the products during training to check that they are suitable for your body and develop your own nutrition routine.
- A nutrition routine helps you avoid anxiety and cope with unforeseen events on the day. When your race starts, you will get into your nutrition routine and you will no longer need to worry about it. You will be able to fully concentrate on your race and managing your effort.
- Generally speaking, during exercise, it is recommended to consume 1 gram of carbohydrate per hour and per kilo of weight. For a person weighing 70kg, this comes to 70g of carbohydrates per hour. Recommendations to be adapted to your feelings.
Running Nutrition Plan - 10km Format
For this distance, it is recommended to consume the sports drink in small sips and regularly, for a total of approximately 500 ml per hour.
For people prone to stress or who are afraid of being hungry, you can take a bag of energy gums – Boost Gums with you for the quality sugar intake and the comfort that will bring calm.
Running Nutrition Plan - HALF MARATHON FORMAT – 21 KM
For a run completed in less than 1h30, consuming only the sports drink should be enough. Drink regularly and in small sips, for a total of almost 500 ml per hour.
For a course completed in more than 1h30, we recommend adding to the sports drink (500 ml/h) a dose of energy gel – Boost Gel or a packet of energy gums – Boost Gums after the 10km mark.
The gel or gummies will help you overcome any "slump" by giving you a boost of energy and a dose of comfort to help you complete your effort.
For people prone to stress or who are afraid of being hungry, you can take a bag of energy gummies - Boost Gums with you for the quality sugar intake and the comfort that will bring calm.
Energy gummies rich in BCCA, electrolytes and carbohydrates for a melting and lasting dose of...
Running Nutrition Plan - MARATHON FORMAT – 42 KM
MARATHON < 3H
For a course completed in less than 3 hours, we recommend:
- 1 liter of sports drink spread over the entire duration of the marathon
- 2 doses of 40g gel, taken around the 15th and 30th kilometer
Marathon 3-4h
For a course completed in 3-4 hours, we recommend:
- 1.5 liters of sports drink spread over the entire duration of the marathon
- 3 doses of 40g gel, taken around the 10th, 20th and 30th kilometers
- 1 energy bar or 1 sachet of energy gums at the 20th kilometer
Marathon >4h
For a course completed in more than 4 hours, we recommend:
- 1.5 liters of sports drink spread over the entire duration of the marathon
- 1 dose of gel or 1 energy bar at the 10th kilometer
- 250 ml of recovery drink + 1 bar or 1 sachet of energy gums at the 20th kilometer
- 1 dose of gel at the 30th kilometer
Alternating between the consistencies of energy drinks and gels allows your body to accept more carbohydrates without causing digestive problems.
How to recover properly after running?
Regardless of the duration of the effort, we recommend that you consume an AUTHENTIC RÉCUP recovery drink or high-protein bars combined with the sports drink – to be taken within 30 minutes after the finish (see diagrams above).
After the recovery ration that you will consume within half an hour of physical effort, you can continue to eat in the following two hours with a little carbohydrate. For example: a slice of gingerbread, 20g of low-fat biscuits (speculoos, petits-beurre, paille d'or, boudoirs, etc.) or a handful of dried fruit, prunes, apricots, raisins
Recovery Drink - Authentic Recovery
Post-workout recovery drink rich in protein, BCAAs, vitamins, and electrolytes (minerals) to...
For the first meal after exercise, it is advisable to continue to hydrate well (1 to 2 glasses of still water) and to eat, depending on your tolerance, raw vegetables or a bowl of soup with a tablespoon of wheat germ. For a protein intake, it is recommended to eat an omelet with cheese and a little starchy food with very little irritating fiber (e.g. white rice or pasta with a slice of white bread), then a fromage blanc with a raspberry coulis and a delicious dessert (not too fatty to aid digestion) such as a thin apple tart. In the evening, you can consume half a liter of herbal tea with a little honey for a little comfort and good hydration.
To learn more about recovery, see our article "How to optimize your sports recovery?".
Source: advice written by our team, in collaboration with a dietician nutritionist and our ambassador trail runners.
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