Nutrition Packing List
By Laura Burk MPH, RDN, LDN
Personal trainer and yoga certified.
When traveling for a marathon, there are so many changes in your running schedules. We may have a time change, jet lag, sleeping at a hotel, and most important our food changes. One of the golden rules of the marathon in training is to only eat foods that you have trained in the past with. This can be very difficult when you travel.
Packing your foods become essential. We know to pack our shoes, socks, clothes, and race confirmation. But, we must also remember to pack our pre-race, and race day foods.
Always pack foods that you have experimented with before and during all the training runs. You never want to try something new the day before or the day of the race. New foods may upset your stomach causing you to have a miserable race. Do not assume that you are able to buy specific energy gels, gu, bars, or other foods at the race expo. It is better to buy and pack your fuel ahead of time to guarantee to have the foods you like and have trained with.
Try to skip the free samples at the race expo because your mind is pumped and your stomach is ready to churn. However, your body may have a reaction that day or the next day during the race. It is best to keep your stomach safe by avoiding new foods.
Excited to meet up with friends or try a new restaurant? Make reservations for the following day after the race when your body is recovering from your race. Consuming heavy foods rich in cream sauces that are high in fat and sodium can be tough on the stomach. Your body may feel heavy and sluggish making for a very long race.
Bring bottled water to hydrate your body during the expo and the night before the race. Water taste very different depending on where you travel too. If you don’t like bottled water than fill a jug with your tap water. Make sure you have enough of your favorite bottled water to ensure you keep drinking properly for the big race.
Pack simple snacks for you to eat on your own food schedule. Try to avoid hunger at all times while traveling. Great snacks include banana, bagels, baby foods, raisins, dates, dried cherries, gummy bears, marshmallows, pretzels, and frozen grapes. Homemade energy bars are very filling and healthy for the body.
Breakfast needs to be available early in the morning and ready to go. Easy breakfast ideas are peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Honey sandwich, avocado sandwich, bagel and cream cheese. Be careful with breakfast buffets, you never know what the hotel will serve or if they will have enough foods.
Nutrition Essentials To Pack
1. Bottled Water
2. Race Fuel (energy bars, gels, sports beans, or other favorite foods)
3. Snacks Foods
4. Breakfast Foods
5. Sport drinks
6. Salt packets or tablets (if you used them in training)