Marathons Make You Fat
What did you just say???? That’s outlandish, Michelle, and just doesn’t make any mathematical sense! You burn so many calories when you’re training for a marathon, how could you possibly eat enough to hold ANY more weight??
Oh, let me tell you. Obviously the title of this blog is a bit extreme, but marathon training CAN cause weight gain if you are not on top of your nutrition.
Let me make this clear: weight gain is not necessarily a bad thing. But, when you’re training for a marathon, a lot of the time if you’re not monitoring what you eat, it can sometimes get a little out of hand.
I’ve noticed that when I train for a half marathon, I’m typically in my best shape. When I train for a marathon, I’ve been known (to myself) to hold a couple extra pounds.
Training for a marathon= running more miles= burning more calories= increased appetite. And hell ya! That’s one of the benefits, in my opinion. I love when I have a big appetite!
Saying that, when you go into longer long runs (like the 15-22 territory) you may feel hungrier during the day or night, which could cause you to eat more than you typically would.
Since I’m not a calorie counter, I wanted to give some tips to staying on top of your nutrition during marathon training without killing yourself over it.
(1) Honor your hunger. Being hungry is a blessing! Acknowledge when you are hungry and be aware. This goes a bit into intuitive eating, you want to know when you are actually hungry vs. just bored and wanting to taste something good.
(2) Increase the size of your regular meals. Just because you’re training for a full marathon vs. a half doesn’t mean you need to change what you eat. If you’re eating 1.5 servings of quinoa, 2 servings of broccoli, and 1 serving of chicken breast for dinner, up your portion size to, for example, 2 servings quinoa, 2.5 servings broccoli, 1.5 servings of chicken breast. You might notice that slight tweaks like this can help with that hunger increase.
(3) Consider smaller portions. If you’re like me, when I train for a marathon I can eat all day long, but in SMALL portions. If you’re noticing your appetite is similar, maybe give this a go. Follow tip number 2, but break it up. Eat half of your dinner at 5pm and half at 6:30pm. That could make you feel more satiated, and, you’re eating the same amount.
(4) Keep healthy snacks everywhere! This may seem like an obvious one, but it’s always a good reminder. I love having a ton of fresh fruit around the house and stackable veggies like carrots and cut cucumbers. Grab a healthy dip like hummus and take a few bites if you’re in-between meals but just need a little something something to wet your whistle (wut).
(5) Make sure you’re fueling properly before, during, and after a long run. Make sure you’re practicing your pre race meal the night before, your pre race breakfast in the morning and your fueling routine during the run. After, try to consume some carbs (I like a little protein too) within an hour of completing. An easy way to do this is to have a drink ready in your car. Maybe it’s a drink mix like UCAN, maybe it’s a banana and half a protein bar. Help your body recover and tame your hunger early.
(6) Don’t feel guilty for eating pizza! Although you will want to stick to your regular, healthier diet during your training - mostly because it will lead you to your goals and your workouts won’t feel like crap - enjoy some delicious meals that you love along the way. I always have pizza after a long run - sometimes even before since it gives me a ton of energy. The more you don’t allow yourself to eat something, the more likely you are to binge on that food at a later date.
(7) Have so much fun with it. Eating rocks. Running rocks. Don’t you love that an increase in running is correlated to an increase in eating?? #science
