Marathon nutrition: tips for your best performance at the Swiss City Marathon Lucerne
To make sure that your run at Switzerland's most beautiful city marathon ends up in a big success, you should pay attention to your nutrition in the days before the start and during the race. How annoying if you miss your best time because of stomach problems, cramps or a lack of energy. Learn how the reach the finish line at the Swiss Museum of Transport with a big smile in your face.
You can find a summary of the most important nutrition tips for runners in our Running Guide (PDF). Please also consult the Nutrition Course Map Swiss City Marathon Lucerne.
BEFORE THE RACE
Carboloading
The longer the race, the more important become the carbohydrate reserves and the intake capacity of your body. Marathon runners benefit from carboloading, which means: filling the body's various carbohydrate stores to the maximum. Studies suggest that carboloading for one to two days before the race is the most effective. In addition to a generally higher carbohydrate intake immediately before the competition, we recommend taking our specially developed CARBO LOADER on the day before the competition. CARBO LOADER is a highly concentrated carbohydrate drink without free fructose. It fills up the glycogen stores to the max and leaves no feeling of fullness or flatulence.
Electrolytes
The electrolyte level in your body should be balanced before the start of a marathon. A little extra salt in your last meals before the start will do you good. Ideally, you should also take one or two salt capsules (SALT CAPS) or dissolve ELECTROLYTE TABS in a water bottle.
» read more in the article Electrolytes
Breakfast and last hour before the gun goes off
Eat your last meal preferably around 3-4 hours before the start of the competition. The food should be easy to digest (as little fibre as possible!) and rich in carbohydrates. Moreover, try to drink regularly (but not excessively) until the start of the race. Ideally not only water, as this does not contain electrolytes. Take half a tube of LIQUID ENERGY GEL with some water about 5-10 minutes before the start.
DURING THE COMPETITION
The nutrition strategy before and during a long run is a very individual matter. Nevertheless, there are some guidelines to follow in order to reach the finish line in the best possible way:
Energy
For all endurance sports, carbohydrates are the main source of energy. However, their absorption capacity is physiologically limited. As a rule, consume between 60-80 g of carbohydrates per hour or about 1 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight. Basically, it does not matter whether the energy intake comes from sports drinks or gels. The ideal intake interval is 15-20 minutes. If you consume too much energy, it can end in flatulence or stomach problems.
» read more in the article Energy Gels and Carbohydrate Intake
Liquids and electrolytes
Sweat not only causes a loss of fluid, but also a loss of electrolytes. It is therefore important to drink regularly right from the start and to pay attention to the feeling of thirst, which, according to scientific findings, is the most reliable indicator. For nutritional reasons, we recommend taking carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks such as COMPETITION®, LONG ENERGY and ULTRA COMPETITION. The advantage: These sports drinks provide the body with valuable electrolytes, fluids and, of course, energy in hypotonic form. Moreover, the drinks are acid-free, provide a broad carbohydrate spectrum and come with a very soft flavour, which makes them optimally digestible.
» read more in the article Sports Drinks and Fluid Requirements
Prevent muscle cramps
If you are prone to cramps, you might love the MUSCLE RELAX shot. The sour-hot drink solution activates neurosensory receptors and helps normalise your muscle function in the case of a cramp during the race.
» read more in the article Avoiding Muscle Cramps
Caffeine as a booster
Many studies have already proven the positive effect of caffeine in competition. In most cases, the focus was on a performance duration of one hour. However, caffeine can also noticeably improve longer endurance performances.
» read more in the article Caffeine in Endurance Sports and ACTIVATOR in Competition
No experiments in competition!
We recommend that you test all products you plan to use in your competition well in advance during training under competition-like situations. There are always individual factors you need to take into account. Many an elite athlete has had to pay dearly in this respect. Rule number one is therefore: No nutritional experiments on the day of the competition or immediately before the race!
AFTER THE COMPETITION
Fast regeneration pays off
The regeneration phase begins directly after the finish line. The faster, the better for the body, even though there is usually no feeling of hunger at this point. This means replenishing glycogen stores with easily digestible carbohydrates, supplying fluids or electrolytes and initiating muscle repair with protein. Elite athletes preferably consume a pro regeneration drink with approx. 20-30 g of protein within 30 minutes after crossing the finish line in order to cover all the important elements as simply and efficiently as possible. Use PRO RECOVERY, RECOVERY SHAKE or WHEY ISOLATE 94 or even RECOVERY DRINK (paired with an ampoule of AMINO 12500) in order to recover quickly.
» read more in the article Regeneration Drinks
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on » endurance performance
on » race nutrition
on » muscle cramps
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sport » running
goal » energy & endurance
