What to Eat The Day Before a Marathon?

In a word…food.

You’ll want to perform, so you’ve reduced training over the course of the week, increased rest and truly primed the pump in order to toe the line as though you’ve got springs in your feet.

Starchy root veggies such as yam or sweet potato play a role in the diet of a Paleo endurance athlete.  When we’re getting ready to go long, these are two perfect examples of real, clean food that can serve to load the body with glycogen.  

So, when you’re got a long run, ride or whatever activity it is that you do, coming up, it makes sense to eat this starch.

And it’s simple- all you need to do is add small quantities of yam or sweet potato (depending where in the world you live and what’s available locally) to your Paleo template of each meal.  No need for three cups of pasta in one sitting or to inhale two bagels.  The body won’t process those carbs in that manner most efficiently anyway.

Here’s my typical day before the race day (which is pretty similar for marathoning, ultra running and ironman) meal run down:

Breakfast (after my quick, 25 minute run with 5 minutes of strides)

Steamed broccoli, two runny eggs, avocado, blueberries

Snack

Arugula, Nori, leftover salmon, avocado, yam

Lunch

Sauteed Garlic Spinach, leftover steak, olive oil, banana

Snack

Mashed yam, sliced turkey, coconut oil, applesauce, shredded raw kale

Dinner

Roast chicken, salad, broccoli, yam

Straightforward, isn’t it?

For more…

Pocket Paleo WORKOUT on itunes or amazon

See you out there on the course!