If you’re running your first marathon, there are a lot of things to think about. What you eat before your marathon is important and there’s a crazy amount of information, do’s and don’ts. I ran my first marathon in November 2023 and I was totally lost (and mildly panicked) about what I should be eating. I’ve put together what I ate in case it helps any aspiring marathon runners. I am not a nutritionist however this worked for me, and I completed my marathon below my target time of 4 hours in 3:48:01.
Breakfast
I had the same thing every day – not super exciting but I didn’t want to eat anything untried and tested for me.
- Small bowl of muesli – just a handful – with soy milk at around 5.40am
- Remainder of bowl of muesli with two weetbix at 7am (this allowed for a run in between)
- Between 9am and 10am I would have two pieces of toast – one with avocado and poached eggs, one with peanut butter
Lunch & Dinner
I like to make meals that last at least two days so we don’t have to cook every day. I appreciate this may make the plan seem repetitive but I knew these were foods that worked well for me normally so I wanted to stick to them, and I didn’t’ want to spend too much time cooking during marathon week. Where relevant I’ve linked to the recipes below the table.
| Marathon Week | Lunch | Dinner | Notes/ Recipes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Rice with tofu and red cabbage + soy & sesame oil to season | Mexican bean stew with corn chips and avo | Bean stew recipe</a > – As I’m a little lactose intolerant I dropped the feta here For the tofu, I cut up small and mixed with soy & sesame before air frying |
| Tuesday | Rice with tofu, red cabbage and rice (as above) | Mexican bean stew with corn chips and avo (as above) | |
| Wednesday | Rice with tofu, red cabbage and rice (as above) | Singaporean chicken rice | My partner has his own chicken rice recipe but it’s almost identical to this recipe |
| Thursday | Rice with tofu, red cabbage and rice (as above) | Singaporean chicken rice (as above) | |
| Friday | Baked sweet potato (cooked using the microwave) with tuna mayo | Sri Lankan lentil curry with kale and rice, plus air fryer chicken thigh fillets | Lentil curry recipe</a > – if you like Sri Lankan food this cookbook is excellent |
| Saturday | Baked sweet potato with tuna mayo | Sri Lankan lentil curry with kale and rice, plus air fryer chicken thigh fillets (as above) | |
| Sunday | Raceday – see my breakfast plan plus race day run down here | ||
Snacks
I’m a bit lactose intolerant so I avoided dairy all week before just in case – not worth the risk! Between meals I snacked on:
- No-dairy flapjack – this recipe but I switched coconut oil for canola and used pumpkin and sunflower seeds instead of dried fruit
- Homemade hummus with carrots/cucumber – I blend chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice with a pinch of salt
- Trail mix – favorite is from Scoop Whole Foods
Fluids
- 750ml powerade daily – powder mixed with water
- 1 cup coffee (morning)
- 1 cup tea with soy milk (afternoon)
- Lemon & ginger or liquorice tea whenever I fancied it
- Water → try to drink 2L per day
I’ve also documented my training plans and race day schedule, including snacks and race day sustenance in case helpful.
Best of luck!