Diet for Dublin City Marathon training

ludzer

Hi All, I'm looking for a good diet for while I'm training for the Dublin Marathon, I'm about 3 weeks into my training, and all going well, but looking for advise to keep the body in good health.

I dont think I eat too badly at present, usually, weetabix or special k in the morning, a few coffees to get me to lunch, usually a brown bread sandwich then until dinner - lasagne, chicken stirfry, steak the usual, and am drawn to the awl chocolate digestives with a cuppa at some stage in the evening.

Any advise would be appreciated

thanks

HardyEustace

I'd recommend Anita Bean's book Food for fitness.

mcdonrob

Have a read of this.

ludzer

Thats a good bit of advice there alright. cheers

Running Bing

Id also say try not to eat special k (weetabix is much better, porridge is better again), its absolute sh1te.

Its not going to kill you but a lot of people just eat it because they think its healthy....its not:)

mloc123

Running Bing wrote: »

Id also say try not to eat special k (weetabix is much better, porridge is better again), its absolute sh1te.

Its not going to kill you but a lot of people just eat it because they think its healthy....its not:)

Likewise with Bran 'Chris Hoy' Flakes.

uglyjohn

im rushing out the door but to answer quickley i'd say you need to eat more. i dont know your build and target time but it doesnt seem like you're eating enough to fuel training. maybe its ok for now but once things really kick off and you're doing 40 miles a week you will need to up your food intake.

do you feel hungry during the day?

tunney

Its a pretty bad diet to be honest.

breakfast and lunch are pretty shocking. Too much coffee likewise.

Anita Bean's book isn't bad.
Try Paleo fo Athletes - the diet itself is impossible to follow but the concepts and the ideas in it can seriously affect how you see food and diet. and everything is explained excellently in terms of how food affects training.

tunney

uglyjohn wrote: »

im rushing out the door but to answer quickley i'd say you need to eat more. i dont know your build and target time but it doesnt seem like you're eating enough to fuel training. maybe its ok for now but once things really kick off and you're doing 40 miles a week you will need to up your food intake.

do you feel hungry during the day?

the fueling requirement isn't that huge. overeating "because I'm training" is pretty common.

Running Bing

mloc123 wrote: »

Likewise with Bran 'Chris Hoy' Flakes.

Yeah I remember buying a box of these a few years back and when I got home and looked at the ingredients I was shocked:eek:

Its borderline exploitative that they market these things as "healthy".:rolleyes:

I got Anita Beans book on HardyEustaces recommendation and it is very good at explaining the basic concepts in a simple, clear and concise manner. I would've liked a bit more info on really building a diet plan but Id still recommend it.

Personally I just focus on eating as much fruit and veg as possible, eating as little white flour products as possible, eating as little processed food as possible and keeping an eye on sugar and bad fats. I think when you focus on that things balance out (but its easier said than done;)).

mloc123

Running Bing wrote: »

Yeah I remember buying a box of these a few years back and when I got home and looked at the ingredients I was shocked:eek:

How any cereal that is 20% sugar can be sold as health is pretty crazy.

shels4ever

tunney wrote: »

Its a pretty bad diet to be honest.

Try Paleo fo Athletes - the diet itself is impossible to follow but the concepts and the ideas in it can seriously affect how you see food and diet. and everything is explained excellently in terms of how food affects training.

Did you follow this yourself?

tunney

shels4ever wrote: »

Did you follow this yourself?

For a while yes. but the preparation factor is huge. Plus the abuse you get in work for have salmon with fruit salad for breakfast is severe.


Alot of the benefits can be gotten with less strict diets. but the requirements for fuelling and explanations of an ahtletes needs at the start of the book make this a very good read.

shels4ever

tunney wrote: »

For a while yes. but the preparation factor is huge. Plus the abuse you get in work for have salmon with fruit salad for breakfast is severe.


Alot of the benefits can be gotten with less strict diets. but the requirements for fuelling and explanations of an ahtletes needs at the start of the book make this a very good read.

Thanks, will have a read of that I think.

Clum

ludzer wrote: »

I dont think I eat too badly at present, usually, weetabix or special k in the morning, a few coffees to get me to lunch, usually a brown bread sandwich then until dinner - lasagne, chicken stirfry, steak the usual, and am drawn to the awl chocolate digestives with a cuppa at some stage in the evening.

I'll get slated for saying this but there's nothing wrong with that diet for a non-elite runner.

Once there's plenty of fruit and veg in there and you control the amount of fatty foods you eat you'll be grand.

What you described above is pretty much what my diet has been for my last 5 marathons (with lots of fruit and veg).

ludzer

I was eating the special k for the taste alright, I'd eat porrige before i was doing a long cycle or hiking, other that than I'm not the biggest porrige fan.
I was never a big breakfast eater, I know thats not good, but I feel like crap if I have a big(er) breakfast, and I think its how you fell yourself no matter what you read, anyone agree?

Lunch again sandwiches not great I know, just had a lasagne for lunch today and fell stuffed and asleep.

My build about 12.5 stone (28). 5"11-ISH.

ludzer

mloc123 wrote: »

Likewise with Bran 'Chris Hoy' Flakes.

Are Bran flakes no good for you?

ludzer

uglyjohn wrote: »

im rushing out the door but to answer quickley i'd say you need to eat more. i dont know your build and target time but it doesnt seem like you're eating enough to fuel training. maybe its ok for now but once things really kick off and you're doing 40 miles a week you will need to up your food intake.

do you feel hungry during the day?

sorry replying to a lot here, do I feel Hungry? Not as much since I started back into training to be honest, after a run after work yeah I'd be hungry enough.

uglyjohn

tunney wrote: »

the fueling requirement isn't that huge. overeating "because I'm training" is pretty common.

oh yeah? fair enough, you do know a fair bit more than me about this sort of thing.
maybe its just me but i'd eat more than than that when im not training. when i was training for my first marathon i found myself constantly hungry/tired and was losing weight so i filled my desk up with fruit, wheatabix and tuna. once i did that my mood ,speed and energy levels improved and my weight stabilised.

ludzer wrote: »

I was eating the special k for the taste alright, I'd eat porrige before i was doing a long cycle or hiking, other that than I'm not the biggest porrige fan.
I was never a big breakfast eater, I know thats not good, but I feel like crap if I have a big(er) breakfast, and I think its how you fell yourself no matter what you read, anyone agree?

Lunch again sandwiches not great I know, just had a lasagne for lunch today and fell stuffed and asleep.

My build about 12.5 stone (28). 5"11-ISH.

do you eat fresh fruit and veg?

ludzer

uglyjohn wrote: »

oh yeah? fair enough, you do know a fair bit more than me about this sort of thing.
maybe its just me but i'd eat more than than that when im not training. when i was training for my first marathon i found myself constantly hungry/tired and was losing weight so i filled my desk up with fruit, wheatabix and tuna. once i did that my mood ,speed and energy levels improved and my weight stabilised.



do you eat fresh fruit and veg?

yep, eat a lot of veg, Fruit probobly an orange a day, and an odd banana here and there.