Replenish Your Body When Running a Marathon

Running a marathon is very demanding on your body and requires a lot of training to be able to complete this daunting task. It will take a toll on your body and you need to fuel your body properly before and during the marathon. If you do not take the right precautions you may experience fatigue, pain, and in some cases you may not be able to finish the race.

The week leading up to the marathon you want to should be drinking a lot of water making sure your body is hydrated for this event. Some people like to carbo load a day or two before the event, which may not be a bad idea, but my advice would be to eat what you would normally eat. You don't want to eat foods your body is not used to because you won't know how your body will perform with those foods. Avoid fattening foods, fast foods, and sugar pack products and remember to drink water to stay hydrated.

During the race you will want to bring some food to eat on the run. I would recommend a Clif Bar or energy bar and some Gu packets. There should be fluid stations along the course and you should take advantage of those to stay hydrated throughout the race. One thing that is often overlooked by runners is the need for salt consumption during your race. When you sweat you are releasing salt from your body and if you lose enough you will have trouble absorbing water and will eventually dehydrate. There are products such as the Salt Stick that allow you to carry salt tablets with you or even a small bag of salt will do the trick. It is very important that you bring salt and take it about halfway through the race to help your body absorb the fluids you are drinking throughout the race. Salt lose also leaves you prone to cramping. Cramps in the middle of a marathon are your worst enemy.

If you are running on empty, do not hydrate, or replace electrolytes or salt chances are you will not be able to finish you race. You are open to cramps, fatigue and bonking if you are not careful of what you eat and replace during your race. Always be sure to drink plenty of fluids, replace salt and electrolytes, and carry food with you to fuel your body for entire race.