How to refuel after a marathon

Congratulations on completing your first marathon! What an achievement. Experiencing appetite changes post a race effort is completely normal and it is great to hear that you have been listening to those body cues and including a before bed snack. Let’s unpack the science behind nutrition and your race recovery so you can understand your nutrition needs a little more.

Immediately after completing a marathon it can be normal for your appetite to initially be low and to be uninterested in food. During your running effort blood supply is diverted away from digestion muscles and to the larger muscle groups powering your stride. Intense exercise also suppresses production of the hunger hormone Ghrelin, and many runners struggle with flavour fatigue from taking on fuel every 30-45 minutes of running. Despite appetite often being low in those hours post race it is important that you prioritize getting fluid, carbohydrates and protein within 60-90 minutes after completing a race for improved recovery.

Moving forward to the days and weeks following a marathon your body requires adequate nutrition in order to recover from:

• Glycogen depletion: Glycogen is the store of glucose in our muscles (and a smaller amount in the liver) which is accessed during exercise. It can take up to 72 hours to replenish glycogen stores after a marathon effort. Focusing on carbohydrate rich meals and snacks throughout your day will help replenish your glycogen stores faster
• Muscle damage: the prolonged running effort over 42km does damage to your muscles that requires time and adequate protein for repair.
• Increased energy needs: Your body requires additional energy intake to support repair and recovery even if your training load is now lower.

Some runners make the mistake of reducing their energy intake after completing a race as they assume that the reduction in training means that their nutritional intake needs to drop significantly. It can also be hard to make time for preparing and packing adequate meals and snacks into busy modern lives.

Some basic strategies for nourishing your body in those recovery weeks include:

• Building meals that contain “the rule of 4” with foods from each of the food groups. Not only does this mean you have opportunity to include nutrients involved in recovery of your glycogen and muscle but also micronutrients that have a role in immunity, gut health and energy processes in the body. Using this simple meal building tool invites you to be more consistent with how you build meals, ideally leaving you more energised and your appetite needs met across the day

• Carbohydrates - rice, oats, sour dough, cereals, pasta, quinoa, millet, wraps, pitas, corn, sweet potato, potato, fruits
• Protein - yoghurt, milk, cottage cheese, eggs, protein powder, tofu, lentils, beans, soy milk, meat, fish, chicken, nuts and seeds
• Healthy fats - nuts and seeds, nut butter, olive oil, pesto, avocado
• Colour/fibre - berries, vegetables,

• Include snacks with protein and carbohydrate - yoghurt and a seed granola, cheese and crackers + a piece of fruit or even a smoothie with nut butter, banana and yoghurt are all easy options

• Honour your hunger. We live in a world riddled with diet culture that teaches us that hunger is not a good thing (drink water if you are hungry sound familiar?) and to turn away from what your body is asking. Try and think of hunger like other internal body cues - needing to use the toilet, feeling sleepy - we trust those cues more than we trust appetite. Everyone's nutritional needs are also different and avoid comparing your intake to those around you.