Best quickie dinner the night before a full marathon???

To all you runners, can you tell me what to serve for dinner to our kids and friends coming up this weekend for a full marathon? The dinner is the night before. And for breakfast?  I think the marathon starts at 7:30 AM.

I'm also wondering what magic foods I need to eat to stand on the sidelines and watch? :)

[apache1]

I have only run 1 half marathon.
Marathons are not for me anymore.
good luck...


Here is the general consensus on marathon nourishment.

Load up on quality carbs and be fully hydrated.

and more carbs.... 27 miles is a looong run

glycemic index is how carbs are rated. Eat low GI carbs nite before race and morning of race eat light with some fat and some low GI foods. Always eat slow.

Whole grain Pasta nite before,
race day morning eat 100% wheat toast with butter and maybe with some banana, or mango for breaky.

jmo
apache

[jmjm530]

Pasta is the traditional night before meal. Plenty of carbs, low on the protein. Breakfast should be light, maybe scrambled eggs, toast, banana and probably no later than 5:30 AM. Not sure about whole wheat anything unless your kids are used to it already.

[jdwithhcv]

Barilla makes a line of pastas called Barilla Plus (the yellow box).  It is high in fiber and supplies ALA Omega-3.  This product has the look, taste and feel of regular pasta, and may be more palatable to the kids than whole wheat pasta.

[lalapple]

LOL i thought you were going to run the marathon yourself!  dang that must be fast recovery!  is there anyway you can bring a foldable chair with you to watch on the sidelines?  and i'm hoping you're in the north, or at least somewhere cool.  if it's around where i am, i will just wilt without even running.

[Trinity4]

Port,

CMcH was a big runner and participated in marathons before tx.  I believe she finished tx not too long ago.

Sidelines....hmm.....the bad girl I am it would be 2 Dunkin Donuts and a large coffee.

[Trish77]

Here's a link to some pre-marathon recipes and also a good source of other information is this whole Runner's World site.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-303-504-12949-0,00.html

What's also important is post-marathon and usually a race will have post-marathon feeds for runners but it goes beyond that.  Here's a blurb on post-marathon food choices:

Lack of Energy
A general lack of energy in the week following marathon is perfectly usual. Try to eat meals comprising 50-60 per cent carbohydrates to replenish your glycogen reserves, and foods rich in protein to assist your body in repairing muscle and tissue. Indulge any cravings you might have - these could be your body's way of telling you what it needs.

Scientific research also indicates that many marathon runners lose around 3mg of iron (about the amount in a serving of beef stew) per day for up to five days after the marathon, so eat foods rich in iron - including meat, spinach, beans, peaches, parsley and peas - during your post-marathon week. To promote iron absorption, drink orange juice or consume other rich sources of vitamin C with your meals

[portann]

To each and everyone of you,

Thank you so much. I confidently marched into the shop, armed with all your info, and gave the first fellow I talked with a hard time!  He had the nerve to suggest high protein intake and I looked him directly in the eye and said, "That's totally wrong." (I didn't tell him my HCV forum was my source of expertise.)

Anyway, I bought lots of perfect goodies and they're all on target for the marathon, according to your advice. I'm pretty happy now, knowing my job is done, except for a couple of things. I'm going to splurge on a new fold-up chair (thanks, Lal), so I can 'watch and wait' in comfort during the run and I'm going to have a donut, a plain one dipped in decaf.

Thanks again for looking out for me and providing great advice.