Marathon training puts significant demands on your body, and nutrition plays a crucial role in your ability to handle that stress. Proper nutrition supports training, aids recovery, and ensures you’re in optimal condition come race day.

The basics: eat enough calories to support your training, and make sure a significant portion of those calories come from carbohydrates. Carbs fuel your runs, especially the harder, longer efforts that build fitness.

Protein is essential for muscle recovery. Aim for protein with every meal, and consider a recovery snack within 30 minutes after hard runs to maximize your body’s ability to repair muscle damage and rebuild stronger.

Hydration is equally important. During training, especially for long runs over 90 minutes, you need to drink fluid to maintain performance and prevent dehydration. But don’t overdo it—drinking too much fluid can lead to hyponatremia, a dangerous condition.

Special attention should be paid to pre-race and race-day nutrition. In the weeks leading up to the race, practice your race-day nutrition during training to ensure your gut can handle it while running.