When you stand at the starting line of a challenging marathon, the experience is unparalleled. As you push aside the nervousness and anxieties, you immerse yourself in the enthusiastic energy emanating from the crowd. You take a moment to ensure your shoelaces are securely fastened and adjust your watch to timer mode, preparing yourself for the start. However, shortly after beginning the race, a familiar sensation often arises: the growl in your stomach.
However, when it comes to mid-marathon hunger, it’s an entirely different experience. This sensation arises when your energy levels plummet, resulting in symptoms such as weak knees, nausea, and blurred vision. At this point, your thoughts become fixated on food, even though there is uncertainty about whether you will be able to digest it properly.
The mid-marathon poses a challenge as it requires a food source that is both packed with energy and easily digestible. The solution lies in consuming fast-working carbs.
Mid-Run Snacks
These mighty morsels really come into their own when it comes to a mid-run munch. You want something that will pack a punch and give you a steady release of energy as you take on the next set of miles.
1. Bananas
Although it may not come as a shock, it is a well-known fact that bananas are remarkable. However, the astonishing aspect lies in the extent of their extraordinariness. Consider this: a single banana of average size contains an average of 27 grams of easily digested carbohydrates. Therefore, this banana, with its distinctive curvature and golden hue, is equally as potent as a carbohydrate-infused beverage when it comes to enhancing your performance, regulating blood sugar levels, and reducing oxidative stress.
Additionally, here’s another unexpected piece of information: the more brown the sugars are, the easier they are to be absorbed into your bloodstream. This can be particularly advantageous when encountering the halfway point during a marathon.
2. Raisins and dates
Similarly to how one would typically not choose to snack on raisins or dates in their everyday life, these are snacks that every runner should consume during a long run. Firstly, raisins are extremely calorie-dense but do not give the sensation of eating much, making them perfect for runners who have lost their appetite and need an energy boost.
When it comes to dates, they are rich in natural sugars and potassium, making them a sweet snack that provides a boost of energy during your pursuit of the distant finish line.
3. Isotonic energy gels
Not particularly surprising until you uncover the secret behind this popular choice for marathon runners. The reason energy gels are effective is because they replenish your exhausted carbohydrate reserves while running. This is possible due to the high amounts of energy and electrolytes in each gel, including carbs, sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
In simple terms, the majority of top isotonic gels can efficiently provide you with carbohydrates during your long run, while also reducing the need for water, thus eliminating the possibility of finishing the race feeling excessively swollen like a frightened pufferfish. Prepare yourself for an exceptional performance experience.
4. Jelly beans
Jelly-based candies like Jelly Beans, Gummy Bears, Percy Pigs, Jelly Babies, Wine Gums, Haribo Starmix, Haribo Supermix, and Haribo Tangfastics are an excellent source of energy for marathon runners due to their high sugar content and minimal fats or fibers, ensuring fast absorption by the body.
To gain a better understanding of how to fuel your body with jelly sweets, it is important to recognize that most marathon runners will have difficulty consuming more than 60g of carbs within an hour. This can be better understood by putting it into perspective:
- Jelly Babies contain 4g of carbs per sweet
- Percy Pigs contain 7g per sweet
- Jelly Beans contain 1g per sweet
- Wine Gums contain 4.6g per sweet
- Haribo contain roughly 4g per sweet
5. Honey sandwich
Contrary to your mom’s advice during your upbringing, white bread is highly beneficial for marathon runners due to its abundant carbohydrates. Additionally, when paired with honey, it becomes a delightful means of supplying ample amounts of simple sugars directly to the fatigued muscles such as the calves, quads, hamstrings, and other sore body parts.
The only challenge lies in being able to carry the honey sandwich conveniently. To be frank, it’s not desirable to have it in your bum bag. Equally, it’s impractical to hire a butler to carry it on a silver platter while you run. Fortunately, this problem can be solved by replacing white bread with plain flour tortillas and rolling them into bite-sized snacks.
Mid-Run Drink
6. Coconut water
Sodium is not the only electrolyte that your body sweats out; there are several others, such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Coconut water is considered superior because it contains all four mentioned electrolytes, along with phosphorus.
When in need of a substantial boost of energy, you can rely on one cup of coconut water, as it contains approximately 10 grams of carbohydrates. Additionally, we occasionally incorporate chia seeds into our coconut water.
7. Water and salt
For a simpler approach, you can try adding 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of salt to your water bottle. This will help replenish the liquids and salts that your body loses through sweat when it needs them the most. We investigated whether gargling with saltwater can prevent COVID-19, but the answer is no.
8. Flavored water
If you want to enhance your water, you can add some fruit slices, berries, and herbs to your water bottle for additional nutrients and carbohydrates. However, drinking pure juice should be done with caution as it contains a higher amount of fructose, a type of carbohydrate that our bodies don’t metabolize as efficiently as other sugars.
In order to not impair performance or interfere with fluid absorption, it is important to monitor the portion size if one wishes to consume 100% juice. A suggested limit would be approximately half a cup.
According to certain studies, the addition of fructose to a glucose solution may enhance the body’s absorption of sodium and water. Therefore, incorporating a small amount of sugar into your energy drink might boost your performance.
9. Sports drinks
The amount of carbohydrates in a 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade is 39.9 grams, while a 20-ounce bottle of Powerade contains 48.6 grams of carbohydrates.
According to a study conducted in 2008, these beverages might assist in maintaining hydration levels while exercising, and a study from 2005 suggests they could potentially postpone fatigue during physical activity, despite not being the optimal method for replenishing energy.
We stumbled upon a few drinks that can provide you with energy when you’re not vigorously walking on the pavement.
10. Iced green tea with honey
Honey, straight from a bee’s face, can be incorporated into your exercise routine as it possesses potential benefits. In comparison to regular sugar, honey contains a higher amount of antioxidants. Moreover, honey serves as a potassium source, which aids in enhancing muscle function and alleviating soreness.
A study in 2010 found that drinking green tea while running can enhance endurance and boost VO2 max, which is the body’s capacity to deliver and utilize oxygen during physical activity.
The study did not utilize real green tea, but instead employed capsules containing EGCG, a component found in green tea. Consuming the equivalent amount of EGCG present in one of those capsules would require consuming a significant quantity of green tea, which is not highly feasible in the long term.
Teas can also assist with inducing sleep, in addition to providing an energy boost. Listed below are some teas that can aid in achieving a good night’s sleep.
11. Sports gels
Manufactured supplements known as runners’ gels, which exist in a viscous state between liquid and food, are available in a wide range of flavors and serve various purposes.
They have the tendency to meet all the requirements: They have a high carbohydrate and electrolyte content, they are easily digested, and they consist of a combination of fructose and maltodextrin, two sugars that, when used together, might improve athletic performance.
Unless cost is a concern or you prefer the sensation of consuming real food, there is no genuine justification to avoid gels as they are reasonably portable and delectable.
12. Baby food
Please hear us out, alright? We understand that babies rarely engage in marathon running activities.
Baby food has two key strengths, which are its ability to be easily stored in a convenient zip-top bag and its mashed-up texture that assists with digestion, resembling how Mama Bird feeds her fledglings.
Baby food is an effective method to promptly consume fruit sugars without extracting most of the nutrients as juicing does. You can either purchase it from a store or easily prepare it at home using fresh produce.
If you want to soften fruits and vegetables while preserving their vitamins, the best approach is to use a steamer or microwave. Afterward, you can either blend them in a food processor or mash them manually. If you adhere to a soft food diet, we are here to assist you in maintaining it.
13. Dried cherries
Dried cherries contain a considerable amount of carbohydrates (97 grams per cup); however, they are also abundant in fiber, which aids in slowing down digestion. It may not be ideal to consume an entire cup of any slow-digesting food during a run.
An injection of carbs remains an injection of carbs. Moreover, indulging in a few cherries might provide the perfect pick-me-up after an exhausting hour of labor, especially if you have a fondness for their flavor.
14. Gummy bears
Listen to us. Despite having a high sugar content and minimal fat or fiber, surprisingly, these candies might not be a terrible option while engaging in a long run. However, we would prefer food that offers some nutritional value. These candies are considered as a final choice.
Here is some Halloween candy that will cause less harm compared to other types of sweets.
15. Marshmallows
We assure you that this is the final candy on the list. Marshmallows are equally delicious as gummy bears (or jelly beans, for that matter) and they also have the advantage of being easier to carry with you.
When your hands are sweaty, it can be challenging to open a plastic bag. Similarly, if you keep something sticky in a pocket next to your sweaty body on a hot day, you may end up with a pocket filled with sticky goo that cannot be eaten, causing inconvenience for everyone.
If the concern is overheating, marshmallows could be a suitable option because they do not melt as readily as gummies.
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If marathon running was not challenging, it would be a common activity for everyone. However, it is not necessary to make it unnecessarily difficult, as there are numerous ways available to make it more manageable for both yourself and your muscles. Consuming nourishing food during the run will aid in reducing hunger and allowing you to concentrate on feeling like the impressive individual that you are.
