Marathon week vegetarian marathon meal plan - Friday
Forty-eight hours of carb-loading begins here. Get ready to run a marathon with our sports nutritionist's week-long meal plan for vegetarian runners
Contrary to previous beliefs, the week before the marathon isn’t all about piling on the pasta. In fact, to maximise carbohydrate (fuel) stores before the race, runners only need to start 'fuelling up' or 'carb-loading' two or three days before the race (three days if you prefer slower increase in your daily intake). Read more in our guide to carb-loading.
With an increase in the number of runners following a vegetarian diet, we have put together a plan for a week's worth of meals leading up to the marathon. A well-structured vegetarian diet should deliver the main macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein and fat) required during training, but vegetarians should also make sure they are getting enough iron and B12 (both important for energy production).
While these recipes provide a good framework, there will also be times where an extra serving of higher-protein foods (such as dairy, pulses, grains, nuts and seeds) can be added to meals to increase the overall daily intake.
As a general rule, what you eat should be different depending on the training demands for that day (or when you are preparing for the race itself) to promote sufficient fuelling and recovery. Discover what to eat on different training days with our training meal plans for runners.
Check out the London Marathon's training and meal plans. Don't have a spot to run this year? You can still take part with the virtual event London Marathon MyWay – join up for your chance to run 26.2 miles on marathon day, 21 April 2024.
This is day five of our week-long vegetarian marathon meal plan. Below, you'll find suggestions what to eat and how much training you should do. For a full 16 week plan, have a look at the London Marathon's training programme.
Friday training:
20 mins easy run
Friday nutrition:
Forty-eight hours of carb-loading begins here! This doesn't mean grazing on carbohydrate-rich foods all day, but instead, try to focus on including carbohydrate sources in each meal and snack. As you can see from the options, it can be very enjoyable.
Evening snacks are an option to increase your daily carbohydrate intake.
Don't worry if your body weight increases by 1-2kg in the period before the race, as the body stores water alongside the carbohydrate (which is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen). Think of this as fuel in the tank, ready for the race.
Breakfast
Mexican beans & avocado on toast
This vibrant, vegan breakfast contains a good balance of nutrients to start the day.
Morning snack
Healthy banana muffins
With apple, blueberry, banana and seeds, this breakfast-on-the-go tastes great, is low in calories and uses honey instead of sugar.
Lunch
Quinoa salad with avocado mayo
Easy to put together and full of flavour, this healthy lunch option provides iron, folate, vitamin C and fibre. Make it vegetarian by leaving out the chicken.
Afternoon snack
Make a quick and simple blueberry smoothie with yogurt, banana and apple juice for busy mornings. You can easily make it vegan by using coconut yogurt
Dinner
Lentil & sweet potato curry
A storecupboard spice pot with red and green lentils, chickpeas and coriander. Serve with yogurt and naan bread.
Dessert/evening snack
Frozen fruit crumble
Fruit is a good source of antioxidants and carbohydrates – ideal for increasing your overall carb intake.
Go back to the week-long vegetarian marathon meal plan.
Want more like this? Now try...
Not vegetarian? Try our basic, vegan and gluten-free marathon meal plans.
Find more expert advice and answers to your training questions in our marathon hub.
James Collins is recognised as a leading Performance Nutritionist through his work with Olympic and professional sport. Over the last decade he has worked with Arsenal FC, the England and France national football teams and Team GB. He has a private practice in Harley Street where he sees business executives, performing artists and clients from all walks of life. He is the author of the new book The Energy Plan, which focuses on the key principles of fuelling for fitness.
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