The Boston Marathon is, by all accounts, a cathartic experience. There鈥檚 much to talk about post-race鈥攚hen the runner鈥檚 high hit, the dreaded wall at mile 22, the jubilation while crossing the finish line 鈥 but we鈥檙e not here to talk about any of that.
We鈥檙e here to talk about all things food.
Melanie Mitchell, 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 endurance brand director, ran her first Boston Marathon this year and called it a 鈥渕agical day.鈥 While it鈥檚 only her second stand-alone marathon, Mitchell previously completed two Ironman races, which end with 26.2 miles after a treacherous bout of biking and swimming.
鈥淎rguably, a marathon is more intimidating to me [than an Ironman],鈥 Mitchell says. 鈥淢y goal was to nail the nutrition and PR鈥 and I did both. The latter by 20 minutes. I enjoyed every mile, even the one I hated 鈥 mile 24-25 was possibly the longest mile ever run.鈥
After a few days of well-deserved peace and quiet, Mitchell shares with 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 food team what she ate before, during, and after her first Boston Marathon.
Pre-Race
The night before the race, Melanie fueled up with Asian noodles and tofu. She skipped the spicy sauce, wanting to avoid any food that may trigger stomach distress.
On the morning of the race, Mitchell had two breakfasts. She woke up five hours before the race (around 5:30 A.M.) and had an egg sandwiched between two plain bagel halves. A few hours later, she ate half of a croissant and an organic fruit strip. The French pastry gave her a healthy dose of quick carbs and the sweet snack鈥檚 natural sugars provided her with energy at the start line.
During The Race
In addition to grabbing sips of water at the aid stations, Mitchell focused on fueling herself with: gels.
鈥淎ll Maurten gels, all of the time,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e easy to get down. I trained with them, raced with them, and had no issues. They鈥檙e worth every penny.鈥
(specifically called ) contain 25g of carbs, 25g of sugars, and 34 mg sodium. They鈥檙e a flavorless blend of glucose and fructose containing zero added colorants or preservatives. Mitchell consumed one of them every three miles, ingesting eight by the end of the race. This was an intentional, well-planned eating schedule unlike her fueling in prior athletic events. During her Ironmans, for example, Mitchell suffered from under-fueling during the marathon. However, she鈥檚 determined to not make the same mistakes during her next race鈥攁nd used Boston as a nutritional test run. It鈥檚 a test she ultimately passed with flying colors. The proof? Finishing the biggest running race of the year with a 20 minute PR. Kudos!
Post-Race
Mitchell started the post-race celebration with two glasses of champagne, which she admits is not probably the textbook way to recover, but, hey, they tasted 鈥渇abulous.鈥 When she arrived back at her hotel room, she scarfed down a recovery protein smoothie with 14g of pea protein and drank a few glasses of water, before heading out to the real culinary celebration: a hearty dinner of bolognese.
Mitchell typically adheres to a predominantly vegan diet, but on race day, she craved bolognese after running 26.2 miles.聽 Following the lead of her stomach, she headed to Porto, a Mediterranean restaurant in Boston鈥檚 Back Bay neighborhood for her celebratory meal. The bolognese featured fresh ingredients like local beef, tomato, grated parmesan, and pancetta.
Mitchell ate a lot of tasty, fueling foods during her time at the Boston Marathon, but nothing is quite as satiating as crossing the finish line. She鈥檚 not resting quite yet, though. Mitchell is already training for a third Ironman in June, and we can鈥檛 wait to hear about everything she eats then.