PRAISE FOR MATT FITZGERALD
Nutrition is a proven key to success in endurance sports yet the correct approach is often neglected or misunderstoodand the consequences can be devastating to both performance and health. It is extremely refreshing to see the applications of years of sound sports nutrition research spelled out in a precise, comprehensive, and easy-to-read fashion. The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition is a must-read for beginner and elite-level runners.
Kimberly Mueller, MS, RD, CSSD, sports dietitian, owner of Fuel Factor Nutrition Coaching, and elite marathoner
Finally, a short-cut to avoiding the wall! Matt Fitzgerald has the recipe for fueling for a peak performance. All runners will find this book informative and enlightening with advice that will immediately make a difference in training as well as racing.
Greg McMillan, renowned running coach and creator of the McMillan Running Calculator
I highly recommend reading Racing Weight even if you dont need to lose any excess poundage. Youll come away with a better understanding of your physiology and also of food.
Joe Friel, founder of TrainingBible Coaching and author of The Triathletes Training Bible and The Cyclists Training Bible
Racing Weight answers the difficult questions athletes often have about dieting, including how to handle the off-season. The book gives readers a scientifically backed system to discover your optimum race weight, as well as five steps to achieve it.
Triathlete magazine
Reaching an ideal weight for endurance sports is important, but doing it the right way is even more important. Matt Fitzgerald provides scientific and sound advice for anyone trying to achieve their racing weight.
Scott Jurek, author of Eat and Run, seven-time winner of the Western States Endurance Run, and two-time winner of the Badwater Ultramarathon
Fitzgerald is a fountain of information on current research studies and findings from the sciences of healthy nutrition and exercise performance.
Ultrarunning magazine
Even if you are already a lean machine, youll likely still learn something from Racing Weight. From how to determine your optimum weight, to improving your diet and training around it, to controlling your appetite and making your own fuelits all in this book.
BikeRadar
The mysteries of weight and its relationship to performance are unlocked in Matt Fitzgeralds Racing Weight. If youve got a basic handle on both training and nutrition, this book offers the means to improve both your diet and athletic performance.
DailyPeloton.com
Fitzgerald is going to go down as one of the most competent and prolific authors of books for serious runners covering just about every legitimate aspect of the all-important runners lifestyle.
Letsrun.com
Its not too hard to convince cyclists that they can improve their performance if they drop their weight to an optimum level. However, thats generally as useful as a physician telling a client they need to lose weight and then sending them out the office door. There are endless diet or nutrition books out there, but very few specifically catering to the endurance athlete. Into this void comes Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald.
Pezcyclingnews.com
The NEW RULES of
MARATHON and HALF-MARATHON
NUTRITION
ALSO BY MATT FITZGERALD
Iron War
Racing Weight
Brain Training for Runners
Performance Nutrition for Runners
The NEW RULES of
MARATHON and HALF-MARATHON
NUTRITION
A CUTTING-EDGE PLAN TO
FUEL YOUR BODY BEYOND
THE WALL
Matt Fitzgerald
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
Copyright 2013 by Matt Fitzgerald
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address Da Capo Press, 44 Farnsworth Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02210.
Designed by Pauline Brown
Set in 11.5 point Goudy Old Style Std by the Perseus Books Group
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fitzgerald, Matt.
The new rules of marathon and half-marathon nutrition : a cutting-edge plan to fuel your body beyond the wall / Matt Fitzgerald.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-7382-1646-1 (e-book)
1. Marathon runningTraining. 2. Runners (Sports)Nutrition. I. Title. GV1065.17.T73F57 2013
796.42'52071dc23
2012042839
First Da Capo Press edition 2013
Published by Da Capo Press
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
www.dacapopress.com
Note: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. This book is intended only as an informative guide for those wishing to know more about health issues. In no way is this book intended to replace, countermand, or conflict with the advice given to you by your own physician. The ultimate decision concerning care should be made between you and your doctor. We strongly recommend you follow his or her advice. Information in this book is general and is offered with no guarantees on the part of the authors or Da Capo Press. The authors and publisher disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail .
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CONTENTS
BY KARA GOUCHER, ELITE RUNNER,
TWO-TIME OLYMPIAN AND FOUR-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPION
I hit the wall pretty hard in my first marathon. It was the 2008 ING New York City Marathon and I thought I was ready for it. The previous year I had won my first half marathon, beating marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe in the process. My training for New York had gone really well. But less than 16 miles into the race my calves started to hurt, and things only got worse from there.
By the 20-mile mark the pain in my legs had climbed all the way up to my hips. When I finally reached Central Park, less than 2 miles from the finish line, I was ready to quit. I even looked for a place where I could pull off the course discreetly, but there were too many spectators, so I kept going.
When I crossed the finish line my first thought was that the race had been a total disaster, even though my third-place finish was the best by an American woman in the New York City Marathon since 1983, and my time of 2:25:53 was the fastest debut marathon ever by an American woman.