Andy Devaney
Training for a marathon is not simply a noble act of repeatedly arguing with your own calves until race day arrives. It is a full-body negotiation involving food, sleep, recovery, joints, bones, muscles and, somewhere in the background, the faint sound of your knees asking whether anyone consulted them.
That is where nutritionist Fiona Lawson comes in. Her advice is pleasingly direct: if runners want to get to the start line in one piece, and ideally cross the finish line without feeling like a dismantled deckchair, they need to fuel properly, recover intelligently and give their joints more respect than most of us give the office coffee machine.
Protein Is Your Repair Crew
Long runs do not just test your lungs and legs. They leave tiny tears in muscle tissue, and that is perfectly normal — provided the body has the raw materials to rebuild.
Protein is the bricklayer, plasterer and slightly grumpy site manager of marathon recovery. Without enough of it, all those miles can start to look less like progress and more like organised wear and tear.
As Lawson explains: “A wide variety of protein-rich foods – including lean meat, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds – can help to repair and strengthen muscle tissue after long training runs.”
For runners, that means protein should not be treated as an afterthought thrown in at dinner because someone on Instagram was shouting about macros. It belongs across the day, particularly after hard sessions, hill work and those weekend long runs that turn ordinary pavements into psychological experiments.
Carbs Are Not The Enemy
Somewhere along the way, carbohydrates picked up a reputation they did not deserve. For anyone training for a marathon, that reputation should be politely shown the door.
Complex carbohydrates — the slow-burning sort found in wholegrains, potatoes, fruit and other minimally processed foods — help refill glycogen stores in the muscles and liver. In plain English, they keep the engine from spluttering halfway through a long run.
Lawson puts it simply: “Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred energy source.
Load up on fruits, wholegrains and potatoes to replenish glycogen stores in your liver and muscles, which will prevent you from ‘hitting the wall’”
And hitting the wall is no poetic phrase. It is the moment your body appears to file for bankruptcy somewhere between “I feel strong” and “why is that traffic cone looking at me?”
Watch The Added Sugar
There is a difference between strategic fuelling and living inside a biscuit tin. Marathon runners need energy, but too much added sugar can work against the body during intense training blocks.
After exercise, the body moves into repair mode. That process can involve temporary inflammation, which is normal. The issue comes when diet choices add unnecessary fuel to the inflammatory fire.
Lawson warns: “Several studies have found that consuming lots of added sugar can increase inflammation.
Paradoxically, it can also dampen your immune response (not good when you’re training intensely).”
That matters because marathon training already places strain on the immune system. The more demanding the plan, the more important it becomes to avoid running yourself into the ground and then decorating the crater with sugary snacks.
Sleep Is Training, Not Laziness
Runners are very good at counting miles. They are often less enthusiastic about counting sleep.
That is a mistake. Sleep is where much of the adaptation happens. The run provides the stimulus; the recovery builds the result. Skip the recovery, and you are essentially sending your body invoices it cannot pay.
Lawson says: “Your body carries out most of its repair work while you’re sleeping. Aim for at least 7–8 hours a night, and more on the days where you’ve done long training runs.”
The key phrase there is “more on the days.” A long run is not just another Sunday activity. It is a muscular event. Treat the evening afterwards accordingly: eat properly, hydrate, stretch gently if needed, and avoid pretending five hours of sleep is heroic. It is not. It is just poor admin.
Sardines: Small Fish, Big Job
Sardines may not be the most glamorous food in the runner’s kitchen. They rarely appear in glossy adverts next to elite athletes staring meaningfully into the middle distance. But they are quietly useful.
Lawson says: “Make the most out of sardines. These are not only brimming with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, but the tiny bones in the fish also provide you with bone-supporting calcium and vitamin D.”
For marathon runners, that combination is valuable. Omega-3 fats can support the body’s inflammatory balance, while calcium and vitamin D matter for bone health — particularly when repetitive impact becomes part of daily life.
A marathon plan puts the skeleton on repeat. Sardines, humble as they are, bring useful backup.
Eat The Rainbow, Not Beige On Repeat
A runner’s diet can easily drift into beige territory: toast, pasta, bagels, cereal, repeat. There is nothing wrong with some of that. The problem is when colour disappears from the plate faster than enthusiasm at mile 19.
Fruit and vegetables bring antioxidants, vitamins and plant compounds that help the body handle the oxidative stress created by hard training.
Lawson explains: “Dark-coloured fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants that combat the oxidative stress caused by exercise. They also contain vitamin C, which helps to make the collagen found in your cartilage, tendons and ligaments.”
That is a serious point. Cartilage, tendons and ligaments are not glamorous, but they are the quiet architecture holding the whole running operation together. Ignore them and they tend to introduce themselves loudly.
The Case For An Epsom Salt Bath
Not every recovery tool has to beep, sync with an app or cost the same as a weekend in Barcelona. Sometimes, a bath will do.
Epsom salts have long been used by athletes looking for a simple way to unwind tired muscles and support general recovery. At the very least, a warm bath offers a chance to slow down, which many marathon runners badly need.
Lawson says: “Epsom salts are magnesium sulphate.
This mineral helps to strengthen bones and maintain joint cartilage—and it can be absorbed through your skin. Run a bath, throw in a handful of Epsom salts, and take a moment to relax.”
That last bit may be the most underrated advice in the whole training cycle. Take a moment. Marathon preparation has a habit of turning people into spreadsheets in trainers. Recovery works better when the nervous system is allowed to stand down.
Look After Your Knees Before They Complain
The knees take a starring role in marathon training, whether they asked for one or not. Every stride loads them. Every descent tests them. Every sudden increase in mileage gives them an opportunity to lodge a formal complaint.
Lawson is clear about why they need attention: “We’re more likely to damage our knees because they’re weight-bearing joints – and we use them all the time! Your knees work hard every time you stand or walk, let alone when you run.
You can help to reduce joint pain by eating foods that are known to reduce inflammation in the body. These include olive oil, leafy greens, tomatoes, nuts, berries and oily fish. Ginger has been found to help knee pain too, as has cherry juice.”
This is not about bubble-wrapping yourself until race day. It is about reducing avoidable irritation. Foods such as olive oil, leafy greens, berries, tomatoes, nuts and oily fish belong in a runner’s regular diet because they support recovery rather than simply refuelling the tank.
Then comes the strength question. Runners often avoid strength work because it feels less urgent than another run. That is like maintaining a car by only filling it with petrol and never checking the tyres.
Lawson adds: “Of course, it’s also a good idea to help increase your knee strength in the first place: eat a diet based on whole foods, let your body rest when needed, and consider taking targeted supplements that include the joint-supporting nutrients including calcium and vitamin C.”
The Smarter Marathon Mindset
The great trap of marathon training is believing the plan is only about mileage. It is not. The miles matter, of course, but so does what happens between them.
Protein repairs. Complex carbohydrates refuel. Sleep rebuilds. Colourful plants protect. Oily fish, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin C all play their part. Meanwhile, added sugar, poor rest and ignored joint pain can quietly turn a promising training block into a lesson in overconfidence.
Training for a marathon asks a lot of the body. The least a runner can do is give it the tools to answer back properly.
Because on race day, when the crowd is up, the legs are tired and the finish line still seems to be playing hard to get, it will not just be the miles in the bank that matter. It will be every meal, every night’s sleep and every recovery decision that helped you arrive there with something left to give.