Marathon Prep: 3 Day Carb Load, Race Shoes, Taper Updates + More

After 16 long but rewarding weeks of training – marathon week is HERE! I leave for Savannah on Thursday afternoon, have expo events and a dinner on Friday and we line up for the Every Woman’s Marathon on Saturday. I cannot wait! I grew up less than two hours from Savannah but haven’t spent much time there. I’m looking forward to a long weekend of exploring the historic district and you better bet that I’ve scoured Reddit for restaurant recommendations (feel free to share your faves in the comments).

I’ve been heavily focused on preparation when it comes to everything from nutrition and hydration to outfit and shoes to nails and hair (haha). Here’s what things are looking like over here!

3 DAY CARB LOAD COMMENCES WEDNESDAY

For the first time in my distance running career, I’m doing a very intentional carb load. I am using Featherstone Nutrition as my source of information for the carb load. I’ve spent a ton of time reading through the guidelines on her site and have also listened to multiple episodes of the Fuel for the Sole podcast on the topic of carb loading and race day nutrition.

Meghann has a handy dandy carb calculator on her site which tells me I should aim for 429 grams of carbs for the next three days. The good news is that you don’t have to eat all of those carbs and there are lots of drink options too. I’ll be downing tart cherry juice (which is also good for combating inflammation), chocolate milk, hot chocolate + marshmallows and Maurten 320 drink mix (it has 79g of carbs per packet).

Meghann recommends keeping the carbs simple and easy to digest. Not the time to worry about whole grains and veggies. I’m looking for high carb while keeping fat and fiber on the lower side so as not to upset my GI tract.

I think I’ll do a recent eats post after the marathon sharing what I ate for the the three day carb load. Would that be helpful for anyone?

RACE DAY NUTRITION 

I was thrilled to find that Maurten has put together a marathon collection that’s an all-in-one solution for race day nutrition. Each box contains 7 Gel 100s, 2 Drink Mix 160s, 2 Drink Mix 320s and 2 Solid 160s.

Here’s my plan for using it:

• Drink Mix 320: 1 Thursday and 1 Friday mixed into water
• Solid 160: 1 bar Thursdays and 1 bar Friday (41g carbs each)
• Drink Mix 160: 1 Wednesday and sip on 1 Saturday morning (39g carbs) – I may add a little extra sea salt to the one on Saturday morning (has 160mg as is)
• Gel 100s: 1 every 30 minutes during the race for a total of 7 gels

FUN TIMES! 😛 I can’t wait to report back on how fun this carb load is.

RACE SHOES

After training for 15 weeks in Brooks Hyperion Max shoes, I have decided to make a game time shoe switch in the final week before the race.

I will be racing in the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4. And here’s why.

I have absolutely loved the Brooks Hyperion Max. I’ve been through two pairs of them this training cycle and they work so well for me as a daily trainer. The Hyperion Max is a newer performance shoe for Brooks and I’ve been running the the first model of the shoe – which does not have a carbon plate. The updated model of the shoe does have a carbon plate. My grand plan was always to switch to the Hyperion Max 2 as a fresh pair of shoes right before the marathon and I was excited to race in a plated shoe.

Well…I went to the running store to try on the Hyperion Max 2 and the right shoe did not feel right. It was like my foot was falling off the side of the shoe towards the inside – especially in my forefoot on the big toe side. I jogged on the treadmill with them, I laced them different ways, I took them on and off a few times trying to convince myself I was making it up – but they just weren’t right. I didn’t want to spend $180 on a pair of shoes that weren’t perfect and chance having a shoe disaster on race day.

So I went home and ordered the Saucony Endorphin Pro (they didn’t have them in the store to try on). I have worn this shoe in the past (2022) and liked it a lot so I felt comfortable switching back to it. My shoes arrived last Friday and I took them out for a 10 mile spin on Saturday. They feel AMAZING! I can’t even explain how bouncy and responsive they are. I’m so pumped to wear them for race day.

Running shoes can be so weird and it’s frustrating when a new model of a shoe you love doesn’t work for you. Glad this all worked out! And I’ll likely be hitting up Nordstrom Rack to order a few more pairs of the Brooks Hyperion Max 1 before they’re gone forever. I love this shoe as a daily trainer.

TAPER UPDATE

The taper hasn’t been bad at all! I’ve been dialing back on the intensity of my runs and workouts but still moving a good bit. Here’s what the last two weeks of my taper have looked like:

Saturday, November 2 – REST
Sunday, November 3 – Run 13.1
Monday, November 4 – Walk 3
Tuesday, November 5 – REST
Wednesday, November 6 – Run 5 (chiropractor)
Thursday, November 7 – Full Body Lift
Friday, November 8 – REST
Saturday, November 9 – Run 10
Sunday, November 10 – Full Body Lift
Monday, November 11 – Run 5 (massage)
Tuesday, November 12 – Full Body Lift (lighter/easier – focused on stability and core)
Wednesday, November 13 – Run 4 (chiropractor)
Thursday, November 14 – REST
Friday, November 15 – REST
Saturday, November 16 – 26.2!

You’ll see an absence of yoga because my chiropractor recommended that I focus less on static stretching and more on taking muscles through range of motion under a load (think single leg deadlift versus sitting and stretching my hamstring in a forward fold). I did get a massage on Monday which helped loosen me up significantly and I’ll take my rolling balls with me to Savannah to roll out Thursday and Friday in my room.

MARATHON NAILS 

I had my first ever Russian manicure last week at Beauty Walker Nail Studio and it was a whole day of firsts for me – also my first time doing a design on my nails and first time doing matte finish! It had been almost a year since my last manicure so it was time for some nail TLC! (Holding out on the pedicure until after the race – IYKYK). The design is based on the brand colors/look and feel of the Every Woman’s Marathon.

Here’s what makes a Russian manicure so special:
– extremely precise cuticle work using drills and scissors
– waterless – it’s a dry procedure and nails are not soaked
– long lasting – up to 4 weeks
– natural, clean look
– promotes nail health

The result is a beautiful manicure with a flawless cuticle area! The appointments are long (90-120 minutes) but so worth it for the detail. I love how my nails look and feel. This was my first time ever doing a nail design and first time trying a matte nail.

Beauty Walker Nail Studio is located in Southend Charlotte. Appointments are required and booking out so fast for the holiday season. I can’t wait to go back in a few weeks for a more fall/holiday themed look!

OH I ALSO SWITCHED TO A GARMIN! 

HUGE UPDATE! I switched from Apple Watch to a Garmin Venu S3. I am 100% obsessed and not looking back! This switch deserves its own post so I’ll do that after the race.

I could keep going but we’re at 1300 words already and I still have to get back to the gym to train another client and then go teach yoga. Thursday will be here before I know it and I’ll be off to Savannah! Wish me luck on this carb load!

QUESTIONS 

What’s your preferred racing shoe? 

Have you ever done a multi-day carb load? Any tips?

Savannah recommandations?

Have you tried the Russian manicure?