Challenge: 11 marathons in 11 days for charity.

Experience: Road marathon. No previous experience of back to back marathons. 

Reasons for seeking nutrition advice: Struggling with fatigue around training, low energy during runs and concerns about managing the back to back marathons. 

Harvey approached me for support 5 weeks before his challenge. We managed to fit in two sessions to cover as much as possible and get a nutrition plan in place prior to his challenge starting. I will highlight the key nutrition areas we focused on followed by a short interview with Harvey.

What did we focus on?

Timing of nutrition around training

We discussed the importance of the pre training high carbohydrate snack, then not forgetting nailing the recovery. Harvey was a big fan of chocolate milk, so this stayed as a staple for recovery providing a great source of protein, carbohydrates and hydration. 

Fuelling for the work required

Despite a huge increase in training load, Harvey had not accounted for this in the amount he was eating, so we discussed the need for additional fuel across the day to help with his energy levels in general life as well as for his training sessions. 

Nutrition whilst running 

Harvey had only tried gels whilst running previously, so we introduced real food. Initially trialling a wider selection of foods which helped provide a core list of ‘trusted’ foods for the challenge. Amazingly Harvey managed to rely solely on real food and carbohydrate drinks not taking a single energy gels throughout the challenge (however he always had one emergency one in his running vest just in case!). Jaffa cakes, jelly babies, Haribo and flapjacks were firm favourites. 

Hydration

We settled on a mix of electrolytes, carbohydrate drinks and water. Making it simple and practical to drink two soft flasks (1l) between each crew stop. Helping to minimise flavour fatigue, whilst also providing extra fuel.  

Logistics

Using my professional and personal crewing experience I provided tips and how best to utilise his crew, briefing them on his nutrition and hydration needs. Planning the days to make it clear for everyone. 

Also simple tips including portioning out food in advance to minimise what he was carrying, and to make it easy to switch and swap between different snacks  on the road to minimise flavour fatigue.

Practical, easy to follow plan

Step by step plan for pre, during and post run each day. This was to take away the stress and decisions for Harvey. A simple schedule was developed using Harvey’s preferences and nutritional needs. A prime focus was on recovery - getting a quick easy recovery snack shortly after finishing (chocolate milk) was important to kickstart this process. Historically Harvey has struggled with a loss of appetite post running, so we trialled some smaller options that he could nibble on to help keep his overall calorie and protein intake up taking the pressure off needing a big meal straight away. 

So, how did he do? 

Obviously he smashed it and took it in his stride. There were some difficult times which is to be expected but he pulled through and finished everyday with a big smile on his face, all whilst raising money for charity. Harvey was kind enough to answer a few questions to reflect back on his challenge and nutrition journey - have a read below!

How did working with Rachel White Nutrition change your nutrition in the lead up and during the challenge? 

Working with Rachel White Nutrition transformed my strategy towards nutrition while running. Prior to working with Rachel White Nutrition, I did not have a structured approach to nutrition while running, and relied exclusively on gels during the run. For my 11 Marathons in 11 Days challenge, I had a well-defined plan towards nutrition before, during and after each marathon. This included incorporating solid food into my nutrition, and building up the amount of carbs I was able to eat. In doing so, I was able to fuel up appropriately during the running, and recover well each day to avoid fatigue. I have no doubt that the challenge would have been significantly harder if I hadn't consulted Rachel White Nutrition. 

What was your favourite thing to eat whilst running? 

My favourite thing to eat whilst running was jelly babies!

Did you have any times that you struggled to eat?

Fortunately, I did not have any times that I struggled to eat, and that was a credit to Rachel's guidance and information which provided a variety of options for me to eat during the challenge. In addition, Rachel recommended an effective approach to hydration, which included swapping out a bottle of Humantra electrolytes and a bottle of Tailwind nutrition each hour during my running in one vest pocket, alongside a bottle of water which I would consistently have in the other vest pocket, which ensured variety and a sufficient level of carbohydrate intake.

How did you find your energy levels over the 11 days?

My energy levels were pretty good over the 11 days, considering the enormity of the challenge. There were certainly days that were harder than others, but I felt comforted that my nutrition was well planned out which gave me confidence in my ability to complete the challenge.

What did you enjoy most about the challenge? 

The most enjoyable part of the challenge was the route that I was able to take. Whilst it wasn't all glamorous, a large part of the journey was through scenic countryside and canal paths, which helped with my enthusiasm for getting up each day and putting the trainers on.

How did you get on with your crew?

I was lucky enough to have the best crew support that I could have possibly wished for, which included someone who had embarked on a similarly ambitious challenge (cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats). Prior to the challenge, I shared my nutrition plan, developed by Rachel White Nutrition, with my crew support, which ensured that they knew what I required and when during the challenge. 

Has this inspired you to do more running, or the opposite? 

One of the first things my friends asked me after completing the challenge was "So, what's next?"! For now, I am going to rest and go on some shorter runs, but no doubt I will think of another exciting challenge shortly, and once I have done this I have no doubt that I will reach out again to Rachel White Nutrition for nutrition advice. 

To find out more about Harvey’s challenge, go to his Instagram page, or donate here. 

If you have a challenge or event in the diary and need to get your nutrition planned out but not sure where to start, get in touch and let me support you.