These “modifications” embody main victories: Gold within the 5000 meters on the 2020 Tokyo Paraympics, and first-place finishes on the Chicago, New York Metropolis, Boston, and Grandma’s marathons.
Forward of lining up as soon as once more on the TCS New York Metropolis Marathon, Scaroni—now an RD—gave Properly+Good the within scoop on precisely what her marathon fueling plan seems like.
The day earlier than
As a result of wheelchair racing includes much less impression than working, Scaroni says the coaching includes excessive depth and excessive quantity the vast majority of the time, which suggests she just about at all times follows a high-carb eating regimen. So she solely actually begins to zero in on race-specific diet the day earlier than.
That begins with sipping on carb-rich drinks: She goals for 80 ounces of fluid, together with 32 ounces coming from a sports activities drink like Gatorade.
Though her pre-race dinner is usually supplied by race organizers, she likes to comply with a little bit of a formulation. For carbs, she’ll have some rice, potatoes, or pasta. She’ll additionally embody a lean protein like hen or fish. “And I do not keep away from too many greens, however I am not having a dry kale salad, for instance,” she says. “I am making an attempt to have rather less fiber, however some cooked greens are at all times good.”
So as to be certain she’s not up all evening going to the toilet, she’ll drink most of her ultimate fluids for the day at dinner in order that she’s additionally taking in some electrolytes, like sodium, to assist her maintain onto them. Then she’ll simply have a small glass of water when she’s brushing her enamel.
“Sleep is simply as essential as diet,” she says. “And never having to make use of the restroom extra instances an evening is a giant a part of that.”
The morning of the race
Identical to every other morning, Scaroni begins each race day with a giant glass of water to rehydrate after sleeping.
She normally eats breakfast a pair hours earlier than coaching, however earlier than a race—significantly one with tough logistics just like the New York Metropolis Marathon, which begins on Staten Island—there could also be just a few hours between breakfast and the beginning. So she’ll have an even bigger meal that features advanced carbs and protein, like oatmeal and yogurt or peanut butter, possibly a Clif bar and Gatorade as a result of she is aware of she has time to digest it—and he or she would not wish to find yourself hungry in the course of the race. Then she’ll carry a Gatorade, Powerade, or Skratch Labs carbohydrate hydration combine together with her on the bus and within the tent simply earlier than the beginning.
Espresso can also be a should. “What I like, if I’ve the chance, is to carry my very own AeroPress. I normally use about 16 grams of beans and grind these up,” she says. “Or, if I haven’t got that choice and there is a espresso store, I prefer to get a purple eye, which is a cup of espresso with a shot of espresso in it.”
On the course
Scaroni did her grasp’s thesis on fueling issues for the precise wants of para athletes. Some have impaired GI functioning attributable to a spinal twine damage, and even simply the place that athletes take inside their sports activities wheelchairs can intrude with the gastric system. Additionally, she factors out: “Our palms are in gloves, so simply the act of consuming must be finished a little bit bit extra thoughtfully.”
Scaroni’s go-to technique is filling up a CamelBak with 60 grams of carbs from her Skratch Labs hydration combine, then ingesting it by means of a straw (totally on downhills when she would not have to make use of her palms to push).
Her recommendation to different marathoners
There is a traditional saying in working: Do not strive something new on race day. And that applies to your marathon fueling plan, too. Scaroni suggests coaching with precisely what you propose to eat in the course of the race, right down to the precise manufacturers and flavors. “GI points throughout working are so prevalent, and I feel actually sort of making an attempt to nail down what your physique can tolerate when you’re working is a giant factor to finishing the marathon to the very best of your potential,” she says.
Alongside those self same strains, she suggests additionally practising that early breakfast, or a number of small meals, such as you’ll have on race day. And about all that free Dunkin Donuts espresso within the begin village: Solely partake in case you usually drink espresso proper earlier than a run. “If [you’ve] by no means had it earlier than,” warns Scaroni, “it is not essentially the very best day of the 12 months to strive it out.”
