308. Carb Loading Before a Marathon: What Most Runners Get Wrong with Brooke Czarnecki, RDN, LD

✈️ Traveling for a marathon or half marathon? Don't let poor nutrition derail months of hard work before you even reach the starting line! You've spent months training, dialing in your fueling strategy, and preparing for race day. But what happens when airports, long flights, unfamiliar restaurants, and changes to your normal routine throw your nutrition plan off track? In this episode of the Healthy Runner Podcast, Dr. Duane Scotti is joined by Claire Shorenstein, MS, RD, CSSD, a distance runner, board-certified Sports Dietitian, and founder of Eat for Endurance, to share practical travel nutrition tips for runners so you can arrive at your destination fueled, confident, and ready to race your best! Whether you're traveling to runDisney, a destination marathon, or your next half marathon, you'll learn how to keep your nutrition on track before, during, and after your trip. Here's what you'll learn: ✈️ Why traveling can disrupt your normal fueling routine 🥨 What to eat and pack in the 24–48 hours before traveling for a race 🥪 The best snacks and meals to bring to the airport or on a road trip 💧 How to manage hydration and electrolytes while flying or traveling to a different climate 🍝 How to navigate restaurants and unfamiliar foods before race day ⚠️ The ONE nutrition mistake runners should avoid when traveling for a race 🏅 How to fuel your recovery when traveling home after a marathon or half marathon 🎁 FREE RESOURCE: Grab Claire's Travel Nutrition Tips Guide to help you plan your snacks, meals, and fueling strategy for your next race trip here! If you found this episode helpful, share it with a running buddy who's traveling for an upcoming race! Remember, your nutrition plan shouldn't stop when you leave home. Fuel smart, travel prepared, and show up ready to run strong!

🎁 FREE Post Race Reflection Worksheet → Download Here Your finish time tells you how fast you ran. Your reflection tells you how you can GROW! After finishing my 9th marathon at Wineglass, just 2 minutes shy of my PR, I discovered something powerful. Even though I missed my traditional marathon PR, I actually ran an AGE-GRADED PR at 46! And it reminded me why EVERY runner should take the time to reflect after a race. In this episode of the Healthy Runner Podcast, I'm walking you through 5 post race reflection questions to help you celebrate your wins, learn from your challenges, and become a stronger, healthier, and more confident runner. You'll learn: ✅ Why reflecting after a race is just as important as preparing for one ✅ How to identify what went well during your training and on race day ✅ What my biggest Wineglass Marathon mistake taught me about race strategy ✅ Why life stress, sleep, and recovery matter when evaluating your performance ✅ How I used mental toughness strategies to push through miles 19–26 ✅ Why missing a traditional PR doesn't mean you didn't improve ✅ How to turn lessons from your last race into a better training plan for your next one Whether you just completed your first 5K, half marathon, or marathon, these five questions will help you look beyond your finish time and recognize how much you've grown as a runner. You cannot fail if you LEARN! 💪🏼 🎁 FREE Post Race Reflection Worksheet Don't just listen to these questions. Take 10 minutes to answer them yourself! Download my FREE Post Race Reflection Worksheet, taken directly from Stage 5 of our Healthy Runner Academy Success Path. 👉🏼 https://learn.sparkhealthyrunner.com/reflection 💪🏼 Ready to Become a Stronger, Healthier Runner? If your race reflection reveals that you need more consistency, better strength training, or a smarter approach to your running, we're here to help! Find the level of support that's right for you: Healthy Runner Academy: Build your running foundation with structured strength training, running education, and a supportive community. 1:1 Healthy Runner Coaching: Get an individualized running and strength training plan, ongoing feedback, and personalized guidance to help you work toward your next running goal. 🎧 Listen Next Episode 253: How to Strengthen Your Body for Better Running Learn how to build a stronger foundation during your base-building period between races. Listen or watch here! Remember, Healthy Runners… You cannot fail if you LEARN! Keep running strong!

FREE Marathon Training Guide: Train Smarter & Race Strong → Download Here You can be in the best shape of your life and still miss your marathon goal if you don't execute properly on race day. So how do you take months of training and turn that fitness into your best possible marathon? In this episode of the Healthy Runner Podcast, I sit down with 2:19 marathoner, running coach, and writer Peter Bromka to break down how to race your marathon for peak performance. Peter shares lessons from years of racing, coaching, studying, and writing about the marathon. He also includes why this distance is so difficult to get right and what separates being marathon-fit from actually executing a great race. In this episode, you'll learn: - What to do (and avoid) during the final 24–48 hours before your marathon - How the first 3–5 miles should feel so you don't make the classic mistake of starting too fast - What to focus on during miles 6–18 when you're feeling good but still have a long way to go - How to approach the final 10K when the marathon really starts to hurt - Mental strategies for when your brain starts telling you to slow down or stop - How to respond when you fall off goal pace without letting one bad mile turn into five - How to adjust your race strategy for hills, wind, heat, and unexpected race-day conditions - The biggest mistake Peter sees runners make during the marathon - Peter's three keys to getting the most out of your fitness on race day Plus, Peter takes on the Spark Lightning Round, sharing his quick takes on GPS watches, pace bands, even versus negative splits, running the tangents, music, when to make your move, and chasing a marathon PR. Whether you're trying to finish your first marathon, break 5 hours, qualify for Boston, or set a new PR, this episode will help you race smarter, stay mentally strong, and execute the marathon you've trained so hard for. Listen now and learn how to turn your marathon fitness into your best race.

FREE Marathon Training Guide: Train Smarter & Race Strong → Download Here Are you a few weeks away from your half marathon or marathon and suddenly wondering if you're running too little? Welcome to the taper crazies! After months of long runs, speed workouts, and strength training, reducing your training before race day can feel completely backwards. You may start wondering if you're losing fitness, whether you should squeeze in one more long run, or why your legs suddenly feel heavy. But here's the key: You don't get faster during your taper by squeezing in more fitness. You get faster by allowing the fitness you've already built to finally show up on race day. In Episode 309 of the Healthy Runner Podcast, Dr. Duane Scotti breaks down Tapering 101 and shows you how to reduce fatigue while maintaining the fitness you worked so hard to build. In this episode, you'll learn: -How long to taper before a half marathon or marathon -How much to reduce your weekly running mileage -Whether you should keep speed work during your taper -How to adjust strength training before race day -When to complete your final long run -How to handle the mental side of the "taper crazies" -The 7 biggest marathon taper mistakes runners make -What to focus on during the final 72 hours before your race Whether you're preparing for your first half marathon, your tenth marathon, a Boston qualifying attempt, or runDisney Marathon Weekend, this episode will help you stop second-guessing your training and arrive at the starting line rested, sharp, healthy, and confident. Remember: Keep the fitness. Lose the fatigue. Trust the taper. FREE Ultimate Marathon Training Guide: Grab your free marathon training guide Listen next: Episode 282 — Strides: The Most Underrated Running Tool to Boost Your SPEED at ANY AGE If this episode helps you, share it with another runner who has a goal race coming up.

What happens when your hamstring, IT band, or Achilles starts hurting in the middle of marathon training? Do you really need to stop running completely? Not necessarily! In Episode 307 of the Healthy Runner Podcast, I'm sharing an insightful conversation I had with Carolyn Coffin from the Inspired Soles Podcast about 3 of the most common injuries that can derail marathon training and what you can actually do about them without automatically giving up running. We take a deep dive into: 🏃🏻‍♀️ Proximal hamstring tendinopathy: Why stretching that nagging pain near your sit bone may actually make it worse and what to do instead 🦵🏼 IT band syndrome: Why foam rolling and stretching your IT band isn't fixing the root problem and how hip strength plays a role 🦶🏼 Achilles tendinopathy: How progressive tendon loading can help you rebuild strength and when it's appropriate to add more advanced exercises We also talk about how to modify your training when something hurts, why "hero workouts" can get runners into trouble, the risks of changing shoes too quickly, and why a simple dynamic warm-up can be so valuable for staying healthy. The big takeaway? An injury doesn't always mean you need to completely stop running. With smart load management, appropriate strength training, and the right modifications, many runners can continue moving forward while addressing the underlying problem. Whether you're currently dealing with a hamstring, IT band, or Achilles pain or you simply want to prevent these common injuries from derailing your next marathon training cycle, this episode will give you practical strategies to help you keep running healthy and strong. 🏃🏻‍♀️ Dealing With One of These Running Injuries? Grab Your FREE Injury Playbook! Don't let that nagging pain derail your training. I've created step-by-step resources to help you understand what's causing your pain, what to avoid, and the exercises you can start doing to get back to healthy running. 👇🏼 Choose the FREE playbook that matches your injury: 🦵🏼 IT Band Pain: Get the Ultimate IT Band Pain Playbook here 🦶🏼 Achilles Pain: Get the Ultimate Achilles Pain Playbook here 🏃🏻‍♀️ High Hamstring Pain: Get the Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy Playbook here Pick the injury you're dealing with and start taking the right steps toward running healthy and strong again!