Carbo Loading for marathon

below is a good write-up on carbo loading including a sample daily menu from Australia Institute of Sports - who consistently produce world class athletes (swimmers, runners, cyclists).

http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/fa...hydrate_loading

What does a high carbohydrate diet look like?
The following diet is suitable for a 70kg athlete aiming to carbohydrate load:

Breakfast
3 cups of low-fibre breakfast cereal with 11/2 cups of reduced fat milk
1 medium banana
250ml orange juice

Snack toasted muffin with honey
500ml sports drink

Lunch 2 sandwiches (4 slices of bread) with filling as desired
200g tub of low-fat fruit yoghurt
375ml can of soft drink

Snack banana smoothie made with low-fat milk, banana and honey
cereal bar

Dinner 1 cup of pasta sauce with 2 cups of cooked pasta
3 slices of garlic bread
2 glasses of cordial

Late Snack toasted muffin and jam
500ml sports drink

This sample plan provides ~ 14,200 kJ, 590 g carbohydrate, 125 g protein and 60 g fat.

While this is a Westernized menu, you can replicate it using the local cuisine. The important thing is to simulate the quality and pattern of the above diet and to avoid any junks going to your body.

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After the race, please feel free to pig out as a reward . One guidance that I always follow is from Naoko Takahasi 2000 Olympic marathon champ who said that "after a marathon race, while everyone goes for a 5 mile recovery run the following day, I normally rest and go for a 5 day buffet"

Good luck and enjoy your own race !

The diet plan is not only for elites, but for everyone. Actually, if we look at it one extra level deeper, it's quite easy to replicate using local cuisine. One thing to note is to simulate the QUALITY of the sample menu above - which is lean and rich in carbs. So avoid laksa and fried stuff from Old Chang Kee for a while.

7am: cereal/quaker oats or toast + milk + juice
10am: kaya/peanut butter toast + sports drink
1pm: subway sandwhich or yong tau foo + yogurt + iced tea
4pm: ice milo + banana + biscuits
7pm: mixed rice (1 meat, 2 vegies) + juice
10pm: bread talk + sports drink

Timing: People typically start carbo-loading on Thursday or Friday before a Sunday race. I like to start on Friday because I take a lot of gels on race day and I don't want to be far away from my racing weight.

If you click the weblink above, there are more info which I copied/pasted below:

'Carbohydrate loading' is probably one of the most misunderstood terms in sports nutrition. People commonly think anyone involved in sport needs to 'carb up' and the way to do this is to eat 'flat out' in the days leading up to an event. Read on to get the facts on carbohydrate loading.

Does carbohydrate loading improve performance?
Muscle glycogen levels are normally in the range of 100-120 mmol/kg ww (wet weight). Carbohydrate loading enables muscle glycogen levels to be increased to around 150-200 mmol/kg ww. This extra supply of carbohydrate has been demonstrated to improve endurance exercise by allowing athletes to exercise at their optimal pace for a longer time. It is estimated that carbohydrate loading can improve performance over a set distance by 2-3%.

How was carbohydrate loading originally achieved?
Originally, carbohydrate loading involved a depletion phase. This required 3-4 hard training days plus a low carbohydrate diet. The depletion phase was thought to be necessary to stimulate the enzyme glycogen synthase. The depletion phase was followed by a loading phase that involved 3-4 days of rest combined with a high carbohydrate diet. The extra carbohydrate combined with the now-activated glycogen synthase was shown to boost carbohydrate stores beyond their usual resting levels.

How do modern-day athletes carbohydrate load?
Today's endurance athletes use a modified carbohydrate loading method. Ongoing research has demonstrated that the depletion phase is no longer necessary. This is a bonus for athletes as the depletion phase was very difficult. Australian marathon runner, Steve Moneghetti has described the depletion phase as making him feel like "death warmed up". Today, 1-4 days of exercise taper while following a high carbohydrate diet (7-12g/kg body weight) is sufficient to elevate muscle glycogen levels.

What are the common mistakes made when carbohydrate loading?
Research indicates that many athletes who attempt to carbohydrate load, fail to achieve their goal. Common mistakes include:

Carbohydrate loading requires an exercise taper. Athletes can find it difficult to back off training for 1-4 days before competition. Failing to rest will compromise carbohydrate loading.

In order to consume the necessary amount of carbohydrate, it is necessary to cut back on fibre and make use of compact sources of carbohydrate such as sugar, cordial, soft drink, sports drink, jam, honey, jelly and tinned fruit. Athletes who include too many high fibre foods in their carbohydrate loading menu may suffer stomach upset or find the food too bulky to consume.

Carbohydrate loading will most likely cause body mass to increase by approximately 2kg. This extra weight is due to extra muscle glycogen and water. For some athletes, a fear of weight gain may prevent them from carbohydrate loading adequately.

Athletes commonly use carbohydrate loading as an excuse to eat everything and anything in sight. Consuming too many high fat foods will make it difficult to consume sufficient carbohydrate. It may also result in gain of body fat. It is important to stick to high-carbohydrate, low-fat foods while carbohydrate loading.