Fuelling your body is important pre and post race

With the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon less than a month away, it's time to consider the food that will fuel your run.

Whether the 4km, 10km or full distance 42km category, we can all make major improvements to our race if our bodies are fuelled by the best foods.

Even if you’re running a 2-10km training loop, you still need to think about when and what to eat around it.

Consider pace

If you are looking to run at a good pace, i.e. with your heart rate above 65% of your maximum, you need some carbohydrate in your system at the start.

Regardless of what time of day you run, try and have a carbohydrate snack two hours before your run if you want to run at your best performance.

These OOMF porridge pots, or Carman's at-home sachets, contain everything in one hit. Just add some banana for extra bite.

Lunch time training

We get it, sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day. So if you are running on a lunch hour, make sure you have kept yourself well hydrated during the morning at work.

Always make sure you run first and eat a balanced lunch — a combination of carbohydrates and lean protein, such as chicken salad wraps, tuna pasta salad or jacket potato with cottage cheese.

This will aid your recovery afterwards and again, make sure you rehydrate well once you're done.

Tips for race day

The main goal is to be as comfortable as possible and complete the race knowing you were in your best shape.

Try these top tips on what to eat before a 10km.

1. Hydrated the night before. Drink plenty of water from 3pm onwards and avoid drinks that aid dehydration and deplete your muscle glycogen stores.
2. Carbohydrate-based evening meal. Go for pasta, rice, potato or cereal, as well as some lean protein if you like. Avoid anything too high in fat.
3. Breakfast is best 2-3 hours before the race start. Pick cereal, porridge with jam and honey, toast and jam, or cereal bars with yoghurt and fruit.

The most important thing to remember is to enjoy your race.