Holmer says a carb load is a ratio change, not more food
The swap, not the pile, is the point, and it explains why so many runners show up to the start line feeling heavy.
Brady Holmer says runners carb loading before a marathon should not be eating more food at all.
"You should not be eating more food during a carb load," he posted. "You should be eating a higher percentage of your daily calories from carbohydrate. And less protein and fat."
You should not be eating more food during a carb load.
That is the whole instruction. Same food volume, different mix. Carbs go up, protein and fat come down to make room. Most runners do the opposite and bolt a mountain of pasta, bread and sports drink onto the top of a normal three meals a day, which is how you end up at the start line four pounds heavier and uncomfortable.
What set it off
Holmer was replying to a post from Hank, who said he did not think carb loading for a marathon should leave you feeling stuffed and bloated for three days. Hank allowed that some fullness is normal, but said that if you are miserable the whole time, there is probably a better way to go about it.
That is a familiar race week complaint. The load is supposed to top up muscle glycogen (the stored carbohydrate your legs burn on race day), and carbohydrate does pull water in with it as it is stored, so some heaviness is part of the deal. Being wrecked for 72 hours is not something either poster treats as the price of doing it right.
What it actually means
The fix in Holmer's version is subtraction as much as addition. If you want more of your calories coming from carbohydrate and you do not want more calories, the steak, the olive oil, the nuts and the bigger protein servings are what give way. Runners who only ever hear the "eat all the pasta" half of the advice are following half an instruction.
Worth saying what this is and is not. This is one well known running science writer answering one post, not a new study or a protocol with numbers attached. Holmer did not give a gram target, a bodyweight multiple or a number of days, and neither did Hank, so nothing here tells you how much carbohydrate to eat or for how long. What the exchange does is reframe the question. The thing to get right first is the ratio, not the size of the plate.
Some fullness is normal, but if you’re miserable the entire time, there’s probably a better way to go about it!
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