I now have about 50 weeks to prepare for my next marathon, then 2010 Walt Disney World Marathon. Technically, I'm also doing the half marathon that weekend - thus I'm doing the Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge.
So there's no rush and I have time to reset my nutrition. One thing I didn't have much time for last year was experimenting with moderate glycogen depletion. That is, by depleting glycogen during a long run and then drinking lots of recovery drink in the 4 hours after the long run, a person's body learns to store more glycogen. The net result is better long run endurance, since muscle and liver glycogen is an important energy source. We only really need about 3000 calories to run a marathon, so any little improvement helps.
But what's also important is to take in protein while working out, mainly since this will help prevent muscles from eating themselves as an energy source. Net, it helps you reduce soreness.
That's where my experiment with BCAA's (Branched Chain Amino Acids) come in. I read that BCAA's comprise half of muscle tissue (or something like that). They are also readily absorbed. Thus, my glycogen depletion experiment will be combined with taking a few grams of BCAA's during a workout.
Example: Run 15 miles without taking in any carbs, but instead take BCAA's before and during the run. After the run, drink about 800 calories of Accelerade or Endurox. Of course, I'll be sure to take in more than enough electrolytes.
And due to some sloped exit/on ramps for the marathon/half, I'll end my long runs with some "odd slant" portions.
