For my one marathon I ran 2 years ago. I expected to be famished afterward. I usually am very hungry after a half marathon or a sprint tri. However, I had a protein drink before the race, hoping it would give me some energy that my body could use later in the race instead of just starting on simple gels and carbs, and then I started too fast and halfway through I felt full and thirsty and miserable. I had to keep slowing down because I felt bloated and none of the water, Nuun, and gels made me feel better and I was constantly thirsty yet felt like my stomach was full and never satisfied. I finally took my planned caffeine shot at mile 20 and then was able to use the caffeine to slow speed up over the last 6 miles. Afterward I had a big dinner planned at my favorite restaurant, but I just wasn’t hungry at all. Had to force myself to eat.
I’m pretty sure my two biggest problems were:
- Started too fast over the hills in the first 5 miles
- Drank a protein drink before the race and that sat at the bottom of my stomach all day hogging up all my digestion. I’d never done this before so it was a stupid “don’t do anything new on race day” decision
So around miles 10-12 my stomach was bloated and my digestion had slowed to a crawl and the protein drink was just sitting there getting in the way. 