What do you eat the week before a marathon?

You’ve finished your last long training run. Now there’s not much to do until race day but sit and wait. Welcome to the Taper Madness.

But wait! Your body is still getting ready for race day, and you can help it along with these tips on what to eat during marathon week.

Before we get into that, just a reminder that the first rule of running still applies here: Nothing new on race day. There’s plenty of excellent nutrition advice out there that we could all be better about following. But the time for drastic changes in your diet is not the days before you run 26.2 miles. Any changes you make, be sure they’re within reason so you don’t shock your system.

However bad a reputation complex carbs have gotten, they’re still crucial for marathoning. During a long aerobic activity like distance running, about 3/4 of calories burned come from carbs. Your body digests carbs and stores it as glycogen in your muscles, liver and blood for quick access.

The general rule is as you decrease mileage before a marathon — as you taper — you should increase carbohydrate intake. Your muscles, as they rebuild, can load up fuel for the big day.

The important thing here is to take in high-carb foods that are still healthful. Some are familiar to runners — brown rice and bananas — but there are other great and easy-to-incorporate options: sweet potatoes, apples, butternut squash and yogurt (just watch out for the sugar content in some overly processed yogurt options).

A good guideline: Increase your carb intake to 3 to 5 grams per pound of body weight during this period. For a 150-pound runner, that’s 500 grams of carbs a day or more.

It should go without saying to limit fats, but also hold back on proteins in order to limit calorie intake. By also limiting high-fiber foods like bran cereals and whole grains, runners can cut out bulk and avoid those marathon day pit stops.

Also begin to think about what you are planning to eat the morning of the marathon. It’s a great last chance to pack in some energy before the race. You should have already begun practicing your race day diet routine to see what your body likes best — are you traditional peanut butter and bagel, or have you discovered a new trick? Let us know on Twitter with hashtag #RaceDayEats!