Marathon week vegetarian marathon meal plan – Monday

Earlier in the week, it may be useful to start including snacks to train the gut in preparation for increased carbohydrate intake in the days leading up to the race.

As a general rule, what you eat should be different depending on the training demands for that day (or when you are preparing for the race itself) to promote sufficient fuelling and recovery. Discover what to eat on different training days with our training meal plans for runners.

Check out the London Marathon's training and meal plans. Want to run the 2026 TCS London Marathon? Head to the TCS London Marathon website to find out everything you need to know about the ballot.

This is day one of our week-long vegetarian marathon meal plan. Below, you'll find suggestions what to eat and how much training you should do. For a full 16-week plan, have a look at the London Marathon's training programme.

Monday training:

10 mins marathon pace, 20 mins half-marathon pace, 10 mins marathon pace.

Monday nutrition:

Carbohydrate intake is maintained at breakfast and lunch to support training volume for today. Protein and healthy fat intakes are also important for the ongoing growth and repair of the muscles. Options are nutrient-rich and provide sufficient fibre for healthy gut function. Snacks are included as optional depending on your preferences.

Breakfast

Vanilla-almond chia breakfast bowl

Start the day with energising oats and omega-3-rich chia seeds with this delicious breakfast. It's vegan, but you can use cow's milk and yogurt, if you prefer

Morning snack

Super berry smoothie

Frozen berries are a thrifty way of creating a healthy smoothie – pad it out with oats to make it extra-filling.

Lunch

Chickpea & coriander burgers

High in fibre, low in fat and counting as two of your five-a-day, this tasty veggie burger delivers on every level.

Afternoon snack

Hummus snack packs

Add the liquid from a can of chickpeas to make hummus extra creamy. We’ve served it with vegetable crudités for a healthy snack that contributes to your five-a-day

Dinner

Kidney bean curry

Enjoy this kidney bean curry without rice and serve with a 10-minute stir-fry instead. This is a great rescue recipe for when there's nothing in the fridge or when you fancy something cheap, delicious and filling. It's healthy and vegan-friendly too.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the week-long vegetarian marathon meal plan.

Want more like this? Now try...

Not vegetarian? Try our basic, vegan and gluten-free marathon meal plans.

Find more expert advice and answers to your training questions in our marathon hub.

James Collins is recognised as a leading Performance Nutritionist through his work with Olympic and professional sport. Over the last decade he has worked with Arsenal FC, the England and France national football teams and Team GB. He has a private practice in Harley Street where he sees business executives, performing artists and clients from all walks of life. He is the author of The Energy Plan, which focuses on the key principles of fuelling for fitness.

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