If you plan to run the New York City Marathon this year, you should reserve your Saturday night for the annual marathon eve dinner at Tavern on the Green. You can be sure that it will be a carbohydrate-heavy meal since its sponsor is a pasta company. Most marathons have similar meals, but these pre-event meals may not be entirely beneficial.

The old theory behind the big spaghetti meal was that carbohydrate loading could increase the glycogen in the muscles. Glycogen is stored carbohydrate in muscle and it serves as the body’s reserve energy source. Fatigue during endurance activities is partially due to a depletion of muscle glycogen stores.

More recently, last-minute carbohydrate loading has been avoided by most serious marathoners. Experts believe that you should eat a normal diet with about 65 percent carbohydrates the week before the marathon. It is important not to increase your total calories.

If you eat a balanced meal the week before the marathon, you should have already loaded your body with glycogen, so there is no need to carry the extra weight from the big pasta meal. Also, it can be difficult to find a nice bathroom for a sit-down in New York City, and with a belly full of spaghetti Bolognese you may need one somewhere around mile 17.