Weight gain during marathon training

I was searching for marathon training programs online the other day and came across this article:

http://www.thatsfit.com/2009/08/11/is-marathon-training-making-you-fat

Basically, it says that instead of losing weight while running your ass off in preparation for a marathon (which is kind of what the average person might expect), it's actually pretty easy to put on a few pounds via sports drinks, gels, high-calorie recovery meals and a general sense of entitlement. After all, who doesn't feel like they can eat whatever the hell they want after running 12 miles? Or perhaps a better way of putting would be: I personally feel like I should be able to eat whatever the hell I want after running 12 miles.

Since I'm still waffling about whether or not to try for a full marathon in November, I read the article with interest and some trepidation. I don't necessarily expect to lose weight while training for a big running event -- I haven't in the past while preparing for half marathons, anyway -- but I do harbor a hope that I'll become a little leaner and more muscular through what feel to me like Herculean efforts. I'd hate to think that I could put myself through what I'm guessing will be the most challenging physical endeavor of my life (aside from the birth of my first daughter) and come out on the other side with some extra pudge to show for all my hard work. And, truth be told, a large part of the reason I exercise is so I can eat the foods I enjoy without gaining weight.

Reading the article a bit more closely made me feel somewhat better. The author seems to consume a lot of sports drinks; it also sounds like she "carbo loads" at dinner the night before a long training run. I don't do either of those things, although it must be said that I'm not particularly calorie-conscious at dinnertime. The article's conclusion was, basically, that you can't use training as an excuse to go crazy with calories -- or compensate for all your exercise with a lot of lounging around. Like that TIME magazine article a few weeks ago about how exercise won't make you thin, my response is pretty much, "Duh." Everything in moderation. I'll keep doing what I'm doing -- and if I end up gaining a few pounds while I'm training, I'll start paying more attention to what I'm eating and how active I am during my daily routine.

That means I can't add "weight gain" to my mental list of reasons not to train for a marathon ... hmm.