Pre Race Nutrition Tips
Author: Shannon Miller Lifestyle
As an athlete, you are most likely quite conscientious about the foods you put in your body.
As a competitive athlete the week leading up to race day can become quite stressful as you decide what is best to eat and what might slow down your performance come race day.
When considering the nutrition choices that will give you your best race performance, it is best to start with what to avoid. Below are some recommendations on the kinds of foods and drinks, and the time intervals leading up to your race that you should consume them. Some of the biggest killers to your performance can be that you have consumed the wrong types of foods or too much of one kind of food before a race. You can end up with an upset stomach or feeling sluggish because your body is struggling to metabolize foods that contain the wrong types of nutrients while running on empty of those nutrients that you needed for the race.
Common Pre-Race Nutrition Mistakes And How to Avoid Them
Too Many Carbohydrates: Most athletes swear by carbohydrate loading the night before a race to top off the glycogen stores for extra energy during the race. However, an excessive amount of carbohydrates will leave your body working harder to excrete the excess and in turn slow down your digestive system, and can leave you with an upset stomach on race day.
The Solution: Balance your carbohydrate intake by combining protein as well. Increase your carbohydrate intake slightly the whole week before the race with just one extra serving of a carbohydrate rich food a day will help
Too Much Water: It is true that you should be well hydrated before a race, but drinking an extra gallon the day before a race will leave you with depleted electrolytes and a bloated feeling.
The Solution: Drink fluids as you normally would the week leading up to the race. This can include water, juice, sports drinks, coffee or tea. If you worry about electrolyte imbalance, have a gatorade or similar sports drink each day to ensure you are getting a good carbohydrate intake with the hydration. About 3 hours before your race you should drink 16 oz of water then another 8 ounces right before the start to ensure hydration that morning.
Too Much Fiber: Athletes should be sure to get a good amount of cruciferous vegetables, beans, and whole grains in their usual diet, but eating these types of foods the night before your race might cause you some digestion problems. If you usually eat plenty of these types of foods they may not cause an issue, but this is not the time to load up on these, or add them into your diet if you don’t normally eat them.
The Solution: If you think fiber is an issue for you, try to cut back on high-fiber foods two to three days before the race. Particularly foods like beans or bran cereals. Do not cut out all fruits and veggies, you should still eat these in modest proportions. If you are racing every weekend, just cut out those high fiber foods the day before the race so you aren’t missing out on the fiber your body needs.
Skipping Breakfast: Trying to run a marathon on an empty stomach sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? Athletes often face some race day jitters and might feel like they just can’t hold food down the morning of a race. Avoiding food altogether will most likely tank your performance and will cause a dramatic decrease in blood sugar and in return energy levels.
The Solution: If you get nervous jitters before a race, which makes it hard to eat, don’t just cut out breakfast. Try to wake up early, about 4 hours pre-race and eat several small meals before your race. Like a banana, oatmeal, peanut butter on toast, and be sure to get 8 ounces of water each hour when you have a snack. Try foods that are light on the stomach and not likely to upset your stomach.
Trying Something New: This is not the time to try the new sushi place that opened last week. Foods that are unfamiliar to your stomach can cause it to become upset and end up slowing you down on race day or even worse, cause you to miss your race entirely.
The Solution: Stick to foods you already consume on a regular basis. If you are bored with a certain food, try to change up the recipe a bit. For example, say you eat chicken and rice with a side spinach salad for dinner most nights, try adding different veggies or a different dressing to your salad or use different seasonings on your chicken, or try quinoa instead of rice.
Meal Plans for Race Length
5k
Lunch (20 hours pre-race)
Turkey sandwich with avocado
Carrots dipped in hummus
Small apple
Water
Snack (16 hours pre-race)
Trail mix
Water
Dinner (12 hours pre-race)
Grilled salmon
Brown rice
Steamed zucchini
Water
Snack (10 hours pre-race)
Air-popped popcorn
Breakfast (2 hours pre-race)
Whole-wheat toast with peanut butter
8oz. Water
Snack (30 minutes pre-race)
Banana
8 oz. Water or full-calorie sports drink
Half-Marathon
Lunch (20 hours pre-race)
Chicken burrito with guacamole
Black beans and rice
Water
Snack (16 hours pre-race)
Trail mix
Water
Dinner (12 hours pre-race)
Steak and vegetable stir-fry
Brown rice
Water
Snack (10 hours pre-race)
Vanilla greek yogurt with sliced banana
Breakfast (3 hours pre-race)
Whole-wheat bagel with peanut butter and jelly
16 oz. water
Snack (30 minutes pre-race)
Banana
8 oz. water or full-calorie sports drink
Marathon
Lunch (20 hours pre-race)
Turkey burger on whole-wheat bun
Side salad
Pretzels
Lemonade and water
Snack (16 hours pre-race)
Greek yogurt and strawberries
Water
Dinner (12 hours pre-race)
Baked fish
Steamed zucchini
Brown rice
Banana
Snack (10 hours pre-race)
Frozen yogurt with drizzled honey
Breakfast (3 hours pre-race)
Whole-wheat bagel with peanut butter and jelly
16 oz. water
Snack (90 minutes pre-race)
Banana
8 oz. water or full-calorie sports drink
Snack (45 minutes pre-race)
1 gel, gu, or similar carbohydrate rich energy supplement
8 oz. water or full-calorie sports drink