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Pre-Run Nutrition |  |
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See the Index for more topics, information, hints and tips.
The week before a race you should pay a bit of attention to what you eat. Hopefully you are eating a healthy diet already. Eat more pasta and carbohydrates. Results are mixed as to whether this is important, but pasta is good and it couldn’t hurt!
The day or two before your race keep your meals light and easy to digest. Avoid heavy, greasy, spicy foods and anything that will bloat you or give you gas. Avoid anything that you seem to be sensitive to.
It takes about 24 hours for food to make it through your digestive tract (at least mine). If I am racing or have a long run on Saturday morning, I'll have a good salad on Thursday evening. This usually cleans me out Friday evening. So even if I don’t have a bowel movement on Saturday morning before my run, I know that I am pretty well cleaned out and shouldn’t have a problem.
Drink plenty of water to make sure your body is sufficiently hydrated.
3 to 4 hours before a run or race, you can eat a meal. Don't make it too big or too spicy or with too much fat. Keep it light like pasta, sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, or a bagel. Be sure you are finished 3 hours before you run because it takes that long to digest.
An hour or two before a run or race, you can have a smoothie or an apple or banana. If I'm running late, I'll just drink a glass of orange juice.
30 to 60 minutes before a run or race, you can have a snack that is high in carbs and low in protein and fat. Electrolyte sports drinks are good because they also hydrate you. Don't forget to hit the port-a-potty before heading to the starting line.
Once you find a routine, hydration, and nutrition that seem to work be aware that they won’t always work. There are SO many variables. But at least you’ll have something that seems about optimal for you. You can tweak it a bit here and there as you practice it in your long runs.
