Best pre-race meal/snack before a 5k

AARGH -- THE SAME THING YOU EAT IN TRAINING.

Has training gone well for you? If so, why do something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT when you race?

Take a pre-race meal of 200-400 calories at least three hours before exercise.

Focus on complex carbs, starches, and a little protein for your pre-race meal.

Avoid high fiber, simple sugars, and high fat in your pre-race meal.

Some ideas:

Plain Bagel with 1/2 cup yogurt;

Cream of Wheat with lowfat milk;

Banana with 1 cup yogurt.

pop tarts and gatorade is the way to go

Ham and egss, you want people to know what you ate when it shoots out on the sidewalk.

1 pop tart about 15-20 minutes before the race

2 or 3 big macs, you don't want to eat too much before a race

coffee

Pre race diet strategy- This plan will minimize lactic acid production and enhance o2 absorption.

1 hour before- Eat seven Tacos w/xtra hot sauce followed by a shot of tequilla.

15min before- Drink 1/2 gallon of buttermilk

On starting line- drink one can of warm clam juice

5ker wrote:

I have a 5k road race this saturday morning (first one in a long time) and I was wondering what a good pre-race meal/snack would be that morning and how long before the race I should eat it?

You need to experiment. Everyone will be different in terms of what he/she can eat and how close to the start of the race it can be eaten.

fatty mcfatFat wrote:

2 or 3 big macs, you don't want to eat too much before a race

Typical childish, silly answer to a serious question. The real answer is chicken fried steak and eggs, extra gravy.

3 Big macs (CRUCIAL)

2 extra large Dr.Pepper drinks and one penis pop :)

Hope ya do GOOD!

Oatmeal, applesauce, clif bar, banana, yogurt

Hi all!

On the morning of the race, I like to stick with a mix of simple and complex carbohydrates. We want energy to be easily accessible and be enough to keep you satiated on the start line and throughout the race. For example, I generally eat oats, maple syrup/honey/brown rice syrup, and a banana 2-3 hours before the race. This is my go-to breakfast before some of my major 5 and 10km road races.

-½-¾ cup of oats, cooked on the stovetop so they are well done. This decreases digestion time.

-1 teaspoon of honey, or maple syrup (slightly more if using the latter option)

-Chopped banana on top

-Dash of cinnamon

Toast or a bagel with banana, peanut butter and/or honey is also a very good option if you’re not a big fan of oats. I like to stick with white bread or sourdough the day of the race, rather than a grain bread or wholemeal/wholewheat, as this can cause stomach upset if you don't allow adequate time to digest (2hrs seems to work best for myself). For larger servings, I'd recommend 3-4hrs.

Remember, simple carbohydrates such as white toast, banana, honey, maple syrup, and apples can be digested quickly due to their simple carbohydrate nature and can be a snack option as close to an hour before race start! If you liked this post, or want to read more about fueling and hydrating (+ caffeine benefits!) before a 5km, head over to:

https://larahamilton.com/5k-meal-plan/

to read more!

Wow! This information is so helpful!

Some friends of mine from a nearby town are hosting a time trial because our season is cancelled (lol how stupid). I wasn’t going to go because I normally throw up after races, which isn’t fun! Your post has made me realise that this is probably because I eat mac and cheese before my races! Looking forward to reading more blogs on your website ?

Whether you’re about to run your first 5km race or you’re a seasoned pro, making sure that you’ve got energy on board and avoiding stomach upset is the key to performing your best. From personal experience, I found that it was crucial to train my stomach to be comfortable with eating specific foods 2 hours before the race. This ensures optimal performance and no G.I (gastrointestinal) problems. In terms of making sure we have enough energy and fuel on board, if a decent meal is eaten the night before, and a few hours before the race, the human body has enough energy for up to 80 minutes of endurance activity. This means “bonking”, or in other words, running out of glycogen stores for muscle recruitment is not so much of an issue for shorter races like a 5km or 10km.

For the morning of the race, I like to stick with a mix of simple and complex carbohydrates. We want energy to be easily accessible and be enough to keep you satiated on the start line and throughout the race. For example, I generally eat oats, maple syrup/honey/brown rice syrup, and a banana 2-3 hours before the race. This is my go-to breakfast before some of my major 5 and 10km road races.

½-¾ cup of oats, cooked on the stovetop so they are well done. This decreases digestion time.

1 teaspoon of honey, or maple syrup (slightly more if using the latter option)

Chopped banana on top

Dash of cinnamon

Toast with banana and honey is also a very good option if you’re not a big fan of oats. I like to stick with white bread or sourdough the day of the race, rather than a grain bread or wholemeal/wholewheat, as this can cause stomach upsets.

How long before a 5k should you eat?

If it is an early morning race, I’d recommend a larger meal, and possibly a small dessert of some sort the night before, just before heading to bed. This is because some races have a gun start time around 7 or 8 am, meaning eating 2 hours beforehand requires an early rise, which might not be as convenient for some participants. However, it is recommended if you’re desiring to hit that personal best time, that you plan to eat around 2-3 hours before the race.

For evening races, it is slightly more flexible. Eating a solid, well-balanced breakfast or brunch 8-6 hours out, another meal 4 hours out, and a snack 2 hours out to top up energy stores will ensure you are ready.

It is crucial to train our stomach to become used to the food we intend to eat before we race when in a running context. Before race day, plan to do some of your harder workouts with the same foods on board, sticking to the same eating timings. See it as a race day simulation in a sense! The stomach can even learn to digest food closer to race time. I can now eat porridge an hour before I run, and not experience discomfort.

I go into more detail, including running the day before a 5k, caffeine before a 5k, and meals the night before in my blog post. Click to read more:

https://larahamilton.com/5k-meal-plan/