Morning race? Two cups of coffee. You're loaded up with fuel from the meal you had the previous evening. You don't need a belly of food slowing you down.
Morning race? Two cups of coffee. You're loaded up with fuel from the meal you had the previous evening. You don't need a belly of food slowing you down.
hungry wolf wrote:
Morning race? Two cups of coffee. You're loaded up with fuel from the meal you had the previous evening. You don't need a belly of food slowing you down.
A bowl of oatmeal won't slow you down any more than coffee, water, etc. would. I get faint and dizzy if I don't eat in the morning, so for me I run faster with food.
Bumping this thread to see if anyone had thoughts on what to eat the DAY before a morning race. I tend to have trouble with BMs in races (usually only marathons, where it seems to strike about an hour or so into the race) and am looking for things to eat the day before that will give me energy but also digest quickly so I can get it out of my system by morning.
Meat is meant to go through slowly, veggies/fruit faster.... But sometimes there can be an underlying digestive problem to check out (one that becomes more noticeable because you're out running). You say 'usually' only marathons, but probably something to keep an eye on in case it is happening more often than you realize.....Too much coffee/tea might cause issues; along with everything from gluten, to lactose, to all the common IBS irritants. Perhaps experiment and keep a food diary.
5 k - nothing.
10 k - maybe a banana but usually nothing
12k- 1/2 marathon - oatmeal or banana
Marathon - oatmeal, banana but my PR happened when I ate pancakes. So depends. Always pretty bland though.
txRUNNERgirl wrote:
hungry wolf wrote:
Morning race? Two cups of coffee. You're loaded up with fuel from the meal you had the previous evening. You don't need a belly of food slowing you down.
A bowl of oatmeal won't slow you down any more than coffee, water, etc. would. I get faint and dizzy if I don't eat in the morning, so for me I run faster with food.
That's because you have trained your body to eat constantly and it doesn't work properly anymore.
I eat whatever I think I want to eat! Gosh!
Cliff bar, coffee, powerade diluted 1:1 with water
fasting is faster wrote:
txRUNNERgirl wrote:
A bowl of oatmeal won't slow you down any more than coffee, water, etc. would. I get faint and dizzy if I don't eat in the morning, so for me I run faster with food.
That's because you have trained your body to eat constantly and it doesn't work properly anymore.
Right and starving yourself until you have GI problems every time you eat is how your body is supposed to work.
Been there, done that and it ruined my college running career. But to each their own. Or you could read just about anything on nutrition. Or you could look at the diet of professional athletes too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
before a marathon: 2 shots of espresso, one of those sleeves of 6 cheese crackers with peanut butter filling, gatorade, some kratom, and then as many Gu gels as I can handle.
Before a 5k: same thing but only about 1 gel
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5k Meal Plan:
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 5k.
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. Personally, I like to keep it simple stupid. The night before some of my best middle to long-distance track races I eat a very simple take on fried rice:
-Long grain low G.I rice, the Dongara kind normally (the most important component, complex carbohydrates)
-Tuna/Salmon/Chicken or pork (lean protein, not a big fan of red meat the night before a race)
-Shredded carrot, steamed green beans (some simple veggies)
-½ a small avocado sliced (Fats)
-Topped with soy sauce, a dash of sweet chili sauce and lemon juice + salt/pepper (for flavor!)
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.
Like what you've read? Read the full article here, for a complete 5k or 10k race meal plan, hydration strategies and learn about the benefits of caffeine before a race: