Ready for your first 5km? You’ve prepared your body to run 3.2 miles, you’ve done your core work daily, you’ve been stretching daily and hopefully you’ve been fueling your body appropriately with good clean nutrition and hydrating with a quality performance drink (NO HFCS). Now, it’s the night before the big day and you are wondering what to eat..
Here is what NOT to do: Play softball until 8pm, then go to Mexican Resturant and eat TOO many chips and salsa + beer + fish tacos…BAD, BAD, BAD. This is not quality nutrition. Improper fuel leads to crappy race day potty breaks and slow times.
So, what should you eat?
Keep it clean and plain. There is no need for a huge spaghetti dinner, salad and wine the night before a race. The reason is that too much pasta- means too much poo in the AM!! Also, your body will not need extra carbohydrates at this late date. If you’ve been eating well throughout your training, then your body will already have what it needs. In an article written by Steve Born of Hammer Nutrition states:
It would be nice if you could maximize muscle glycogen stores the night before the race; unfortunately, human physiology doesn’t work that way. Increasing and maximizing muscle glycogen stores takes many weeks of consistent training and post-workout fuel replenishment. Excess consumed carbohydrates the night before the race will only be eliminated or stored as body fat (dead weight).
You also should skip desert and the alcohol. Save the celebratory wine for the night after the race.
What about the morning before the race?
If you can get your instant oatmeal in 3 hours prior, then great! Otherwise, you can skip breakfast until the race is over. This is one rule that I always stick to- I generally run hard on race day which can lead to dry heaving at the finish line. Food in stomach = puking on or near a volunteer cutting your timing chip off, so I don’t eat. You can drink a high quality performance drink prior to racing and if you are hungry, then I suggest eating a Hammer Gel or Cliff Shot Blocks on the starting line. Have your recovery drink - high quality protein drink with your “pit crew” for the finish line and eat a good meal within 30-40 minutes upon finishing the race.
I’ll end with a quote from Al Lyman, ” You are only as good as your last recovery stretch.” Take care of your body throughout your training and it will reward you with results that you want.
7 responses so far ↓
1 MizFit // May 29, 2008 at 9:58 am
THANK YOU FOR DEBUNKING THIS!
Im always amazed it hath hung in there so tenaciously
2 Playful Professional // May 29, 2008 at 12:30 pm
What about for longer races like 10 milers, half marathons, and marathons?
3 Fit Mommy // May 29, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Same principle applies. I wouldn’t eat before a ten miler either. It’s better to drink high quality calories from Hammer Nutrition prior to and during a marathon or half marathon than to have food in your belly that needs to be digested and eliminated.
4 Mama C // May 29, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Aww, you wrote this especially for me, didn’t you! J/k.-And for all your other fitness newbies. Thanks for yesterday’s pep talk!
5 Tari Lawson // May 30, 2008 at 10:51 am
I never did understand the carb loading. It is nice to hear that that is not necessary.
6 Fitarella // May 30, 2008 at 12:36 pm
i’m with you, can’t eat before racing of I yack immediately.
also skip the broccoli the night before a race too…or you’ll be a pooing/gassy mess to the finish line…TRUST ME!
7 kch // Jun 4, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I like to eat a little the morning of a race - but I make sure it’s at least a couple of hours before the start. Lately my food of choice has been a small cup of yogurt - seems to work well for me.
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