What do you eat right before a race?
mistyh10
Posts: 42 Member
What have you found to be the most helpful thing to eat before a long race?
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Replies
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How long?
Half marathon is my longest distance, I have a bowl of cereal for breakfast and powerade along the way.1 -
My typical routine is to eat 2 hours before the event. Usually something like oatmeal w/nut butter, or whole wheat toast w/nut butter & banana. For events longer than 2 hours, I sometimes add a gel and water about 10 min before the race starts and then take in fuel as needed along the course.0
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I only worry about this for halfs and further, but I have oatmeal with raisins and maybe a banana or apple about 2 hours before the race. I drink a 16oz Gatorade mixed double strength (from powder) 30 minutes prior to the race. I'm a big, tall guy and I burn/take in about 1.5 to 2 times the cals as an average runner, so adjust as needed.0
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Banana, coffee and maybe a picky bar before half's. Nothing special before a training run. I just make sure to have eaten during the day for an afternoon run. AM runs arent a thing in my world.0
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For a normal race that starts in the morning, the same breakfast I would eat before a long run. When the start is later, like 8:30 or 9:00 AM, I make sure to have a gel or a pack of Sport Beans 15 minutes before gun. For an evening race, it's all a guessing game on how to handle it; the major idea is not to do anything that would disrupt my normal gastro-intestinal process and rhythm. That would not be fun on race day.
You'll notice I didn't mention specific foods. This is something that varies quite a bit from one runner to another. You want foods that are familiar, so you know how your body will react to them. Race day is not the time to try something totally new in the way of nutrition.0 -
Coffee, raisin toast and scrambled eggs. I always eat the same thing in the morning whether I'm racing, doing my regular run or having a rest day.1
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Usually an english muffin with honey. Coffee, sugar and half and half. About two hours before the race. One gel 15-minutes before the race. Usually don't worry about fueling during a half-marathon or shorter.0
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Before half marathons I eat an english muffin with peanut butter and honey and drink a cup of coffee (at least two but preferably three hours before the gun). Before marathons and longer I add to that a banana and accelerade.
I eat a gel 15 minutes before the gun.
I just have coffee and maybe a banana before races shorter than a half marathon.0 -
Thank you for your responses! Very helpful!! I am running my first 10K race next weekend and working towards a half-marathon. When I run a 10K on my own during training, I usually have better times later in the day vs AM runs and I think it may have to do with the fact that I don't eat anything usually before AM runs so I'm slower. This race is in the morning so I was curious what works for others. Thanks again for all the suggestions!0
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2 Beef, cheese (and sometimes bacon) pies. Usually 2 hours or more before the race, this has worked on my half's and my Ultras.
For shorter distances, I may still do the pie, but only 1. Still aiming to finish eating 2 hours before the start of the race though.0 -
Thank you for your responses! Very helpful!! I am running my first 10K race next weekend and working towards a half-marathon. When I run a 10K on my own during training, I usually have better times later in the day vs AM runs and I think it may have to do with the fact that I don't eat anything usually before AM runs so I'm slower. This race is in the morning so I was curious what works for others. Thanks again for all the suggestions!
Maybe think about what you're eating the night before morning runs?1 -
nothing. i run best fasted.0
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Thank you for your responses! Very helpful!! I am running my first 10K race next weekend and working towards a half-marathon. When I run a 10K on my own during training, I usually have better times later in the day vs AM runs and I think it may have to do with the fact that I don't eat anything usually before AM runs so I'm slower. This race is in the morning so I was curious what works for others. Thanks again for all the suggestions!
Don't wait until next weekend to experiment. If you plan to eat something, do it first before a training run. You definitely want to know how it will make you feel before you race.
Good luck.
BTW - I normally have a Balance Bar or similar type of bar and a cup of tea. When I don't have the bar, I still have the tea. I mean, how can anyone start their day without a cup of tea???
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I noticed a couple people say they have a gel 15 minutes before the gun. I've used gels during a run, but never right before. What's the thought process behind this?0
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It's only helpful for really, really long runs or races like half marathons or further (quite a few can finish a half too fast to need worry about it). In addition to proper carb loading to have as much glycogen stored as possible, plus a meal a couple hours beforehand of slow digesting carbs to have additional carbs available ahead of the run, you can take in some fast absorbing carbs just before the race for the same purpose, to get a bit more carbs available for your big effort in which you are trying to hold off bonking as long as possible. You can not absorb as many calories from carbs while running that you burn so there is a point where even if you refuel on your run you will bonk unless you slow down (or stop). In the case of a pre-race meal and a shot of fast absorbing carbs a bit before the race yoy have enough time for it to raise your blood sugars before you start running.codename_steve wrote: »I noticed a couple people say they have a gel 15 minutes before the gun. I've used gels during a run, but never right before. What's the thought process behind this?1 -
codename_steve wrote: »I noticed a couple people say they have a gel 15 minutes before the gun. I've used gels during a run, but never right before. What's the thought process behind this?
Agree with WhatMeRunn. I sometimes do it to "top off the tank" with glycogen when I'm looking at a 3 hour or longer event. For a typical early morning race start in a road race beyond HM length, or a tri at the Olympic and Half Iron distances, my routine is to eat a substantial breakfast 2-3hrs before the starting time, then I will often take a gel and some water right before the (swim or run) start , since I've used up a bit of my fuel stores by walking around and doing my warm ups. This is particularly helpful in tri's because most people don't fuel while swimming and may expend quite a bit of energy in the water for 40-60 minutes. I don't find it really necessary for sub 2hr events.0
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