seeking 1st 5k advice

dga1972

Needing advice on what to eat the day of the race and when. It starts at 8am. It is a rough 5k, mostly hills. I am planning on eating some whole wheat or whole grain pasta the night before but was also wondering what time I should eat that. I am so nervous, yet excited at the same time that I am concerened that I won't be able to get any sleep the night before. Any hints, tips, advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

jrich1

I wouldnt eat anything you arent used to eating so your stomach isnt upset. Just enjoy it, they are fun and its a great accomplishment at the end.

hockeyman28

I would do nothing out of the ordinary for a 5K. Alot of people train daily running further than that and do not carb-load. The most recent time I ran, I had a smoothie first thing in the morning and a half a protein bar, which isnt out of line with my normal breakfast. Take advantage of the fruit after the run.

sophjakesmom

I wouldn't worry about what time you eat the night before. a 5k won't require a great deal of carbo loading. Eat a healthy dinner and then in the morning eat something small (wheat toast with peanut butter for example) before you head out for the race. Take it slow at the beginning, it is really easy to get caught up in the crowd and start too fast. Good luck and most importantly, HAVE FUN!!! :flowerforyou:

HappyathomeMN

Eat what you normally eat. Don't do anything extremely outside your normal routine, it will make you feel off.

Enjoy the race and the feeling of it! Especially the adreniline (sp?) rush!

Bizzul

The only thing I would suggest would be to eat at least an hour (maybe two hours) before it starts. You can eat whatever you normally eat for breakfast and you should be fine. You want something in your system, but you don't want it to be too much or too close to your starting time.

dianediaz

Hi dga1972 -
That's so great that you're doing your first 5K. Good luck! You'll do great and be hooked. I would agree with jrich1 that you should not eat anything new that you have not eaten before. Stick with foods that you know and know how the affect you. So the night before don't eat too late because you don't want to have that full feeling when you're running. Whole wheat pasta is good. No greasy or spicy toppings just to be sure you don't have an tummy issues. Also be sure to hydrate plenty the night before.

On the morning of a race I always try to eat something with carbs for breakfast at least 2 hours before the race. My breakfast of choice is and has been for sometime, Eggo Nutri Grain Low Fat waffles, two of them with Cary's sugar free syrup. But oatmeal is good, toast, bagel, etc. My advice is to stay away from high protein breakfasts. Protein takes much longer to digest and when you run all of your body functions go toward your heart, breathing, etc. with digestion coming in last. So you don't want anything in your stomach that requires a lot of digestion or you can end up with some tummy issues.

Invariably, just before the race starts I'm hungry again. So I make sure to have a small (90 cal) granola bar or something that will get rid of the hunger but not require a lot of physical function to digest.

I hope that helps. Good luck, have a great time and really enjoy it! Good for you!!!

Diane

jennyocox

I don't eat beforehand when I run but I take a banana with me an eat it in bits as I go. I go much further that way........

dida0721

don't carb load. you'll feel bloated and yucky. eat normally.

kseltzer

Definitely eat what's normal to your body for breakfast!

jpeterburs88

I actually went out to dinner the night before and had pad thai with shrimp and chicken- probably not the healthiest choice but I didnt finish it and I def got enough protein. The morning of I had a special k protein bar and half a banana. I didnt want to overwhelm myself by running on a super full stomach. it was AFTER the race that I loaded up on breakfast- eggs, toast, turkey bacon... and a bloody mary to top it off!!

vick9180

These suggestions are all awesome! As an experienced runner, I can tell you what you should avoid before your race. Try not to eat a lot of dairy...a lot of times it can lead to an upset tummy. Also, avoid the citrusy stuff like oranges and apples until after you race. The acid in these types of fruits can cause a build up and you can get a pretty uncomfortable side-ache. This would include orange and apple juice, grapefruit juice...you get the idea. Good old water is the best drink before you race.

I typically stick to a powerbar now, but during my competing years in high school and college, I hated eating anything before I raced unless the race was later in the day. As everyone else said, whatever you typically eat, is what you should stick with, as long as it's easily digestible.

Good luck!

dshalbert

Congratulations on your first 5K! You will get hooked! I think that you should eat since you said it's a rough course, so you don't want to run out of steam. But as mentioned before, don't eat anything that you wouldn't normally eat and keep it really light like a banana, fruit or one piece of toast with peaunut butter. Don't eat less than an hour before the race. Good luck and have fun!