Ideas for Carbs for Upcoming Race

KatScarberry

I am running a 10K this Saturday & have been told by a coworker that we should not run again until Saturday's race (ran 5.2 miles during lunch today). Also, she said we should fuel up on good carbs. Anybody have any favorite ideas?

Thanks!!!



:happy:

drdenise

Oatmeal.......I love steel cut oats, with added flaxseed, craisins, and egg whites to balance the protein.

And.........I am all about the GU.......gotta take in a Gu energy gel prior to the race, and midway, to keep up your electrolytes and instant energy. Seriously, it is magic in a foil pac

MereRae

Bump

arc918

You want the truth? 10K isn't far enough for carbs to really matter.

That said, just eat smart the day before and steer clear of that which might upset your stomach.

Good luck and have fun!

getsveltEagain

I always do pasta for dinner the night before with a protien in it.... drink plenty of water too

meka2206

ha ha ha to ^^^^^^!! Hilarious but you can do the spaghetti it always helps for the race the next morning!

wendyannie1976

totally agree with arc918 and carb loading doesn't have the same effect on women as it does men due to the different ways our bodies burn and store fuel

that said have a great race

personally and very personal opinion, i have to run/jog at least 2 miles the day before i race no matter the distance otherwise I spend the first five miles of a race suffering but that is just me and most people tell me I'm crazy! so what I'm saying is each to their own, if you feel good running after a rest day then do it and rest up to it.

Have fun enjoy

digitalsteel

Its been a long standing myth that carbs are a runners friend, however the only organ in your body that prefers to burn carbs instead of fat for fuel is your brain. Your brain only needs about 120 grams of carbs worth of energy (480 calories) after that your body doesn't touch them unless there isn't enough fat. Check out this artical: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/a-metabolic-paradigm-shift-fat-carbs-human-body-metabolism/

sharonsjones

Oatmeal.......I love steel cut oats, with added flaxseed, craisins, and egg whites to balance the protein.

And.........I am all about the GU.......gotta take in a Gu energy gel prior to the race, and midway, to keep up your electrolytes and instant energy. Seriously, it is magic in a foil pac

Where can I find the GU energy gels? I'm going to do my first 1/2 marathon on Nov 13th and would like to try them.

getsveltEagain

Oatmeal.......I love steel cut oats, with added flaxseed, craisins, and egg whites to balance the protein.

And.........I am all about the GU.......gotta take in a Gu energy gel prior to the race, and midway, to keep up your electrolytes and instant energy. Seriously, it is magic in a foil pac

Where can I find the GU energy gels? I'm going to do my first 1/2 marathon on Nov 13th and would like to try them.

There are lots of different varities of gels... a local running/sports store (****'s) should have them. Look near the power bars

bassettpig

You want the truth? 10K isn't far enough for carbs to really matter.

That said, just eat smart the day before and steer clear of that which might upset your stomach.

Good luck and have fun!

Agreeing--this will likely not take much over an hour, and possibly significantly less, depending on what kind of pace you run. There is no way you are going to be "hitting the wall" in that amount of time.

The one thing to be aware of on your pre-race food, tho, is to keep it simple. Eat stuff you have had before that you know doesn't bother you later on. Probably a really bad idea to try out the new Thai restaurant or go out for extra spicy wings and a couple of pitchers of beer the night before....it'll make a great story later but will not be all that amusing at the time.

Best wishes--have a great run!

kunibob

My approach is all based on sports camps & nutrition from when I was a competitive athlete in the '90s, and looking through this thread, it seems that my habits might be very outdated. Going to do some research on this whole carb loading thing and see what the sports science community has to say about it all. For now, though, this is what I do: I like to carb load for any exercise events just for the confidence it gives me (if I feel tired, I can tell myself that I'm full of fuel), and because it's kind of a "reward" for training for the race. For runs, I eat a pasta dinner two nights before, then only a light meal the night before because my stomach is very touchy, then a very light carb snack 1-2 hours before the race.

scraver2003

I did a 10k earlier in the year. I did it in about 1 hour, 18 mins. (I am slow - that was good time for me!) And I didn't need anything during the race. I had a usual breakfast (I think I did an egg sammich a few hours before). I find eating healthy helps. And hydrating is important! Drink your water!!

I did a triathlon on Sunday (just over 2 hours) and didn't need anything for that either. But hubs did a bike race earlier in the year and was glad for his Gu. (yuck! Lol!)

I am "running" a half marathon on Sunday (will probably take me like 4 hours, but that is besides the point). I have a spin class tomorrow and I will probably do a 4 mile run either tomorrow evening or Friday. Now is not the time to go balls to the wall with work outs - but you can certainly go for a short/easy run.

sharonsjones

Oatmeal.......I love steel cut oats, with added flaxseed, craisins, and egg whites to balance the protein.

And.........I am all about the GU.......gotta take in a Gu energy gel prior to the race, and midway, to keep up your electrolytes and instant energy. Seriously, it is magic in a foil pac

Where can I find the GU energy gels? I'm going to do my first 1/2 marathon on Nov 13th and would like to try them.

There are lots of different varities of gels... a local running/sports store (****'s) should have them. Look near the power bars

Thanks!!

aschultz9

Agree with the others who said carb loading isn't necessary for a 10k. You definitely don't need GU during the race. Half a PB&J sandwich about an hour and half before the race works great for me.