what to eat before 5k

fabi8081

Hey guys,
I am going to run a 5k on Thanksgiving morning. I've never done ANY kind of a marathon before. I don't want to run on an empty stomach but I am not sure what would be light but give me energy.
Thanks for any advice.

KimertRuns13_1

Do not anything the night before or morning of that you have not eaten before a regular run.
My go to meal before a race is a half an english muffin or piece of toast w/peanut butter. I try to eat at least 30-45 mins before I run.

maddymama

Ditto pp. Don't eat new foods the morning of a run.
I usually eat a bowl of oatmeal with some fruit on top. And I try to eat it 1.5-2 hours before the race, similarly around how much earlier I try to eat breakfast before I run on weekdays.

Good luck and have a blast at the 5K. Run your own race, not anyone else's....

ausped

No advice on foods because I usually don't eat anything before a short race even though I know I should. I agree don't try new foods the morning of the race. I agree run your own race. I train with two girls from work but we never stick together on race say. Take care of yourself.

bprague

I ate a half of a banana and a quarter of a cliff bar before my 5k this morning. I was queasy after I ran, so I'm not sure this is the way to go.

jmvh59

Something like a clif bar or maybe some trail mix would probably be ok. Be plenty hydrated before you start. Some people have pretty sensitive stomachs when it comes to running. Best to take it easy until you know how you are.

I'm pretty much the opposite. In boot camp, I would eat a big breakfast of pancakes and whatever else they were serving, plus a few glasses of milk before they took us running. Most people would just die trying to run with a belly full of sleepy carbs and dairy. Not me.

Have fun at the 5k. Be prepared to get smoked by everybody there. Even non-competitive runs can bring out some of the craziest competitors... You'll be amazed at how well people who look like they can't run can run, sometimes...

bert16

Just eat whatever you normally eat before you exercise... and give yourself about 45 mins - 1 hour before race start. A lot of runners like oatmeal or an English muffin with some honey or jam; I'd go high on carbs and low on protein (not necessarily no protein, but you'll want some easy to access carbs during the run).

I'm also running a Turkey Trot on Thursday... and am training for my first marathon (26.2 miles) in January, so have been toying around quite a bit with race nutrition recently!

Have a great run - happy trotting!

LorinaLynn

Before a recent race, I had a peanut butter and nutella on whole grain bread sandwich for breakfast. Damn, was that delicious!

microbugs

I usually eat just a banana and maybe a bit of coffee before a 5K race, I don't like having much in my stomach before a race, it makes me feel sick while running. The longer the distance the more fuel you need, but a 5K is a good starting race. I also agree that you should never eat something that you don't normally eat before a race.
If you can I would try to do a quick run tomorrow and eat a bit before you go and see how you feel.
Have a great race and congrats for getting out there and trying something new!

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vegamy

I have done 3 5Ks - for the first one, I ate some eggs and a piece of toast. The others, I did not eat before running. I felt much better on an empty stomach and performed better. But, I've read you should eat light, easy to digest foods if you're going to eat.