1st Half Marathon coming up - need clarification on carb loa

seekingstrengthX2

Hi all!

My 1st Half Marathon is on April 28th and I am psyched and ready to roll!! I've been training since January 1st and am confident that I can finish in a respectable time.

Here's my question.

My husband is a runner and has been doing races for years. I know from going with him to races that the pasta dinner the night before is a huge hit. They usually sell out (at least at his races) and everyone loves it. Now, with that said, he never goes. He says a bunch of carbs the night before makes him feel sluggish. I read in another person's running post that they carb load for 5 full days "up until" the day before the race, but then eat normal the day before.

What do you think? Does it just vary for every person? I've not intentionally ate any differently in my training runs, though I will admit 11 miles is my top run. But still, that's pretty far and I really did nothing differently.

I need input from fellow runners, please. I would love to hear from those that DO carb load and those that DO NOT. I don't want to peter out before the finish line, but also don't want to do something that's not necessary. One guy in another thread even said he doesn't carb load the night before because then he has to poop during the race (LOLOL.... TMI, right?). Haha.

Thoughts?

Thanks!


P.S..... by the way, how many carbs do you consider to be carb loading anyway? Double what you'd normally eat? Triple?

ATT949

If you're only doing a half, there's no need to carb load. The pre-race meal is a tradition, not a necessity.

No need but is there any value?

As far as I can tell, no.

I'm not citing this from personal experience (I've done one half and one race of 20.2 miles) but from what I've read in books on running and from Runners World and Running Times.

Personally, I give a limited amount of credibility to personal experience. By definition, it's impossible to get a broad overview when only a smattering of folks come forth with information.

If you look my photo (taking during my half), you'll see that I'm wearing a Nathan water vest (excellent product, BTW) and there's a clif bar in the front left pocket. A half is so short, distance and duration, that the body barely runs out of glycogen before the race is over. Why did I carry the Clif bar? Just in case I bonked but I didn't come close.

For my 20.2 mile race, I don't think I bonked, either. Historically, pre-Gu, runners would bonk at about mile 20 but I did OK in that race (it was 1985). In fact, that's the day I decided to…quit smoking! :-)

BrianSharpe

I don't specifically carb load in advance of a race, your body is only capable of storing a finite amount of glycogen.

I suspect that the pre-race pasta dinners are more of a tradition and social event rather than people making a serious effort to carb load.

In the week preceding a race I just make sure that carbs are making up at least 60% of my calories and I don't eat at a calorie deficit. I must confess to having pasta and chicken as my pre-race dinner (no heavy sauces and not a huge plate) I tend to cut back a bit on fibre for a day or two ahead of time. On race day I'll also have a pretty good breakfast ( peanut butter on whole wheat toast or bagel, yogurt & a banana) at least 3 hrs before the race start and I will take a couple of gels with me for the race.

At 11 miles you're pretty close to race distance, are you experimenting with any fuels yet? (If you're going to now is the time - nothing new on race day) If you're concerned about bonking they're a handy way to down some calories and electrolytes during the race. (As an aside, yesterday I did a 10 mile run and all I had eaten beforehand was a yogurt and banana, didn't take any gels and didn't drink anything during the run and felt fine when I finished)

Heidi_M78

Accoding to Tim Noakes carbs are now a big no no before big races.

athensguy

I don't think a half is going to be long enough for most people to bonk.

Nutrition during the race, however, can improve performance if you choose to use it.

jamielynas

If you're only doing a half, there's no need to carb load. The pre-race meal is a tradition, not a necessity.

I agree, I do about 4 half marathons a week without carbo loading

aweightymatter

What everyone else said... I "carb-loaded" for a couple days before my first half (same number of calories, but WAY higher carb percentage) and just felt gross. It didn't hurt my performance but it didn't help it either. It was just a bunch of water weight for nothing, pretty much.

During the race I ate some Shot Bloks and wound up drinking some Gatorade at a couple of the water stations because it's Florida and it was hot as hell.

But all the extra "fueling" I did beforehand was pretty much useless. Next time I will just go along with what I was doing before/after my long training runs.

ColoPhotoChic

I have heard from different podcasts that women burn fat during a long run and the carb load will just weigh you down. Men can benefit from a carb load but not when "loaded" less than 18 hours before running. The better option is to watch your nutrition the 5 days before the run. Don't overdo the carbs or fiber in the 18 hours before running. You're going to do great! BTW, which 1/2 are you running?

LilRedRooster

There's no real scientific backup to prove that carb loading works.

That being said, I've done some killer runs the days after I've loaded up on pizza, pasta, or some other carb-rich food the night before (not carb-loading specifically, it was usually more of a "Oh em gee, I really want pizza" sort of night), so I like to enjoy me some pasta before a race, because it does give me a bit of extra speed and endurance for race day.

It doesn't make everyone feel better, though, so I would maybe give it a go before a long run, see if it makes any difference, and if it does, then it couldn't hurt to try it with the race.

Chagama

I wouldn't worry about carb loading, definitely not for a half. I've also read that for a full marathon if you keep eating at the same level but taper your runs during the last week it's the same effect as carb loading. I certainly wouldn't do anything before the race that you haven't done before in training. Everyone is different, you need to figure out what works for you. The couple of days before the race is not the time to experiment.

Have fun!

jamielynas

Didn't mean to put that whole comment as a quote.

jackiemarie

i just ran my first half in march and did not carb load before. just ate normally and drank a ton of water the day before.

BAMFMeredith

I've run 3 half marathons, and I think the whole "carb loading" thing is stupid.

When you train for a half marathon, you run that distance (or close to it) on your own, right? So why would you change your eating habits just for race day? In fact, changing your eating habits like that can cause some unwanted stomach issues for race day. Focus on eating properly during your entire training, and there is no reason to "carb load" before a race. Most of what I've read lately is actually that a good mix of protein and carbohydrates at every meal is the key to having enough gas in your tank for the race.

Even for full marathons, there is no reason to carb-load as long as your are eating properly throughout your training. I really think changing up your regular diet is the worst thing a person can do pre-race, since your stomach may not react the way you'd like it to!

jackiemarie

and finished in 2:05. yippeee

heatgal976

I was going to do a half marathon a month ago before an injury sidelined me. Going from what I have read in various websites and magazines, I was not going to carb load before the race. I might have had a dinner with carbs in it, but I was mainly going to focus on the pre-race meal. I was also going to have one or two energy beans, gels, or bars with me for during the race. Everyone is different, but some people have more carbs and some don't. Some people also use the energy supplements and some don't. As long as you are prepared, you will be fine.

mszebra

I didn't "carb load" before either of the two half marathons I did - i just ate normally- and I was fine. And I agree with one of the above posters advising to limit the fiber intake 18 hours before the race!

mei1005

I agree with your husband in terms of not overdoing it the night before a race. I eat a normal size portion of healthy carbs (whole wheat pasta) the night before long runs and it serves me just fine. I try to keep carbs to about 55-60% of my calories the week before the race. I also try and avoid anything extremely fatty, as that fat does NOT sit well during the race. You do not want to risk the dreaded runners stomach during the race.

Good luck, sounds like you are well prepared so you'll do great!

BrianSharpe

and finished in 2:05. yippeee

Way to go!

rowyourboat

I've only run one 1/2 marathon so I'm no expert. However I'm in the process of training for my second. I do like to have a pasta dinner the night before. I don't know if that is actually loading up, but it's what I do the night before I have my long runs anyway. I second the nutrition during the run. I like the gels...easy to carry and they give you a boost. Good luck, you'll do great!

ETA: Definitely work on hydrating yourself a couple of days ahead. 8 glasses of water, plus!!!

agleckle

I've done five half marathons. In my experience, I didn't need to carb load. That's not to say that I didn't go with my other runner friends for a bowl of pasta the night before for two of the races, but since I pretty much never eat pasta in my normal diet, it made me feel heavy and sluggish the next day like my body wasn't done digesting. I found that I felt significantly better eating things that my body was already used to, like some grilled chicken and a salad the night before... then the morning of the race I would eat half a banana and half of a small plain bagel that they handed out about 45 minutes before each race started.

I never carb-loaded before a long run when I was training (I always trained up to 11ish miles as well) so really, it didn't make sense to me to carb load for 2 extra miles than I had run before.

Edit: My two best times were when I ate my normal diet... 2:04:47, 2:04:57. Also, keep yourself well hydrated throughout the week before. Best of luck!

athensguy

Accoding to Tim Noakes carbs are now a big no no before big races.

This advice mostly refers to people with insulin resistance, and it's always a good idea to watch your carbs if you have that particular problem, race or not. I see that he's recommending it for everyone (at least from a news article I found), but then it goes on to give reasons that don't apply to most healthy people.

wolfchild59

Personally, I don't really eat much differently than I do for any other day. I generally eat around 35% carbs, but may up that to closer to 40% for the day before my long runs in training. But I don't alter my diet every single weekend before my long training runs, so I didn't see any reason to do so before the actual half itself. My friends that run half marathons usually increase their carbs a bit as well, and will eat a little heavier (they aren't on "diets"/eating at a deficit, which I still do on those days), but I don't know anyone that does the full "carb-load" style pre-race dinner stuff.

That said, I do need to be fueled before a run. I'm not one of those people that can have a bagel and a banana then head out. The two runs I did on only a single, moderately sized breakfast were more painful than ones I'd run on more food.

My method is to wake up early enough to have a normal sized breakfast, a normal sized "lunch" style meal, and around six cups of water (all stopping an hour before my run time) before the run. So I've typically consumed 700-800 calories before my runs.

For the run/race itself, I take Clif Chot Bloks along and wear my hydration belt that has two 10 oz bottles on it. During the runs I'll eat two-three Blocks during (usually two for up to 10 miles then three, if needed, for more than that) and sip water as needed. Though, I probably drink only about half, or less, than what I take and drink most of the water after I finish.

Yesterday was my first official Half race with a start time of 7am. I slept from about 6pm-1am. Woke up and had a breakfast burrito that had 1/2 cup egg subsitute, 1oz of avocado, and 2 slices of center cut bacon, rolled in an 80 calorie, low-carb, whole wheat tortilla. Then two slices of low carb, high protein, Chompie's Cinnamon Raisin Bread with one serving each of Regular PB2 and Chocolate PB2. Drank three cups of water and went back to sleep for an hour and a half. When I woke up that time I had chicken salad (5 oz of chicken breast, 1/4 medium yellow onion, 1/2 medium red bell pepper, 1 tbsp low fat cream cheese, 1 tbsp BBQ sauce) on two slices of Wonder Smart White Bread. And drank about 2.5 more cups of water. (total of 787 calories, 35% carbs, 39% protein, 26% fat)

During the race I had three Shot Bloks, at miles four-ish, seven-ish and 11-ish, and drank probably 8 oz of water. I felt fueled the entire time and had a personal best of a 9:32 minutes per mile pacing, including the super-slow sections of going up the various San Francisco hills.

wolfchild59

then the morning of the race I would eat half a banana and half of a small plain bagel that they handed out about 45 minutes before each race started.

lol - just so you know, I totally didn't read this before my post, so please don't think my banana and a bagel comment was directed at you. It's just such a common suggestion and I saw people eating them yesterday, so I used the combo.


Also, to add to my post a bit - my day before eating is no different than any other day of the week. I trained up to 13 miles in my training runs and never changed my day to day habits for those. And since the biggest piece of info anywhere is to not do anything differently for/during a race than you did during training, I stuck with that. My dinner the night before my half was just a simple salad (iceberg, chicken breast, jicama, cotija cheese) and a small bread roll.

SueInAz

One of my favorite quotes is from Jeff Galloway: Loading up too much the night before can lead to unloading during the race.

Instead, you might up your carb intake percentage for a few days before the race, but really making sure you're well hydrated is much more important. Drink extra water during the days just before the race. If you're dehydrated the morning of the race, it's already too late to start drinking lots of water. You'll just have a sloshy stomach.

The day before eat foods that are easy to digest in several small meals throughout the day. Avoid fatty foods and fiber.

There's also strong evidence to suggest that a cup of coffee (or similar amount of caffeine, I drink a Diet Coke) an hour before the race can help improve performance. I wouldn't suggest more than one cup, though. It might be something to try before a training run first, especially if you don't normally get much on a daily basis.

I have gotten into the habit of bringing one bottle of water on my fuel belt as well as one packet of some type of energy chew. Power Bar Energy Blasts are my favorite as I don't like the texture of gels. I've been in races where they've run out of cups and I like having my own water in case my mouth gets dry, but I live in the desert and it's very dry here. I eat one or two of the energy blasts every half hour and that keeps me going during the whole race.

angelaclassact

What do you eat the night/day before you go on a long training run?

Eat the same thing. No sense in doing anything different.

I don't think carb loading for a half really does a whole lot. I hydrate leading up to the race, and maybe eat a little more the day before, but not much more, and nothing I wouldn't normally eat. I also bring fuel during the race to get me through. But what I bring for 'fuel' is what I've done during training.

seekingstrengthX2

Thank you so much, everyone. Wonderful advice!

I will eat normally, but lower my fiber intake and increase my water. That should do it!!

They offer water, gatorade and GU on my course. I tried GU last weekend before I ran and I could barely swallow it. The texture just made me want to puke. Then I tried the Shot Blocks, but found I had trouble chewing something that chewy while breathing so hard. LOL.... SO, I think I'll just stick with water and maybe a little gatorade. I've been doing good so far up to 11 miles. What's another 2?



Thanks!