What to eating before 5k

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Toxictwist
Toxictwist Posts: 274
in Fitness and Exercise
What do you eat before a 5k/10k/or more??
And how long before the run do you eat?


Doing a 5k run on Sunday, don't want to be starving, but i also don't want to do this on an empty stomach.
Thanks in advance

Replies

  • PinkEnvyx
    PinkEnvyx Posts: 172
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    I Get up 3 hours before and eat a peanutbutter and whole wheat sandwhich and drink a bottle of water. I dont eat anything else or drink after that until the race is over. I run a 5k in 24 mins so not fab but not new at it...been doing it for 4 years.
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
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    It really is more dependent on the amount of time you think it will take you to complete it than the distance, IMO.

    If you can complete the 5K in less than 40 minutes, you could go very light like a piece of whole grain toast and some water or water and coffee. A lot of people love a banana, but I just don't much care for them (it's a texture thing with me).

    I never ran any 10Ks.

    Before a half marathon, I would always have coffee, water, and a PBJ sandwich at least 90 minutes before the race.


    People vary widely in what they can eat and when they can eat prior to racing, so you may want to experiment on some regular run days.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    I Get up 3 hours before and eat a peanutbutter and whole wheat sandwhich and drink a bottle of water. I dont eat anything else or drink after that until the race is over. I run a 5k in 24 mins so not fab but not new at it...been doing it for 4 years.

    24 min is not too shabby! Your pre-race breakfast is almost identical to mine (I also have a banana and small yogurt)

    To the OP a breakfast like the above is sufficient (assuming you've been eating reasonably normally in the days leading up to the race) for even a 10k, if you're going longer distances you probably want to add some carbs - eg have a bagel instead of ordinary bread.

    Lay out your kit the day before (less likely to forget something) and get a good night's sleep. Watch your pace at the start, it's very easy to get caught up in the excitement and go out too fast.

    Have fun!
  • tennesseeleigh
    tennesseeleigh Posts: 169
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    I would just eat as you do before a normal workout. The distance and time is small enough that it shouldn't require anything special. Good luck!
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    Eat something that you have eaten before a morning run. Don't do anything different on race day.

    For me, I eat low sugar instant oatmeal and drink a cup of coffee every day. Race day and workout days are no different.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    For a 5-K I don't really worry about what I eat before. I think I ate a Luna bar about an hour and a half prior to my 5-K and that was plenty. It's not really a strain on your body for that short of a distance.

    Actually, now that I think back, that's about all I had before my 7-K and also my 10-K. I might have a teeny bit more prior to my 10-K, let me check. *pause* Looks like I had a Vanilla Almond Luna Bar and .5oz of mini Rod Gold Pretzel twists.

    And I didn't do anything special the nights before any of those.

    Now, for my long distance Sunday runs and my Half Marathon, I go to bed super early the night before and wake up around 3am or so. That way I can eat (typically some egg whites with bacon and avocado, some toast and PB2) then have plenty of time to drink water and have another something to eat, usually a bar that leans to be being more carb heavy (like a Rise Breakfast Bar or maybe an Odwalla bar) and have time to get at least six cups of water in me, while being able to stop eating and drinking an hour before the run so everything has time to settle.

    But I don't carbo load the night before or anything like that, I just eat the same as I do any other day, I just drink a little more water than usual the day or two before a long run. Then I just take a swallow of water right before I start my run to make sure I don't feel false thirst from a dry mouth early in the run.

    I ran a 9:32 average per mile for my first half, so I've just been following the same routine for the one I'm running on Sept 2. :D
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    Eat something that you have eaten before a morning run. Don't do anything different on race day.

    For me, I eat low sugar instant oatmeal and drink a cup of coffee every day. Race day and workout days are no different.

    Oh, and this. This over and over and over. Never do anything differently for your race day (or the days leading up to it) that you haven't done prior to your training runs.
  • cutierozie
    cutierozie Posts: 35 Member
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    Eat like you normally would about an hour and a half before you run.

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