Favourite night before meal.

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Curious as to what you guys all eat (or avoid) the night before a longer race and in the morning, I know each person is individual in what they stomach especially with all the excitement. I think my favourite is sushi or vietnamese grilled meat noodle bowls. I've learned to avoid certain legumes and corn... egad.
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  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    I'm really boring........my night before a race dinner is almost invariably chicken and pasta (the way it's prepared may vary somewhat but....). I usually try to cut back on amount of fibre I consume the day before too and my five alarm chili is out of the question! :laugh:
  • rhall9058
    rhall9058 Posts: 270 Member
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    I guess it just depends on the distance. I've done everything from peanut encrusted fish to whole wheat pasta with meat spaghetti sauce and bread. What affects me more than that is my pre-race fuel which I've gotten into the habit of eating a Pro-Bar Fruit Slam Bar (jacked full of nuts & carbs) about 30-60 mins before the event starts. It seems if I don't fuel for the race in the hours before properly, then whatever I did the night before is not even worth discussing. But I'm a newb, so what works for everybody could be way out of my league. That's what I've done though.
  • WebbyShoo
    WebbyShoo Posts: 115
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    I don't tend to eat a whole lot the meal before I run (I don't like that heavy digestive feeling the few hours before running and luckily most of my races have been early in the morning so if I eat my dinner late it works out well), then again my longest distance is the half marathon and 15 milers so far, I've been trying to retrain myself to eat more calorically dense food prior to see if it'll help with my runs as I'd like to get into ultras or at least some half marathon/full marathon trail races in the future. I usually do a smoothie with banana, chocolate almond milk and coffee added to it and then carry stuff with me ( a homemade trail mix usually, heavy on the figs/dates) runs, but I'll look for that bar. :D
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    I usually go out to eat the night before. Last HM I hit up Boston's Gourmet Pizza and got two Shrimp Diablo entrees that weight in at approx 300 carbs and 100 protein. Or just a whole pizza.

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  • dorianaldyn
    dorianaldyn Posts: 611 Member
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    The morning of, I usually eat a half bagel with some hummus, maybe a small banana. Depends on the distance. For my mid-week runs (which normally don't exceed 8 miles), I usually go on an empty stomach.

    The night before? Varies. Often I'm traveling so it's a matter of finding somewhere that will have something that everyone will like. Before my marathon, I ended up having a vegetable stir fry with white rice. Before my first half marathon, we all went to an Italian restaurant in North Beach in SF, so I had a basic pasta dish. Generally I don't go with anything too unusual or too spicy and I'm not shy with the carbs.
  • mjpTennis
    mjpTennis Posts: 6,165 Member
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    The night before usually chicken parmigiana, light on the sauce. For the longer distances, I will snack on a bagel with crunchy peanut butter just before bed. In the mornings always start with black coffee with butter in it. 30 minutes later another bagel with crunchy peanut butter. And H-2-O....
  • librarianjenne
    librarianjenne Posts: 66 Member
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    I'm still searching. So far, my standard Chipotle veggie bowl wasn't a good choice, pasta with meat sauce possibly contributed to a DNF due to getting sick, and I can't remember what I ate before my other two long races. I think before Green Bay I had Indian food.

    I can do regular long runs after just about anything in my normal diet (which is now vegan), but pre-race food is a whole different thing.
  • MartinaNYC
    MartinaNYC Posts: 190 Member
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    Sushi. Always! I had it once the night before a long run and the morning after I was flying! From that day on, I decided that sushi had to be my pre-race/pre-long runs dinner. I believe it has the perfect carbs-proteins ratio and it is very easy to digest. That said, you shouldn't have a sushi feast the night before a race! And this is coming from a girl who could eat 1000 rolls in one seat. Be considerate, you should be feeling ok, not too full. The purpose is waking up on the morning of the race hungry and when I have sushi on regular evenings, I sometimes wake up bloated because I have a lot of it-you don't wanna do that! Also, avoid spicy rolls and anything with mayo in it. And don't forget to drink!

    What to avoid: the day before a race (two days if it is a half or a marathon), try to eat everything low-fiber. Substitute whole wheat/whole grains with white bread, white rice, and white pasta. The only fruit you should be having is bananas and melon-nothing with peel on it. Also nuts should be avoided. I know this sounds crazy but the reason why you're supposed to be eating low-fiber is to avoid GI issues on race day. Also, this depends from person to person, but I also try to steer clear from dairy the day before a race. Lasly, avoid fatty foods: heavy sauces, fried food...

    Hope his helped!
  • MartinaNYC
    MartinaNYC Posts: 190 Member
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    Can I ask you why you put butter in your coffee? It's the first time I hear such a thing and I am curious!
  • MartinaNYC
    MartinaNYC Posts: 190 Member
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    The night before usually chicken parmigiana, light on the sauce. For the longer distances, I will snack on a bagel with crunchy peanut butter just before bed. In the mornings always start with black coffee with butter in it. 30 minutes later another bagel with crunchy peanut butter. And H-2-O....
  • WebbyShoo
    WebbyShoo Posts: 115
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    I've heard of people using coconut butter/oil in coffee, can't remember the reason for it but I bet it's delicious! LOL.
  • rhall9058
    rhall9058 Posts: 270 Member
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    Sushi. Always! I had it once the night before a long run and the morning after I was flying! From that day on, I decided that sushi had to be my pre-race/pre-long runs dinner. I believe it has the perfect carbs-proteins ratio
    My guess would be that it also has something to do with the high salt content.
  • RunnerElizabeth
    RunnerElizabeth Posts: 1,091 Member
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    I used to have 4 oz grilled steak (I completely forget what cut I used to like so much) seasoned with salt and pepper, half of a mashed sweet potato with a tiny bit of butter, broccoli sauted in vinegar and oil, and a mixed greens salad.

    Then I became vegan and ate some sort of bean dish.

    I decided vegan wasn't working for me and settled with lacto-ovo vegetarian. So now I have a cheesey barley casserole with whatever veggies I got out of my farm share that week, a mixed green salad with two poached fresh eggs from the farm and a mashed sweet potato on the side. Works for me!
  • MartinaNYC
    MartinaNYC Posts: 190 Member
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    Sushi. Always! I had it once the night before a long run and the morning after I was flying! From that day on, I decided that sushi had to be my pre-race/pre-long runs dinner. I believe it has the perfect carbs-proteins ratio
    My guess would be that it also has something to do with the high salt content.

    Absolutely! Ans especially in this hot weather, you need the extra salt!
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    I can eat anything the night before. I have a cast iron stomach.
  • WebbyShoo
    WebbyShoo Posts: 115
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    I can eat anything the night before. I have a cast iron stomach.

    I used to be like this in my early 20's. :D Now I dunno if all that caught up with me, I could out buffet most guy friends.
  • mjpTennis
    mjpTennis Posts: 6,165 Member
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    I've heard of people using coconut butter/oil in coffee, can't remember the reason for it but I bet it's delicious! LOL.

    I use a blender to mix the butter in as well - it makes a big difference in taste.

    Here are a couple of sites that explain it. One is a bit more marketing -
    http://www.bulletproofexec.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-bulletproof-and-your-morning-too/

    http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401262/Should-I-Drink-Bulletproof-Coffee.html
  • amandamurdaugh
    amandamurdaugh Posts: 138 Member
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    kraft macaroni & cheese! With some sort of pot roast or pork as a side dish
  • geerunz
    geerunz Posts: 163 Member
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    I can eat anything the night before. I have a cast iron stomach.

    Pretty much the same for me. My favorite is fettuccini alfredo.
  • davemunger
    davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
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    I pretty much always do pasta the night before a marathon. I'm fairly maniacal about getting the proper carbo-load before a race. For shorter races I tend to go carb-heavy but I don't sweat getting the requisite 800 or so grams of carbs I need for a full carbo load.