What do you eat the morning before a race?

its highly individual - you just need to test out different things

for me - i do sweet potatos and chicken about 2-3hrs prior; an hour prior i do a bagel with cream cheese and sip on a fruit smoothie (like a naked juice or bolthouse drink)

There is no such thing as a general "too much sugar" before a run, but it's certainly possible to have too much sugar *for you*. It's impossible for any of us to predict how it will impact you. That said, I know bananas are a very popular pre-race food.

For me personally, if I eat before a race I try to keep it relatively low fat and a small volume of food. For me that would be a small lower fat muffin, a bagel with nothing on it (I prefer a sweet bagel if I do this, I don't want to be tasting garlic all morning), or a small handful of dried fruit (like 5 apricots).

I have also done several half marathons without eating anything. If you had time I would recommend experimenting with a long run in a fasted state to see if that works better for you, but with a week I don't think you have time to do that. Generally speaking, our bodies are capable of running a couple of hours without eating first (individuals, of course, may vary).

If I eat, it's usually a clif bar. Or, if I'm at a hotel with a free breakfast (and it's not too early for said breakfast to be open/available), sometimes a bagel or muffin.

Anything less than a half I don't eat (works better for me). Halfs depend on how I'm feeling at the time. Longer than that and I try to eat.

Have you tried running fasted? I don’t eat before training runs or races, and never have GI issues.

Nothing too unusual for me. On long race days (over 4 hr effort) , I try to eat 2.5-3hrs before gun time, so that I can digest and hit the porta potti before the gun goes off. I'll usually eat oatmeal, sometimes with an egg and often with half a banana, then a simple carb right before gun time. Another favorite option for me or half marathon length races is half a plain bagel with either jelly, honey or PB, eaten an hour before the race. That is a simple carb breakfast that is absorbed quickly. Others I have tried are cream of wheat/rice, since they are absorbed easily and don't upset my stomach, either. You'll have to keep experimenting to find what works for you.

Best of luck in the race!

Whatever you do, don't do something "new" race day. Never a good idea unless you just get lucky. I used to eat a clif bar that I was used to eating or something like that. If it was over a half marathon, I'd add a little peanut butter to it.

Guess I'm weird . . I always run on an empty stomach. I usually run in the early mornings anyway. I’ve never went over the HM distance . . maybe with longer distances hunger would be an issue. Good luck on your race!

LiveInLeggings wrote: »

If it's longer than a 5k I'll have 2 slices of sweet potato 'toast' with a very thin layer of almond butter and some coffee.

@LiveInLeggings . . never had sweet potato toast . . that sounds "really" good. I'll have to check that out.

2-3 hrs before oatmeal with an egg, or rice and scrambled eggs and coffee. 15 mins before a small snack like1/2 banana, a serving of ucan, or a gu if you can tolerate them. This is usually my pre-tri go to.

LiveInLeggings wrote: »

rodmelching wrote: »

LiveInLeggings wrote: »

If it's longer than a 5k I'll have 2 slices of sweet potato 'toast' with a very thin layer of almond butter and some coffee.

@LiveInLeggings . . never had sweet potato toast . . that sounds "really" good. I'll have to check that out.

Lol! It's just slices of sweet potato that have been baked until they're almost soft, then you just pop them in the toaster like bread.

@LiveInLeggings . . lol . . I thought it was a type of bread made from sweet potatoes. Hey . . new invention maybe, the fade diet of 2019 !!

I usually run fasted (for morning runs and races). Sometimes I'll have a little oatmeal or cottage cheese, or maybe part of a muffin. But I don't eat anything within an hour.

toast, peanut butter and bananas.

I follow strict Keto, less than 5 carbs a day. Waking up, I have my bulletproof coffee, homemade recipe. After I go for a run, 15+ km a day, usually around 20.

for longer races, I would get up at 2-3 in the morning and have a breakfast, then go back to bed until i had to get ready for the race.

I usually have some sort of carb (toast with a little peanut butter or a piece of a dry bagel) before a double digit long run or race. I usually never fuel during a half marathon but will during a full marathon. I run anything shorter than double digits fasted. It works for me.