What is a good race day meal plan? I run the mile at about 4pm.
Unfortunately, the answer is not simple. There is no “best” race day meal. Some athletes can’t eat anything the day of an event due to stomach upset or “feeling heavy” from food. Other athletes need particular foods that have worked for them in the past when they exercised. Sometimes athletes stick with a certain food because they had their best race or training runs after ingesting it. The answer in general terms is what works for you on an individual basis during intense training runs or what has worked best leading up to past events you’ve participated in.
The goal of eating the right pre-event foods is to maximize your ability to perform. This can be attained if you keep the following points in mind to use as a framework for nutrition decisions. The foods should:
1. Give you confidence that you are fueling your body the best you can. There is nothing worse than doubting if you can perform your best due to being unsure if you will have that required burst of energy in a short event or sustained energy in a long event as a result of poor nutrition choices. Practice or train with new foods so you know how your body reacts to new foods when mixed with exercise before using it in an event.
2. Fuel your muscles sufficiently so they can perform at their finest. This is usually optimized by eating some carb-dominated meals in the 48 hours leading up to the race so that the glycogen (carbs) stores in the muscles are jam-packed with energy at event time.
3. Maintain blood sugar so you have the required burst of energy for a short event or the consistent energy for longer events. You also want to avoid symptoms that hinder performance like hunger, fatigue, poor concentration or lightheadedness. The best way to maintain an optimal blood sugar is to eat a snack or small meal several hours before the event so that it has time to be digested and absorbed into the blood stream by event time. A combination of a lean protein with a carbohydrate is the best chance of maintaining optimal blood sugar since protein regulates a slow absorption of carbs into the blood. Without the protein, carbs can rush in, spike your sugar and drop too low at the time of the event. Fatty foods are not recommended leading up to a race since fat slows the digestive process and is hard to digest, which may lead to stomach upset or cramps.
4. Keep gastrointestinal tract comfortable. Many athletes get upset stomachs from excess acid production due to nerves and an adrenaline surge pre-event. Try out different combinations of food during training and find the ones that calm your stomach the best.
Timing of the food intake is important too. If the event is in the morning, you may want nothing at all or just a small snack (a protein with a carb) since it can be digested in about an hour. If the event is near mid-day, a small meal in the morning may work well (some examples: 1-2 eggs with 1-2 toast, or milk and whole grain cereal, or low fat cottage cheese with a fruit) since it likely will be digested in 2 hours. It takes about 4 hours for a large meal to digest, so if your event is in the afternoon feel free to eat a large meal (1/3 plate of each of the following: lean protein, a vegetable and a starch) followed by a small meal or snack near the lunch hour that contains the same combination of lean protein and carbs.
Once you’ve decided on your race day food, then it’s time to concentrate on something just as important: fluid intake. Drink extra fluids starting the night before an event so that your urine is mostly clear. Being sufficiently hydrated will help your body perform its best. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, poor concentration and lightheadedness. Water is the best source of fluid for all athletes leading up to an event.
Good luck with searching for the best race day food combinations and eating times. Let’s hear from others about what works for them on race day.
The goal of eating the right pre-event foods is to maximize your ability to perform. This can be attained if you keep the following points in mind to use as a framework for nutrition decisions. The foods should:
1. Give you confidence that you are fueling your body the best you can. There is nothing worse than doubting if you can perform your best due to being unsure if you will have that required burst of energy in a short event or sustained energy in a long event as a result of poor nutrition choices. Practice or train with new foods so you know how your body reacts to new foods when mixed with exercise before using it in an event.
2. Fuel your muscles sufficiently so they can perform at their finest. This is usually optimized by eating some carb-dominated meals in the 48 hours leading up to the race so that the glycogen (carbs) stores in the muscles are jam-packed with energy at event time.
3. Maintain blood sugar so you have the required burst of energy for a short event or the consistent energy for longer events. You also want to avoid symptoms that hinder performance like hunger, fatigue, poor concentration or lightheadedness. The best way to maintain an optimal blood sugar is to eat a snack or small meal several hours before the event so that it has time to be digested and absorbed into the blood stream by event time. A combination of a lean protein with a carbohydrate is the best chance of maintaining optimal blood sugar since protein regulates a slow absorption of carbs into the blood. Without the protein, carbs can rush in, spike your sugar and drop too low at the time of the event. Fatty foods are not recommended leading up to a race since fat slows the digestive process and is hard to digest, which may lead to stomach upset or cramps.
4. Keep gastrointestinal tract comfortable. Many athletes get upset stomachs from excess acid production due to nerves and an adrenaline surge pre-event. Try out different combinations of food during training and find the ones that calm your stomach the best.
Timing of the food intake is important too. If the event is in the morning, you may want nothing at all or just a small snack (a protein with a carb) since it can be digested in about an hour. If the event is near mid-day, a small meal in the morning may work well (some examples: 1-2 eggs with 1-2 toast, or milk and whole grain cereal, or low fat cottage cheese with a fruit) since it likely will be digested in 2 hours. It takes about 4 hours for a large meal to digest, so if your event is in the afternoon feel free to eat a large meal (1/3 plate of each of the following: lean protein, a vegetable and a starch) followed by a small meal or snack near the lunch hour that contains the same combination of lean protein and carbs.
Once you’ve decided on your race day food, then it’s time to concentrate on something just as important: fluid intake. Drink extra fluids starting the night before an event so that your urine is mostly clear. Being sufficiently hydrated will help your body perform its best. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, poor concentration and lightheadedness. Water is the best source of fluid for all athletes leading up to an event.
Good luck with searching for the best race day food combinations and eating times. Let’s hear from others about what works for them on race day.
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