Race Day Diet

How should I plan my Race Day Diet, in the days leading up to my race?

As race day approaches, runners are winding down on training and starting to prepare for the big day. One of the most important aspects of running a good race, is nutrition. Here are our tips for race day diet..

1. Do wake up early to eat breakfast

The best prerace breakfast consists mainly of carbohydrates, since they’re digested most rapidly and are your body’s preferred fuel source. Avoid fat and fiber. I like to eat for breakfast, a brown bread, low fat cheese sandwich but you can also opt for rice and fish or skinless chicken, a bagel and peanut butter, or oatmeal with fruit.

If you know you get too nervous to eat before a race, wake up a few hours before the start-so you can eat breakfast slowly, letting each bite settle before taking another. If you can’t stomach solid foods, drink a smoothie with bananas or fruit.

2. Do not over carbo load the night before

Do it gradually over the week or so. Include, pasta, rice etc into your diet, but eat just till 80% full and moderately. Do not gorge till you are exploding. And do not eat a mountain of pasta the night before – just eat like how you would normally eat anyway. If you think you can top off their glycogen stores by feasting on carbs the night before a race, think again. Flooding your system with more carbs than it can process may lead to digestive problems that will have you running to the loo, and that could be disastrous in a race!

3. Do not experiment with anything new

If you are not a vegan , now is not the time to add high fiber items to your meal. If you have never had spicy fish and rice, don’t start now. In the days before a race, vary your diet with nongrain carb sources, such as fruits and starchy vegetables, to benefit from a wider range of nutrients.

4. Drink just enough water, not gallons of it

Some races love to drink tons of water before the race and load up like a camel. This actually dilutes the electrolytes(minerals) in your body. These minerals responsible for optimum muscle contraction. Diluted electrolyte levels can cause muscle weakness or cramping etc triggered by abnormally low sodium levels. Make sure you are well hydrated in the weeks leading up to the race. Drink only around a glass of water two to three hours before the start, giving your body time to process extra fluid; drink another one to two cups right before the gun goes off.

5. Keep your energy high

Even if you carbo-load properly, you still need to take in midrace fuel (such as sports drinks, gels, chews, and candy) to keep your energy level high. Training appropriately with the gels will let u know how soon you need to take them and at which km. Every runner’s body is different with different absorption rates so you need to time your nutrition just right. And stay hydrated!

Good luck on Race Day!