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What you eat before a race is critical to your performance and enjoyment. The most important thing is to follow the [[The Golden Rule of Racing]] and try different things in your training. You should think of your training runs, especially the [[Long Run|long runs]], as a test bed for perfecting many aspects of your racing.
== The night before ==
* High [[Fiber]] or low fiber? You want to avoid any gas in the digestive system, and you want the digestive system to be as empty as possible when you start the race. It may be that you need a high or a low fiber meal the night before. If you find an approach that works, use it.
* If you are traveling for a race, eating out can add to your stress. After some bad experiences spending ages waiting for a table and getting to bed late the night before a race, I gave up eating out. Now I get carry out and eat at the hotel. Not so elegant, but a lot easier.
* I know a runner who did remarkably well with lots of ice cream. Easily digested, lots of carbs, fat and a little [[Protein|protein]], and easy to eat.
== Breakfast ==
* Some people need a very empty stomach to race. When I was racing marathon distances, I found I had a problem if I ate anything solid on the morning of the race. Doing ultra distances, I find I do better with food.