what to eat before a race?

[hondarider777]

my first race is going to be next sunday, and i was wondering what foods i should eat before the race. since the race is alittle less than 1 week away, what food should i be eating during the week. Also, what should i be eating on weekend (such as the day before the race) and what should i eat on the actual day of the race?

[gottogomoto]

pasta is good and high in fiber! Buy the pasta thats higher in fiber.

[El Marko]

Clean up your diet in general. Get rid of all fast food, junk food, sugary junk.

Eat lean turkey, eggs, fruits, veggies.

On race day, have along some turkey sandwiches, fruit, water and a GOOD energy drink like Acelerate or Gatorade Endurance.

[jfgjr]

Make sure you experiment with whatever it is before you actually get to the day of the event. It is not nice to eat something that does not agree with you before you have to participate in an event.

[100percent]

eggs are the must be

[iwannagofast250]

good carbs are what give you stored energy. PASTA PASTA PASTA. The more carbs you can store up (to a certain extent) the better. This a natural energy source for your body. Once you run really low on this source your body starts to use protein for energy. This is not good because it takes even more energy to to convert protein to fuel your body. By this time you will be so tired and worn out you wont even care about finishing the race. Alot of people think eating steaks help but its not a recomendation to eat this a couple days before the race. Although protein is very good for your muscles it takes much more energy to digest. Instead eat lean chicken such as chicken breast. A couple day before any given race i load up on carbs by eating whole grain outs. Granola bars are convenient but look at the nutrition label. If there are more than 5 grams of sugar per bar dont get them. The less sugar the better. A good sugar to eat before a race though are bananas and apples. They will spike your insulin levels. STAY AWAY FROM ENERGY DRINKS. They will dehydrate the hell out of you. Oh yeah and have fun.

[uhoh]

If I am real serious about a race or the race is seriously difficult I will pay a lot more attention to my nutrition. Most of what has already been said is true and seems to be true of most of the people I race with.

I tend to look at foods or supplements that will help me in general plus what helps for the specific event:

I like Calcet supplements and amino acids. The Calcets help keep me from cramping.

Water!

High carb, go for quality carbs and stay away from processed foods and sugars.

Salt is fine, helps keep you hydrated etc

Lean meats(turkey, chicken, fish), no red meats for the last couple of days. Red meats are hard to digest, take energy, and create more heat.

Lots of fruit, especially bananas.

Water! Did I say WATER.

Just before a race I try to down a whole wheat peanut butter/jelly or whatever samwhich, gu, poweraid, and a banana. During a race the requires pits or checks I will gu up, pbj up, water up, banana up, calcet up. Calcet especially if it is hot.

[philepe]

for energy drinks that are not loaded with sugars try cytomax or other endurance type sports drinks.read the ingredients labels,learn about what sugars are ok and what are bad sugars.

[jkulp]

Since the race is so close you have to stick to what has worked during your training. This is a bad time to experiment. When you have more time check out Hammer Nutrition. They make good products for endurance athletes. You can call them and they will help you pick the right stuff.

[Plushpuppy]

Kinda OT, but for a long day on the trail I like eggs, a little bit of OJ, a banana or yogurt for breakfast, then PBJ and a power bar or nuts/trail mix for a snack. ONLY water for me(lots of it), other stuff makes me queasy.

Bananas have lots of potassium which is good when it's hot. My sister used to work in Africa, when they had gotten dehydrated, the first thing they ate was a banana--THEN water.

[cross515]

Bananas are a good source of potassium, this will help with the reductio of lacktic acids in your muscles. This is what causes muscles to lock up and seize. Power drinks like gatorade have high quantities of sodium (salt) stay away from these.

[SMarquez]

Bananas are a good source of potassium, this will help with the reductio of lacktic acids in your muscles. This is what causes muscles to lock up and seize. Power drinks like gatorade have high quantities of sodium (salt) stay away from these.

My problem used to be cramps at night after a race. I quit gatorade and the cramps stopped.