We’ve talked a lot about hydration in the past several weeks, however many of you want to know what to eat before a long run or a race (10K+) to ensure that you are properly fueled. Here are some guidelines:

 Before

Start Hydrated

Try to consume 14 – 20 ounces of water (or sports drink of your choice) 2 -3 hours before your long run or race. Drink another 8 ounces as you’re doing your warm-ups – especially if you are running in hot and/or humid conditions. Do the “pee test” to ensure that you are properly hydrated before you start if possible.

Eating Before

Try to consumer a pre-effort meal 2 – 4 hours before the starting gun. The best bet is to choose familiar (this is NOT the time to try a new protein drink) high carb foods. Avoid slow to digest fatty or high fiber foods. Eat only enough to feel comfortable, not totally full.

If you get really nervous before a race or don’t feel like eating before you run, experiment (NOT on race day) with fruit smoothies or a high-carb meal replacement drink as a substitute.

Here are some meal suggestions:

Breakfast Stuff:

1.     Hot or cold cereal with fruit or fruit juice with low or non-fat milk.

2.     French toast or pancakes with fruit or maple syrup.

3.     Toast with honey or jam and low fat yogurt

4.     Bagel or English muffin with jelly and or peanut butter, banana and some fruit juice.

 

Afternoon / Evening Stuff:

1.     Grilled chicken sandwich with a frozen low-fat yogurt and a baked potato with salsa.

2.     Turkey sub with tomato, lettuce and mustard, baked chips, fruit juice and a low fat frozen yogurt.

3.     One slice of thick crust veggie pizza, low-fat gelato, canned peaches.

4.     Grilled lean beef, chicken, turkey or fish with steamed rice, dinner roll, cooked green beans, low fat frozen yogurt and fruit juice.

 

30 – 60 minutes before running, you may also want to eat a snack. Here are some suggestions:

1.     Graham crackers.

2.     A piece of fresh fruit or a 100% fruit juice drink.

3.     A fruit smoothie made of mango, banana and berries and low or non fat milk and yogurt.

4.     Dried fruit and pretzels.

5.     An energy gel or bar.

Again, the idea here is not to feel full – just not empty.

 

While You Are Running

In general, you should not have to worry about fueling on runs lasting an hour or less; the goal here is to hydrate according to your sweat rate.

With longer running or racing, don’t wait for your glycogen levels to become depleted. The rule is that for every 1 – 2 hours of running, you should consume about 30-40 grams of carbs per hour (approximately one Gel). If you are going to be running for more than 2 hours, consume 45 – 90 grams per hour.

There are several options for maintaining glycogen levels including consuming a sports drink that provides carbs and sodium, as well as energy gels (make sure yours gives you BOTH carbs and sodium). Depending on your needs, Gu or Power Bar Energy Gels are good choices. Always chase your gel shot with a few sips of water, which aids in absorption.

Remember, it is very important to experiment with Gels and sports drinks during your training. Do not even entertain the notion of trying something new on the day of your race.

 
Recovery

As soon as your run or event is over, your body starts the recovery process. What you do now determines how quickly you’ll recover from a hard effort and prepare you for subsequent training.

There are three components to recovery; replenishment of carbs, protein for muscle repair and fluid replacement.

Carbohydrates

Consume .5 grams of carbs per one pound of body weight within a half hour of finishing. Repeat this in 2 hours if you are comfortable doing so, or return to your usual post hard-effort carb replenishment regimen.  If this is a bit too much for you given your effort, consume smaller amounts of carbs more frequently after two hours have passed.

Protein

Muscle and tissue repair require protein, so making sure you replenish in this area is very important. Try to consume 10-20 grams of protein within 30 minutes of completing a hard effort. This will give you the amino acids your body needs to repair your muscles.

What does 10 - 20 grams of protein look like? Here are some sample meals for replenishment:

These choices will replenish approximately 10 grams of protein and a moderate amount of carbs.

1.     Sandwich with 2 ounces of turkey.

2.     1 cup low fat yogurt.

3.     2 ounces of string cheese with an apple.

4.     2 ounces of pretzels dipped in 2 tablespoons peanut butter.

Fluids

Use the “weigh test” to determine your fluid loss during a workout and replenish accordingly. It is important to note that replacement of sodium is also critical here, and this can be a great time to use a sodium enhanced sports drink. One good option is to add a recovery beverage powder to water. I happen to like the Nuun tablets (no sugar), but Power Bar Recovery Powder is also a good option.

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Understanding the importance of giving your body what it needs is critical to performing at your optimal performance level. To learn more, Power Bar has an excellent booklet available on nutrition for distance runners (yeah, its self-promotional and you have to register for it, but still, it does have good information). Click here.

 

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Tags: nutrition, diet, race preparation, sports nutrition, hydration, protein, carbohydrates, recovery