These 6 high level guidelines are topics I discuss with my clients who are planning for a race event from a 10k to an ultra, a Tough Mudder, a Ragnar Relay, or a Spartan event. These are a few guides for training and planning what to eat before, during, and after races.

Let’s get to it.

 

📌 Know your race. Think about what’s unique about this race. How long is it? Will you be running the whole time? Are there obstacles involved that require varying levels of energy, technical skill, and exertion?  Terrain should be factored in. Are you running on the road, through undulating trails, up a mountain side, dealing with altitude, or major changes in elevation? What’s the weather like? Humid, dry; is there windchill? All pf these affect how we fuel and perform. The Ragnar Relay, for example, may be a little more challenging to prep for because rarely do we perform 15-17 miles broken up in a 24-hr period.  Timing meals and sleep make this one unique and simply may require flexibility and adaptability to your plan. Just know that and plan to roll with it.

 

📌 Know thyself. Do what works for you, not what other people say works for them. Gels and goos are foreign to my gut so my digestive tract kind of freaks out if I eat one of those. I’m sticking to whole foods I know my body responds favorably too (like orange slices, cherries, yogurt, medjool dates). I don’t carb load nor do I NEED bread. Some people do and that works for them just as well as what I do works for me. Consider eating the way you usually do with a few tweaks and give attention to portion size as you may need to increase your caloric input given the amount of energy you’re spending. Be consistent with your eating habits, before and after races. Let your body establish rhythms and know it can count on familiar food, spending its energy running the race, not figuring out what this unfamiliar food is. Which leads to…

 

📌 Eat the way you ate when you trained. To the point above, do you. And do not introduce new foods on race day. Unless you have a rock solid gut or don’t mind surprise potty breaks. I’ve curiously tried goos and I know exactly how that’s gonna go within 30 min! Anybody else? And then take note of how you performed, felt during, after, and how you recovered. Did those foods/drinks work for you? Did you hit a wall? Deal with muscle cramps? Take note and keep in mind for next time.

 

📌 Know how soon before a race you should eat and how much food is the right amount. Many of us cannot run on a full belly, but we also have to have enough fuel to sustain the event at hand. Consider eating a light meal 3-5 hrs before the event (or dinner the evening before works for a 6am or earlier run, if it’s 5 mi or less).  That meal should be balanced and contain 1) protein 2) carbs like starchy vegetables/whole grains/fruit and 3) a healthy fat like avocado, olive oil, eggs, wild caught fish, chia coconut pudding, for example. Before the Ragnar event, for breakfast, I had: a small cup of steel cut oats with a pat of butter, walnuts, raisins, chia seeds, hemp seeds; 2 sausage links, a few grapes, and a cup of green tea.

Only consume fat-rich foods before a race, unless you know you’re metabolically flexible to burn fats for fuel (you’ll know if you are because you would have studied this and have done it purposefully). Some people like a small 100 cal snack or so 30-60 min before and that works for them. Like a 1/2 a banana and scoop of peanut butter or a slice of whole grain toast with strawberries and walnuts.  Test and see what works best for you. Also, if you can time your bowel movements before your event, all the better. Sometimes pre-races jitters takes care of that anyway! You might time your coffee intake or add extra fiber to your drink or smoothie that day. No fun to run when you’re holding stuff in, amen?

 

📌 Trickle in electrolytes and energy. I add electrolyte powder to my water bottle either before an event, or during and sip as I run. No guzzling, except at the end. Some people find they can tolerate goos and gels if they consume it in 3rds over the hours vs. the whole pack all at once. Same for snacks, best keeping it to 100 cals or so (of course this varies per person). Trying adjusting to slow, steady amounts if you’re not having luck with ‘whole’ portions. That trickle in strategy is less demanding on our bodies and keeps our body’s energy and focus on pumping blood to our muscles (where you want it), not managing digestion mid-race.

 

📌 Have a recovery plan and DO IT. I plan to immediately replenish fluid and load up on antioxidants with my favorite hydrating recovery nectar right after I finish and eat a meal to refuel – in the golden window of 45 minutes or less after the event. Don’t just go somewhere and pass out. Purposefully take time to recover and know it pays huge dividends in your ability to recovery faster from that event and perform better in the long run.

 

Again, have a plan, but always, always listen to your body and be willing to adjust. This goes without saying, but stay hydrated whether you’re racing or not and of course, increase your water intake commensurate with your physical output. A good minimum starting place is to consume 1/2 your body weight in ounces. So a 160 lb person would set a minimum intake goal of 80 ounces/day.

It’s more of an art than a science.