Pre-race meals

Tristan

Barefooters
Sep 15, 2011
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So I keep meaning to ask about this (havent seen it brought up in a while). Every time a race comes up I really question what the best meals are, always figured I'd post about it later or test meals during training. But I always forget to post, and never get a good test outside of actual races. During the week I run in the evenings, and I don't do anything different lunch wise than I ever do. On the weekends I rarely ever run first thing in the morning either. So race days are about the only time I run early in the AM.

So I wonder what people eat for breakfast before an early race, or the dinner the night before? I know there is the big debate on carbs, I try to limit my carbs usually but havent ever gone carb free or minimal.

Also are there any benefits from different foods for different lengths of race? Like a fast 5k or 10k maybe focus on more sugars, where half marathon or longer focus on other things? Omega 3's for anti-inflamatory?

I should keep a log of what I eat, but havent had any particularly good or bad results. And I've tried most things for the dinner before (usually chicken breast, or venison steaks) and for the pre race breakfast is usually just banana and coffee or tea.

Tomorrow I have a half marathon so I've been giving it some thought. At my last half marathon I figured I needed more than the banana I usually have prior to a 5k or 10k. I had a soft boiled egg (I usually have 3 of them every other day or so for breakfast), a piece of sprouted grain toast slathered with some local honey, a banana, and an apple, and a mix of yerba mate and peppermint tea on the way there. And I remember by mile 8 or so I felt hungry and wanting some energy (and tried one of my Gus but my stomach didnt like it at all during the 1/2). I was planning on doing something similar, but didnt know if there is anything i could tweak better to give me some more long distance energy.

For dinner tonight I'm trying fish which I havent had prior to a race. Got some wild sockeye salmon I'm going to grill on cedar plank along with a couple banana peppers out of the garden, some wild rice, and salad from the garden, and a couple glasses of Chardonnay.

And instead of my usual coffee or tea before the race, has anyone tried kombucha? I have some honey ginger kombucha I was thinking about trying prior.
 
I eat real food, at least 2 bananas before anything from a 5K to a half. Sometimes a huge bowl of grapes. For a marathon or long training runs I up the pre run dose and eat dates during the run. I am 5'9" 155lb., I am sure it may scale either way depending on size. I could never imagine why anyone would want to limit carbs, probably because that word means something completely different to them than what it means to me. Bananas are 94% of calories from carbs and dates are 96%. The night before I don't worry about too much, so long as I stick with un/minimally processed.
 
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I eat fruit for breakfast every day, race day is no different. Day before I try to eat some sort of meat and lots of veggies. Seems to really benefit me a lot more than eating a lot of carbs (pastas and the like).
 
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Rbondi, yeah carb is a general term, I meant carb loading, which the old school of thought was white pastas and other processed carbs. My coworker who has run a few marathons even gave me the advice of eating a donut after a long run! Those kind of carbs I avoid. Btw we are the exact same height and weight.

Thanks nick, my daily routine is usually the cafeteria at work, either 3 eggs or a veggie omelette, and some type of fruit with it. I've been trying to up my protein since I was dropping weight too much, besides getting up to 30 miles a week consistently this year I'm also hitting the weights 2x a week. And I'm tired of be scrawny lol.

So last night I did have my salmon, about 12oz, rice, and banana peps. This morning I had a banana, a couple handfuls of trail mix, a handful of grapes, and half of that kombucha. I ate around 5 and race was 7:10. Everything went well, and I didn't get hungry during the race. A pr! I'll do a quick write up on the race shortly. I had a second banana I was going to eat in the truck but I forgot about it. Having a bob Evans steak and eggs right now for my recovery breakfast.
 
I've heard a lot about pre-race day nutrition, but what I think it boils down to is what YOUR body needs or wants. It seems to work for me to eat whatever I'm hungry for the days preceeding my race. I will often go out to dinner the day before a race just so I can load up on whatever I'm craving. But my races are usually ultras in which its good to have a large amount of glucose stores. In fact, my coach recommends that I "eat like a fat kid" (pardon the analogy but that's what we call it ) in the evenings and then stick with my grain-free, low carb whatever diet during the day a couple weeks preceeding a race. I don't like to eat pasta anymore because it makes me feel like I just ate a bottle full of Benedryl, but I swear by a huge grilled burger with fries the night before a big race. Its usually what I crave.

For breakfast I always eat first thing when I wake up (usually about 2-3 hours before run time) and usually forego the grain-free diet and eat a heavy-duty breakfast bread like a date and banana bread or have a bowl of granola with cows milk rather than almond milk. I also usually add a little bit of protein powder to my coffee and always eat a banana about 15-20 min before I run. This usually works for me. My husband swears by the bagel/sausage/egg sandwich which I've done as well and I agree its a great pre-race breakfast but most of the time I'm camping at my races or traveling and don't have the luxury of making anything as fancy as that.
 
i see i'm too late with this. don't change your diet for a race. eat normal or you could have some explosive problems that you won't want.
 
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No prob migangelo I wasn't really asking advice for today's race, but as I get faster and further I probably need to focus on my nutrition more.

While I know the most common advice given is just what you say, not to change things for a race, or not to try new things for a race, but I can't really accept that. I mean are you saying you could run an ultra on your normal breakfast? Maybe with a 1/2 marathon I could get away with it, but I dont think a loaded 3 egg omelette would be best in a fast race either (maybe, IDK, but I'm guessing not). But I wasnt guessing a burger and fries would be good the night before either but Zap has proven me wrong at that! I might just have to experiment with that :hungry: though I might make it a venison burger on a whole grain bun loaded with veggies, and maybe baked sweet potato fries.

I guess I was also curious if people eat during a marathon - I know ultras they do. I'd love to get into these longer distances, but I can tell you right now clocking close to a 7 minute mile my stomach doesn’t like anything, even water seems like it sets in my tummy to much sometimes.
 
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i like to eat burgers and drink beer after long runs and races.
 
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Not really a racer, but it seems like I can't go wrong with bananas and peanut butter before. As I get more into ultra distances, I find it is important to refuel earlier than you think, I have found it is easier to deal with a full stomach rather than running out of calories. The shorter races and at your pace Tristan, eat little before your race. Most of the speedy road racers that I have observed will top off with a gel right before the start and during the race just drink water, their race is over before they get hungry. Most of the crowd I run with (4-5 hour marathoners) will eat gel or sports drink or grab some fruit or mini trail bars at the aid stations.
 
I eat primal/paleo. For my last half marathon, I would eat banana pancakes (2 eggs with a medium to large banana mixed in, with about a tablespoon of cocount flour, mixed with a fork) about 45 minutes before (or more). I did great with it and didn't feel hungry during the race, even though I'm slow. The key for me was to make sure I ate enough to last a few hours (with pre-race time and the race itself). I had a smoothie afterward (1 cup coconut milk, 1 scoop whey protein, 1 cup frozen berries and a little water).
 
Pickled herring, egg nog and peanut butter. It'll be a pre-race meal you'll never forget.
Not so sure about that o_O maybe the peanut butter...

Rick, yeah thats kind of along the lines of what I was thinking. I tried Gu at my last half marathon and that was a bad experience. I seem to recall from reading maffetones stuff before (and I really need to review it, so much info that it was overwhelming) that fruits higher in fructose take a lot longer to digest than simpler sugars. But it seems fruit is a common item during the longer runs?

Another point of view is from a really short race, like my next race is probably going to be a 5k mid September. I'm really hoping to finally crack the 20 min barrier. I know pre race meals doesnt sound like a big deal there but wondering what would be best to provide maximum energy for a short time. I think sugars would probably be more the focus, fruit like banana and grapes and perhaps a couple spoonfuls of honey? I'm thinking grain type carbs would be a waste here, especially within 2hrs.

PB J- Yeah primal/paleo is what I lean towards but I don't do so well of sticking to it 100%. I do pretty well with the hunting and gardening myself but still go out too much and eat junk food now and then, but I'm trying. Your recipes sound pretty good though I'll definitely give em a shot sometime.
 
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I mix a scoop of protein powder in with my paleo pancakes (2 eggs, 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup almond butter) and I eat them with a little butter and berries on top. I love bananas so maybe I'll try your recipe PB. :)
 
Rick, yeah thats kind of along the lines of what I was thinking. I tried Gu at my last half marathon and that was a bad experience. I seem to recall from reading maffetones stuff before (and I really need to review it, so much info that it was overwhelming) that fruits higher in fructose take a lot longer to digest than simpler sugars. But it seems fruit is a common item during the longer runs?

I don't want to be a Gu pusher, but I have found to be them pretty convenient and a good back up on long, self supported runs. Ideally, I would pick a route that had an apple tree every 10 miles, but that's not likely. I like to pack real food, but weight is always a consideration on the long journeys. Give them another try in a non race situation, and try different brands and flavors. Have water handy. The first one I tried was also at a half marathon and I gagged and had to choke it down.

You still have a marathon scheduled right? Fruit is usually available at the mid to later aid stations at a marathon. Check the website or contact the race director and then experiment with the same items on your long runs. I have found I don't like oranges during running, but bananas, apples, and melon work great.

A comment on your pre-race dinner. The salmon sounds great. I prefer fats (good sources, not junk) and protein over carbs (pasta). Never went to one of those pre-race pasta dinners, seems like a recipe for excessive bathroom time race morning.
 
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