Pre-Race Sports Nutrition Tips

We are days away from the PF Chang's Rock 'n Roll Marathon in Phoenix, Arizona on January 18, 2009. Not only will I be running the marathon with a goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I am also assisting my Team Chances running team in being nutritionally prepared for a stellar race experience. (For more info about Team Chances go to www.chancesforchildrenaz.com)

Whether you are running a 5K, 10K, 1/2 marathon, marathon or participating in a multi-sport race, what you do or do not do nutritionally these final days can have a significant effect on your race. So remember a few things…Choose nutrient rich foods and steer away from empty calories. Your body requires pure nutrition to heal, repair, and prepare for the physical demands it is about to undergo. For example if you have the choice between a snack of a chocolate chip cookie or an apple – choose the apple!

What, When & How Much Should I EAT the morning of my race?



If you are not sure what to eat before the race, you’ve got a couple more days to figure it out. I hope you know by now what foods work best for you before running: Maybe it is one of the following: oatmeal & fruit, bagel & fruit, english muffin/toast & fruit, a (non-dairy) smoothie, a Bakers Breakfast cookie, pizza, turkey sandwich, peanut butter & banana sandwich, pancakes & fruit, cereal & fruit with rice, almond or oatmilk, whole grain muffin & fruit, chicken noodle soup, etc.? Go with what is familiar and with what you know agrees with your digestive system.

Second, now that you’ve determined what you’ll be eating for breakfast you want to determine how much you should eat and at what time. Remember that not only will the type of food you eat effect your race positively or negatively, but also the volume of food. It is better to eat a little bit lighter pre-race breakfast and then do a booster (light snack – like a banana, half a bagel or a GU) 30-45 min before the race and then do more fueling during the race RATHER THAN eating TOO MUCH for breakfast and feeling like you have a brick in your stomach from the start of the race (been there done that – uuugh!!). For example: You’ve determined that you’ll have a honey whole wheat bagel w/ 1 TBS almond or peanut butter and a whole banana as your pre-race breakfast. You have determined you need to eat breakfast 3 hours before race start in order for digestion and absorption to be complete.



Does It Matter What I Eat 48 Hours Before The Race?


This is also the week to pay close attention to what you eat the last 48 hours before race day. Determine what foods will work best with your body – remembering to avoid super spicy foods, a lot of dairy, too many high fiber foods (especially if you are not use to eating a lot of fiber), heavy meats, and high fat foods. I recommend keeping your meals light and clean. Carbs that typically settle well are rice, pasta, potatoes, light wheat breads, pita bread, tortillas, etc. Stick with vegetables that don’t upset your digestive system like salad greens, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, jicama, etc. (i.e. some people have a hard time with cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, onions and bell peppers). Go with light protein sources – fish, chicken, tofu, small portions of lean beef or pork. Beans & legumes may work okay for some people because they are an awesome source of complex carbohydrates and plant-based protein (however they can cause some digestive upset for some people – if these cause even minor gas or digestive upset please don’t eat them until after the race). You also want to time your pre-race dinner appropriately. It is best to not have this meal be too heavy, eat to the point that you are comfortable to slightly, comfortably full, and try to have this meal 3 to 4 hours before bed time. It is a really good idea to stay away from alcohol for at least 48 hours prior to race day (if you must drink save that for post-race).







Finish Line Nutrition for Optimal Recovery


Remember that post-race nutrition is extremely important as well. You will be tired, depleted and you will either not feel like eating anything or you’ll feel like eating anything and everything. Plan your post-race meals now. Your body requires high quality, pure nutrition as much after the race as it does before the race. You will want to balance carbohydrates and proteins in every meal post-race. Most importantly remember to get nutrients in your body as soon as possible after the race. If you do not feel like eating – a smoothie, chocolate or strawberry milk are a great post race beverage. Avoid the tendency to load up on high sugar, high fat, nutrient poor foods like cookies, candies, burgers & fries, & deep fried anything. Whole grains, lean meats or plant-based proteins, fresh fruits and veggies and healthy fats (like raw nuts, avocadoes, olives, etc) are what your body requires the most! Some salty foods will help to replenish the salt lost through sweat and will help your body absorb fluids to properly rehydrate. If you rehydrate with sports beverages these will have sodium in them. Alcohol is not the rehydration beverage of choice - it actually dehydrates the body, it hinders proper carbohydrate and fat metabolism, and provided plenty of empty, non-nutritional calories.



Eat Right! Train Smart! Perform GREAT!

Melissa Guthrie
BSc Nutritional Science, BSc Exercise Physiology
ACE Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
New Leaf Certified Metabolic Technician
Triathlete/Runner
Healthy Cooking Enthusiast

Sports Nutrition during the Marathon Taper

Fueling for the Marathon: Two Weeks to Race Day

Over the past several months you’ve been diligently training and building up your mileage week by week. You’ve improved your cardiovascular fitness, your muscle strength and endurance, in the process you’ve depleted your muscle glycogen stores and caused micro-damage to muscle fibers and connective tissue. Race day is fast approaching and on this day, you will likely demand more of your body on that day than you did on any of your training runs. Therefore, these final two weeks of “tapering” are vital to how you will perform on race day. You are reducing your weekly mileage now, in order to give your body more time to recover, replenish and heal. It is not uncommon to feel as though you are losing fitness and/or gaining weight – do not worry it is only an illusion. Your fitness level will be maintain through the taper training and any weight gain you may experience if not illusionary will be a result of your body filling up the glycogen stores (the carbohydrates stored in your muscles along with water do weigh something). Now is not the time to cut back on calories, nor is it the time to over consume. Smart fueling now through race day will greatly increase the likelihood of a fabulous race experience.

The following are some guidelines for proper fueling during “Taper”:

Low levels of muscle glycogen will result in early energy depletion and fatigue. In order to keep glycogen stores full for race day your daily intake should be as follows:

Daily Carbohydrate Intake = 60-70% of total caloric intake
Or use the following calculations:
o 6-7gm/kg body weight for 1 hour training daily
o 8 gm/kg for 2 hr training daily
o 10 gm/kg for 3hr training daily
o 12-13 gm/kg for 4+ hr training daily

Carbohydrates are your body’s favorite energy source and the primary fuels source during exercise.

Recommended Carbohydrate Rich Foods: whole grain cereals, whole grain breads, whole grain pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peas, winter squash, oats, barley, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables

Daily Protein Intake = 12-15% of total caloric intake
Protein requirement can also be calculate using 1.3 x kg body weight (there are 2.2 lbs per kg)

Lean Animal Protein &/or Plant-based proteins are important for muscle repair and growth, regular physical training tends to reduce muscle protein breakdown and protein loss from the body.

Protein Rich Foods: lean beef, chicken, fish/seafood, pork, beans and legumes such as lentils and split peas, tofu, tempeh, eggs, low fat cottage cheese, low fat cheese, nonfat/low fat milk and yogurt.

Daily Fat Intake = 20-25% of total caloric intake

In general, no less than 15% of your daily caloric intake should come from fat. Women of reproductive age need at least 20% of total calories to come from fat. Don’t exceed 25% of your total calories from fat, as the body prefers muscle glycogen for fuel over fat, also fat takes longer to digest than carbohydrates. Note: much of your fat intake will come through the meat, dairy and nut-based products you eat.

Healthiest Fat Sources: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Olive oil, plant-based oil, coconut oil, avocados, olives, raw nuts & seeds, all-natural peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, flax and fish oils (i.e. the fat in salmon).

Foods to Limit or Avoid During Taper:
Limit high-fat protein foods like hamburgers, fried chicken, extra cheese because these foods take longer to empty from your stomach and can contribute to sluggishness. Limit sugary sweets like candy, cookies, candy bars, cakes, ice cream, candy bars, doughnuts, pastries, etc. Limit overall junky foods like French fries, onion rings, potato chips, most crackers, all fried foods, and alcohol.

The final two days before the race your intake should shift to:
75-80% of calories from Carbohydrates
10% of calories from Protein
10-15% of calories from Fat




To Your Success!

Melissa Guthrie
BSc Nutritional Science, BSc Exercise Physiology
ACE Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
New Leaf Certified Metabolic Technician
Triathlete/Runner
Healthy Cooking Enthusiast