Aerobic long race nutrition tips
Timing
The week before a race, the timing of your schedule is very important. Eating, drinking and sleeping should be consistent for a full week before race day.
Usually, long races start very early and everyone needs to find their personal balance between hydratation, nutrition and sleep.
Some people prefer to rent a place close to the race location in order to sleep until the last moment, while others prefer to drive the hours before the race to have time for a full meal and to digest before starting.
That’s very personal and why you should do some trials before the real race. Even if you are not participating to win, it’s always better to take care of all the additional factorsso that you can enjoy the experience even more.
Carbo-loading
Before a long race (more than one hour) it’s very useful to do carbo-loading. It means that you’ll eat more carbs than normal for one or two days. The recommendation is to eat 8–12 g carbs/kg/day (3.5–5.5 g per pound of body weight per day). However, not everyone is able to process this amount of carbs, especially if you generally follow a low carb diet. If you would like to try the carbo-loading tip, do some training before the weekend of the race to see how you feel.
For the last meal before the competition (breakfast), at least 80 percent of the calories you consume should come from carbohydrates. The purpose of this meal is to fill up your liver glycogen after an overnight fast and keep your blood sugar level up. This is why the meal should consist mostly of carbs. However, a small amount of protein is good to stabilize blood sugar and minimize muscle breakdown. Also, a small amount of fat will optimize your fat burning capacity and make you feel like you’ve had enough food.
If you're able to eat four hours out, you can safely consume up to 1,000 calories. If you eat just two hours before the start, eat a smaller meal of 300 to 400 calories. You should avoid extra dietary fiber, so feel free to choose white bread instead of dark and to drink juice instead of eating fruits. Typical pre-race meal foods include: white bread and honey, eggs, oatmeal or low-fiber cereals, bananas, yogurt, and juice.
During the race
Before the race, drink only if you are thirsty, and don’t try to over hydrate your body. During the race, it’s good to aim to drink 1–2 dl every 15–20 minutes. This usually means you should drink at every aid station.
Not only will water help you achieve your goal, but you should aim to eat 30–90 g of carbs every hour on race day, depending on your bodyweight. If you do a half marathon, eat some carbs around the 15 km mark or earlier. I would suggest the gels, as it’s hard to digest solid food while running or biking.
Recipe for Homemade Energy Drink
¼ cup Sugar
¼ teaspoon Salt
¼ cup hot water
¼ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
3 cup of water
First, add salt and sugar in the hot water. When the salt and sugar has dissolved, add the rest of the liquid. Voilaaaa! Now you are ready to achieve your aerobic goal. Enjoy the feeling of accomplishment at the end, so excited for you!!!
