Are You Eating the Right Pre-Race Breakfast?
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A good nutrition plan doesn't end with that last plate of pasta the night before your race. Your morning meal provides fuel for your brain, helping to sustain motivation and concentration during a long race. But just how much should you eat on race morning to optimize your performance? Probably more than you think. -Monique Ryan
Fuel For a 5K
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You can, if you want, race a 5K on two Taco Bell chalupas. You can also dump vodka into your car's gas tank and try the quarter mile. Just know that you're probably going to pay the price either way. For athletes concerned about performance, a higher-grade octane is needed. The fuel you're looking for is carbohydrates. -Doug Robertson
Avoid Pre-Race Nutrition Mistakes
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If you're like many runners, you've spent the last few months training for a big race. As your 5K, half marathon, or marathon approaches, you're probably taking extra care with what you eat and drink. Maybe you're loading up on carbs, drinking lots of water, ordering extra servings of broccoli and beans. But are you doing the right thing? -Kelly Bastone
What, When and How Much to Eat Race Morning
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The main purpose of the pre-race meal is to fill your liver with glycogen, especially if the meal precedes a morning race. Liver glycogen fuels your nervous system while you sleep, and as a result, your liver is roughly 50 percent glycogen-depleted when you wake up in the morning. Your muscles, inactive during the night, remain fully glycogen loaded from the previous day. Eating the right pre-race meal at the right time ensures that all your hard training doesn't go to waste. -Matt Fitzgerald
Race Day Fuel For Vegetarian Athletes
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If you are vegetarian or vegan there are a few minor tweaks you can make to race-day foods to optimize your performance. Adding a bit of plant-based protein, fat and fiber to a meal can slow the rate of carbohydrate absorption, allowing you to work out longer without refueling. -Rebecca Siekmann
How to Fuel During a Marathon
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According to the latest science, the best way to fuel your body through a marathon is to drink enough fluid to keep your thirst consistently under control, and to consume at least 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. There is more than one way to fulfill these recommendations. The specific way that's best for you depends on how your body responds to nutrition intake while running. -Matt Fitzgerald
Should Cyclists Top Off Their Fuel?
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It's RACE DAY. It's 90 minutes to race time and you ate your breakfast one or two hours ago (allowing three or four hours post-breakfast for digestion.) You've been following a sound nutrition plan and you have rested and fueled properly in the last 48 hours to assure your glycogen reserves are full. So what to do in the last 90 minutes before go time? -Anne Guzman
What's The Best Pre-Race Triathlon Meal?
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Triathletes who want to put their best foot forward on race day would be wise to skip the dinner smorgasboard and put their fueling energies into a more important pre-race meal: breakfast. -Kirsten Korosec
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