What to eat before a race

One of the questions that friends who run have asked me many times is qué eat before a race o what to eat the day before a race. In this article I am going to indicate a series of nutritional recommendations before facing a competition running.

What to drink and eat before a race?

It is very important to ingest alimesuitable nts in the hours before a competition to obtain a optimal sports performance y avoid possible discomfort that prevent you from competing at the best level during the race.

It is necessary to emphasize that the sports season has several phases (rest, preparation, competition and post-competition) and therefore thelimentation will not be the same at different times of the season.

It is also important when talking about what to eat before a race to differentiate between the needs of highly trained people (regular or elite athletes) and people who run for fun or leisure (corredpray and heartredpopular words), since the energy pathways used during physical activity will not be the same. Obviously, any elite athlete knows what to eat before a race, but among athletesredIn the popular arts it is common to find a great lack of knowledge.

While the corredor/corredWhile highly trained athletes use the oxidation of intramuscular fatty acids and depend to a much lesser extent on muscle glycogen (glucose storage), the less trained athlete consumes a greater amount of carbohydrates (glucose) and a lower proportion of fatty acids. This means lower sports performance in the case of the less trained athlete, because glycogen is very limited, while fatty acids can be used for a longer time.

Nutritional recommendations to face a competition

But what, when and how should we eat before a race? We are going to see the what, when and how of what to eat and drink before facing a demanding physical activity.

What to eat about 3 hours before physical activity

What to eat before the race? 3 hours before facing the test we would have to eat a meal rich in alimefoods rich in carbohydrates (since glucose shortage is directly related to fatigue and decreased sports performance) and to a lesser extentlimented with protein, fiber and fat.

If we have the competition in the morning, my breakfast proposals would be the following:

• Milk or vegetable drink with cereals.
• Milk or vegetable drink with toast with honey.
• Milk or vegetable drink with oats.

If we have the competition in the afternoon, my lunch/meal proposal would be the following:

• pasta or rice (always white) with a small amount of vegetables and a little bit of tuna.

Why white pasta or rice? Well, because its digestion is much faster and therefore also the assimilation of its nutrients. In addition, to promote correct and rapid assimilation, both pasta and rice must be well cooked and not "al dente" because it will be much more difficult to digest.

Between 30 and 60 minutes before physical activity

The protocol at this time will start with 2-3 glasses of water about 15-20 minutes before making this intake to avoid slowing down digestion.

between the tolimeIn the absence of approximately 1 hour before the start of the test, it is necessary to include aliments of easy digestion , the bread with honey, quince or jam; Skimmed yoghurts, non-whole grain cereals, low-fat biscuits, non-whole muesli, fruit or dried fruit.

All of this can be replaced by a few 300-500ml of isotonic drink rehydration sugar.

Between 5 and 10 minutes before the start of the test

Ingest isotonic drink sugary orlimeFoods in small quantities that are very easy to digest, such as dried fruits. In case you do not consume isotonic drinks at the moment, take 2-3 glasses of water.

Everything must be trained before the race: also food and drink

A very important warning is that everything you eat or drink before the race must have been tried several times previously on training days. On the day of the competition you do not have to do experiments: no need to trylimeFoods or drinks that we have not tried before and we are sure that they feel good to us.

It is recommended try everything in training first and adapt these guidelines to our protocol. I give an example: the isotonic drink 5 minutes before the start may not feel good, but a handful of raisins and dried apricots do; Or that an hour before you don't feel like a jam sandwich but you do feel like some non-integral cookies. It is very important that each athlete knows himself as well as possible and knows with certainty what tolimeFood and drinks work for you and feel good.

None of the advice or recommendations on what to eat before a race that appear in this article (or in that of any other nutrition specialist) should be put into practice on the day of the race as it is possible for discomfort, allergies, intolerances, hypoglycemia...

I insist again that it is vitally important do not introduce changes or do tests on our a guidelineslimentation the day of competition because we can ruin the preparation of many months for a foolish thing. Not only do you have to train resistance, strength or elasticity, but also you have to train thelimentation and hydration, especially when we face tests that will require a prolonged and constant effort of more than 60 or 90 minutes.

Logically, you don't have to worry the same about what to eat before a 10km race (which is usually the most popular distance) as you do about what you should eat before a half or marathon. My advice to those corredpray and heartredIf you intend to prepare for a competition such as the half marathon or marathon, you should go to a sports nutritionist to advise and guide you on the correct approach.limentation that they must incorporate into their planning for the sporting objective.

A sports nutrition expert can precisely adjust to the needs of each body.redOr worried about what to eat before the race in which you want to defend a number and give your best version. This professional will also be able to advise what to eat the day before a race or what to eat before a 10km race, which is the test that popular runners most often face.

AlimeMost recommended foods to eat before running

Obviously, nutritional needs may be different depending on whether you run for 20 minutes, 60 minutes or 90 minutes; Nutritional needs may also vary if the idea is to do a gentle 60-minute workout or a competition (10K, 15K, half marathon or half marathon) in which you plan to give 100% physical effort.

It is common for corredpray and heartredNovice people have doubts about what to eat the day before a race or even the doubt also exists about what to eat before the race. Before a race or competition in which high physical demands are planned, you must include complex carbohydrates and it's also interesting include simple carbohydrates.

Complex carbohydrates can be found in the oats, cornflakes or in the toast; Simple carbohydrates can be found, for example, in miel, In jam, In peanut or nut butter (these creams must be consumed in moderation), which are easy products to find in any supermarket.

Carbohydrates are a source of energy that the body can use quickly and, therefore, it is the best option when it comes to targetinglimeRecommended foods to eat before a race.

What you have to take is caution in do not abuse proteins and de alimefoods that are high in fat and fiber; Protein, fat and fiber can cause digestive problems during exercise.

A tolimefantastic that any runner can eat before a race is the banana, which is a fast source of energy. The banana is a great alimento because it is rich in carbohydrates, potassium and vitamin B6. A banana can be, for example, one of thelimeEssential things to eat before a 10km race.

Text to 42K of :

Ismael Martinez Garcia

Dietitian-nutritionist

Dietitian - Nutritionist from the University of Valencia. Master in Nutrition in performance in endurance/ultra-resistance sports from the Spanish Academy of Nutrition. Collegiate number CV00678 in the College of Dietitians and Nutritionists of the Valencian Community
Diet Valencia

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