Race Day Eats: Optimizing fueling for peak performance

If you are what you eat, how do you eat your way to a great performance on race day?

A HUGE part of execution on race day is ensuring that your body has the right fuel to perform well. Don’t compromise months of training with a nutritional mistake!

Here are a few hints to help you nail your nutrition on race day:

Prioritize carbs in the days leading up to racing. The ever popular “carb loading” is a little outdated, but it’s important to make sure that your glycogen stores are topped up. In the days leading into a race, make sure that all meals feature carbohydrates, and add an extra serving here and there. For example, have a bagel or some toast before bed.

Avoid fatty/greasy foods, fiber, and lots of veggies the day before a race. All of these can cause GI issues. If you’re traveling, save sampling the local cuisine for after the race.

Hydrate with electrolytes. You should always be in the habit of drinking water throughout the day, but drink a little more in the days leading up to a race, especially if you’re traveling. Electrolytes (like a Nuun tablet) will help you to absorb the water you drink.

Eat well on race day. If you race in the morning, have a small-medium sized breakfast that you know will sit well, aiming to finish it 1:30-2:00 before race time. Oatmeal, toast, and carbohydrate-rich bars are good options. Plan ahead so you aren’t scrambling on race morning!

If you race later in the day, have a solid breakfast and a light lunch or snacks, aiming to finish eating approximately two hours before race time. Again, practice this in training.

Consider caffeine. Coffee can help us feel human AND research shows that it can improve endurance performance. That said, coffee can cause GI issues for some people and caffeine pills may be a better option on race days. Aim for 3-6mg of caffeine/kg body weight.

Rehearse Rehearse Rehearse! Plan a race fuelling strategy well in advance, and practice in training. Fuelling with carbohydrates (ie gels) during training actually improves your stomach’s ability to absorb sugar! In any race longer than about 90 minutes, plan to take a gel, chews, or other carbohydrates every 30- 45 minutes during the race, aiming for 60-90g of carbs/hour. Different brands of gels use different sugars, so play around and see what works.

Fuelling for longer races should be rehearsed regularly in training to allow for:

• better quality of training and faster recovery

• knowledge of what works with your gut and what definitely doesn't

• practice with the logistics of hydration and fuel

• seeing how much carbohydrate you can tolerate. There are major performance advantages to taking in more carbs!

In longer races (4+ hours), you may benefit from consuming some "real food" with protein and fats, not just gels. This will help with satiety and help ward off GI issues and again should be practiced in training.

Refuel. Don’t forget to eat after your race! Bring a snack to the venue and refuel as soon as possible. This is especially important if you’re racing back-to-back days, or multiple times in a single day. Prioritize carbohydrates and some protein.

Nutrition is an essential part of sport, and you're short changing yourself if you're not fuelling adequately. Eat to win!

Written by Jessica O'Connell, CSEP-CEP, OLY, MSc Exercise Physiology. Jess is the run coach at Fast Forward Run Coaching!