Pre
Race Nutrition
How to
carbo-load, store up salt and water the right way.
By Mark Allen of
www.markallenonline.com
 I
wanted to write some thoughts on nutrition before a race. At
www.markallenonline.com we have been receiving a lot of questions from
our athletes about pre-race preparation, especially concerning eating and
hydrating. Getting this part of your racing dialed in is important for all
distances of triathlon and gets most crucial for the longer races like an
Ironman. So let's cover a few of the keys to eating and hydrating that can
really help you to be fueled up correctly when the gun goes off.
Carbo-Loading Explained
In the past, a process called carbo-loading was popular for helping athletes
store up a few extra carbohydrate calories that would be needed on race day.
Extra stored carbohydrates helps extend performance beyond what a person
could do without this intense dietary regime. It required eating only fats
and proteins for three days, then switching and eating mostly carbohydrates
during the final three days before a long event.
Scientific research did indeed show that extra carbohydrates calories could
be stashed away in the form of glycogen by doing this. However, later
research showed that this type of eating is extremely stressful on the
physiology of an athlete. This stress can actually be more harmful than any
benefit one would get from storing 500 extra calories. And the bottom line
of doing great in a race longer than about 2-3 hours is that you cannot come
close to storing enough carbohydrate calories to get you through the day.
For an Ironman, you will need to take in thousands of calories to make
it to the finish line. So better to forego a technique that is stressful to
the body in the final week when low stress is the call.
The Days Leading up to the Race
However, it is possible to store up calories in a safe way. During the
sixth, fifth and fourth day before your race you can adjust your diet to be
slightly more on the protein and good fats and oils side. Then during the
final three days, switch to eating a higher percentage of your diet as
carbohydrates. Make sure to eat lots of smaller meals throughout the day
when you do this. Even though you can safely put a little extra on the plate
at each of these meals, don't feel like you have to be absolutely stuffed
and ready to explode from pigging out at each sitting. By virtue of the fact
that your workouts will be significantly reduced during these final three
days, you will naturally store up reserves of carbohydrates, but this method
allows it to be done in a way that is much safer than the traditional
carbo-load.
Along with the calories, you want to make sure you gradually get well
hydrated. A human being is very different than other animals when it comes
to hydration. We cannot drink gallons all at once at the watering hole and
expect to absorb it like other creatures. We will excrete most of it. A human being
hydrates by drinking more modest amounts of liquid over a longer period of
time. So as you go into your final days before the race, gradually increase
your liquid intake and sip throughout these days. Don't wait until 24 hours
to go and down gallons of fluids. This just doesn't do the trick.
Also for a long race, one of the things that you can also store up is salt. As
long as you do not have any issues with hypertension or other heart
conditions, you can add some extra salt to your dishes during these final
days. Just like carbohydrates, you body can store up extra salt as well.
This can be a significant plus in your race performance in any race lasting
longer than three hours or a race of any distance if the conditions are
especially hot. After about three hours of sweating, most people will begin
to experience a reduction in performance if they are not replacing their
sodium they are losing. Although one cannot store up enough salt to last
the entire day of, say an Ironman, it is good to at least start out the event
with a full supply in your body.
Race Day Breakfast
Pre-race breakfasts can be one of the biggest questions for people. The
answer of what to eat lies in what you would normally consume before heading
out for a very long day of training. If you would eat more than a couple of
bananas, then on race morning you will also need more than a few bananas. Do
what you would normally do. The thing that can be different than on a
training day is that you might prefer to get your calories from liquids
rather than solids. There are many meal replacement drinks that work perfect
for this. They enable you do drink 500-700 calories on race morning very
easily. Eating the equivalent amount of calories from bagels and bananas can
be extremely difficult and impractical.
After your breakfast, prepare for the amount of time that will lapse between
then and the race start. It can be 2-3 hours or more from the time one eats
until the gun goes off, especially if the race has wave starts and you are
slotted for one of the later ones. Always take a bottle with you that has a
sports or meal replacement drink in it along with an energy bar in case you
have that feeling like you just need a little something solid in the
stomach. Also take a water bottle with you so that you can drink if you feel the need. This way you will start the race completely
fueled up and hydrated.
I hope these tips help with some good ideas to help you get ready in the
final days before your races.
Good luck in your training and racing.
Mark
Allen
Mark Allen is the six-time winner of the Ironman World Championship in
Hawaii. He uses these incredible stories of his journey to the top of the
toughest one-day sporting event in the world as the backdrop for speeches he
gives to companies worldwide. For further information about Mark's speaking
availability, please call 1-800-994-5306.
Based in Santa Cruz, California, Mark has a state of the art online
triathlon training program at
www.markallenonline.com. On this site you can
receive fully customized training programs that last twelve to twenty weeks.
Each training schedule is based on your fitness history, age and racing
goals.
In addition to the online program, Mark co-teaches a workshop titled Fit
Body Fit Soul with Brant Secunda who is a shaman, healer, and ceremonial
leader in the Huichol Indian tradition. In this unique workshop the themes
of Sport and Spirit are explored and integrated together to give people a
blueprint for fitness on all levels and for the healing of body, heart, and
spirit.
For more information on the next Fit Body Fit Soul seminar please call:
The Dance of the Deer Foundation
831-475-9560
or go to
www.shamanism.com.
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