In years prior, when I was but a fledgling of a triathlete, I often made the mistake of overcarbing and/or overeating the night before, thinking, "Oh, I need to pack it in for the race (which was merely an excuse to go on a feeding frenzy)." I was also 18 lbs heavier back then and a bit too cavalier about what I thought I knew about endurance nutrition.
Present day, many of you already know that my nutrition consists of an 80-90% vegan/paleo (yes, and I used to scoff at the mere thought of those vegans) with most of my day-to-day fuel coming from veggies, nuts, fruit, quinoa, brown rice (in small quantities), eggs. I do eat meat, just more sparingly. My dairy consumption is sparse. Yes, I still consume quantities of "bad-for-you" food once in a while.
So, I've been experimenting with what foods work for me, and I'll tell you as well. You have to figure out what works best for your body. Eating for me has become a fun and quasi-experimental activity as I now pay more attention to how I feel and respond to different combinations of food, especially during and after training.
Jerry's Pre-Race Meal Axioms:
1. Never try to eat something new and different the day of or the night before a race. Commonsensical, right? Wrong. I've had one too many late night poop-attacks on the potty in the past resulting from adding new foods or consuming too much food the night before..what a God-awful way to get your race day started...as a sleep-deprived, dehydrated, anxious, and bloated mess! Ugh..please, Mr. photographer, no race day shots!
You really should be experimenting with food, relentlessly....but, months or weeks before your race. You never know which foods may really click (or not click) with your body until you try them out during a training run. As an endurance athlete, I never knew I would really enjoy being mostly vegan and less of a "carbivore".
2. Eat for your race/event/training type. Fueling for a sprint triathlon is way different from fueling for a half-IM ("IM"= IronMan). I do believe you should carbo load a bit more for the longer duration races (and of course, while racing), but consider adding higher quality sources of carbs like quinoa (which, btw, is actually a seed, not a grain), lower GI fruits, like apples, pears, berries, and foods that contain medium chain triglyerides (coconut, avocado, nuts, eg) to your nutritional regiment.
I've provided a typical morning/pre-race meal that has been working for me. I get plenty of fuel from the nuts, fruits, and veggies. Timing is important, so I try to consume the following at least 1.5-2 hrs before activity:
1. 20 oz. water
2a. 20 oz. veggie juice (kale, parsley, banana, applesauce, berries, alkaline water, handful of almonds or sunflower seeds) blended in my Blendtec blender with a scoop of Vegasport performance protein and a cup of the MavenShake (of course), 1 tablespoon coconut oil
2b. (for longer workouts/races) Handful of crushed almonds, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of almond butter, handful of flax seeds, handful of goji berries, 1 tablespoon of honey mixed and spread on apple slices
3. 3 Hammer endurolyte capsules
4. Chlorella, curcumin supplements
5. Wait 20-30 minutes
6. Make "the deposit" in my porcelain bank. ;)
7. Get ready to take on the world!
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