Race Week Nutrition Guide for Endurance Athletes

Race week is here. The long hard training hours are in the rear-view mirror; now you can sit back and relax, right? Sort of, but not exactly. The week leading up to the race includes short tune-up training sessions, prioritizing sleep, avoiding unnecessary stress, and mentally preparing to toe the line. However, this is not the time to let loose on the nutrition front, as tempting as it may be. So here is a nutritional guideline to help optimize race-day performance in the week leading up to your endurance race.

One week out:

In the taper week of an endurance race, your main nutritional focus is to eat in a manner that best prepares you physically and mentally for the challenge that lies ahead.

At least seven days from your event, decrease alcohol intake and avoid overly processed foods and diuretics.

Two to three days out from race day, reduce high-fiber and fried foods, eliminate spicy foods, uncooked meat, and unfamiliar foods to minimize the chance of GI distress, diarrhea, and bloating. In addition, increase sodium intake by adding salt to foods and eating salty foods.

Prioritize hydration but don’t go overboard. Monitor the color of your urine to assess hydration status throughout the week. Optimally it should be light yellow and not clear.

The day before the race:

Acute sodium loading is most effective and has the fewest adverse side effects, 12-15 hours out from the race start. Snack on salty foods and increase salt intake at meals and snacks. Suppose you are a salty sweater and experience significant sodium sweat losses. In that case, you may benefit from sodium supplementation or a preload beginning in the afternoon or early evening the day before and morning of the race. But don’t wait until the day before to test drive sodium supplementation. In keeping with the golden rule, “nothing new on race day,” all supplements and food choices should be test-driven repeatedly in training for the best chance of success.

In the two days leading up to race day, this is the time to emphasize easy-to-digest carbohydrates low in fiber. Aim for 8-10g/kg body weight of carbohydrates in the two days before the race while lowering fat and protein to ensure glycogen stores are fully locked and loaded on race day. Race week is not the time to be an adventurous eater. Stick with familiar foods that you’ve test-driven repeatedly during training, eat reasonable portions of complex carbohydrates with a moderate amount of protein source, and low-fat as these foods have staying power, stabilize blood sugars, and support sound sleep. Be careful to avoid overeating or stuffing yourself.

Examples of common, easy to digest carbohydrates:

Oatmeal, yogurt, crackers, bananas, potatoes, pretzels, applesauce, toast, rice, pancakes, waffles, maple syrup, bagels, jam, honey.

The Last Supper

As training volume decreases and caloric intake remains the same during your taper week, but protein and fat intake drastically reduce in the final two days leading up to race day. Again aim for 8-10g carb/kg body weight over the course of the two days. There is no reason to consume huge plate or two of pasta at dinner the night before the race. Overindulging before bedtime might disrupt sleep and can leave you feeling bloated on race morning.

It’s best to finish this last meal by 5:00-6:00 pm (earlier if possible), keep it bland, LOW in fat, low in fiber, and moderate protein.

If you prefer your last meal in the mid-afternoon the day before the race, having an early evening snack to top you off around 6:30 or 7:00 pm is wise. Try a bowl of cereal, peanut butter crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pretzels, and nut butter and a banana, Greek yogurt, or an energy bar and wash it down with water or a non-caffeinated non-alcoholic beverage of choice.

Avoid alcohol as it may disrupt sleep, promote dehydration and will not promote an optimal race day performance. Save it for the celebration after the race!

Examples of dinner or late lunch – the day before the race.

• White rice, 1-1.5 cups. grilled chicken, side bread, water, added salt to foods to taste.
• White or sweet potato, grilled chicken or lean steak, steamed carrots, side of bread, water, added salt to foods to taste.
• Cheese pizza, water, added salt to foods to taste.
• Pasta with a mild red sauce (avoid creamy sauces that are high in fat), lean protein of choice, water and added salt to foods to taste.

What to eat the morning of your race

Regardless of the duration of your event, intentionally skipping breakfast is not a wise move. Research shows that eating before a race improves performance. Here’s why: during the night, liver glycogen is responsible for maintaining blood sugars and fueling the body’s work of repairing and rebuilding while you sleep. However, by morning, your liver glycogen is half full at best. Therefore, it’s critical to restock carbohydrates to support performance.

Aim for breakfast 2.5-3 hours before race start to allow plenty of time for digestion. If pre-race jitters get the best of you, try taking small bites but don’t force it, and opt for breakfast in liquid form as it will clear the gut faster than solids and provide hydration. (Think Smoothies!).

Breakfast should be mainly carbohydrates with a small amount of protein, and a very limited amount of fat since fat takes the longest to digest and can lead to GI issues.

Nothing new on race day. Test-drive your pre-race breakfast.

Aim for carbohydrate quantities of 1-1.5g/lb. or 2-3g/kg body weight 2.5-3 hours before the race along with 12-20 ounces of fluid. Be careful to avoid overdrinking coffee as this can cause dehydration by stimulating the kidneys to dump sodium.

Examples of race day breakfasts:

• Bagel, 2 Tbsp jam, 2 Tbsp peanut butter, one large banana, 4 oz. juice, water – 150g carbohydrates

• One cup cooked oatmeal, grapes or banana, 1 Tbsp. honey, 5.3 oz Greek yogurt, 8 oz. juice, water – 159g carbohydrates

• 20-24 oz sports drink (40-50g/bottle), 2 pieces toast, 2 Tbsp. jam, 1 cup applesauce – 160-170g carbohydrates

If breakfast didn’t go down easily – remember, don’t force it. There is still time between breakfast up to 20 minutes before the race to top off blood glucose.

90 minutes prior to race – 30-60g carbohydrates and 12 ounces of fluid

• 12 oz sports drink and ½ sports bar or energy chews

Within 15 minutes of race start – 25g carbohydrates. For example:

• 8-12 oz. sports fluid
• 100 calories (25g CHO) of Energy chews
• 100 calories (25 g CHO) of sports supplement fuel (gel)

The key to pre-race fueling is to practice during training to determine what works for you. Remember — Nothing new on race day!

Good luck and have fun!