For every race length except for the marathon, 95% of the time, I have a peanut butter Nature Valley granola bar, to which I add additional peanut butter, and a banana which I slice lengthwise, add peanut butter to, and then chop into pennies. This helps make the pre-race meal simple and worry-free because I know it will agree with me and then I can just focus on running my best race. For the marathon, I have everything that I usually have plus one of those cups of oatmeal that you make by adding water to, letting sit, etc. (This is also a relatively easy to come by pre-race meal: you want ideally to have something very transportable and easy to find or bring, rather than something more obscure just in case you travel to a race and forget to pack something! So aim at the outset to get in the routine of an easily found/made pre-race meal.) For the marathon, I often have to tweak this a little bit depending on how I feel at the moment; sometimes I have just 1 of the 2 granola bars within the pack. In sum, don’t worry too much if you have to adjust your pre-race meal especially a little on the fly. Sometimes here and there, I will have a pack of fruit snacks before a longer race as sort of a energy block substitute! You just want something that will be easy to bring, easy to eat if you are nervous, and that has been tried and tested a few times on a harder effort type run!
If you find for longer runs, such as your weekend long run, that you just have trouble getting enough in your system ahead of time, this is where on-the-run nutrition can be extremely beneficial. Try GUs or other gels for quick on-the-run energy, (Hint: chase these with some water!) I love GU Roctane gels, which I swear give me better energy than regular GUs, the non-Roctane version. During a marathon, I aim for a full gel every 5-7 miles. For just a long run, I might have 1-2 gels throughout as needed along with a drink with calories like Maurten or GU Roctane (which comes in nifty flavors like Summit Tea).
Once I get to runs in the 15-16+ mile range is when I really start ensuring I have an on-run energy source on hand. I like to carry the mini water bottles that are actually Nathan fuel belt replacement bottles with me! I am always surprised when I see runners out doing 15+ mile runs but taking in no hydration! Trust me, it really is not a big deal to carry a water bottle with you: you will be glad at mile 10 that you have it and are not going to be thirsty for the last 5 miles! Even better, during summer or warm weather long runs, find a way to loop back and grab extra mini bottles from beside your car, from off your front porch, etc.
Hydrating
Staying hydrated might sound like a no brainer: for the most part, we understand that this is something we should do, and it really is not too too hard to figure out. But similarly to how certain foods may sit better in your stomach, so too may certain liquids. Again, this in general is a little bit common sense: probably not the best idea, for instance, to have something super carbonated right before a race. In general, you just want to be sure you are drinking enough water, and it helps to have a water bottle on hand throughout the day. Besides just plain old water though, you do need electrolytes as an athlete! My go-to is Ultima Replenisher (which I honestly just drink all day at this point, I probably have 5 or so servings a day!). There are times when you also actually need to be drinking sugar as an athlete, but you also don’t need to be drinking sugar all day; this is one reason why I also really love Ultima—it is very natural and actually tastes really really good so I stay more hydrated naturally. (In particular, as I just had an extremely awful root canal, I am even more aware of the effects of sugar on tooth enamel—I feel like people often mention sugar as something to obviously not over consume, but too often they leave the effects on teeth out of the question!)
So, in sum, hydration just means making sure you actually drink some water and some electrolytes, and that you listen to your body. This is also where the mini water bottles become especially helpful for longer or particularly warm runs: you really really will be glad to have that drink literally on hand! For runs over 70 min. in length, or for runs in extremely humid or hot conditions, or for races where it is warm at all or that are over 10k, I basically always ensure that I have electrolytes to drink!
Race Day
On race day, do not try anything new. (This is the number one rule, the old adage, about race day prep!) Here is when you want to rely on the foods and drinks that you know your body likes and is used to, so that you can get your legs moving without worrying about…other things. If you always have coffee before your run, have coffee on race day, etc.! This doesn’t have to be rocket science…just don’t go and have an apple out of the blue like I did back in high school!
Once you find a few options that work for you, it is a super very good idea to use one of those tested pre-race meals for race day too!
Hope these tips help, especially if you are newer to running or gearing up for your first race! Once you find a good pre-run fuel system for you, you will fly through that finish line feeling like your best self—and with only the best kind of claps!
