
This training cycle I’ve figured out the best race nutrition that works for me. I started with advice from online articles, books, and other runners and tweaked it for what works for me based on my performance at races and long training runs and to make it plant-based. These are the strategies I’m following this week.
Race Week
- No processed foods. I eat mostly whole foods in general, but I’m especially careful to try to not eat anything that comes in a package during race week. My exceptions are almond milk, pretzels, pasta, and tofu.
- No alcohol. I’m not a big drinker to begin with, so I play it safe and don’t have any alcohol.
- No candy or sugar. My weaknesses are Twizzlers and Swedish Fish (I know–awful!), and I usually have some baked goods in my freezer. For race week, I try to swear them all off. This week I’ll be making cupcakes (chocolate-coconut with coffee buttercream topped with toasted coconut!) for a friend’s birthday, so it’s going to be really tough. I will likely at least taste the frosting and batter–I have to make sure it tastes good, right?
Three Days Before the Race
- Lots of water. I drink a lot of water to begin with, but I’ll be drinking tons.
- Lots of carbs. The things that worked well for me before long training runs were whole-wheat bagels, pasta, and bread, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, bananas, orange juice, and lentils.
- No beans. I’ve learned this training cycle that beans are hard on my digestive system. Home-cooked ones are better, but I’m still going to avoid them prior to the race. I’ll be eating tofu and lentils instead.
- No hard-to-digest veggies. I’m staying away from cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Instead I’ll eat tomatoes, salad greens, mushrooms, spinach, and potatoes, which are very easy for me to digest.
Some typical meals that work well for me include:
- Oats cooked with almond milk, with cocoa powder, stevia, and peanut butter mixed in
- Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter
- Baked sweet potato and/or baked sweet potato fries
- Baked potato and/or roasted potatoes
- Lentil soup
- Whole wheat pasta (1-1.5 cup) with steamed spinach and marinara sauce (1/2-3/4 cup), with homemade tofu ricotta or meatless meatballs (I made some this week with lentils and oats.)
- Sauteed portobello mushroom and spinach wrap
- Tofu scramble, mushroom, and spinach wrap
- Mixed green salad with oil and vinegar
- Baked tofu sandwich on whole wheat
- Spanikorizo–brown rice cooked with spinach and Greek seasonings
- Tomatoes–I basically have sliced, raw tomatoes with every lunch and dinner because I love them so much.
For snacks I have bananas, apples, oranges, pretzels, and whole-wheat toast with peanut butter.
Day Before the Race
- Breakfast: Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, banana, and orange juice
- Morning snack: Another bagel with peanut butter and banana
- Lunch: Baked sweet potato, whole wheat toast, and banana
- Dinner: Whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce (I keep the portion of dinner pretty small–not more than 1 cup pasta and 1/2 cup marinara)
- Evening snack: Pretzels or slice of whole-wheat toast with peanut butter or banana
- Drinks: Lots of water with Nuun and mint tea (helps with digestion)
Morning of the Race
- 3 hours before: Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and banana, 12 ounces water
- One hour before: 8 ounces orange juice
- 15 minutes before: Clif Energy Gel, Salt Stick cap, and a few sips of water
During the Race
- 3 gels at 0:30, 1:15, and 2:00–I plan to walk to talk my last gel since it’s been so hard for me to take it while running.
- Salt Stick cap at 1:15–Because it will be warm and I’m prone to nausea, I’m going to take a second Salt Stick cap halfway through the race.
- Nuun in my handheld and water at stations
After the Race
Whatever I want! 🙂 There will be lots I can snack on at the finish line, like a bagel, fruit cup, potato chips, and pretzels. Because I will stay Downtown to cheer on the marathoners, I will eat a more substantial lunch afterwards.
Reading what you'll eat the day before the race makes me hungry – must be time to eat dinner! Sometimes I bring a little protein to have just after the finish – you might like a peanut butter packet to go with the bagel that they give out. Have fun at the race!
That's a really good idea. I'll be checking a bag so I think I'm going to do that. Thanks!
I normally drink plenty of water so I have to be careful not to drink too much. I add something with electrolytes the last couple of days. I don't do any real crazy carbo loading. I may eat extra sweet potatoes and bananas throughout the week. I always eat my bigger meal at lunch the day before. It looks like you know what works for you…and that's exactly what you need to stick with.
Yes, my biggest meal the day before will also be lunch.
Looks like a solid plan – I'm glad you've found what works for you 🙂
I used to shun pasta as a pre-race meal, but now I'm hooked. I alternate between spaghetti with a ground meat sauce or my Portobello Mushroom raviolis and garlic bread with either. They both work really well for me (and are delicious!!)
I know that it's a little unconventional, but I start my carbs usually Monday or Tuesday by gradually replacing carbs at each meal. Most people say it's too early to start that, and it's more mental for me than anything, but I like gradually increasing them rather than just pounding them in the 2 or 3 days leading up to the race!
I think I read that's what you're supposed to do for a marathon, and if it works for you, that's all that matters!