Pre-Race Meal Suggestions - The night before...

[JackRabbitSlims]

Hi.

I have a couple of big races / events coming up this month.

I have my race day nutrition pretty much dialed in:
Breakfast has been the same for years - Rolled oats in vanilla soy milk, blueberries, & walnuts cooked of course. Big mug of black coffee all consumed around 3 hours before race start.
Sip on sports drink leading up to the race. Gel 15 mins before the start.
Liquid fuel the entire race (Hammer Products)

Looking for ideas or suggestions on meal options the night before the race. I have tried all sorts over the years and have been reading a bit on what some of the pros do - I know this is the wrong way to choose and that I need to find out what works best for me etc, but would like a bit of variety.

At the moment I have a 3 egg omelet, 1 cup of brown and wild rice mix, 2 slices of whole grain bread with Hummus, followed by a pottle of Yoghurt and maybe some fruit.

What do you guys use / have??

 

[enrecul]

steak

steak........preferebly spanish or mexican

washed down with some jack daniels

 

[brianf7]

Fish n Chips with beer . I have tried this for years and nothing makes any difference for me.

Good balanced meal not too late at night. If race is satuyrday then Fish N Chips friday night .

I have been on a number of Tours latly and realy I dont see anything special in what the pros eat.

What they eat behind closed doors may be different.

One thing I noted was yogurt for breakfast heaps of it.

Keep sugar down. fat burns. sugar dont

 

[tubularglue]

Pantani, the night before he got kicked out of the Giro.

eat just a little.

Like that night, Marco was eating only a bowl of rice while being interviewed

 

[usedtobefast]

Hi.

I have a couple of big races / events coming up this month.

I have my race day nutrition pretty much dialed in:
Breakfast has been the same for years - Rolled oats in vanilla soy milk, blueberries, & walnuts cooked of course. Big mug of black coffee all consumed around 3 hours before race start.
Sip on sports drink leading up to the race. Gel 15 mins before the start.
Liquid fuel the entire race (Hammer Products)

Looking for ideas or suggestions on meal options the night before the race. I have tried all sorts over the years and have been reading a bit on what some of the pros do - I know this is the wrong way to choose and that I need to find out what works best for me etc, but would like a bit of variety.

At the moment I have a 3 egg omelet, 1 cup of brown and wild rice mix, 2 slices of whole grain bread with Hummus, followed by a pottle of Yoghurt and maybe some fruit.

What do you guys use / have??

i say go with what you know. it looks like a good mix. also hydrate thyself,with water in the days before. keep the system flowing.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

Ha

Not a big red meat eater and Jack Daniels is not my plonk of choice - but I like the reply

I can't remember the last time I had F & C's for dinner - growing up it was our standard Sunday night family dinner.
I may start with some yoghurt in the morning as a change though?

Yeah - I was reading a good article by Greg Henderson about racing and training nutrition. He said many people make the mistake of eating way too much the morning of their event. He recommends the meal the night before should be large and breakfast on the day shouldn't be too big. He also states that towing the start line a little hungry is no problem as it's usually a combination of the hunger and nerves
Plenty of carbs in the week before the event, but don'y go crazy, plus Hydration, hydration, hydration!! - obviously this is crucial!

Thanks for your replies -

 

[straydog]

Fish n Chips with beer . I have tried this for years and nothing makes any difference for me.

....

Keep sugar down. fat burns. sugar dont

Actually, this isn't a bad night before race meal. Except possibly the beer. If you stick to one it will probably be fine, too much though and you risk dehydration the following day. The chips are a fine source of carbohydrate, something you should definitely include in a "night before meal" to keep your glycogen stores topped up. And the fish is a good source of protein. As for the food being fried....well Nicole Cooke swears by a fry up the morning of a race to "coat" her stomach, as does Ricky Hatton.

One thing though.....sugars do burn. Any carbs you eat are converted to sugars and are our primary fuel while exercising. Hence all the quick release sugary gels and bars people eat during races and hence the need to keep our glycogen levels (in essence our blood sugar) stocked up before we race.

The morning of the race should reflect this too. Mainly carbs (low G.I preferably), with about 30 percent of the meal split between proteins and "good" fats. And don't overeat.

One thing I would also suggest is eating to suit your blood type. What works for one doesn't work for all. We all metabolise fats and sugars at a different rate.

 

[galaxy1]

One thing I would also suggest is eating to suit your blood type.

spot on. i eat mostly plastic, especially on rest days.

 

[Fieldsprint]

Originally Posted by straydog View Post
One thing I would also suggest is eating to suit your blood type.

Based on what?

 

[straydog]

Based on personal experience. If you google "eating blood type" you can read plenty of information on the concept, both for and against, but honestly I didn't realise I had to include that tip in my original post. Have a look see, if you are interested, try it. If not, don't. It is a suggestion not an order.

I would also suggest people have tests to see if they are intolerant or allergic to any food stuffs. Like wise, get themselves checked for any undiagnosed Inflammatory bowel disease. Both scenarios will inform your dietary requirements.

 

[Elegant Degenerate]

... a good article by Greg Henderson about racing and training nutrition. He said many people make the mistake of eating way too much the morning of their event. He recommends the meal the night before should be large and breakfast on the day shouldn't be too big.

Yep - I'd agree with this and might even suggest that you can overeat the night before as well.

Your training should reflect similar rides to the ride for which you eating, if not quite as long or hard, but similar still the same.

So just don't eat differently to how you usually would before (and during) a long training ride.