Pre-Race Meal

Pre-Race Meal: Mystery Solved

Almost every athlete completely blows the pre-race meal by eating too many calories in the critical 3-hour window before their race starts. Correct this mistake and you'll be way ahead of your competition before the race even starts.

Eating within 1-2 hours of race start promotes faster depletion of muscle glycogen and inhibits fat utilization. If your race is longer than 60-90 minutes, this combination of accelerated glycogen depletion and disruption of your primary long-distance fuel availability will devastate your performance. Pre-race fueling must be completed at least three hours prior to the start to allow adequate time for insulin and blood glucose to normalize. After three hours, hormonal balance is restored, and accelerated glycogen depletion & inhibited fat utilization problems no longer exist.

Following these simple steps will give you the big advantage:

• Consume 200-400 calories three or more hours prior to the start
• Focus on complex carbs, starches, and a little protein
• Avoid high fiber, simple sugars, and high fat

If you have an early morning race start, don't sacrifice sleep to get up and eat! It's completely unnecessary because muscle glycogen stores remain mostly intact until you begin exercising. Instead, sleep as long as you can, fast until 5-10 minutes before race start and then consume a small amount of fuel, such as Hammer Gel. Then, begin normal fueling as soon as you can after the race begins.

For even more helpful info about the critical Pre-Race Meal, take a look at our article, The Pre-Race Meal