What you eat before, during (if the race is long enough), and after a race, as well as during exercise, will have a profound effect on your performance and recovery. Eating the right types of food before your race can help as much as eating the wrong type of food can hinder. Depending on the duration and intensity of the race, you’ll perform better when consuming certain foods and liquids at certain times. And when the race is over and most are staring at the race crew while they figure out the results, you should be eating and drinking to recover. Here are some general guidelines.
Fuel Before the Race
- Carbohydrate solutions should be at a 3% or less concentration for the hour leading up to exercise. Typically, water is all that should be consumed.
- During aerobic activity lasting under one hour (even 90 minutes for some, depending on fitness levels), it is most beneficial to not eat within one hour before the exercise and drink only water before the exercise. You’ll burn more fat this way.
- The “last meal” before the activity should be geared toward what your body is in store for, and it is very individualized, depending on your health and fitness. The more fit and healthy you are, the more fat you’ll be burning, so the less you need to eat. The more unhealthy and/or unfit you are, the more sugar you will burn, so you’ll need/want to consume more carbohydrates and sports drinks.
- For aerobic activity of long duration (over two hours), eat approximately two to three hours before, with a high-protein (20–30 grams) and “good” fat intake, such as olive oil, nuts and seeds, and moderate complex carbs. Experiment with what works best for you.
- Carbohydrates, 45 minutes or less before aerobic exercise, have been shown to be detrimental to performance, and you’ll burn more sugar than fat for energy.
- For anaerobic activity of short duration, increase the carbohydrates, moderate protein, and low fat up to one hour before exercise.
- Are you training aerobically or anaerobically? Sock Doc explains here.
Fuel During the Race
- Most current studies show that a glucose solution of 7–8% during prolonged exercise (one hour or longer) is most efficient for the body. Begin after 15 minutes into the exercise. Eight percent is approximately 20 grams of carbohydrates in 8oz of water (1 cup). Glucose with some fructose works best.
- Calorie intake during exercise lasting over three hours is dependent on energy expenditure. For example, a 150lb person exercising over three hours should consume around 400 calories per hour, on average. As noted above, the healthier and fitter a person is, the less they will need to eat in regard to carbohydrates and calories, because they are a more efficient fat-burning machine.
- Calorie intake (as food) for exercise lasting under three hours is dependent on the person’s aerobic efficiency. The less efficient and more anaerobic, the more carbohydrates are needed to keep blood sugar levels normal and stable.
- Calorie intake for exercise lasting under one hour is unnecessary and may impair fat utilization for energy.
Fuel After the Race: Eat and Drink!
During the recovery phase following any training regime or competition, there is a time considered the “window of opportunity,” where an athlete can recover faster by eating than if they wait. The window is said to be open for approximately 60 minutes post-exercise, and the focus should not be just on hydration, but also on protein and carbohydrate intake. Approximately 100g of carbohydrates and 25g of protein are needed within the first hour after exercise (the actual amount depends on body weight, activity duration, and intensity). This ratio of 4:1 is said to nearly double the insulin response, which results in more stored glycogen. Carbohydrate-protein (CHO-PRO) supplementation is more effective in rapidly replenishing glycogen levels than just regular carbohydrate supplementation post-exercise. CHO-PRO supplementation has also been shown to improve exercise endurance during a second bout of exercise performed on the same day. Glycogen stores are quickly replenished in depleted muscles (and to some extent, the liver), and amino acids are readily available to repair any tissue damage, particularly those caused by cortisol’s influence on converting amino acids (specifically branch chain amino acids) to glucose for fuel through the process of gluconeogenesis.
Amino acids are oxidized as substrate during prolonged exercise, and both endurance and resistance training increase skeletal muscle protein synthesis and breakdown in the post-exercise period. During intense workouts lasting longer than three hours, as much as 10% of energy may come from protein. The branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine, and valine are said to be the most important for recovery. BCAAs make up about one-third of muscle protein and enhance endurance by conserving glycogen, maintaining muscle mass, power and endurance during exhaustive bouts of exercise. Furthermore, BCAAs have been shown to help maintain immune status and therefore reduce overtraining.
