How to Eat Before Running a 10K

All photos courtesy of Dennis Steinauer, www.pbase.com/dds

Is this your first 10K race? Or is it the first 10K for which you hold ambitious finish time goals? Eating properly can give you a leg up. To be at peak condition when the start gun pops, eat a balanced healthy diet during training and especially the day before your big race. A 10K race is a distance event, and you need stamina more than super-quick speed. It takes weeks of good eating while you train to develop and nourish 10K muscles.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step 1

USDA Food Pyramid. Image courtesy of USDA.

Eat well as you train hard. Eat adequate meals of nutritious food you already like.

Step 2

Experiment to find out what foods go down well, allow you to run well, and don't return to haunt you. Many runners eat frequent small meals on days with intense workouts.

Step 3

Bananas: carbohydrates, potassium, no fat, little fiber

Limit the intake of high-fiber foods before long runs. It moves quickly through the digestive tract.

Step 4

Runners just love bagels.

Skew your diet toward carbohydrates, cutting down a little on proteins and fats, but never over-react to the point of eating poorly.

Step 5

Also drink during the race.

Drink all the time, but drink mostly water. Cut down or cut out caffeinated and alcoholic beverages, which are diuretics.

Step 6

It worked.

Eat a regular meal the night before the race. Eat familiar food, more carbs than fats or proteins. Drink a lot of water.

Step 7

Eat a small meal two to three hours before you race. Keep drinking.

Tips & Warnings

Remember that you are unique. A fellow runner's perfect pre-race meal may spell disaster in your stomach. If you race a couple of training runs, you'll have a good idea what goes down well with you. In general, rich foods, spicy foods, and foods largely comprising protein and fat cause more problems during a run than do lighter meals high in carbohydrates but low in dietary fiber.

Remember that you are unique. A fellow runner's perfect pre-race meal may spell disaster in your stomach. If you race a couple of training runs, you'll have a good idea what goes down well with you.

In general, rich foods, spicy foods, and foods largely comprising protein and fat cause more problems during a run than do lighter meals high in carbohydrates but low in dietary fiber.

Be prudent about your level of fitness. Train wisely, and consult your doctor when questions arise.

Resources

Article Written By Lani Johnson

Lani Johnson is a hiking, writing musician. Recent published work includes journalism, poetry and research. See her online writing at Trails.com or at Azacda.presspublisher.us.

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