Whether you are racing a sprint, Olympic, Half Ironman or Full Ironman triathlon, the food you consume prior to your race is a key factor in your overall performance. Understanding how carbohydrates, fat and proteins play a part in keeping your fuel tank full is prime knowledge. Knowing about other things like hydration and the role of sodium can help you find the finish line feeling good.
Carbohydrates
John Mora in "Triathlon 101" says carbohydrates are the best form of energy, especially for a triathlete about to race. Carbs are the primary fuel burned by working muscles during exercise, and they are burned up by the muscles three times as quickly as fat. Mora suggests eating a high-carb snack before a race like a bagel or banana, or even one of the many available sport energy gels or bars that are primarily complex carbs. Think of this as a pre-race topping off your fuel tank.
Carbo Loading
Many endurance athletes, especially triathletes who burn massive amounts of calories, learn rather early how important it is to load-up on carbohydrates. By "carbo loading," eating a more than adequate amount of carbs two or three days before your triathlon, you give your body time to store the carbs as gylcogen in your muscles and in reserve in your liver. Mora tells us that a triathlete needs an intake of 70 percent or more of carbohydrate calories pre-race.
Protein Role
While protein is important for building and repairing muscle, it is not a very necessary food source for your pre-race diet. You can get protein from lean meats and fish, but pre-race, most energy bars or supplements can supply you with adequate protein for your race, and are easily digested. Mora points out that protein can be important as a fuel source during your race as a reserve once you've burned through your gylcogen stores.
Timing Your Pre-Race Meal
Both Mora and Suzanne Girard Eberle in "Endurance Sports Nutrition" say that eating your pre-race meal one to two hours in advance of start time is important in that it gives your body time to digest the food and not cause stomach problems. Eberle quotes 1995 Hawaii Ironman Champion, Karen Smyers, who drank 1 cup of coffee pre-race to help stimulate the gastrointestinal system to clear things out so as to not require bathroom breaks during the race.
Hydration
While staying hydrated is important for any endurance athlete, Monique Ryan's "Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes" says that it is vital to top off your fluid levels during your pre-race rituals with enough fluid to get you to the first transition from swim to bike. At this point you can access more fluids to get you to the next aid station and transition. She suggest drinking sports drinks laden with electrolytes or salts, which are key in helping you retain bodily fluids during the race.
Nothing New On Race Day
All three authors, Mora, Eberle and Ryan, encourage endurance athletes like triathletes to do nothing new on race day nutrition-wise. Anything you eat pre-race and during the race should have been used by you during training. By doing this, you will not surprise your body with something that its not used to, which could lead to stomach or G.I. system issues, thus derailing your performance. Having to race three different sports---swimming, biking and running---is hard enough without having to deal with poor nutritional decisions.
References
- "Triathlon 101"; John Mora; 1999
- "Endurance Sports Nutrition"; Suzanne Girard Eberle; 2000
- "Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes"; Monique Ryan; 2002
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