EAT TO WIN! Race Training Nutrition Tips from Joan Benoit-Samuelson
NUTRITION FOR RACE TRAINING
Eat 17 - 26 calories per pound of body weight per day, depending on your training intensity (example: 150 lb. person training 3 - 4 days per week should consume 3,300 calories per day)
Eat a diet high in carbohydrates – 60% of your calories should come from complex carbohydrates (fruits and whole grains), 20-25% from fat (meats, cheese, nuts) and 15 – 20% from protein (fish, beef, poultry, soy, legumes)
Drink lots of fluids, avoid coffee and alcohol
Eat snacks every 2-3 hours. Energy bars, fresh fruits and whole grains are all good snack foods for a body in training
RACE DAY FUEL
Eat a very light meal, high in carbohydrates 2-4 hours before the race starts (avoid all concentrated sweets and sugars immediately before). Example of high carb, light meal is: a piece of fruit and a toasted whole-grain bagel
Avoid high fiber and gassy foods
Drink lots of water before and during the race - Plan to drink 4 – 6 oz of water every 10-20 minutes during the race
Don't try anything new!
AFTER THE RACE
Re-fuel after the race at the Hannaford food tent with 50-100 grams of carbohydrates (100 grams of a good carbohydrate is 1 small apple or 1 oat bran bagel) within 15 minutes of your finish. Start with liquids and switch to solids.
