Diet practice before 5mil run

wexfordman

Hi

Took up running about 12 months ago and going reasonably well! At 40 think I'm def hitting my midlife crisis :-). Anyway all going well, from whr.ere I was (16 stone now down to 14) I'm doing an averag of about 9 min miles! It's the finishing and completing he run without stopping thats important o me rather than the times!

Anyway, been oing the ballycotton series with the aim of entering the ballycotton 10 next year, and tomorrow is the last of the 4 x 5miles which guarantee entry, so really looking forward to it!

What I struggle with tbh is diet, particularly if a run is on a working day evening and trying to get he best possible combination, so was wondering if people could give me a few tips for day before and also day of run!

Say run Is tomorrow at 7:30pm what advice would you give ?

Thanks
Eamon

RayCun

What is the struggle? Indigestion or stitches during the race?

wexfordman

Generally I get a stitch on the evening runs, but also looking for the best advice with regards energy etc to get myself in good form for th run, bd provide an energy boost!

Also fluid intake, want to get it right but not get caught having to dip into a hedge somewhere -:)

RayCun

Don't eat anything for 90 minutes before the race to avoid the stitch. Have your main meal at lunchtime. Don't have anything too heavy for that meal - no big steaks or large portions of anything. If you're hungry later on, have a snack of a banana or a bit of toast, still leaving a big gap before the race. You can eat after you run.

seamus

What works for everyone differs, it's really a matter of figuring it out for yourself through trial and error.

Very rough guidelines I would give are that you stop all intake 2 hours before the event at the latest. 3 hours is ideal - for me. That includes any major fluid intake unless it's a warm day. Sipping on a small bit of water is fine, drinking half a litre of lucozade before the event is not.

I find myself that whether it's adrenaline or nerves or what, I will always need to pee before the start of an event. And then again five minutes later. And five minutes after that. I've learned that if I consciously tell myself that I don't need to pee, the feeling goes away once the event gets started.
If you stop drinking 2 hours beforehand and take a pee just before you go to stand on the start line, you know you won't suddenly get the urge midway through it. You will remain hydrated enough though for a 45 minute run (assuming 9 min miles).

If it's warm, carrying a small bottle and sipping on it when your throat is dry can be very helpful, but carrying water shouldn't be necessary for a five miler.

Foodwise, what Ray says is spot on. You don't need to carb load or anything like that, your body has more than enough reserves to get you around the course without hitting the wall.

wexfordman

Hi all , thanks for the advice, will see how it works fir me tomorrow :-)

Micilin Muc

I suffered stitches in a good few 7.30pm workday races over the summer. I ended up just having bread and soup for lunch at 2pm and a banana around 4pm. I didn't eat until after the race. Best of luck!