BY COACH GEORGE
Here’s a primer on why runners should eat pasta, rice, potatoes, or other high-carb foods beginning 2 day before a track meet so your athlete comes to the starting line fully fueled and ready to go.
And don’t forget the water. Lots and lots and lots of water bottles beginning Friday night…..NO SPORTS DRINKS, NO SODA, NO ENERGY DRINKS….
GOOD EATS
When you eat a bowl of spaghetti, most of the carbs are stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver. Glycogen is your body’s most easily accessible form of energy, but it’s not the only source. During a race, you burn both glycogen and fat. But the latter is not as efficient, which means your body has to work harder to convert it into fuel.
You can’t completely fill your muscles with glycogen from just one meal, which is why you should start carbo-loading two or three days before your race.
Choose Wisely
Which carbs should you load up on? 85 to 95 percent of your diet beginning 2 days before the track meet should be carbs.
Tortillas, oatmeal, bread, pancakes, waffles, bagels, yogurt, and juice are all easy-to-digest options. Many fruits are high in carbs but are also high in fiber—and too much can cause stomach trouble midrace. Bananas are a low-fiber choice. And you can peel apples, peaches, and pears to reduce their fiber content.
Feel free to eat white bread and baked potatoes without the skin since both are easily digested.
Avoid high-fat foods—like creamy sauces, cheese, butter, and oils—as well as too much protein. They fill you up faster than carbs and take longer to digest.
Meal Ideas
Breakfast
1 bagel with 2 tablespoons strawberry jam (71 g)
Oatmeal
1 medium banana (27 g)
8 ounces fruit yogurt (41 g)
8 ounces orange juice (26 g)
Lunch
baked potato with 1/4 cup salsa (69 g)
bsourdough roll (40 g)
8 ounces chocolate milk (26 g)
1 large oatmeal cookie (56 g)
Dinner Foods
Sweet Potatoes
Just about any type of bean — Kidney, pinto, black, garbanzo
Squash
Snacks
Popcorn
Blueberries
Cheeries
Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey Granola Bars (29 g)
Clif Bar (42 g)