Add this before your next race to get the most out of yourself...

Race season is upon us! I would like to say that it is cooling down and the leaves are changing color, but unfortunately, that is not true in sunny SC. Maybe soon!

What really important thing can you do for yourself before your race, regardless of how training went, to give yourself the best possible advantage?

CARB LOAD!

While having a diet high in carbohydrates is important for anyone who is running a lot of miles each week, a true carb load is only needed for races that are about 75 minutes or longer. This is because glycogen (storage form of sugar) is depleted after about 90-120 minutes of exercise. Remember that glycogen is a vital source of energy when running, so we want to be sure that your muscle and liver are fully stocked.

A carb load should last about 2-3 days before your event. If you are aiming for 2 days, you should consume about 10g carb/kg body weight per day. If you want to stretch it into a 3 day carb load, which is my preference, consume about 8g carb/kg body weight per day.

Let's say you want to do a 3 day carb load and you weigh 145 pounds.

145/2.2 = 65.9kg

65.9 X 8 = 527g carbs

Now, you may wish to divide that up into 3 meals and 3 snacks, which would be about 88g carbohydrate 6 X/day for 3 days. Do you see why I like to stretch it over 3 days instead of 2? It is a lot of carbohydrates and it can be less overwhelming to have a little less carbs over a longer period of time.

So how would you get 88 grams of carbs in one sitting?

Examples:

Turkey bagel sandwich, 8oz of milk, banana = 92 grams

2 slices of pizza, apple = 87 grams

Be sure to give this a try before a long training run BEFORE the race so that you know which foods sit well with you and you can get your body used to eating so many carbohydrates. While this is rooted in science, everyone's body is different, so sometimes there is trial and error in knowing what works best for you.