{"id":24005,"date":"2023-07-06T16:09:37","date_gmt":"2023-07-06T14:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.220triathlon.com\/?p=8532"},"modified":"2023-07-06T18:39:51","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T16:39:51","slug":"what-to-eat-during-the-week-before-your-triathlon","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/rss_feed\/what-to-eat-during-the-week-before-your-triathlon\/","title":{"rendered":"What to eat during the week before your triathlon"},"content":{"rendered":"

You should spend race week stuffing yourself with pasta, right? Think again, as what you eat or drink in the week before can make or break your race\u2026 <\/p>

By James Witts\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 06 July 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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As anyone who\u2019s ever bonked will know, nutrition can lead to a PB or a catastrophe. This is heightened during race week when your season goal lies at the end of it, and this is true whether you\u2019re racing sprint, Olympic, middle or long distance<\/a>, so all athletes need to choose carefully.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A common term is \u2018carb loading<\/strong><\/a>\u2019, when you pack your body with carbs in the race build-up so your energy levels are at their peak.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor middle- and long-course triathletes, you should definitely carb-load,\u201d explains Gatorade\u2019s sports scientist Matt Furber. \u201cBut you don\u2019t need a week before. Increase the calories from carbs two to three days out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you overeat at the start of race week, you\u2019ll feel lethargic by race day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furber recommends either consuming five carb-rich meals a day, split evenly throughout, or having breakfast, lunch and dinner with high carb snacks in between.<\/p>\n

Seek out sustained energy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As for sprint and Olympic, you don\u2019t need to focus on carb loading. This is especially true of sprint because you\u2019ll have enough glucose and glycogen in your body to cope with around 90mins of racing. Studies show that this level is around 500g, though is affected by genetics and fitness levels.<\/p>\n

All of you should seek out foods that\u2019ll provide sustained energy; in other words, low glycaemic index. We\u2019re talking pasta, rice, vegetables and quinoa. You should look down at your plate and see carbs taking up three quarters of the plate, but don\u2019t try anything new. If you don\u2019t eat quinoa normally, don\u2019t start now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree days out, you should also shift to a low-fibre diet,\u201d says Fran Bungay of Goal Specific Coaching. \u201cChange wholemeal to more refined white products (rice and pasta).\u201d Many of you should refrain from consuming spicy foods, too, for obvious reasons.<\/p>\n

When and what should be the pre-race meal?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ideally your pre-race meal will happen 3hrs before bed to ensure digestion and a good night\u2019s sleep<\/strong><\/a>. Yet studies have shown that one bad night\u2019s sleep isn\u2019t detrimental to performance. What is detrimental is a series of bad nights\u2019 sleep, so no phones in bed or caffeine after 1pm!<\/p>\n

Hydration\u2019s also key. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends drinking 5-7ml of fluid per kg of bodyweight slowly between 2-4rs before racing \u2018to promote hydration and allow enough time for excretion of excess water\u2019.<\/p>\n

For a 60kg person, this is 300-420ml. A simple urine chart<\/strong><\/a> will help you with this.<\/p>\n

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