Pre-Race Meals

We all have our favorite pre-race meals. Some of us have lived through shifts in trends; from huge pancake stacks during the carbo-loading craze that often left us feeling bloated and listless, to nothing but plain water for breakfast during the shift to less substantive pre-race intake which left us weak and depleted. After years of experimentation, I have found that a relatively small, but nutrient dense, meal works best for me.

Many people have asked me to describe specifically, my ultimate pre-race meal, so here goes: It consists of a 4oz serving of Greek-style yogurt, half a cup Bear Naked Peak granola, and half a cup of fresh organic blueberries or blackberries or a chopped banana.

Greek Gods plain yogurt is my personal favorite because it is whole natural yogurt with nothing added or taken away. I find that the low-fat and fat-free yogurts don't satiate me and sustain my energy levels the way whole yogurt does. Often I can run an entire marathon consuming just water after having this pre-race meal.

If temperatures are predicted to be warm on race day, I'll also consume 14oz of ZICO pure premium coconut water. Not only does ZICO provide the perfect balance of electrolytes, it sits very nicely in my stomach and doesn't slosh around a lot or cause GI distress.

So there you have it, my ultimate pre-race formula. But I always tell other runners, "Listen to everyone, follow no one." What works best for me may not work best for you.

On that note, I'd be curious to hear from some of you. What's your ultimate pre-race fuel? Leave your recipe in the "Comment" box below.

Thank you. I'm sure we'll all learn a lot from this, and probably get pretty hungry, too!

Dean