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Super Foods, Super Race
Nutrition by Donna Marlor, RD, CSSD
www.DonnaMarlor.com
No matter how many times I have stepped into the “pen” for a race, in the few minutes before the start, my nervous energy rises. Did I wear the right clothes? How fast should I go out? Like a lot of other racers, I have limited amounts of time to train and get prepared. Sometimes just getting to the race seems like part of the race.
Every athlete knows that pre-race food choices can make the difference between a lackluster finish and a PR. No amount of training can make up for time lost because of gastrointestinal problems or a bad bonk.
Smart food choices do not happen by chance. Planning what to eat, when, is the best way to avoid race day mishaps.
Race Day Eating Starts the Day Before
While selecting nutrient rich foods is always a goal in the daily training diet, increased nervous system arousal, exercise intensity, duration, and dehydration are factors that can adversely affect your ability to digest food on race day.
Pre-event meals should be aimed at meeting two goals: 1) minimizing the potential for gastrointestinal problems during the race, and 2) topping off glycogen stores. Here’s a few tips on how to accomplish those goals.
Step 1: Reduce Fiber
Athletes competing in mountain biking events experience a substantial amount of impact and jarring. This forceful movement causes jostling of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and speeds up the movement of food through the system.
Tapering down the amount of fiber in the diet starting with the evening meal before a race is important. When relying on restaurant fare you may want to pass on the Mexican bean and rice burrito, Chinese stir-fry, or organic brown rice and nut casserole. These types of entrees can pack as much as 15-20 grams of fiber per meal. A better high carbohydrate choice is a simple sub sandwich, light on the veggie toppings, or the old standby: spaghetti with Italian bread.
Step 2: Hold Down Fat Calories
Research has shown that high fat meals do not seem to be much better or worse than high carbohydrate meals when eaten at least 6 hours before a race. There is a wide individual variation in tolerance to high fat diets, however, and too much fat at a single meal can slow down digestion, shunting blood flow to the stomach instead of muscles, including the heart. The closer it is to race time, the less fat should be in your pre-race meal.
Eat in Reverse
Racers who tend to feel sluggish and bloated if they eat a large meal the night before a race should reverse the usual pattern of eating. A larger breakfast and lunch can be balanced with a light evening meal. To insure carbohydrate and calorie needs are met, a high carbohydrate liquid bedtime snack is recommended. Now is the time to use recovery drinks that contain a small amount of protein and 150 – 200 calories per serving. Another great choice is low fat chocolate milk.
Breakfast of Champions
For generations, General Mills has promoted Wheaties® cereal as “the breakfast of champions”. Whether or not carbohydrate is supplied in cereal form is probably best left up to the individual palate, however, nutrition science certainly supports restoring liver and muscle glycogen stores that are depleted during the night to maintain blood sugar. How much to eat before a morning race varies from person to person, and is somewhat dependent on how late food is consumed the night before. A meal eaten at 6:00 pm, with no snack later in the evening will result in a greater need for morning carbohydrate than if a large snack was taken just before bedtime. Most athletes will find a pre-race carbohydrate intake of 2 calories per pound is enough to avoid early fatigue when performing moderately intense exercise of 90 minutes or less. For a 150-pound person that is equivalent to a breakfast in the range of 400 – 500 calories, assuming a meal also contains some protein and fat. If an event is over 90 minutes and performed at higher intensity as much as 8 calories of carbohydrate per pound may be required. Translated to the table, a 400 calorie breakfast may be a large bowl of cereal, low fat milk and a banana. To meet the 1200 calorie mark, an athlete should eat at least 3-4 hours before the event, and utilize some concentrated sources of carbohydrate to avoid feeling overloaded. A meal of pancakes and syrup, or toast with a generous amount of jelly and cereal sweetened with table sugar would fit in the latter situation. Adding a small amount of protein, such as a hard boiled egg or cottage cheese can help with “staying” power when events are over 2 hours. Avoid high fat protein sources like sausage, bacon and cheese so that the meal can be digested within 3 hours after eating.
Safe Sugars
Sugar can be a convenient and well-tolerated source of energy on race day because it is a concentrated form of carbohydrate. There are many types of sugar, however, and some are likely to cause gastrointestinal problems during endurance exercise. For example, sugar alcohols, often found in sports bars that claim to have reduced carbohydrate content, or a higher protein ratio, are often y listed only in the fine print on the ingredient list. Although they may be tolerated at rest, during exercise sugar alcohols are likely to cause gas and cramping. Any artificial sweetener with an “-ol” ending such as mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol are included in this class of sweeteners.
Natural sugars that are primarily free fructose will cause problems for more than 50% of the population during exercise. Fructose, which is natural sugar found in honey and fruit, is dependent upon a transport protein to move it from the intestine to the blood. For many individuals, just 25 grams of fructose – about the amount found in one cup of apple juice or two tablespoons of honey - will exceed the threshold of transport speed and fructose is left to ferment in the GI tract causing gas. Fruits with the highest level of free fructose sugar include grapes, apples and berries. Lactose sugar in milk is another type of natural sugar that many people cannot digest. Avoiding milk and fruit juice and substituting a sports hydration drink is a good option to insure quick absorption of sugar during exercise. Choose a hydration drink product that is made from a blend of glucose, maltodextrin, and fructose that is about 50 calories per cup.
Keep It Routine
What is the best pre-race meal? Few of us who race truly experiment with different routines to test out the best combination. While it’s tempting to follow the crowd and do what other racers do, the day of the race is not a good time to experiment. Keep to your usual routine, and save experimenting with different foods for training.
RACE DAY AT A GLANCE
The closer breakfast is to the start of the race, the smaller the meal should be
Include some salty foods, or use salt at the breakfast meal
Plan to use blocks or gels taken with water every hour during the event
Aim for 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour during the race
Drink 16 oz of sports hydration beverage within an hour before the event
During the race, sip of a sports hydration beverage as able, 6-12 oz every 15 to 30 minutes
Do not skip feeds, do not skip drinking fluids |
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Race to Ride
Jacqueline Wright
“No one starts mountain biking to compete in races,” said Noquemanon Trail Network Committee single-track chair member Derek Anderson, “it’s a gradual transition.” Most start mountain biking as a physical alternative to running or as an activity with friends. It usually takes a couple years for the casual rider to label themselves a biker, let alone a racer.
Though Anderson rides mostly for the experience, he also competes in races. A race Anderson annually competes in is the MGHS Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic (O2S). The O2S is a point-to-point race that starts in Negaunee where iron ore was first found in the Superior region and ends on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior. Riders are sure to be enchanted by the scenic terrain of Marquette County.
The O2S started off as an idea between two riding buddies. “Jeff Juntti and I wanted to create a point-to-point race that offered accessible terrain to every skill level,” explained race director Scott Tuma. Putting together the O2S was no easy task as everything had to be created from scratch. But the effort proved worthy as the O2S now attracts top Midwest riders and thousands of others.
The uniqueness of the O2S is what attracts so many riders. Including the O2S, only three major point-to-point races are offered in the Midwest. “Point-to-point races themselves are rare, and having one that is 48 miles in length is almost unheard of,” Anderson said. Adding to its uniqueness, portions of the O2S race track travel over privately owned land, meaning the course is open to riders only once a year.
Besides the 48 mile event, the MGHS Ore to Shore also offers a 28 mile course. To Anderson, the 28 mile event is a great way to take your riding to the next level and try your first race. He also encouraged those that have been racing the 28 mile to try the 48 mile this year as it is a substantially different experience.
Youth looking to take their riding to the next level should consider the 4 mile junior rock event which is professionally timed. Winners from the junior rock will take part in the official awards ceremony following the race. A one mile and 50 yard event is also available for the younger riders; parents love these events as they get to witness their child in action. All youth riders are given a race T-shirt and ribbon for their efforts. Designed so parents can race in the morning, then watch their kids in the afternoon, the O2S is sure to be fun for the entire family.
Though a fun experience, there still is a level of competition. However, the term competition is relative to the rider. Some compete to place and win the cash prize, while others are racing to compete against a friend or last year’s time. But it isn’t the competitive part of racing that intrigues most riders. “I like riding and I like training; the race for me is secondary,” said Anderson. Biking is one of the friendliest sports around. It’s not uncommon to hear ‘competitors’ supporting each other’s efforts throughout the race. Such support breeds a captivating atmosphere. “The energy surrounding the race is indescribable. To be around hundreds of people who are just as passionate about biking as you are is amazing,” Anderson said.
August 14th marks the 11th annual MGHS Ore to Shore. Create a unique challenge for your body and mind; if nothing else, take part in the race simply to enjoy the ride. In the words of Anderson, “What’s the worst that can happen?” |
