What To Eat Before A Half Marathon

Was really looking for advice really on what to eat in the two weeks prior to a half marathon and on the morning. i kind of know stuff with Carbs in and so on. And also what do i eat the morning of and night before. I am doing the Half Marathon at Wolverhampton which is a 9.30am start and i will be looking to stop in a hotel the night before. also is it right i shouldn't eat in the two hours leading upto the start time of the race.

Thanks guys.

A normal breakfast. It's only a half.

Oh hang on Steve

you cannot do Wolves HM, It ain't big enough for the 3 of us  LOL

days before your race you should stick to what you know food wise, and NOT change anything

you can nibble before hand, bananas, cereal bars - things - people mean try not running on a large meal

actually M.eldy sums it up - you should do what you do in training

one thing in life with runners puzzles me, always has done, WHY do they want to change things before a race

Hi mudman

yah, but interesting you should say that  - your normal breakfast - how long before the race do you have that -

but like you say , it's ONLY a half

m.eldy

how's u

Thanks guys, just being on the start line with you and Phil will be enough source of encouragment to spur me on Mick. As you all say it isn't really any differance as to what i have been doing in my training really, i guess it is getting the right balance?.

I did a 10 miler on saturday morning which i was pleased about, and which gave me some clues as to what i should do as in terms of putting fuel in before and after, i guess i was really trying to see if i could get anymore idea's from you guys and the experts and Legends Micknphil, i took a look at your website Mick the other day, some races under your belt there mate.

Still a little nervous about a week sunday, the usual visiting the toilet several times before, walking up and down, Mrs Mobley is booking us a hotel this morning in order so i can prepare right and dont have to rush to much sunday morning, I think she has been watching to much of the olympics and seeing they have the olympic village and all that, i did try and tell her i am no athlete, but if she is paying and it means not to much rushing around the next day what the hell.

I can offer a little advice in terms of what you can eat and the timing of it. Eating before a race or training session can be very tricky and the timing of that meal is crucial. Your bodies’ choice of fuel during exercise is carbohydrate so foods like pasta, rice, bread, potato are likely to pop into your head first. However, as you probably already know you wouldn't want to have a bowl of pasta too close to the start of you run!

• 3-4 hours before a run foods with a low glycemic index are advised – apples, pears, carrots, peas, pasta, muesli, fruit loaf.
• 1-2 hours before medium glycemic index food are advised – bananas, apricots, sweetcorn, muffins, crumpets, rice, cous cous, raisins.
• Less than an hour before your run high glycemic index food are advised – bagels, weetabix, coco pops, corn flakes, jelly beans, energy bars, sports drinks.

Glycemic index refers to how food affects our blood sugar levels, therefore how quickly the food is absorbed.

Remember that everyone’s digestive systems are different so what works for your friends might not work for you, never try anything new before a race and practice makes perfect. The following breakfast for athlete’s factsheet will provide you with some additional information.

Is a little chef Olympic breakfast a bad idea?