What do you eat for breakfast before a race?
If you stay in a hotel or camping how does it change what ou eat? Do you bring it with you?
Last Sunday I had to eat breakfast in the hotel before an olympic distance race. I felt a bit sick half way through the swim and again during the first mile on the bike. I have a big race in three weeks time and I want to plan my breakfast right.
I always have one bowl of oatmeal made with water and a Clif bar. Easy to carry and you can make it anywhere. Then have a Gu or two right before the race start.
Don’t know if it’s the best, but easy to repeat at every race
Dennis
Depending on the distance of the event I ususally have the following:
3 hours before race: 1 cup of black coffee (large) and two donuts.
1 Hour before event: Some kind of highly refined (lower fiber) approx 300 calorie energy bar and a liter of water.
20 minutes before the start: 1 Red Bull.
I find refined sugars and caffeine do the trick for me combined with enough water. This is for short distance events, less than 3 hours.
More than that everything becomes more complex, dependant on environmental factors, etc.
When I stay in a hotel generally the junk I eat is still readily available at the 7-Eleven, Dunkin Donuts or whatever. I also always bring a cooler for before/after the race.
I stick to simple, easy to digest, low residual, foods. I bring my own Metabalol Endurance and then find/buy some orange juice and a banana to put in also. At hotels, if I ask nicely the night before, I can usually get some oj before the continental breakfast opens.
My triathlon friends can’t believe how poorly I eat in the morning. I think it comes from having a competitive swimming background where nutrition rarely matters.
Before morning workouts – nothing.
Before triathlon races – one Diet Dr. Pepper, half of a Gatorade, and a pop tart.
Same as very morning: lemon poppy seed Cliff Bar, a banana, and a cup of coffee. Depending on how long it is from breakfast to the start time, I’ll eat another energy bar and a drink a Gatorade. All of this is, of course, in-between copious amounts of water.
SM
I am able to eat and the more I eat the better. Time usually calls for cereal and buttered toast with a soda. Perfect world when there is time is pancakes and eggs until I’m full 2 hrs before. I will do a half bottle of energy drink 15 min before. If I feel a little full I’ll do a little longer warmup.
Pre-Race: WaWa coffee, apple & banana
Post-Race: Reuben w/fries at Country Club Diner (Voorhees, NJ) or Lumberjack Slam at Denny’s (locations worldwide)
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My breakfast is always the same before a race:
3 hours before 2 cups of coffe and a huge bowl of rasin bran.
If I am traveling to a race, I get a cooler for the milk and bring the cereal. Sometimes finding coffee at 4:30 can be a bit tricky if the hotel doesn’t have a coffee pot in the room (I don’t do camping before a race). If it doesn’t have one I scout around for a 24 hour convenience store, and have them make a fresh pot of coffee.
Don B
at imlp last week, 3 hours before the race:
1 whole grain and flax seed bagel with liberal amounts of almond butter and jelly (all brought from home)
1/2 chocolate chip clif bar
1 large coffee
gatorade/water
for shorter races I would just do the bagel and almond butter and jelly and coffee. the trick is getting it in early enough so it digests.
At race day you should eat exactly what your body is used to. If you race in the morning, take the same breakfast you always take on the mornings before the training but try and fill up the bowl a little more (well… if we are talking of cereals or something like that)
My race day meals:
7am: I usually eat cereals as breakfast in the morning and at race day I try and put less milk and more cereals.
8am: Start pumping up water
9:20: Stop water, drink a Red Bull
10:00 Race
If your race is on the afternoon just adjust the timing 
Large bowl of oatmeal, coffee and an Odwalla drink. Water in the morning before the race is very important, especially if you drink coffee.
Two Eggo waffles, two pieces of bacon, 6 oz. Welch’s grape juice, large cup of black coffee. If you stay at a hotel, choose one with a continental breakfast. You can bring your own stuff and heat it up in their microwave or toaster.
I used this for WTH and it worked great. I’m planning on using it for my other races this year.
4-5am - 1 Can Kirkland Signature Weight Loss Shake (like Ensure, Boost, etc.)
5-6am - 1 Can Kirkland Signature Weight Loss Shake (like Ensure, Boost, etc.)
5:30-race start - 28oz bottle of Cytomax (or other sports drink) - sip on it while I drive to race start, change, etc…
I can’t handle any real solid foods in the mornings as my stomach usually gets grumbly.
Triple serving of oatmeal with small amount of non-fat milk and two packs of Equal. One large glass of water. Just before the start of the race I drink two cups of coffe with a squirt of non-fat milk and two packs of Equal.
But, I’m going to try Lance’s breakfast before my big training ride tomorrow a.m. Two cups of rice with 3 eggs. Burp!
-Robert
It is best to stick with what your body is used to each day. When I go to out of town races and need to stay in a hotel, I pack what I need. This is bagels, peanut butter, Eload, Gatorade, Powerbars, Hammergel, honey, bananas, juices in those tetra boxes, coffee and lots of water. I always ask the hotel if there is a coffee maker in the room. If there is not, I take a small electric kettle with me and my camping coffee pot and make it all in the room. Sometimes, I even pack my toaster so that I can toast my bagel (that is the way I like them!). I try to eat the bagels with the peanut butter and honey about 2 hours before the race with my coffee, fruit and juice. Then about 30 minutes before race time, I eat a powerbar. During all of this time, I am drinking Eload and water.
Hope this helps.
Oh, I agree and I do almost the exact same thing. Some people will eat anything, but I am MISTER PICKY. I always bring my coffee and PEANUT BUTTER.
I was just talking about tomorrow a.m.'s breakfast before my 60 mile training ride.
-Robert
Eat the type of breakfast that you would normally eat, but maybe just a little more. Before I head out for my 5 and 6 hour rides, I just eat my bagel, fruit, juice and coffee and sometimes some cereal too. Then I take all the nutrition (Powerbars, Hammergel, etc) with me and use it throughout the ride. That way, my stomach is always very happy and does not get upset with a change in the routine.
Have a great ride tomorrow!
If the race is in the afternoon- 12 biscuits of shreaded wheet.
If the race is in the morning- 6 biscuits of shreaded wheet.
one vb and a winnie blue
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