After 2 emergency trips to the porto-potties on the run at 1/2 Vineman, I was rethinking my pre-race nutrition while dying on the john the second time. Now, with visions of entering Caliman as a season closer, this is important.
I was eating ‘normal’ foods to me the day before. chicken, brown rice, pasta, etc. NOTHING new or different. Still, on the run, BANG!
Should I keep it to liquids the day before? Cals are cals, and 3,000 from good liquids isn’t tough for me…
What is your race day nutrition? Have you considered it is something you are ingesting during the race?
Brown rice is high in fiber.
Good ole pasta w/ red sauce and chicken ,or veggies is always a sure thing.
Me -I gorge on 3 lbs of BBQ Baby Back Ribs,mash potatoes,geen beans and tons of Iceberg lettuce salad.
I met a guy who was good friends with Edwin Moses, this was the big guys pre-race fave.,tried it once, and oh yeah! it works.
What is your race day nutrition? Have you considered it is something you are ingesting during the race?
All liquids. eFuel with Carb Pro, no crap issues on long training rides. On the run its gatorade and water, no gel.
I generally have good luck with a slightly bigger than normal lunch, and then a very light dinner the day before. Seems like I’m generally done hitting the porta-johns before the gun goes off that way.
I always go liquid for two days prior to a major race. The less residue in the colon, the less chance for a “blow out”. My formula is 6 cans of Gatorade chocolate shake per day. Each 11 oz can has something like 370 calories in a perfectly balanced ratio of CHO, protein, and fat. The day before I go liquid I always go heavy on the carbs. In fact this has worked so well I’m considering 3 days of liquid prior to an IM. No chance for a blow out then!!
I have a very sensitive stomach and have ended several races on the ground from the pain, so I try to keep it very light the day before. Bagel or something like that for breakfast, fruit for lunch and a light dinner. Sticky rice is a favorite! Always done eating by 6:00 the day before. And plenty of water. I know I should probably be eating more, but my main priority right now is to make it to the end still standing. I have though of doing all liquid the day before, but I think I would be so burned out on gatorade, etc that I would have a hard time drinking it during the race.
I always go liquid for two days prior to a major race. The less residue in the colon, the less chance for a “blow out”. My formula is 6 cans of Gatorade chocolate shake per day. Each 11 oz can has something like 370 calories in a perfectly balanced ratio of CHO, protein, and fat. The day before I go liquid I always go heavy on the carbs. In fact this has worked so well I’m considering 3 days of liquid prior to an IM. No chance for a blow out then!!
Gatorade Chocolate? I’ve never seen that…
I think you can only by the shakes online through the Gatorade website.
I eat pretty much my regular diet the day before, except for some extra gatorade. Maybe it’s your regular diet that is the problem? Two to three days of nothing but liquid calories seems a little severe to me.
One thing I do the day before is to overcook my pasta. I cook it for about twice as long as normal. This bleeds out a lot of the fibre.
-Colin
I have had the same problem at just about every “A” race for the last few years. Diarreah , despite eating the same things I normally eat and do long rides with. I’m pretty much determined that it is nerves. So a couple of prophilactic Immodiums, and I’m good to go.
Friday I had something for breakfast (don’t remember); Mexican food for lunch; pizza, beer and salad for dinner. Saturday I had a great race (except those damned flat tires). I’m also back on my Extran during the race for the bike and Coke on the run. The Gatorade experiment did NOT work. Nasty stuff.
clm
Hi,
I hate to dig up an old thread but i can’t seem to find the info i need in my search results.
I have tried what has been suggested in the above replies and stuck to a fluid diet about 1.5 days before the race. Problem is, although i have not experienced any bowel problems since then, i have somehow managed to make a habit of crashing alot earlier than during my training sessions.
To be more specific, i start developing cramps very early on. The latest casualty came at the 19km point of a marathon. I was going at a slower pace than my half-marathon pace but i still somehow managed to cramp so early. This is despite having done a half-marathon over an almost identical route in identical weather conditions just 2 months earlier.
The only thing i can think of is that i did not have to go on a fluid diet before the half-marathon, but i did for the marathon.
Do you think it could be something i am not getting in my fluid diet? some electrolyte maybe? i do drink a 1.5l of isotonic drink 4 hrs before the start of the marathon or HIM, but still manage to cramp.
As much as i hate to lose time by going to the loo, i lose much more time by having to limp for 20 km on the run course!
Please help…
Derek
Uhm… I eat a lot of bread (even more than my daily “income”… if that’s possible) and try to have past for dinner with tuna or chicken. One STRONG advice: don’t eat fibers 
One thing I don’t get is why you’re supposed to go to a low fiber diet on the day before the race. I would think that would back up your system… so you can’t go #2 before the race… so you have to go during the race. I would personally just stick to a normal diet and make sure you “go” before the race starts.
how the heck do you get 3000 cals from liquids alone?! I have enough trouble on some days getting that from food.
I eat pancakes or waffles for supper the night before any race. I found that this works for me. Find what works for you. Test it in hard/long training sessions - then test at some “C” races, then “B”…then the “A” race.
pancakes are a pre-race favorite dinner for me as well
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mypolex, soy milk, gatorade, carbo-pro. very easy to do.
Is it really that big a deal? I hit the porta-john once, early on the run, in my 1/2 IM last year. It cost me 60 seconds. Big deal.
I second bread: Plugs you up pretty good.