How to fuel your body for the Twilight Bay Run
How to fuel your body for the Twilight Bay Run
What you eat and drink before you run can have a huge impact on your energy, comfort and performance.
We bring you our top tips for nailing your race-day nutrition, so you get the most out of your run.
By Liz Lovering, accredited sports dietitian, qualified chef, intraining coach and runner
It can be difficult to know what you should eat, and when you should eat, when preparing for the Twilight Bay Run as start times are late in the day, compared to most other fun runs.
The good news is that the same sports nutrition principles apply, regardless of when you race. The type and timing of your meals and snacks is important, as is ensuring that you practice your race-day nutrition in training so you know what works best for you.
What sort of foods should I eat to prepare for the run?
- Carbohydrate is the body’s preferred fuel source when running at higher intensity, so it makes sense to have carbohydrate-rich meals or snacks.
- Avoid really fatty foods, because they empty from the stomach more slowly.
- Fibre is also a consideration if you have issues with gut upset—some runners need to choose lower fibre options, pre-run.
Is there an optimal time to eat?
The Twilight Bay Run races start from 4pm onwards, so it’s important to allow enough time to digest your food—leave two to four hours for meals (lunch), and less for snacks (afternoon tea).
- Lunch: Is an opportunity to fuel your body. You have plenty of time to digest this meal, which could be sandwiches and fruit or yoghurt, or a meal that includes rice, pasta, quinoa, potato or sweet potato.
- Afternoon snack: If you have a tried and trusted pre-event snack that you usually have before early morning events (such as breakfast cereal and milk or toast and jam), then stick with that. It doesn’t matter if it is eaten in the afternoon.
Tips for fuelling your body before the Twilight Bay Run:
- Practice event-day nutrition by having a carbohydrate-rich lunch and an afternoon snack before an evening training run
- If you are running the half marathon and plan on taking some carbohydrate gels or chews during the event, then trial using them in one of your longer training runs
- Start your runs hydrated
- Practice taking on water during training runs.
If you would like help with implementing the best eating plan for your race-day goals, come in and see Liz, intraining’s accredited sports dietitian. Liz will help you refine your nutritional routine to maximise your energy, performance and enjoyment on the day.
For bookings, call 3367 3088 today or email [email protected]