Race day breakfast

[DisneyBoundinDec]

okay.. I rarely eat breakfast.. and if I do, its usually a banana or a yogurt. I am just not a morning eater.. never have been.. usually 2 cups of coffee are fine with me and by the time I get the boys to school, run, and then showered and dressed its lunch time anyway!
BUT, I know I have to eat before the 1/2.. last weekend I ran 9 miles and I ate a banana before my run and had jelly beans during and I felt fine.

Tomorrow I am going for 10-11 and was thinking of trying out oatmeal and a bagel as a meal test run but was wondering if I should just stick to a cliff bar and a banana?

I know I need to eat something.. but normally I get side pains if I eat too soon to running.. but for the 1/2 I know I will be eating 2.5 hours before I run anyway...

SOOO, for those of you who are not big breakfast eaters like me, what do you do???

any other advice will be great too!

 

[princessfionasmom]

I'm usually in the same boat. By the time I get around to eating breakfast it's lunch time. But on my running days, I have been getting up a little earlier so I can have a bowl of oatmeal a couple hours before I do my long runs. My longest run has been 9 miles and I haven't needed to have any fuel with me for those runs after having my oatmeal so I'm pretty sure it will be the same for the half. I am packing my oatmeal and taking it with me, don't want to make any changes since it's been working for me so far. I will ad that this is my first half and I only started running in September so I'm not exactly a seasoned runner. Hopefully someone with a tad more experience will chime in : )

 

[cewait]

At this point in time I would keep it fairly simple. Anything that you listed is perfect, but let me throw this out. If you keep to simple like a cliff bar and banana you can stick that in the room the day before race day and not worry about it keeping. Glad you are trying it out prerace. If the cliff bar is not a good choice then the bagel option is always open. It is bland and a great pre run meal, also.

 

[DisneyBoundinDec]

thanks guys, I think I will try the cliff bar and banana tomorrow.. looking at the ingredients, it has more carbs, protein and potassium than oatmeal... just curious coach.. what's your pre-race meal? and for a 1/2?

 

[joan4mickey]

If I long run (9-12- miles) first thing in the morning...about 30-45 after getting up then I like half a banana, 4 oz of clear juice and 100 calorie Special K fruit bar. I also take a pack of jelly beans to enjoy during my run. This is the same I will have before and during the half princess run.

I love my 2 cups of morning coffee so I use it as a treat to look forward to when I finish. I also have a meal after..either cup of greek yogurt (I like blueberry), a scoop of protein powder mixed with some juice (like V8 fusion with blueberry juice) or Special K protein cereal with milk and dried blueberries. Yes I like blueberries.

Goodluck with finding your special mix.

 

[Bephus]

For race day I like to have a banana, some sports drink and half a bagel with peanut butter. I don't always finish the bagel though. I don't like having a whole lot of food in my tummy for a race mainly because of the butterflies. Oh, and I do like a cup of coffee pre-race to, um, clean me out.

 

[cewait]

thanks guys, I think I will try the cliff bar and banana tomorrow.. looking at the ingredients, it has more carbs, protein and potassium than oatmeal... just curious coach.. what's your pre-race meal? and for a 1/2?

Kind of varies but usually,

Coffee - earlier the better for other reasons
Bagel - with either P Butter or Creem cheese (the latter is a race day thing only)
Glass of OJ
Bottle of water
___________
Banana
Cliff Bar - seasonal or Peanut butter

I will usually eat the items above the line in the room. Below the line go to the race and I will munch on them waiting for the race to start.

For a stand alone half, the meal is usually the bagel or Cliff Bar, banana and a sport drink. For the Goofy, I will eat about the same meal both mornings. For the weekend, I end up burning around 2100 Kcal for the half and 4300 Kcal in the full. A little extra in the tank before the half does not seem to bother me.


Note that if your body does not react favorably to the solids, think about Ensure or Nestle's Instant Breakfast as a substitute. They bring on about 240-250 Kcal and are a little less likely to sit in the GI tract. As a Spin Coach in the early AM it is always fun to see a bunch of 30 somethings come in with a bottle of Ensure.

 

[DisneyBoundinDec]

well.. did 11 miles today.
Woke up around 7.. had my coffee, than around 8 had a cliff bar, banana and about 4 oz of apple juice and I was fine during my run.. about 4 miles in I ate 1/2 pack of jelly beans and that got me to the finish (I also use a fuel belt with 4 - 7oz gatorades that I bring too.. I usually go through 3 of them during my runs)

So.. looks like I will stick to the cliff bar and banana for next weekend!

and yes coach.. the coffee does its morning job!

 

[scoolover]

I personally can't eat anyhting before I run. All my training runs have been without and it's usually fine. The first thing I eat on the day of the half will be the mini pound cake I eat at the finish on the way to the porto-potty.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Two packets of Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal and a Banana or two are my staples along with some water. I am too scared to try anything else! I figure if it works, stick with it. That has been my tradition with the half marathons and I really hope that it works with the full. It just doesn't seem like enough. When in the line to the Portapotties and in the corral, I go through a couple bags of Gu Chomps.

 

[verticalchaos]

Peanut Toffee Buzz Clif bar. Banana if a) I get to Music in time to get something from grab and go or b) Intermission's open early enough for me to grab one before getting on the bus. Water. And hopefully some OJ again, dependent on a and b above. If the banana isn't an option, I've got a chocolate chip clif bar to eat on the bus or just when I get there.

Then about 30 minutes before the start, I'll eat my PowerBar Energy Gels (and will have a pack or two with me for the course) and drink some water.

 

[rubato]

I don't like to eat breakfast either. I wake up around 5:30 and don't eat until 11 or so (yes, I know this is bad, but it's just the way it works for me). So, if my runs are under 10, I don't eat before hand. But, anything longer and I eat oatmeal. I actually eat 2 or 3 packs of low sugar instant. I give it 30-60 minutes and then, I run. I don't feel like bringing oats with me because that would involve a trip to the food court or using the coffee pot for hot water. So, I've been experimenting with oatmeal breakfast cookies. They work just as well for me. I am bringing a box down and will eat 2 per race day. I have the added scheduling issue of not being able to eat for 1 hour after I take my morning medication. So, I'll be bringing my cookies with me on the bus.

 

[cewait]

I don't like to eat breakfast either. I wake up around 5:30 and don't eat until 11 or so (yes, I know this is bad, but it's just the way it works for me). So, if my runs are under 10, I don't eat before hand. But, anything longer and I eat oatmeal. I actually eat 2 or 3 packs of low sugar instant. I give it 30-60 minutes and then, I run. I don't feel like bringing oats with me because that would involve a trip to the food court or using the coffee pot for hot water. So, I've been experimenting with oatmeal breakfast cookies. They work just as well for me. I am bringing a box down and will eat 2 per race day. I have the added scheduling issue of not being able to eat for 1 hour after I take my morning medication. So, I'll be bringing my cookies with me on the bus.

Ever think about Ensure. Yes, it is marketted at the old folks but for a nervous, not ready for eating tummy, it readily digests as compared with something containing a little more mass and fiber.

 

[rubato]

That might be a possibility. I've done the smoothie thing and I just don't like to eat in the morning. But, I do manage to get it done when I have to.