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How many calories the day before a HM?
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I am running first HM at Reading on 20th. I don't want to eat too much in the morning on the actual day, but obviously 13.1 miles your gonna use more than your breakfast's worth of carbs/calories.
Obviously it's not a marathon that I'm running but how many calories should I take on the day before?
thanks
Obviously it's not a marathon that I'm running but how many calories should I take on the day before?
thanks
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It's not the calories that you need to worry about. It's the quality of food that you're eating that matters. You need slow release carbohydrates, not a couple of extra Mars bars!
Have a nice pasta meal the night before. Avoid alcohol and make sure you've had plenty of water or juice to drink throughout the day so you're not dehydrated. Get up nice and early and have some porridge or weetabix at least two hours before the start of the race.
You don't need to worry too much about a half marathon. You won't hit the "wall" that marathon runners experience.
And good luck with your race!
Hi Keira
I agree with the above. I'm a registered nutritionist and also running the Reading Half. For two days before the race, base each meal on carbs (i.e. porridge for breakfast, salad with bread for lunch and pasta dinner). However, try to eat a big carb meal on Friday before the race and have a smaller one on Saturday night. This make sure that your glycogen stores are replete but that you're not still digesting a big meal on the day of the race. On Sunday 20th have a banana smoothie 3 hours before the race, and make sure that you drink plenty of water on the preceding days.
Eat the Mars bar (in the goody bag) in the hour after the race and a protein and carb meal within 3 hours. Remember, you only burn about 1500kcals during the race and this doesn't take too long to be replenished.
Good luck!!
www.mbnutrition.co.uk
if you dont eat pasta or drink banana smoothies dont start doing it for the race!!!
make sure you are properly hydrated in the preceding days but your usually diet (assuming its healthy) will be fine.
swapping some protein/fats for carbs will help, i know a 2.40marathoner who swears by cheese toasties the night before
With all due to respect to your profession etc this is very poor advice.
The subsequent post was much better....stick with what you normally eat.
Even if your glycogen supplies arent brim full you're not going to have a problem with glycogen depletion in a HM unless you run a 10 mile run a few hours before and eat nothing in between.
By significantly upping the carb intake in the few days before the race, as advised above, you are going to retain a significant additional amount of fluid which result in you feeling bloated and carrying a not insignificant amount of extra weight as a result.
Just stick to your normal routine and you'll be fine.
It's good to stick to your normal routine if your diet includes carbs every with every meal but if it doesn't then it's good to focus on them for the two days before. You make a good point though that if you don't normally eat pasta then choose another source of carbs. The banana smoothie was an example of an excellent source of energy to have that morning that won't leave you bloated.
Also, you won't have a problem with glycogen depletion if you're aiming for under two hours but it will be an issue if you run for longer than two hours and your stores will be depleted by then. What time are you aiming for Keira?
If you are aiming over two hours then you will be fat burning anyway so wont have a problem either!!
(I have done a couple of halfs over 2 hours on my usual dinner, and no breakfast.)
Also, I dont know anyone who can train at running without carbs for dinner. You would bonk on training runs if you didnt eat enough carbs on a daily basis, and since the OP hasnt mentioned that I dont think its a problem.
Good luck Keira!
I hope that you enjoy the run. It's a really good flat course with lots of support all of the way around.
I was so worried about my first half-marathon that I ate nothing on the morning of the race. I ended up doing a PB. I'm not advising this though, just thought that its maybe what you eat the day before that counts. Anyone else had this experience...you know, the one where you feel like throwing up at the start line and then belting around just to get it over and done with? My second half-marathon was much more enjoyable!
Bye the way, I just ate my normal diet, what most people eat - athlete or non - the day before but drank loads of water and on the day.
DON'T!
EAT!
CURRY!
So which is it? 1500cals or depleted stores? Both cant be true statements.
How many calories does a 2:15 HM take compared to a 2:00 HM for the same runner?
I'm sorry parkrunfan for not being clearer. You burn 1500kcals approx during a HM. Your body also stores enough glycogen for approx 2 hours running. The Kcals you burn obviously come from glycogen and fat. So it is both.
I always have a pasta based meal the night before, topped with cheese (my treat) and porridge for breakfast. Jelly babies on route or dextrose if I am flagging for whatever reason.
My friend always has steak and chips the night before a race!
Well mine stores enough for about 4 hours easy running (never gone further, but havent needed to)...so is the approximately 2 hours in your world? (A 2 hour half runner is about my easy pace by the way)
The point I'm trying to make is that you a) dont need to carb load for a half marathon and b) pace makes massive difference to burn rate and I'm also going to add to that c) that training adapts your body to burn less if its done correctly.
im seriously questioning your nutritional qualifications!
a 50kg elite female and 100kg obese male arent going to burn the same amount of calories. for a half marathon a normal runners diet is more than adequate. the main thing is to avoid any uncomfort
when you run long distances you dont just use glycogen, plenty of people training for marathons purposely go out for runs when 'running on empty'
personally i avoid pasta and fruit like the plague in the days prior to a race.
Is 1500 calories not a significant depletion, then?
I thought it was 2000. That's a couple less pints afterwards.
A significant depletion?
You're either depleted or you're not.
If my petrol tank is still a quarter full when I finish driving up the M1 I had plenty fuel for the journey. Yes?
When I did the Loch Ness Marathon my pre-race evening meal was gammon, fried egg, chips and two pints of Becks. Perfect.
Shades goes the chippy the night before a marathon and she's done 250 of them.
Hi Keira,
Sorry to para phase but I wrote this to someone else earlier and I thought it might help.
"Just a bit of background first....... the body, much like a car has a fuel tank, which of course when starting out on any journey should be full when you set off. The fuel of choice when running is carbs. If you start will a fuel tank this would get you approximately 1600 kcals worth of energy or about 90 mins to 2 hours of running. Therefore probable on the borders of your requirement for a half marathon, depending upon how speedy you are.
As with any long race therefore its important to eat on the run to top up those declining energy levels. Back to you question. There's no need to go over board with the carb loading beforehand just try and add a little extra carbohydrate to your existing diet. For example, adding some rice, pasta, cous cous etc.
The eveninig before and the morning of, will be the most important meals, again don't go over board but ensure that both meals are prodominantly carbohydrate. I would also echo AllNewTB point about starting well hydrated too, little and often is key."
Gareth_NTR