Race week is nearly here!
If you’re taking on the Central Coast Half or Full Marathon next weekend, now is the time to start thinking about your nutrition.
The good news? You don’t need to completely change the way you eat. Race-week nutrition is about making a few strategic adjustments to support your energy stores, recovery and race-day performance.
Your goal is to arrive at the start line well-fuelled, hydrated and confident in your plan, without trying anything brand new at the last minute.
My favourite and BEST tip: add liquid carbs onto every meal (an easy way to increase carbs with less volume)
Here are the key things to focus on this week.
1. Prioritise carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred fuel source during moderate- to high-intensity exercise, making them particularly important in the lead-up to a half or full marathon.
During race week, make sure carbohydrate-rich foods are regularly included across your meals and snacks.
Think:
- Bread and wraps
- Rice
- Pasta
- Potatoes
- Oats and cereal
- Fruit
- Crackers
- Rice cakes
- Sports drinks
- Juice
2. Don’t undereat
One of the biggest mistakes runners can make during race week is accidentally eating less because training volume has reduced.
While you may be doing less exercise, your body is still recovering from your training load and preparing for race day.
This is not the week to diet or dramatically cut your food intake.
Continue having regular meals and snacks, and make sure you’re eating enough to support recovery and replenish your energy stores.
Think fuel, not restriction.
3. Keep foods familiar
Race week is not the time to experiment with a completely new diet, supplement or meal.
Stick with foods you already know you tolerate well.
This is particularly important if you’re someone who experiences gastrointestinal symptoms when running.
If you know that a certain breakfast, snack or meal works well for you, keep it in the rotation.
The same goes for race-day fuelling. Ideally, your gels, chews, sports drink and breakfast have already been practised during training.
4. Have your race-day breakfast planned
Don’t leave your breakfast until race morning!
Work out what you’re going to eat, when you’re going to eat it and how much you need based on what you have practised in training.
A good pre-race breakfast will generally be:
Carbohydrate-rich + familiar + relatively low in fibre and fat
Some options could include:
- Bagel with banana and honey
- Low fibre cereal with milk and banana
- Pikelets with banana and maple syrup
- Crumpets with jam or honey
- A bagel with jam and juice
The exact option and timing will depend on the individual, your start time and what you’ve practised previously.
Your race morning is not the time to trial a new breakfast!
5. Have a fuelling plan
If you’re running a half or full marathon, don’t rely on hunger or thirst alone to decide when you’ll fuel.
Have a plan before you arrive at the start line.
Depending on the duration and intensity of your race, this might include gels, chews, sports drink or other carbohydrate sources.
Most importantly, practise your race fuelling during training.
6. Stay hydrated
Hydration starts before race morning.
Aim to drink consistently throughout the week rather than trying to drink huge amounts of water the night before.
Your hydration needs will depend on factors such as:
- Sweat rate
- Weather conditions
- Body size
- Running duration
- Exercise intensity
For longer or sweatier sessions, sodium and electrolytes may also be useful.
And remember: more water isn’t always better. Excessive fluid intake can also be problematic, so avoid trying to “catch up” by drinking litres of water before bed or on race morning.
You can’t cram your nutrition the night before
This is one of the biggest things I want runners to remember.
You can’t undo a week of under-fuelling with one giant pasta dinner.
Your body benefits from consistent carbohydrate and energy intake across the days leading into your race.
Think of race-week nutrition as preparation rather than a last-minute task.
Your race-week checklist
Before you line up at RunFest, ask yourself:
- Am I eating enough?
- Am I including carbohydrates regularly?
- Am I sticking with familiar foods?
- Have I planned my race-day breakfast?
- Have I practised my fuelling strategy?
- Am I staying hydrated?
- Do I know what I’m doing on race morning?
If you’ve ticked these off, you’re already in a much better position to head into race day feeling prepared.
Ready for RunFest?
Whether you’re taking on your first half marathon, chasing a PB or tackling the full marathon, your nutrition can play an important role in how you feel and perform on race day.
You need a fuelled, familiar and well-practised plan that works for you.
Need help with your training nutrition, race-day fuelling or building balanced meals around your running?
Book an appointment with Paris, APD at The Wholesome Effect PM.
