Sunday, July 8, 2012

On Eating During an Ultra

The hotel reservation, train ticket, and post-race massage are booked and my training is wrapping up.  20in24 is in one week and I'm left with a few major decisions to make - what to pack and what to eat during the race.

I've consulted with my trainer and a sports nutritionist and scoured the internet for what is appropriate to eat during an ultra.  I know what nutrients I need during the race, but how I ingest them is up to me.  This is going to be a challenge because I've never been big on eating during races - for the most part I stick to GUs, Cliff Blocks, and Sport Beans.  There's no way I will be happy eating those for 24 hours and, from what I've heard, as time elapses and you get more dehydrated, GUs get really hard to swallow.  Literally.

The good news: most lists of common foods consumed at ultras include cake.  I LOVE CAKE.

The bad news: most people say that after a few laps most breads, cakes, etc are too dry to swallow.

Well, there go my delusions of eating cake all day...

I've started compiling a more realistic list of foods to eat during the race and thought I'd share it here.  If you have any suggestions, please PLEASE share them with me.

  • GU/sport beans/Cliff Blocks to eat during laps
  • Cliff Bars
  • Potato chips
  • Nutella
  • Cake
  • Pop Tarts
  • Dried fruit mix
  • Watermelon
  • Green grapes
  • Blueberries
  • Sliced tomato
  • Bananas
  • Baby carrots
  • Red bell pepper
  • Sliced beets
  • Cous cous
  • Quinoa
  • Shredded turkey
  • Tuna pasta salad
  • Hot dog/burger (only once and before taking an hour or two break so I can properly digest it)
Throughout the race I will be drinking a lot of water and Gatorade, as well as some 5-hour energy.  Those of you concerned because caffeine is a diuretic can relax; I'm well aware of this and have run while drinking 5-hour before.  I know how much water/Gatorade I need to consume to ensure I'm still well-hydrated.

I haven't thought much about what I'll eat after the race... but I'll have 24 hours of running to figure it out.

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