Every time you hear that, you think pasta, pizza, rice, potatoes, bread or any other high carb food before any half or full marathon … But it is just a strategy runners, and or endurance athletes use to maximize ENERGY in the muscles. And if you do it right it can help you through the race, and by doing it right I mean not just the day before. I will give you some tips I have used in my trainings.
The fact is that carbs are stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver. When you think about carbs, think of them as it is the fuel you use in your car – if you fill it up it will take you miles and miles away. It is energy for your body and when you run out of energy something happens to your body, and is what we runners call hitting “a wall”, and no matter what you do, do your best to avoid hitting it.
I have heard that for full marathons you should start carb-loading two weeks before and for half marathon a week before. For me a week before or two works just fine, and two days before the race I even increase the carb intake a bit more. How do I do that? I add carbs to all my meals, in other words is like going to Disney for 5 days in a row!
There’s plenty of healthy food that are rich in carbs, I always go for those first… and the last two days Pasta is my middle name. I really try not to overdo junk food or at least keep it to a minimum.
Here is an example of those five days for me:
Breakfast: A bowl of Oatmeal with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries all the berries I can find, and a cup of green tea.
Morning snack: Greek Yogurt with pieces of kiwi, yummy, and water, water, and more water.
Lunch: Kale Salad with tomatoes, mushrooms, pine nuts and a light dressing, Grilled Chicken or fish (those who know me know I like it grilled, as in almost burn- grilled), and a side of couscous or quinoa.
Afternoon snack: Some Hummus with celery and cucumbers.
Dinner: Turkey Pita with tons of veggies.
Another healthy snack that I love is apples with Almond butter… one word: DELICIOUS!
Remember Carbs are ENERGY, so eat them wisely and enjoy the race.
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