Race day jitters. For many, it is a natural phenomenon of competition. Nerves are flying as you check in and gather your number, safety pins and pack last minute snacks and essentials. Months of preparation and sacrifice have led to this moment. There are so many variables out there. One of the most frustrating ones can be not hitting your ideal nutritional needs.
Having a turned stomach can break your race. It becomes impossible to focus on anything other than cramping pain, uncertainty about whether or not you are going to need to go to the bathroom in a barren desert wasteland, forfeiting hard earned minutes on your pace. Having a dialed in regiment of what to eat when and how much can really change things. It takes most folks a couple races to work out their perfect system of what they like to eat when and in what quantities. Here are five key tips for simple nutrition whether you are running your first 50k or 100.
On top of honing a balanced pyramid of training that has a foundation of strength and conditioning, tempo runs and hills, culminating in maxing out mileage and eventually tapering before a race, coming into a race with a nutritional plan sets up runners for success and is critical for any endurance activity. Putting natural ingredients in your body, challenging your mental and physical endurance while stacking up the miles is the essence of the joy of ultra-running. Eat well, race hard.
Looking for some races? For folks in the Southern California area, try the Old West Trails 50k, a beautiful jaunt through Anza Borrego State Park.
The San Diego 50 brought to you by Offroad Pursuits starting at San Dieguito River Park with some fast hills, open stretches and
Photos by Brian Erickson and Ritual Energy