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Carbs Are Your Friend - Before The Gasparilla Race

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By MARCIA BIGGS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 31, 2008

Most competitive athletes know the theory of loading carbohydrates before an endurance event. You can boost energy by eating carbohydrate-rich foods as the foundation of your diet. Carbohydrates get stored in your muscles as glycogen. Eating too few carbs can result in depleted muscle glycogen — and that is associated with fatigue.

If you plan on running next weekend in the Gasparilla Distance Classic, your fueling plan should target carb-loading several days before the event. Carbohydrate-rich meals include cereal/milk/banana/juice/bagels for breakfast, and lunches and dinners that include hearty bean and broth-type soups, sandwiches and hot meals that focus on pasta, potatoes, rice, vegetables, breads and rolls. Drinking juices throughout the day is also an excellent carbohydrate source.

You can boost energy by consuming frequent high-carb snacks throughout the day. Adequate snacking ensures your muscles are well fueled and ready for action and your mind is well fueled and able to focus on the event. Eating before you exercise boosts your blood sugar and prevents the needless fatigue associated with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Nancy Clark, a nationally recognized specialist in sports dietetics and author of "Sports Nutrition Guidebook," suggests the following pre-race nutrition tips:

Don't overeat late the night before as this will make sleep harder to come by.

Don't think of that final plate of pasta on the eve of the race as your last meal. Your body will use up some of that food energy overnight, so make sure you have breakfast. The carbohydrate combination you opt for is up to you. Just avoid fat and protein, which take a long time to digest. Coffee is fine if it is part of your normal routine — just be sure to drink plenty of water along with it.

Drastic diet changes can easily lead to upset stomachs, diarrhea or constipation. For example, carb-loading on an unusually high amount of fruits and juices might cause diarrhea.

Immediately after a race, it's important to refuel your body with high-carbohydrate food or drink. The first four hours after strenuous exercise is a crucial time for taking on new glycogen to replace what you've lost. Aim to keep stocking up every 15 minutes or so rather than gorging on one meal, because this maintains higher blood glucose and insulin concentrations, which in turn makes greater absorption into the muscles possible. Recent research suggests that including around 25 percent protein in your recovery food will optimize the recovery of your muscles.

While many runners will undoubtedly fuel up on a high-carb pasta dinner the night before the race, what should you eat the morning before the race? Be sure to eat light and stick to these high-carb options:

Amount Calories Carbs (g)

Wheaties: 2 cups 220 48

Bagel: 1 medium 300 55

Orange juice: 12 ounces 160 40

Whole grain bread: 2 slices 200 40

Jelly: 2 tablespoons 100 25

Fruit yogurt: 8 ounces 230 35

Banana: 1 medium 100 25

Oatmeal: 1 cup dry 300 55

Apple: 1 large 120 30

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