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What to eat at 5 a.m.?????

Am completing my first tri a tri (to check my training is working!) on sunday - it's 250 swim / 10 mile bike / 3 mile run. I have to register at 6.30 a.m. to race at 7.30.



The question is what time do i get up and what do i eat???? I thought porridge and banana would be good but would have to eat this at about 4.30 a.m.!! Or do I just skip brekky and have a powerbar type thingy?



Any sensible suggestions considered.

Comments

  • BoycieBoycie Posts: 189
    I struggled with this for a while. Porridge is a pain to prepare at that time of morning, muesli just didn't go down and bagels were too dry at that hour.



    What I always now eat pre race is Weetabix with a banana chopped on top, honey poured over and then milk.



    David.
  • Hi Ossy,



    I would definitely recommend eating, as the race starts at 7.30am (is this your start time?), I'd go for the porridge around 5.30am. If you're anything like me I can't normally sleep the night before a race so getting up early for breakfast isn't a problem..



    Scotty
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Porridge and Banana(s) 3 hours before the start.

    Banana or Sports Nutrition Bar 1 hour before start.



    But you want a nice big carbohydrate rich dinner/tea the night before! Pizza! Pasta!!

    My favourite is a nice slab of Lardy Cake (Lardy Cake is to Malt Load as Iron Man is to Super Sprint).



    If I have anything < 3 hours before the start, I will just be sick. And it's undigested bulk to carry around with me.



    Having the sports bar 1 hour before is a relatively recent innovation - but seems to work for me.



  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    What I'd do:



    Eat well the night before: lots of brown rice, wholewheat pasta, that kind of thing. On race day, have about half what you would usually eat i.e half bowl of porridge (yuck) or meusli (yum) no later than 06:00 - if you can stomach it. After that, graze on dried fruit, powerbar, banana or similar. You can also use a sports drink to get energy in without bulking your tummy up too much.



    Overall, though, just make sure that you are not hungry or uncomfortable. Your race is not a long one (although will probably feel like it) so you are not placing any massive strain on your body. Don't worry too much.



    Don't forget to stuff your face afterwards, though. [:)]



    All just suggestions. We're all different. It's also a good idea to make a note, mental or otherwise, of what you did and how it felt. Then you can improve it for next time.
  • jonEjonE Posts: 1,113
    Get up at 3 am and enjoy the silence.
  • i would have to disagree with some of the above. Eating brown/wholewheat food the night before a race is not recommended due to the fibre content - its a good idea for general diet but not ideal before a race - if you eat that for dinner it can cause issues the following morning when you are racing!

    to be honest also the tri above is fairly short distance so i would tend to be v careful about eating too much. you are far more likely to encounter stomach cramps from eating to much than run out of energy from not eating enough on that sort of distance.

    Would go for a normal (not triathlon size) pasta dinner about 7pm the night before and maybe a bagel (or even half a bagel) about 5am.....should be ample.
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    The wole pastaparty the night before a race is a poor idea, whole meal or not..it simply takes too long to digest & even on a long race you should not be topping up glycogen stores that late..it should already be done.

    Sorry prob going on too much for this simple query, simple answer, eat something you know you are used to, can digest, won't hang around in your system, but will get you thru the race.

    what do you eat before a morning swim session for example?
  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    From personal experience I suggested something with a bit more complex carbs in. That's what I do. Yeah, it might lead to a bit of a cock-a-doodle-poo but we can all manage that, surely?



    From personal experience I can also tell you that stuffing a bowl of normal pasta, basically a load of sugar, will leave me the next morning feeling completely starving and in the middle of a blood sugar crisis.



    Your mileage may vary, however.



    Anyway, I reckon that at barely super-sprint distance it makes almost cock-all difference if you're not going for the win, so long as you are not either starving hungry or over-filled to barfing point. Blimey, I've done a sprint with no breakfast on account of my enormous hangover in the past. [8D]
  • OssyOssy Posts: 22


    Anyway, I reckon that at barely super-sprint distance it makes almost cock-all difference if you're not going for the win, so long as you are not either starving hungry or over-filled to barfing point. Blimey, I've done a sprint with no breakfast on account of my enormous hangover in the past. [8D]



    I like your approach!! We are hosting a fairly liquid dinner party the night before the race so am a little worried about total abstinence - peer pressure is a terrible thing!!

    I'm treating the race as a training session but still it is the 1st one and I have to beat my training partner!



    Thks for the advice everybody.
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    You know when you misread something....fairy liquid party is what I read.......oh dear, time for a nap.
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