When you decide to significantly increase your distance in road racing, you should know that you'll need more preparation; this includes training, nutrition, and everything related to your diet.
The number of this type of distance has increased considerably with each annual calendar year, thanks to the growing number of interested participants. Therefore, it's important to know the most relevant tips if your goal is to successfully complete the 21,097 meters.
There is no doubt that it is a challenge to face a half marathon, although requires a greater amount of energy expenditure compared to shorter distance races, so running it successfully will require excellent strategy during preparation and before the race.
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A foolproof strategy for 21k
There are some runners who have a nutritional strategy; this is very common among athletes characterized by greater endurance. This consists of trying to overload muscle glycogen (the body's most important glucose store, essential for muscle contraction during exercise, whose importance increases progressively and simultaneously as exercise intensifies; it can be found in carbohydrates) with the goal of increasing the existing glycogen levels in each muscle more than usual.
This model was proposed in 1981, and it seeks to exponentially prolong the time an athlete can effectively sustain the pace required for a race. The idea is to increase, as much as possible, the intake of foods high in carbohydrates (a solid, white, water-soluble organic substance that constitutes the energy reserves of animal and plant cells, for example vegetables, fruits, nuts, flour, and pasta). This should be done three days before the start of the competition. Additionally, the intensity of each workout should be reduced 72 hours prior to the start.
Consuming carbohydrates, which are found in peanuts, oats, pumpkin, whole grains, dried peas, dried beans, corn, among others, allows you to achieve 8 to 10 g/kg of body weight/day. It is extremely important to assess any carbohydrate intake beforehand and design an effective individual overload menu.
The pre-breakfast
It's important to eat breakfast between an hour and a half and a maximum of two hours before the race to promote digestion and energy availability for the muscles. Eat foods that are low in fat and fiber, avoiding whole grains and dairy products.
Jam, infusions, juices, nuts, some cereals, and honey are the foods that best adapt to the moment; as for hydration, it's recommended to consume 5 to 7 ml/kg of water within three to four hours beforehand, so for someone who weighs 70 kg, this would mean between 300 and 350 ml of water.
It's important to note that for those who are accustomed to training on an empty stomach, because they've incorporated it into their routine, it's recommended that they not change their eating habits before the race.
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We hope you put these tips into practice so they fulfill their purpose, so you can eat much better and feel good on race day.
