WHAT TO EAT BEFORE A RACE?

Today I received an email from a reader with an important question - ​'What do I eat before  race?'. She had read in my The Trail Running Guidebook where I recommend to simplify our diet in the last few days before a race, focussing on lower fat, lower protein meals. In the book I suggest - WHITE, FLUFFY, STARCHY. So her question was, 'What are some examples of white, fluffy and starchy foods that I should eat in the days leading up to a race?' Here is my reply:

I have been vegetarian and more recently, plant based, for almost my entire life. So, keeping this in mind, my suggestions would be:

• Homemade pumpkin soup with sourdough toast (my absolute favourite pre-mission dinner)
• Sourdough toast with tomato, avocado, cracked pepper and salt
• Rice pilaf with dried fruit and a few nuts & soy sauce
• Potato mixed with herbs and lemon
• Homemade apple crumble 
• Burghal with roast pumpkin & choice of herbs/flavours
• Couscous with mixed herbs, lemon, dried fruit and a few nuts

Lower fat and lower protein with a focus on simple, more digestable carbohydrates.

On race morning I would aim for:

• Crumpets and honey
• Sourdough toast with promite or honey
• Banana on sourdough toast
• An energy bar
• Green tea with rice milk (yep, I really do love this strange combination!)
• Rice with salty pickles and soy sauce (I found this one in whilst on one of our Find Your Feet Trail Running Tours in Japan and it felt like I was running on superfoods!!)

Notice how all of the above are still lower in fat and protein, with a focus on simpler carbohydrates?

​I hope these suggestions help fire you up for some great adventures ahead