Eating and Drinking During Competition

Nutritionist Lori Nedescu, RD LD, contributes a guest blog examining the nutritional component of endurance sports competition. Similar to training plans, optimal nutrition strategies are specific to the individual athlete, the competition type, conditions, duration and intensity.  This article outlines general guidelines and sample fueling and hydrating strategies for reference as a good starting point. 

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Introduction

During athletic competition, the body is being asked to meet great demands. In order to achieve top performance, it is key to fuel your body properly.  Many athletes eat well and practice fueling in normal day-to-day training, yet when race day comes, fueling issues seem to be the cause of disaster.  Keep in mind that while training, a variety of exercise methods (long run/bike, tempo, sprints, strength, etc) in order to fine-tune your bodies ability to perform on race day.  Nutrition should be approached in that way as well; training the body under various fueling methods to determine a race day plan. Here we will discuss the body's energy needs, common fueling problems, ways to address such problems and common fueling strategies.  Finally, we will examine sample plans of adequate race fueling methods for various sports. After reading this document, the athlete should feel more prepared to meet their individual fueling needs during competition. 

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Common Fueling Issues & Overcoming Them

Issue	Example Solution
Not feeling hungry due to early morning start.	Early race times and stress can leave athletes with no desire to sit down to a meal. Remember you need to eat as much as you need to put your helmet on. Wake up several hours before the event if possible. Drink water immediately upon waking to prep the GI for taking in energy. Ideally you will take in a continuous taper of food from waking up to toeing the start line.
GI upset when taking in fuel due to nerves.	When stress, anxiety, and nerves kick in, the body sends blood away from the GI system. For many, this results in nausea or diarrhea when combined with consuming food. Practice calming strategies such as meditation or visualization. Take in small portions of fuel that are energy dense and bland. Liquid energy sources are easier on the gut and maybe be better tolerated. Avoid caffeine, chocolate, spicy and greasy foods.
Not being physically able to consume food/drink.	Address this during training. Make sure you can reach, uncap, unwrap, and take in food/drink without compromising speed or safety. Practice this act during intense training sessions to mimic the conditions on race day. Something as simple as grabbing your water bottle on the bike can be difficult during intense speeds or tough terrain. Also be aware of what is served at aid stations and what you can practically carry on your person.
Thinking you can get by without.	Stop thinking this way. It will lead to certain disaster. Even if you practiced withholding fuel during training, competition is not the time for this. The more carbohydrate you have available, the better you will perform, the more muscle you will spare and the faster you will recover. If you have found yourself avoiding food during races because you think you can tough it out, work with your dietitian to devise a timed, fueling strategy.
Overeating post event.	You worked hard; you earned that buffet of food at the post event party right? Well you definitely earned yourself a quality recovery meal. However many athletes cross the finish line and immediately enter into a non-stop eating binge. Grabbing chocolate milk, a granola bar, banana, bagel or donut in the finish shoot can add up to 700 calories. Add that to the celebratory burger, fries, and beers with friends an hour later and you’ve landed in quite a caloric access. While food is needed post race to recovery and re-energize, set a plan in advance. Focus on a few hundred calories immediately after the event, with plenty of hydration, followed by a balanced normal meal a couple hours later
Sidelined with cramps	Cramping can have devastating results for an athlete. Some athletes are more prone to cramping than others. There are two main factors, nutrition and training. If you feel your nutrition is not to blame, than cramping may be a result of insufficient training for your event. Nutritionally, make sure you are adequately hydrated. Electrolytes are also a factor. Look for tablets or mixes that contain sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. A sports beverage is an ideal way to deliver a boost of these minerals, but make sure you are consuming good food sources on a daily basis as well.

 

Nutrition Fueling Basics

• Carbohydrates: These should be your main source of energy during competition. Any competition longer than 60 minutes requires you to consume 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour (120 to 240 kcal per hour). Typical sport food (gels, drinks, bars) is made up largely, if not exclusively, of carbohydrates. Competition is not the time to get carbs from overly complex or fibrous sources. 
  
• Fat: For ultra endurance events, fat can be a useful source of fuel. The body is able to use fat to maintain a moderate effort for a sustained amount of time. Fats are also useful to promote satiety and pleasure. Add fats to your race fuel by spreading nut butter on a bagel or taking in a full fat dairy product. Avoid greasy and overly fatty foods.
  
• Protein: This macronutrient has little to contribute to competition eating. Lean proteins should be part of daily eating habits, but for actual energy use, it will be of no help. Avoid protein rich foods and beverages before and during competition.  Protein foods should be saved for after completion of the race, as it is a crucial part of healing and rebuilding the muscles you just tore to shreds. Like fats, in ultra–endurance events, protein may add satiety and comfort as well as reduce muscle breakdown. 
  
• Hydration: Drinking is just as important as eating. Using a carbohydrate beverage is a classic and efficient way to get both energy and hydration.  While this can help top off your energy stores, I recommend planning your hydration and fueling separately.  Do not rely on a beverage to take care of all your needs, especially if you are doing an endurance event. Use water plain, or enhanced with a low calorie, electrolyte mix.  Guidelines advise to drink 6-12oz every 15-20 minutes. This may be more than most athletes can handle. Start knowing your individual fluid needs during training by weighing yourself before and after sessions.  Replace lost weight post training at a rate of 16-24oz per pound lost.  

Common Food & Drink Examples and Caloric Value

~100 Calories	~150 calories	~200 Calories	~300 Calories
Banana	Yogurt	2 T nut butter	Bagel
Glass of milk	Chocolate milk	3 Dates	Bonk Breaker
Sport beverage	22 Gummie Bears	Raisin Bran + milk	Oatmeal+ 2T raisins + milk
Gel	12 oz Coke Classic	16oz Vanilla Latte	Noosa yogurt

 

Common Fueling Strategies: Race Day

• 3+ Hours Pre-Race: Your biggest pre-race meal should be consumed at this time. The more time you have, the larger and more complex the meal can be. 
  
• 1-2 Hours Pre-Race: Aim for a small meal of mostly easy to digest carbohydrate. 
  
• 30 Minutes Pre-Race: This is the time to top off your energy stores.  There isn't time for full digestion at this point, so keep it small and simple.  Stick to simple sugars such as gels, chews, or beverage. 
  
• During Race: Your training should dictate roughly how much food you should take in during the event. Duration and intensity of the individual event, along with what your body can handle, come into play here.  Take in the foods and beverages you are accustomed to. If the aid stations have products you have not experimented with, pass them up and plan to bring your own food along. If the race does not allow you to carry your own nutrition, find out ahead of time what the race aid stations will have, and use that during your training. As a general rule, take in most of your calories during the first half of the event.  Start with your most hearty fuel and taper down to simpler sources towards the end of the race. This will keep you from hitting the wall and allow you to finish strong. 
  
• Post Race: You've crossed the finish and either go straight to the celebratory meet, great, cheer circuit or are so fatigued that you crumple to a pile on the ground. Either way, you are not finishing your event properly. Within thirty minutes of finishing is the ideal time to consume recovery fuel.  Aim for a 3:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein. Something small and immediate will suffice. Return to eating normal, complex meals within a couple hours of the event. 

Sample Plan For A Half Ironman 

Timing	Example of Appropriate Fuel
Before:
3+ hrs	Turkey sandwich + yogurt and granola + fruit
1-2 hrs	½ bagel with almond butter & honey + banana
30 min	Sport gel + 8oz sport beverage
During:	*Fluids should be consumed throughout, aim to drink every 15minutes.*
45 min	1 gel (out of water)
1 hr	Bonk breaker (on the bike)
1.5 hr	1 gel (bike)
2 hr	1 pkg Chomps (bike)
2.5 hr	1 pkg Chomps (bike)
3 hr	1 gel (bike end is near – allow stomach to settle)
4 hr	1 gel (let your body get used to running before eating)
4.5 hr	1 gel (run)
Post Race	12 oz Chocolate milk + apple + nut butter

 

Your Plan

Remember that every athlete's body and competition goals are different. This means your individual needs may differ from the common approach. If you are struggling with meeting nutrition needs, begin working one-on-one with a registered dietitian.