Spartan Race Nutrition Help [6k Reps]

[BunnyRabbs]

Cliffs

-OP is running a Super Spartan Race (8 mile obstacle Course) in Miami in about a month.

-What should I be eating/drinking the day of the race?

-What should I be eating/ drinking a week prior to the race? [I've heard no dairy b/c it adds to congestion/ makes it harder to breath during the race?]

-I currently eat fairly clean now (steak, chicken, fish, sweet potato, brown rice, super greens, fresh fruits, mixed nuts)

-Keep in mind it will be really hot and humid here. What are your hydration secrets? Coconut water? Gatorade?

Any tips/ advice will be greatly appreciated. Will rep for quality responses. Thanks!

[BunnyRabbs]

Bump

[Former300lber]

The day of = Carbs, I've done the Sparten, Tough mudder etc, You just need to keep carb's high and watch your electrolytes, just drink lots of gatorade.

[NickGamz]

Eat like pasta and stuff the night before and the day of to get carbs. Stay hydrated, I would imagine anything a spartan ate also XD

[BunnyRabbs]

The day of = Carbs, I've done the Sparten, Tough mudder etc, You just need to keep carb's high and watch your electrolytes, just drink lots of gatorade.

What carbs specifically, and how long prior to the race? 1 hr? Repped.

[Former300lber]

Simple carb's, but a constant flow of them is what I would use, I know when I go for my run's I always ingest a bunch of simple carb's to fuel my run's, and I continue to ingest them as soon as I start to feel tired, usually helps. I know competitive runner's eat things such as gummy bear's before running, I usually have some skittles with a bottle of gatorade.

Juices with carb's (Gatorade) are going to be your friend, helps you stay hydrated, helps with electrolytes and has carb's.

[GrowMacGrow]

Eat a carb meal 2 hours before the race (banana sandwich, cup oats, OJ, fruit and a bit of protein) and make sure you have some sports drink with carbs or jelly candies, sports/performance gels roughly every hour it takes you to complete the race. Taking in those fast-digesting carbs will help you power through

[GrowMacGrow]

Oh, and the carbs are best to be moderate to slow digesting. Make sure that your pre-race meal isn't anything that you HAVEN'T tried before, as this can potentially cause stomach aches during the race.

Ran a marathon, a few half-marathons and umpteen 10k's. All i can say is, changing your go-to cereal for breakafast ain't the best half-way through it

[GrowMacGrow]

Eat like pasta and stuff the night before and the day of to get carbs. Stay hydrated, I would imagine anything a spartan ate also XD

FYI, Spartans and greek warriors used to eat raw meat on the superstition that it gave them an animal like rage before fighting. The same went with the gladiators of rome.

[Mncdk]

Archeology have found that gladiators didn't eat meat.

[Swoosh639]

FYI, Spartans and greek warriors used to eat raw meat on the superstition that it gave them an animal like rage before fighting. The same went with the gladiators of rome.

You aren't right.

[GrowMacGrow]

Archeology have found that gladiators didn't eat meat.

it was a joke, stop taking statements so seriously!!

[GrowMacGrow]

You aren't right.

refer to my comment to mncdk

[BunnyRabbs]

bump of peace. plz halp.

Need specific foods/ portions/ meal timing.

[gbullock32]

bump of peace. plz halp.

Need specific foods/ portions/ meal timing.

A lot of it will come down to how you react, example- I personally feel awful if I eat before vigorous exercise, so I train in an overnight fasted state. It is personal preference.

If a large/heavy meal leaves you feeling sluggish than you could always do a banana or some fruit for carbs, paired with Gatorade for some more carbs without leaving you feeling heavy.

Try different things out, big meal, small meal, no meal; see what works for you in the time leading up to the event.

[cls91]

A lot of it will come down to how you react, example- I personally feel awful if I eat before vigorous exercise, so I train in an overnight fasted state. It is personal preference.

If a large/heavy meal leaves you feeling sluggish than you could always do a banana or some fruit for carbs, paired with Gatorade for some more carbs without leaving you feeling heavy.

Try different things out, big meal, small meal, no meal; see what works for you in the time leading up to the event.

^ This. Mainly "Try different things out, big meal, small meal, no meal; see what works for you in the time leading up to the event.". The key is to experiment and see what works best for you; what provides you with the most energy. Complex carbs will take longer to digest and will provide a steady stream of energy, whereas simple carbs are better as a quick energy source. And liquids can be digested quicker than solid foods.


This might be of interest to you: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995524/

Some discussion relating to the study:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1209026021
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1209698861


I'd personally suggest following a protocol similar to that of the study, having a high carb intake the day prior (complex carbs), having a heavy carb meal (complex + simple carbs) the morning of, and bringing gatorade (simple carbs + electrolytes) for during the race.

[BigBray]

For a event like this just make sure your comfortable, as long as you have enough sodium/electrolytes in your system you will be fine. Even carb loading isn't necessary for this at all in my experience. People tend to overcomplicate things like this just eat a meal you enjoy and are used to the night before and get a good 8 hours of sleep and your golden.

On race day eat food that's quickly digested and more carb heavy, as race day GI issues suck! a couple of banana's or some toast is a no risk meal.

For during some Gatorade or a carb gel or two chased with water is all you need as the sodium and carbs in each will discourage cramping and provide energy

[ts65]

I find that if you're drinking water to replace fluids lost by sweat, if you add a small amount of salt (SMALL amount, like 1 gram in a liter of water, that ends up being around 380mg of actual sodium) to the water, it helps you recover better.

[loganhart]

Simple carb's, but a constant flow of them is what I would use, I know when I go for my run's I always ingest a bunch of simple carb's to fuel my run's, and I continue to ingest them as soon as I start to feel tired, usually helps. I know competitive runner's eat things such as gummy bear's before running, I usually have some skittles with a bottle of gatorade.

Juices with carb's (Gatorade) are going to be your friend, helps you stay hydrated, helps with electrolytes and has carb's.

Skittles are the GOAT while marathoning!

[n0useforaname]

In a very serious note.. If I were to do something like this, it would be 100% fasted. I used to do long exercises like biking for a couple hours, 10 mile woods jogs, etc.. and I found I train my best fasted. Nothing weighing you down, no swishy feeling in your stomach, and you are still using energy from what you ate the day before. And after it's all said and done with.. sitting down to a kings meal is fantastic. Good luck OP!