June 28 to 30, 2024
Nutrition is a key factor, since your sporting performance depends directly on what you eat. We’re going to look at a number of different topics: what’s a typical meal during a training week? Quels sont les aliments à privilégier ? What are the best foods to eat? How to eat before and during the race? What’s on offer at the MB Race feed stations?…
Above all, it’s very important to maintain a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle in general. Here’s an example of a typical meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for a healthy, balanced diet.
Day off | Training day | Breakfast: 3 to 4 slices of wholemeal bread Topping of your choice (honey, marmelade, cheese, almond cream…) 1 piece of fresh fruit or 1 compote with no added sugar 1 drink: tea, coffee, chocolate | Breakfast: 3 to 4 slices of wholemeal bread Topping of your choice (honey, marmelade, cheese, almond cream…) 1 piece of fresh fruit or 1 compote with no added sugar 1 drink: tea, coffee, chocolate |
|---|---|
Lunch: Vegetables galore 90 to 100g of raw starch * 150 g meat, fish, 3 eggs or vegetable equivalent 1 dairy product 1 fresh fruit or 1 compote with no added sugar | Lunch: Vegetables galore 90 to 100g of raw starch * 150 g meat, fish, 3 eggs or vegetable equivalent 1 dairy product 1 fresh fruit or 1 compote with no added sugar |
Snack: Cereal bar or mini sandwich 1 piece of fresh fruit or 1 yoghurt | |
Dinner: Vegetables galore 70 g raw starches, or none at all depending on appetite 150 g meat, fish, 3 eggs or vegetable equivalent 1 dairy product 1 fresh fruit or 1 compote with no added sugar | Dinner: Vegetables galore 80 g raw starches, or none at all depending on appetite 150 g meat, fish, 3 eggs or vegetable equivalent 1 dairy product 1 fresh fruit or 1 compote with no added sugar |
*The amount of starch varies according to your appetite, and is the thing you change most according to your training phases. Starch = fuel for the body.
Deviations are of course tolerated, and it’s important to know how to indulge yourself, because, let’s face it, it’s good for morale! However, the closer you get to the event, the more important it is to maintain an impeccable lifestyle, with healthy, balanced meals and limited alcohol consumption.
Your meals must also be well adapted to the different training sessions you’re planning, to promote recovery and avoid the risk of injury. And don’t neglect your hydration: a hydrated body performs better during training, recovers better and is less prone to injury.
When you’re training, remember to test everything you’re going to eat on the race day, from energy bars, gels and drinks to more traditional foods. The idea is to put your body through its paces so you can be sure you’re assimilating the food you eat properly, and not have any surprises on race day, because on the big day, you’ll also have the added stress factor that could distort your ability to digest the various foods.
Drawing up a nutrition plan on a daily basis and during your training periods will enable you to prepare yourself in the best possible way throughout the year and arrive in the best possible condition.
One month down the line, of course, you still need to maintain the balanced diet you’ve established during your months of preparation, but you need to pay even more attention to your alcohol intake and your sleep to promote recovery. That’s when you need to be at your best!
During this month, think carefully when preparing your meals:
*Think plant proteins if you want to reduce your meat intake! Vegetable proteins include legumes (lentils, split peas, chickpeas, kidney beans…), tofu, soy, almonds, hazelnuts…
It’s one week before the event that you need to switch to a modified dissociated diet. From D-6 to D-4, you should stick to a normal carbohydrate diet, i.e. keep the same portion of starchy foods as usual. 3 days before the event, you need to increase your glycogen stock, i.e. increase your usual starch portion by a quarter to build up your energy reserves. It’s at this point that you can consider using malto-dextrin to promote and optimize glycogen reserves.
Promoting a good state of hydration is also essential to maximizing your sporting performance. In fact, it has been proven that 1% dehydration leads to a 10% loss in performance, greater fatigue during exercise, reduced attention and therefore a greater risk of injury. So don’t wait until you feel thirsty, and hydrate regularly.
Let’s start with breakfast! What’s the ideal breakfast and when should you eat it before a race like the MB Race? In general, breakfast should be eaten 3 to 4 hours before the race, but in the end, you shouldn’t focus too much on it, as it doesn’t have a major impact on performance. It simply keeps the body nourished, so as not to deplete your glycogen stores. The most important thing is to choose products that are easy to digest. So be careful not to eat excessively fatty foods and raw fibers (raw fruit and vegetables).
Here’s an example of a typical breakfast: bread with jam or cereals, compote and yoghurt. You can also consider a “sports” cake, to be eaten 30 minutes before the start of the race to avoid the feeling of hunger, but be sure to test it before the event.
Now it’s time to race! Please note that everything described here is, of course, theoretical. Even if you’ve drawn up an optimal nutrition plan, you need to be aware that the vagaries of the race can call it into question. The important thing is to be adaptable, even if you’ve anticipated everything.
At the start of a race, you mustn’t neglect your food, because stress means that your digestive mucosa will be less irrigated than usual, as the blood flows to the muscles. This can allow bacteria to pass through, leading to stomach problems. To begin with, you need to choose foods that are easy to digest. For example, sugary foods are very easy to digest and should therefore be favoured at the start of the race. For the second part of the race, you can vary and start with more complex foods such as sausage or cheese, as your body will be used to digestion during exercise. The alternation of sweet and savoury foods should not come too early.
How often should I eat? Your body will be waiting for “solid” food after 1h30-2h. Before that, you can drink to compensate for salt and mineral losses. But don’t wait until you feel hungry! You need to eat regularly. It may be a good idea to set a reminder to eat every 30 to 45 minutes. When you eat, remember to chew well. Chewing is very important in the digestion process. So don’t hesitate to take only half-bars if you need to, and foods that melt in the mouth. Drink a sip of water after eating to avoid the “mushy” feeling that sweet products can often leave you with.
Hydration is once again essential during the race! As you know, hydration plays a vital role in sports performance. So it’s important to drink every quarter of an hour, alternating between a water bottle and a sports drink. The effort drink will compensate for your salt and mineral losses and help your body absorb water, while the clear water will help you cut the pasty effect after eating. Be careful with the dosage of the exercise drink. A sports drink should be more or less concentrated, depending not only on the outside temperature, but also on your body. Once again, this dosage should be tested during your training sessions.
These recommendations can help you manage your diet and hydration during the race. But it’s always important to be prepared for the vagaries of stress and fatigue. That’s why it’s important to follow your desires, even if it means breaking your plan, because at some point during the race, it’s the mind that takes over, and boosting your morale by eating something that gives you pleasure at a given moment can only be beneficial!
Finally, questions were asked about cramp management during the race. Unfortunately, the onset of cramps is multifactorial and does not depend solely on food. It can happen because the movement is too repetitive, or because of a lack of water. So there’s no nutritional remedy. Just remember to stay well hydrated (we can’t stress this enough!).
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