Should you drink the night before a race?
“Don't drink 48 hours before, and at a minimum 24 hours before, [a] race. And especially don't get drunk,” says Kelby Bethards, M.D., sports medicine doctor for the UCI ProTeam Human Powered Health.
Opt for dry wines which have a relatively low sugar content. Avoid regularly drinking beer, co*cktails and alcopops. Too much sugar results in blood sugar fluctuations which can lead to energy dips, cravings and lack of concentration, all of which will be bad for your race prep and performance…
Stay Hydrated
Hydration should not begin the morning of the race. Instead, you should make a conscious effort to stay well hydrated at least 48 hours before the start of your marathon.
Things Not To Do Day Before Race
Foods you don't normally eat, high-fiber carbs, and too much protein are a bad idea as they can do a number on your stomach and digestive system. Now is not the time to try a new fuel for pre-run or during the race; stick with what you know and what has worked in the past.
Your body can only assimilate and use a certain amount of fluid per hour, and the rest essentially becomes waste. A proper hydration schedule should involve consuming about 16 ounces of water every 3-4 hours over the course of 48-72 hours before a race. This should happen until about an hour before the race.
Alcohol is also a diuretic, which means drinking too much the night before a run or race could leave you dehydrated in the morning. To avoid the effects of poor hydration—lack of coordination, less oxygen to the muscles, which can slow you down—drink water before and after your beer. (That's right, one beer.
Increased injury risk
A hungover run could send you to the physio. 'I've been interested in how reaction time and coordination are still affected the next day,' says Dr Adams. 'This could mean the previous evening's drinking may increase the risk of injury if you're not fully coordinated.
Go into your race hydrated
This means hydrating the day & night before and the morning of the race. The night before: Drink 12-16 oz of an electrolyte drink. If your race is over 1.5 hours, and you've been carb loading, the extra water you drink with your carb load will help, too.
Getting your hydration right in the final 24 hours is critical to race success. Too many runners start their race already a little dehydrated, and either have to gulp down fluid in the race, or see their performance drop as a result. Instead, consciously think about your hydration strategy.
If you're in the daily caffeine camp, good news: drinking coffee before running can offer real performance benefits. These advantages include decreased fatigue and reduced perceived exertion, among other perks.
What should I eat and drink the night before a race?
Eating carbohydrates the night before a long run helps to provide fuel for the muscles and the brain – this is why pasta for runners is so well-known. The main focus of the meal the night before a long run should be carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, fruit, etc.
Carb loading for running is important because consuming carbohydrates before and during exercise can reduce fatigue, improve performance, and help maintain hydration status. Hence, pasta is one of the best foods for carb loading meals before a marathon and the best carbs before running.
What should I drink the day before long runs? Drink about 6-8 oz of water or sports drink, about every 2-3 hours. Accelerade has been shown by good research to help normalize your fluid levels better than water and another sports drink. I recommend a total of 50-64 oz of fluid throughout the day.
Stop drinking fluids about 30 minutes before your run and always make one last bathroom stop before heading out. And, if you have bladder issues or you aren't sure of how things will go, it's not a bad idea to plan your running route around a bathroom stop.
"I normally don't recommend runners go for a run on an empty stomach due to blood sugar and energy level concerns," Garcia said. "Starting a run fasted can induce hypoglycemia symptoms, make a runner feel sluggish, and can negatively impact their recovery time."
Gatorade and other commercialized electrolyte fluid is helpful for those running longer distances but if you are just running a 5k, this is not necessary. You can however choose more natural options with less sugar, like coconut water.
Post-Run: Alcohol's Effect on Recovery
“You're dehydrated to begin with after a race, and alcohol is a diuretic, which will make your dehydration worse,” Dengel says. Alcohol can also interfere with your body's glycogen replenishment and muscle repair in the minutes following intense effort.
1. Sugary Sodas. Sugary sodas tend to instantly satiate you but eventually cause dehydration and elevated sugar cravings. They are also tough to digest and interfere with your energy levels, so it's best to avoid them as much as you can as they are the worst foods for runners!
Alcohol is a diuretic. This means that the more you drink the more you release water from the body through urination. In the days leading up to your race or when preparing for a long run, hydration is key for optimal performance. Drinking alcohol will counteract these efforts.
Once you're feeling well enough for some movement, and if you're craving fresh air or an endorphin rush, then gentle exercise like yoga, walking, swimming or even a light jog are a good way to keep your body moving without making the hangover worse. Once you've fully recovered, you'll be free to hit up the gym again.
Does one night of drinking affect fitness?
While minimal drinking may not impact how you exercise the next day, it has been shown to impact your performance while exercising—so you'll find it harder and won't be as satisfied afterward. One study showed that having a hangover can reduce your aerobic performance by 11.4 percent the next day.
Drink a strong electrolyte drink (like PH 1500) with 500ml/16oz of water about 90 minutes before you start.
Instead of drinking a lot of water, just drink one Pedialyte—strawberry flavored—a day or two days before a race, and that will give you the hydration that you need, instead of drinking water, water, water.
Whatever the reason, athletes going too hard with 'topping up' their fluid levels and overdrinking before a race can raise the risk of exercise-associated hyponatremia. In many athletes' eyes, dehydration is still the one true evil which must be avoided at all costs.
- SLEEP TIPS FOR BEFORE THE RACE. In addition to training hard and eating right, it's equally important to optimize your sleep environment to ensure you receive the highest-quality sleep. ...
- Stay Dry and Cool. ...
- Keep Your Spine Aligned. ...
- Stay On Your Sleep Path. ...
- Rest and Recovery!
