Nutrition Plan
1. If the race starts at 6:00 am, your heaviest breakfast should be at least 3 ½ to 4 hours before. So if the race starts at 6:00 am, you should wake up at 2:00 or 2:30 am and eat your heaviest breakfast. For instance, I usually eat some oatmeal with bananas, nuts, and berries. Sometimes coffee and eggs.
WHY? Because this will allow you enough time to digest that food and use the bathroom before the race starts. Ideally, before you leave the hotel. So, you have less bathroom anxiety once in the race venue. You can go back to bed to sleep or relax until the second part of the plan.
2- Around 4 am to 4:30, you can eat your light breakfast. In my case, I usually eat a banana and a Gatorade. Some people get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The goal behind this is just a nice set of extra carbs that you can digest easily and that are not heavy in your stomach.
3- Around 5:00 am to 5:15 am, ½ Gatorade and ½ banana if you are hungry
4- If the race starts at 6:00 am, you should start your first round of nutrition 15 min before you get in the water. For instance, 1 SIS gel, a bit of water, or your first round of Infinit.
Heavy Breakfast
Oatmeal, eggs, banana, fruit, nuts
Light Breakfast
Gatorade and banana
UltraLight Breakfast
½ Gatorade and ½ banana
Start race nutrition
1 gel