Pre IM Breakfast Preferences

scott dinhofer

I've never been a big breakfast person and I am probably doing myself a disservice by not eating enough the morning of an IM. Usually it's a middle of the night high calorie "naked shake" and then at "wake up time" it is just a banana and a slowly dranken 30 oz bottle of gatorade.

love to know what most people do as I will practice a new protocol with my upcoming RR.

Derrek Sanks

I'm lucky enough to have a steel stomach...IOWs, there's not too much that will upset my stomach. For race morning I eat ~500 cals of easily digestible foods 3 hours before my wave start. Breakfast is a combination of (not all) the following based on what I bring/buy race week. I count the calories to get around 500 cals.

• Oatmeal, instant, maple and brown sugar
• Bagel, plain, white with butter and honey
• banana
• Gatorade Endurance
• Applesauce, unsweet
• Naked Juice, no fiber

Peter Greagg

toast with jam, banana, 750 ml Infinit, and Power Bar.

Scott Alexander

Liquid diet! Smoothies.

With pre-race jitters being enough for me, and an "efficient" GI system, I'll have enough visits to the restroom, so I try not to muck it up with too much solid food.

Al Truscott

Oatmeal, raisins, brown sugar, Orange Juice, yogurt.

Sue DeJesus

Night before race in a 17oz thermos that I pre-pack from home I put 500cal: old fashion oats, chia seeds, nut butter, honey or maple syrup crystals, dried cherries. Add pour boiling water & stir, close it up. The next morning it's still warm and ready to eat.

Sip on sports drink until race start. Always have extra gels, bar or banana on hand in case of race start delays.

Sid Wavrin

I think it should be similar to what you do on the days before a big workout. The race is probably a longer day than your workouts, but nothing you can eat will stay with you for long no matter what. I eat oatmeal and banana almost every day so that's what I do race day. I will add a half bagel with nut butter and I sip electrolyte all morning.

Sheila Leard

@scott dinhofer think of pre-race fuel as just topping off your liver glycogen stores. Like a car idling all night the tank isn't empty it's just a bit lower in gas. With your pre-race taper and eating "big" up to 14 hours before the gun your muscle glycogen is full, you just need to bring up blood sugar in the morning with food that won't upset your gut.

• Do you really need to break precious sleep by getting up in the middle of the night to fuel?
• Can you put some peanut butter on your banana?
• What if you drank the naked shake before bed.

scott dinhofer

all good stuff and many thanks @Sheila Leard for bringing some levity to the situation! EXCELLENT ideas!!!