It’s race day and you’ve done all of your training, you’ve got your running shoes, the only thing left to do is wake-up, eat some breakfast, and push yourself to attain awesomeness status.  So what kind of food should eat the morning before the race to allow you to become awesome without making you feel like you have to throw up?  I personally have a difficult time determining how much food is enough to eat the morning before races.  I always push myself to the “I feel like I have to throw up” level so I usually don’t want anything in my stomach on race day; however, I need energy, especially for longer races.  Sometimes the less I have in my stomach the easier it is for me to feel like I have to throw up.  I’ve seen runners eat a full breakfast before a race and I’ve also seen runners forcing themselves to throw up at the starting line of a race.  Don’t make yourself throw up.  Even if you are trail running.  You’re already skinny.  You must be, you’re a runner.  So here are some universal tips that every type of runner should consider when eating breakfast the morning of race day:

Your objective on race day is to top-up on your liver glycogen stores, maintain blood sugar levels, and hydrate properly.  Too easy.  In order to do this you should eat foods that give you carbohydrates with a small amount of protein.  Some suggested combinations are raisins with honey, cereal with a banana and low-fat milk, two slices of toast with some orange juice, or a bagel with peanut butter.  As a side note, growing up in the South, the first time I ever saw someone eat a bagel was my Sophomore year of High School before a cross-country meet.  The first time I ever ate a bagel myself was my Senior year of High School when I was working at a grocery store stocking cream cheese and decided to buy some bagels.  They were pretty good but I thought my father was going to kick me out of the house when he saw me walk through the door with a bag of bagels.  He usually eats fried peach pies for breakfast.  My mom bought him fried blueberry pies because they were “healthier.”  I’m serious.

If you have a weak stomach on race day then you should at the very least drink a sports drink or a sports meal replacement to get the nutrients you need.  You know your body needs some energy during the race.  If you have had a problem with having food in your stomach during a race then try eating 2-3 hours prior to the race to give your body time to digest the food.  Also try eating easy to digest foods like oatmeal to allow your body to receive some energy but remove the excess waste before you start running.  If you a running a race under 60 minutes then you don’t need to worry about eating at all, just make sure you drink water and stay hydrated.  If you still have a problem with food in your stomach during races then start finishing your races under 60 minutes no matter what the distance is.  Problem solved.

Race day can be a nervous morning.  Blame your shivering on the cold weather and toe the line with the confidence that you have the proper amounts of nutrients in your body without feeling like you have to throw up.  Only 5% of runners who feel like they are going to throw up actually do.  So push yourself and be in the top 5%!  Measured on the belly curve of course.

The other night a friend of mine was hungry after a late night at work where she hadn’t eaten dinner so she ordered a plate of french fries.  The time of the order was actually at 1 in the morning.  My first reaction was, “that sounds great!  I wonder if they have any honey mustard here?”  But then I thought, “wait, a meal of just fries?  Aren’t fries supposed to be a side?….of course they have honey mustard, it’s a restaurant.”  Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for breaking the social norms when it comes to eating; I used to put sprite or orange juice on my rice checks cereal when I a kid, but a fried side as a meal?  That was a bit too much for me to swallow…literally.  Ok, so it wasn’t that hard to swallow.  I had some of them without being offered any at all.  No honey mustard though.

I have found that there are two types of eating habits of runners.  There are those who run to be able to eat whatever they want and those that eat whatever they want and THEN decide to lose weight so they start running.  The first group is typically the more serious runners.  I am a member of the first group.  That doesn’t mean I can eat any type of food after a long run, it’s just that I don’t have to worry about the portions and can cheat a little bit on the types of food I eat.  A good treat after a long run would be a humongous burrito, chips and salsa, and a couple of Dos Equis.  However, although I have always been a runner, I haven’t always been a runner of the first group.  I haven’t ever run to necessarily lose weight either, I just didn’t coincide my eating habits with my running calorie burn.  About 2 years ago I weighed 30 more pounds than I do now.  Although I was still running, and doing about the same distances  that I run today, I was doing all of the other things that would immensely offset my intense workouts, helping me maintain a more roundish figure.  Now I’m more like a V!  I’m thinking of changing my middle initial to “V” but keeping my same middle name; which doesn’t have a V in it at all.  Don’t think that’s impossible.  Let’s just say it wouldn’t be the first time that I have successfully had everyone refer to me as a name other than my legal one.  I am the proud owner of a successful alias!

I used to eat fast food at least 10 times a week.  It was good, cheap, and convenient.  I don’t cook.  I still don’t cook but I don’t eat fast food either.  I eat meals out about 2-3 times per week, depending on what my coupon situation is.  When I eat at home, I eat mostly cereal, soup, Spaghetti O’s, tuna and other items that come out of a can or box and you can eat in a bowl.  I honestly have not had one plate in my dishwasher in the past month.  Not one.  I’m thinking about investing in some more bowls.  I’m a simple man, that’s probably why I enjoy the simplicity of running.

So I decided I needed to shed the extra weight I was carrying around.  It actually wasn’t as fun being large as I thought it would be.   I thought I would be a lot more jolly.  So what did I do about it?  How have I been able to lose 30 pounds and keep it off?  Well, I took my simple style to my diet.  I don’t eat fast food and I don’t drink soft drinks that are not diet.  Plus I keep running.  Same distances, same schedule, same speed as I did before; the difference is what I put into my body.  If you are seeking to lose weight, running or other exercise won’t do it alone.  That is why runners who are looking to merely maintain their size, running and eating unhealthy becomes a zero sum game and you remain the same size.  So, if you want to decrease your size, you MUST eat healthy.

I’m not a nutritionist, so I can’t tell you want to eat, but I can tell you to eat healthy if you want to lose weight.  From my experience, if you are tired after you eat, you either ate too much or ate a lot of fat.  Wake up and eat a carrot!  Then go for a run and burn that carrot plus some!

It’s girl’s night out, a first date, a holiday with the family…what do we all do? Gather, chat, love and EAT! It’s the American way, after all.

Most of us have the tendency to socialize around food. Don’t get me wrong, I am a strong believer in food. I have my Master’s Degree in Nutrition and will be a Registered Dietitian in just a few months and I got into this profession because I love food! However, (I hold my breath as I type this) there is more to life and socializing than food.

Chris, who writes a bulk of this BLOG, has encouraged so many of us to get out there and run to get in touch with ourselves again in this all-too “plugged in” world. And I fully agree with what he points out, but I am going to offer yet another advantage to running: socializing!

Instead of meeting your friend for coffee on Saturday morning, throw on your running shoes, say adios to the $5 cup of coffee and calorie-laden danish and go for a run with him or her instead. I assure that you will find yourself just as awake as after your double-shot mocha latte with extra foam and you won’t feel quite as guilty buying those skinny jeans that you found on sale!

The Serious Running website offers some wonderful trails around the United States to go and discover with friends. You’d be surprised at what lies just around the corner and behind some trees! Sometimes it’s fun to just go explore and see what you find. And if you find something worthwhile, post it on Serious Running!

Ordinary tasks like window shopping, browsing the menus of local restaurants or even house hunting can all be done with a little rubber on your feet, a bounce in your step and a friend at your side.

So, the next time that a friend wants to meet up, throw out the idea of exploring the city and catching up on a little run, then going to grab a bite to eat (you gotta eat sometime!). Plus, there is a 45-minute window after a workout when you can refuel your body’s muscles and tissues and prevent soreness. In other words, running not only offers you a way to stay in shape, but it offers a social outlet and allows you to feel good about your fish tacos and beer!

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A little about me:  My name is Lanier Thompson and I will be posting mainly about nutrition and food as it pertains to exercise and running.   Recipes, cooking (and eating) ideas, and hydration tips specifically for runners will all be  included. I will be focused on easy and great-tasting recipes, mainly because that’s what I like! Please post any comments or questions that you might have about food and nutrition. Happy running and eating!