Triathlete.com: How To Fuel For Your First Race

Night Before The Race

5:30 p.m. Low-fiber dinner: White spaghetti with a low-fat meat marinara sauce and white bread rolls; or rice and lean meat with a low-fat sauce. Drink electrolyte beverages.
Why: “Energy-rich carbohydrate helps top off glycogen stores for race day, and all of the meal helps minimize the chance of GI distress,” Austin says.

5 tips for The Night Before

1. Eat a relatively early dinner, no later than 12 hours before your race start if possible.
2. Make carbohydrates (rice, pasta, bread, veggies) the focal point of your pre-race dinner, but don’t feel compelled to gorge on them.
3. Avoid foods you seldom eat. Try to eat something similar to the type of dinner you normally eat before a big day of training.
4. Consider choosing a “ritual” dinner that you re-create more or less exactly before every race. This can calm pre-race anxiety and put you in the right mind frame to compete.
5. Don’t drink too much water (or other fluid). You are not a camel. You cannot store water. Overhydrating will only necessitate sleep-ruining bathroom trips during the night.

RELATED: What Do I Eat The Night Before A Race?

Photo: Steve Godwin