Prior to an event such as UTA 50km or 100Km many people start to wonder if they need to “carb load” . The short answer is yes a little bit, but don’t go crazy adding extra pasta and bread to every meal.
Top 5 tips regarding Carb loading
1. Once you are in taper mode, you are effectively carb loading as your body isn’t burning as much due to reduced training load
2. For the 3- 4 days prior to the event you can increase your carbohydrate intake by changing your ratio of Carbs: Protein for your meals, but keep total calories the same. For example , instead of chicken and Veggies, opt for risotto with veggies , or cut back the chicken portion and add more starchy veg such as sweet potato, potato or beetroot.
3. The day before your event, have a bigger lunch and smaller dinner than you usually would, this allows time for digestion. Include an extra piece of fruit or starchy veg in your day – banana/pear/apple/potato/sweet potato
4. Stick to simple, good quality “plain” food the day before – this is not the day to have a spicy Indian Curry !
5. Carbohydrates hold 3-4 times their weight in water, so don’t over do the carb loading (if you’re not used to eating lots of carbs) or you risk standing on the start line feeling heavy and bloated.
Actually 6 tips …. HYDRATE !! 2-3 litres of water per day for the 2-3 days prior, include some extra electrolytes to make sure you are getting the water into the cells.
For those doing the 100km, see you at the start line !
Tamara Madden, Nutritionist.
