Tips for hydrating, etc. for an evening race

[Jwolf]

I'm doing a race on Friday evening, about 7:00. Either 5K or 10K, but I'm leaning toward 10K.

I've never raced in the evening and I'm wondering how to best manage my food/liquid intake during the day. I suspect I over-hydrated again before my 10K on Sunday, drinking over a pint of fluid (a grande coffee plus a bit of tea) in the morning before the race. If Friday's race were in the morning, I'd only have a small cup of tea about two hours before. I tend to drink too much fluid (in the form of coffee), so my guess is I should hold back. Maybe the morning grande and then that's it other than small amounts of water to thirst?

And what about food? I don't want to have potty issues... I wonder if not eating after lunchtime is good enough.

(p.s. I don't have any questions about rehydrating-- there's a beer garden after this race )

[purdy65]

I'm doing a race on Friday evening, about 7:00. Either 5K or 10K, but I'm leaning toward 10K.

I've never raced in the evening and I'm wondering how to best manage my food/liquid intake during the day. I suspect I over-hydrated again before my 10K on Sunday, drinking over a pint of fluid (a grande coffee plus a bit of tea) in the morning before the race. If Friday's race were in the morning, I'd only have a small cup of tea about two hours before. I tend to drink too much fluid (in the form of coffee), so my guess is I should hold back. Maybe the morning grande and then that's it other than small amounts of water to thirst?

And what about food? I don't want to have potty issues... I wonder if not eating after lunchtime is good enough.

(p.s. I don't have any questions about rehydrating-- there's a beer garden after this race )

Jenn,

Not sure about the hydration, although I would suspect no fluids a couple of hours before the race, but keep well hydrated morning/afternoon. Foodwise, when I used to run with the running room I would have a good lunch - with NO dairy/raw veggies/spices. Something like a bagel with yogurt/fruit or a plain chicken breast sandwich on wholewheat from Subway! This always worked for me. Then, a powerbar (which rarely upset my stomach) about 90 minutes prerun.

It's just what seemed to work for me YMMV. Believe me I was paranoid about the potty issues being a group run and all!

Then have a celebration meal after! Good Luck!

[narr]

I'm doing a race on Friday evening, about 7:00. Either 5K or 10K, but I'm leaning toward 10K.

I've never raced in the evening and I'm wondering how to best manage my food/liquid intake during the day. I suspect I over-hydrated again before my 10K on Sunday, drinking over a pint of fluid (a grande coffee plus a bit of tea) in the morning before the race. If Friday's race were in the morning, I'd only have a small cup of tea about two hours before. I tend to drink too much fluid (in the form of coffee), so my guess is I should hold back. Maybe the morning grande and then that's it other than small amounts of water to thirst?

And what about food? I don't want to have potty issues... I wonder if not eating after lunchtime is good enough.

(p.s. I don't have any questions about rehydrating-- there's a beer garden after this race )

Sometimes I have trouble understanding what people write, so when I read "not eating after lunchtime" I think that means not eating after lunch time.

I eat lunch at 12:00 and I am done by 12:30. Even allowing lunch to finish at 13:00, that is still SIX HOURS before your race.

I would suggest a light lunch, snacks at 14:30, a light supper, and stop drinking when you have finished your light meal at 17:00. Any hydration issues should have worked themselves out in the two hours before the race.

narr

[Jwolf]

Sorry- that does sound unclear up there. But I did mean not eating anything after lunch was over, because I really worry about the digestion issues. A light supper around 5 would do me in for an evening race, I'm sure.

At the latest I'd want to eat about 3 hours before, so maybe a snack around 4:00. But I even worry that will make me need a stop during the run. Yesterday I did my long run around 2:30 after having a light snack at lunchtime (about 12:00). But the later in the day it gets, the worse my stomach is.

[ian]

Does juice cause any issues with digestion? I often like this sort of liquid fuel before late afternoon track workouts in the summer heat. Unless it's sweltering, you probably don't need to hydrate too much for a 10K (just make sure that it isn't ten straight beer after the race without a glass of water in between ).

[ultraslacker]

what do you do for evening speed work? (or do you do evening speed work?)

[Jwolf]

what do you do for evening speed work? (or do you do evening speed work?)

I guess I should have specified that I hardly ever run in the evenings at all. When I do it's always just an easy run and I don't eat for about 3 hours before. I don't do evening speed work, except when I did a Running Room clinic several years ago-- I didn't have the digestion issues back then.

[richie-rich]

Jenn,

my last 5k race was in the evening at 6:45. i changed my eating habits for race day. normal breakfast and as many cups of coffee as i wanted. 500ml water between breakfast and lunch. lunch was something relatively plain from subway (turkey breast, no mayo, veggies) 500 ml water, apple. maybe only 500ml of water after lunch and nothing to drink after 3. at 4 i had a cliff bar to keep my stomach from growling. and that's it. i didn't want any potty issues either so no dairy or anything spicy. i don't normally drink that much water but i ws expecting 100F heat and humidity.

i think you'll be fine. unless it's going to be really crazy humid when you race but it's only 10k. i don't think you'll get dehydrated over that distance. good luck!

[Joe Dwarf]

just make sure that it isn't ten straight beer after the race without a glass of water in between

You say that like that's a problem or something.

[alexk]

Jen, my leg in the CTRR was also in the evening (5:15).I don't often run at that time of day and had the same concerns as you do. As well, I snack often and get hungry when I don't eat.

I ate my normal breakfast (cereal and fruit) with coffee, ate some almonds mid-morning, had a bagel with peanut butter at lunch, had a Nature Valley PB granola bar around 2:30 and a banana around 4:15. I sipped on water t/o the day (probably had 2 reg size bottles). It was cool so I wasn't worried about feeling dehydrated.

It all worked out just fine; I didn't need water at the water station and felt like I had enough fuel t/o the race.

Your run should be a neat experience; enjoy!

[LeonKomposky]

I don't have much to add to good advice already posted. But, I will.
Keep your meals very simple and small for both breakfast & lunch - oatmeal / bagel with PB / simple sandwich / that sort of thing. If you are the type that snacks regularly go ahead and have a small snack mid afternoon. Have an extra glass of water in the morning and in the early afternoon but nothing for the two hours before the race. No afternoon coffee.
If you have had a decent meal the day before, you will have plenty of fuel for a 10K and unless it is very warm hydration should not be an issue.
I find the biggest challenge of evening running is to take it easy in the afternoon - there are always way too many things that need to be done.
Enjoy the post-race beer!

[Jwolf]

I should find our what the Vancouver Canucks do... And do the opposite.

[Jump145]

I should find our what the Vancouver Canucks do... And do the opposite.

haha, nice!