Tag: Race day prep

According to sports dietitians, up to 75% of the energy from exercise is converted into heat, making proper hydration essential for any runner. Knowing how to hydrate for a 5k is crucial for regulating body temperature, maintaining blood volume, and avoiding the performance-draining effects of dehydration.

Did you know up to 90% of long-distance runners experience some form of gastrointestinal distress during or after a race? To avoid becoming a statistic, understanding what not to eat race week is crucial for peak performance and a comfortable finish.

While carb loading is a proven strategy for endurance events lasting over 90 minutes, it is generally unnecessary for a 5K race. For shorter, high-intensity events, proper fueling involves a balanced, carb-focused diet in the days leading up to the race, not the excessive intake associated with traditional carb loading.

During intense exercise, your body's glycogen stores are depleted after about 90 minutes, making energy gels a popular choice for a quick carbohydrate boost. To maximize their effectiveness and avoid gastrointestinal distress, it is crucial to know precisely how much water should I drink with energy gels.

During intense exercise, your body diverts blood from the digestive system to the working muscles, a process that can lead to delayed digestion and stomach upset. Understanding what happens if you drink water after energy gel is crucial for mitigating these effects and ensuring smooth energy absorption.

Research shows that carb loading can boost endurance performance by 15-25% for events longer than 90 minutes. This nutritional strategy is designed to maximize your body's stored energy, known as glycogen, ensuring you have enough fuel to finish strong and avoid 'hitting the wall'.

Research has shown that effective carbohydrate loading can improve endurance performance by 2-3% and prolong exercise capacity by up to 20%, proving its importance for competitive athletes. This critical practice maximizes the body's primary fuel source, glycogen, to sustain the intense, long-duration effort of a marathon.

Glycogen stores in your muscles and liver can boost endurance by 15-25%. To truly maximize these reserves, understanding how to carb load night before a race is crucial, moving beyond the traditional but often misunderstood last-minute meal.

Proper carbohydrate loading, when combined with a tapering regimen, has been shown to improve endurance performance by 2-3%. This is precisely why understanding what you should eat during marathon taper week is critical for optimal race day readiness and a successful finish.

Studies show that even a 2% loss in body weight due to dehydration can cause a 4% decline in muscle performance. Knowing exactly how much water should I drink to prepare for a marathon is crucial for both success and safety, requiring a strategic approach that extends beyond the race itself.