Race day nutrition can pose problems for endurance athletes. Too large a pre-race meal may leave you feeling sluggish, too small a meal may leave you short of fuel. A nervous stomach may leave you not wanting to eat anything at all. Then there's the question of what to eat and drink during your race. What you need is a race day nutrition strategy.

If completing or improving your time in a long-distance race is one of this year's goals, you should begin experimenting with different race day eating plans. Here are some general guidelines to help you determine what eating plan will work best for you.

The morning of the race try to consume a breakfast containing approximately 800 calories about 2 hours before the race. The meal should be primarily low glycemic index carbohydrates with some protein and fat added to prevent blood sugar fluctuations. Energy bars and powdered pre-workout drinks can be substituted for whole foods if you have a nervous stomach.

If your race is in a very hot environment, begin super hydrating with Pro Hydrator (glycerol) if this supplement is part of your nutritional strategy (and only if you have tried it in training!).

If your race is less than 60 minutes long, you can usually get by relying on energy drinks at feed stations and will not need to carry extra fuel. If your race is longer than 60 minutes, it is a good idea to carry some energy gels along to prevent bonking. If you are doing a race that is longer than three hours, you will need to have a precise plan for calorie consumption during the race.

The following suggestions are for a three hour + race. As always, experiment with this type of program during workouts prior to race day.

If you can, take a sports drink or an energy gel 15 minutes before the race. Once the race starts, begin consuming some liquid calories every 20-30 minutes. One ounce of gel or 8 oz. of rehydration drink will give you approximately 150 calories. Most athletes try to consume about 400 calories per hour (excluding the swim leg of a triathlon) during longer endurance events. A specially formulated endurance meal such as CytoSport Preformance can give you 260 calories per 10 oz. drink. Such a supplement is a great way to consume extra easily digestible calories.

An added benefit of pre-workout and recovery drinks such as Preformance and Endurox R4 is that they contain protein, which is needed in addition to carbohydrates to help fuel your muscles during longer events. Some athletes report energy problems if relying solely on carbohydrates during long races. Some energy gels contain caffeine, which can help you access fat stores during a races and give you a needed energy boost. Energy bars are also a good source of calories; however, some athletes find it difficult to chew, swallow, and digest them during a race.

Consuming water alone as the only fluid replacement is not recommended for races longer than 90 minutes. There is ample evidence that supplemental carbohydrate drinks during these events will improve performance and help with hydration. Taking in large volumes of water without supplemental eletrolytes can lead to hyponatremia (dangerously low sodium levels). Some athletes use electrolyte replacement pills. SUCCEED! caps provide 341 mg of sodium and 21 mg of potassium per capsule, and are used during long events to prevent nausea, swelling of the extremities, and electrolyte depletion.

Hopefully these suggestions will help you improve your performance during longer distance events. We welcome your comments and suggestions on race day nutrition. E-mail us at info@PersonalBestNutrition.com with your comments.