What diet do you recommend pre-competition for the week before a Half or Long Distance?

Our collaborator Sandra Sardina, nutritionist specialized in endurance sports, responds to a query from our readers: What diet do you recommend pre-competition for the week before a Half or Long Distance?

Sandra Responds:

You have to take into account that the homework, in terms of food, must already be done the week before the competition. By this I mean that we must have had a balanced diet during the training period, about 6 months before, and arrive in an optimal state of health.

The week prior to a competition, care must be taken to take care of hydration and load up energy, glycogen reserves, to be able to face the competition. It is no longer necessary to go on a low-carbohydrate diet for three days and then overload for another three days.

It is known that with the decrease in the intensity and duration of training is sufficient to load the glycogen deposits, the last three days have to make a diet more rich in carbohydrates and perhaps, if the person is prone to gain weight, more low in proteins and fats. The overload can be achieved through food (bread, pasta, rice, vegetables, potatoes, jams, sugar, juices ...) or with preparations for athletes (isotonic drinks, energy bars ...).

If you have any questions about nutrition you can send us an email contacting us through our form and Sandra Sardina will answer for you.