What a someone eats before a race is going to vary from person to person based on individual preferences. The longer your event, the more important it is to watch what you eat, keep this in mind if you ever run a marathon.
HS runners will only run up to a 5K so what is eaten may not be as big a deal as to how much is eaten. How many times have you eaten a meal and then gone to practice, only to feel awful?
Most people will need from 2-4 hours between eating and exercise. If it is 30mins before your race (or practice) and you are wondering what to eat, it may be best to eat nothing at all.
If it is getting close to training time or competing time and you need something to eat, I find toast works best. I usually put honey on it. Usually if your race is early in the morning or if a track meet is on a rolling schedule and your race is coming up earlier than planned, you may be hungry and want to eat something.
Following is a chart I have made with examples of what to eat:
On a regular day (practice starts at 3:30), you want to not eat anything crazy during lunch in order to make sure that you will be able to train at the top of your game during practice. A lot of athletes wait until a day or two before competition to start trying to eat healthy. This is too late in the game. Top athetles eat right on a daily basis. This way you can practice at a high level, which will
cause you to compete at an either higher level.
It may be best to eat a very small and healthy lunch to make sure you are ready to go when it is time to train. Eat a larger breakfast to keep yourself from getting hungry. Your metabolism is usually at it's highest in the morning so it won't hurt to eat a bigger meal.
When Adam Goucher was at the top of his game, he didn't eat lunch. I don't think it is a good idea for high school athletes to skip meals however as they are still growing and need more energy than most other people.
And make sure to drink enough water to stay hydrated and to help absorb nutrients when you eat.
I suggest a regular day to look something like this:
AM: Slightly larger breakfast
Midday: Slightly smaller lunch
3:30: Practice
PM: Eat dinner or a snack within 2 hours of finishing practice
PM: Eat dinner or snack again 2 hours later
Try not to eat too much right before going to bed though
Healthy eating usually means eating lots of fruit, whole grain foods, cereal, etc, but sometimes this can cause you to need a bathroom break at the worst time.
You will have to learn what works best for you through trial and error. The main thing is to eat a variety of foods, which will help you get in many different vitamins/nutrients and you won't get too much of any one thing.
-Coach Chuck
