Last night, I started carb loading.
Just like I do before every long run of 14 miles or more.
Just like I do before half marathons.
Just like I did before my first marathon.
A person can only eat so much pasta. Especially when you’re trying to fill your body to capacity but also need to be careful about acidic tomato sauces, oily cheese sauces, and other things that may drag you down on race day.
Plain pasta for meals on end? Good grief.
The powdered carbs help. A lot.
The problem? Only one flavor…fruit punch.
Carb loading for my marathon. (Come on! You know you want a taste, too.)
It’s hard enough for me to find a store that carries just the fruit punch flavor. I still haven’t found one that sells any other flavors.
One scoop equals about 100 calories. Each scoop gets mixed with about four ounces of water.
I have a great water bottle that I use just for carb load. It has a great seal, which is critical because I have to shake it vigorously all the time to keep the load from settling at the bottom.
For my first marathon, I went way overboard:
- 4 scoops 4 days out
- 8 scoops 3 days out
- 12 scoops 2 days out
- 16 scoops the day before
After that marathon in the spring, I didn’t want to go near fruit punch for months.
With my second marathon on Sunday, it’s time for more fruit punch.
But this time I’m trying not to overdo it:
- 4 scoops 3 days out
- 8 scoops 2 days out (today…)
- 12-15 scoops the day before
Wish me luck.
Not on the race. But on keeping all the carb load down.
Bottoms up!
Oh man, I don’t know if I could do it. I have actually avoided planning on the carb load, instead opting for a slightly bigger, slightly carbier dinner than I would normally have on the night before a big race. Oh, and a beer. I always have a beer or two the night before a race. Much more palatable than fruit punch.
It’s good to have a system though, and this one’ll work for you.
I’ve thought of pouring some vodka into the load, but haven’t tempted fate that way yet…