race week meals
A Food blog for athletes
Ask any Ironman. Ask the coaches. Ask the age groupers or the pros. You’ll find a common theme amongst the foods athletes eat the week of a race. Race week meals are a sacred art form, passed down from the wise to those who crave the wisdom. If you consider yourself to be one of the latter, we’ve got some really good news for you. It is pretty hard to do race week meals WRONG. Need an example? Ok! Do you normally eat red meat? No? Then don’t eat a fillet mignon every night leading up to your tri. Or maybe don’t slam an ice cream/brownie/waffle/biscuit/hot fudge shake tower the day before your race. Those really do exist by the way. Check them out here.
Using the word “common sense” is so last tri season (we are constantly blown away by the evolution of what society perceives common sense to be anyways), so follow this rule instead: don’t do anything new the week of competition. No new bike fits, no new wetsuits, and sorry-not-sorry, that means no new foods outside your normal diet. Runners and triathletes have been perfecting the beautiful and delicious dance of carb loading possibly since the great Pheidippides ran like the dickens to Athens in 490 B.C. (what a fun idea that would be!) If you aren’t familiar with the term carb loading, it can be easily summarized as increasing your carbohydrate intake through consuming a greater quantity of low-glycemic index foods such as pastas, bread, and potatoes.
We asked the Trilife community to share with us their favorite race week recipes. Some of them were…as unique and memorable as any human who subjects themselves to hours upon hours of continuous exercise. The featured recipes below are the go-to favorites of our resident mermaid and fearless unicorn onesie rider Katie Godec. If you find yourself looking through the anxiously awaited food-inspo we are about to offer up and are thinking “Dang it! I can’t eat any of that,” let us know. We are here to serve.
one hipster a** burger
Nothing hits the spot like a good ol’ fashioned burger. Playing with any combination of the staple ingredients (bun, patty, lettuce, spread) has served artisanal burger joints and upscale restaurants trying to re-sell a classic quite well. Katie calls this burger a complete meal. Protein, carbs, fruits/veggies, and a little salty sweet for the taste buds.
<Recipe coming soon>
Missy’s Roasted Veggie Pasta
We have to give credit where credit is due. This dish is not a Katie creation. Her older (and feistier) sister Missy crafted this recipe many moons ago. It is commonly prepared for the family whenever Katie returns to Sonoma County, CA to visit. Thanks Sis! We recommend trying to make Missy’s Roasted Veggie Pasta for one of your race week meals if you are looking to stick with a carb loading classic.
<recipe coming soon>
‘Where’s the beef’ burrito
Inspired by the beachy, hippie, organic-loving paradise of her home in Los Angeles, Katie created this burrito to check off all the California boxes: healthy, wrapped up in a tortilla, and avocado. Enough said. Having multiple friends who are vegan or cook with a long list of food restrictions, Katie loves that this one can be tweaked to suit vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan lifestyles. Totally awesome dude.
<recipe coming soon>
trilife fam favorites
“My new night before the race din is simple roast chicken and white rice!”
“Footlong B.M.T from Subway with lots of spinach”
“During my training I once had an awesome pancake Sunday breakfast and on the following day I had THE best run...I think I have to continue having pancake breakfasts.”
“Pre race I usually have one of my homemade breakfast bars. They’re basically almonds, almond butter, honey, oats, dates, dried blueberries, and dried coconut. They’re amazing. ”
“Each of the two nights before the race (I) go with Thai curries (but not spicy). Two nights out it is usually a 2000 calorie meal with a lot of rice.”
“I love doing black bean, rice, and veggie burritos!!”
“I only race a few times per year, so I try to stay consistent and not introduce anything new before a race. I also make sure to not eat anything heavy like pizza because my races are short and I like running on an empty stomach.”
“Night before: a nice steak and sweet potato with butter. Maybe a glass of wine. ”
“I always have a beer the night before.”
“The night before a race we try to go to Olive Garden and get their mushroom ravioli. ”
“Lasagna ”
“I like to load up on antioxidants the first half of the week with lots of salads and smoothies with yogurt and nuts and cheese. ”