Your Pre-Marathon Power Breakfast

Stick with familiar foods (that you practiced with on long-run days). Your best bet is a combo of high-quality carbs with some protein. And it’s not just what you eat, but when you eat it. Give your body a couple hours before the race starts to digest so you aren’t cramping up or running to the bathroom mid-race.

You may find that it’s best to steer clear of anything that is high fat or super loaded with fiber as these foods take much longer to digest and may lead to some not-so-fun issues during your run. It does vary from person-to-person (I know someone who could eat a bean burrito minutes before a race and feel just fine!) so be sure to play around with options when training so you know exactly what to do on race day.

Give these winning morning meals a try:

• whole-grain bagel topped with nut butter and banana slices
• scrambled eggs with chopped tomato and whole-grain toast
• oatmeal topped with berries and nuts or seeds
• yogurt with granola and fruit