What should you eat before a training session or race?
A lot of athletes spend hours planning their training, but barely think about what they eat before it.
In my opinion that’s a mistake.
Because what you eat before a session or race can directly affect:
your energy
your output
your focus
your stomach comfort
your recovery afterwards
As both an endurance athlete and coach, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is this:
good pre-training nutrition helps the session actually do what it’s supposed to do.
Your body relies on stored energy to train. But:
glycogen stores are limited,
overnight fasts reduce liver glycogen,
stress and poor fueling can leave you flat.
Going into sessions underfueled can lead to:
lower power / pace
worse training quality
early fatigue
higher stress hormones
poorer recovery
This is especially important for:
hard sessions,
long sessions,
doubles,
race days.
Sports nutrition position statements consistently emphasize that pre-exercise fueling supports performance and reduces perceived effort, especially for endurance exercise.
The biggest mistake athletes make: eating the same way before every session.
Different sessions need different fueling.
Ask yourself:
How long is the session?
How hard is it?
How soon am I training?
How sensitive is my stomach?
If You Have 2–4 Hours Before Training
This is ideal.
Goal: Top up glycogen without feeling heavy.
Aim: 1–4 g carbs/kg bodyweight
Example: 70 kg athlete:
70–280 g carbs
Keep meal:
carb-focused
moderate protein
low-moderate fat
lower fiber if sensitive
Good options:
oats + banana + honey + whey
rice + eggs + fruit
bagel + jam + yogurt
toast + peanut butter + banana
This window is widely recommended for maximizing glycogen availability while reducing GI risk.
If You Have 30–90 Minutes Before Training
You need: easy-to-digest fuel.
Aim: 20–60 g carbs
Keep:
low fiber
low fat
low volume
Good options:
banana
toast + honey
rice cakes + jam
sports drink
gel + water
Good for:
morning sessions
quick workouts
busy days
If It’s a Short Easy Session (<60 min)
For easy recovery sessions: you may not need much.
Depends on:
how you feel,
previous meals,
goals.
Options:
light snack
coffee + banana
or train lightly fasted (sometimes)
Important: never make underfueling a habit.
Fasted training gets overhyped. It
Yes, some low-intensity fasted work can:
improve metabolic flexibility,
be useful occasionally.
But never use it for:
intervals
threshold
VO₂max
long sessions
race prep
Why? Because:
quality drops,
cortisol rises,
recovery worsens.
Use fasted work:
intentionally,
sparingly.
Remind yourself that you're an athlete who fuels for performance and not for aesthetics or weight loss.
Race nutrition starts before race day.
The key is to eat familiar foods.
DON'Ts:
experiment,
eat huge greasy meals,
overload fiber.
Ideal race breakfast:
2–4 hours pre-race
carb-rich
easy to digest
Examples:
oats + banana + honey
white toast + jam + eggs
bagels + peanut butter + banana
Before start:
Optional:
gel / sports drink 15–20 min before
This helps:
top up blood glucose.
Pre-race carb feeding is strongly supported to improve endurance performance.
1. Training hard underfueled
You can’t hit quality without energy.
2. Eating too much too close
Leads to:
bloating,
nausea,
sluggishness.
3. Too much fiber / fat pre-session
Slows digestion hinders performance.
4. Trying something new on race day
Classic mistake, that most likely won't end well.
5. Forgetting hydration
Fuel and fluids go together.
Even mild dehydration hurts performance.
As an endurance athlete, one of the biggest changes in my own training came when I stopped treating food as an afterthought.
What made the difference was:
planning pre-session meals,
eating enough carbs before hard work,
and practicing race fueling in training.
That led to:
better sessions,
more stable energy,
better recovery.
Small fueling changes can create huge training gains.
What you eat before training or racing matters.
The goal is simple: start fueled enough to perform, without upsetting your stomach.
Keep it:
simple,
familiar,
matched to the session.
Because the quality of your training depends on whether your body has the energy to execute it.
f you want help improving your training, recovery, and fueling strategy based on your own goals, explore the coaching, courses, and resources on this site.
Because better performance starts before the workout even begins.
