How I fuelled a 10k PB.

Yesterday, I completed my first ever official run at the Great Manchester 10k. I finished with a personal best time of 45 minutes and 6 seconds. I felt strong and well fuelled.

I aim to share my nutritional strategy with you in this post.

Pre race

My fuelling began the night before with my evening meal being a pasta dish, high in carbohydrate and with adequate protein (30g). The day before an event such as a 10k is a great opportunity to begin your fuelling. The evening meal should contain around 1g of carbohydrate per kg of body mass as well as being easily digested. You can also treat yourself to a dessert here to add extra glycogen to the muscles. I took up with offer with a slice of sponge cake.

My race began at 11:30am meaning breakfast (3-5 hours prior to exercise) was my last opportunity for a substantial meal. I opted for overnight oats (see recipe blog) for light, slow releasing carbohydrates and a slice of toast with jam to top up my stores. This was washed down with 750ml of water and electrolytes to ensure that I began the race in a hydrated state.

Half an hour to hour before commencing exercise is another fuelling opportunity. Here you are looking for light, easily digestible and fast acting carbohydrates (30-60g). My fuel of choice was a cereal bar and handful of jelly sweets plus 500ml of water.

During

As the race did not last over 60 minutes there was no need for taking on any fuel during as energy stores only begin to deplete substantially after 60 minutes. I did take advantage of the two hydration stations on the route as it was a warm day and hydration status is critical for physical and cognitive performance.

Post

Post race recovery is about the three Rs: Replenish, rehydrate and repair. Following a sweaty race the last thing you think about is food! This is where chocolate milk comes in. Milk is rich in electrolytes for rehydration, it contains good dairy proteins for muscle repair and the chocolate flavourings provides carbohydrate replenishment and palatability. This was consumed immediately after the race. Within the next few hours when things have calmed down, its time for a substantial meal. Again, you probably wont feel much like eating so finger food such as pizza, may not be optimal, but is definitely needed!

For more nutrition tips or recipes, read some of my other posts!