Throughout her career in the field of political science and international relations, Sharyn O’Halloran has established herself as an academic leader at Columbia University. In her free time, Sharyn O’Halloran enjoys running marathons and half-marathons.
When it comes to long-distance running, it’s no secret that nutrition plays an important role in performance. In particular, the topic of what to eat the night before a long run has been debated extensively for years.
At the most basic level, carbohydrates provide the fuel necessary to rebuild glycogen stores in muscles. As such, dinner the night before a race should ideally include a relatively large number of carbohydrates from pasta, rice, potatoes, and grains such as couscous and quinoa. On the other hand, high-fiber foods can lead to digestive discomfort during the race. Fats also take longer to digest than carbohydrates, making them much less useful in short-term preparation for a race.
At the end of the day, however, runners should stick with what they know. If a certain diet has produced good results during past runs, there is no reason to make any significant changes.