During the build phase of training, higher intensity and longer workoutsrequire more glycogen for fuel and what you eat the in the few hours beforetraining is essential so that you have adequate fuel to train. This isespecially important when you have two daily training sessions. A perfectlytimed and portioned pre-training meal or snack can replenish fuel depletedfrom a previous training session, provide early morning fuel, and superchargeyou for training later in the day.Metabolically speaking, there are two distinct time periods for pre-trainingmeal timing: 2-4 hours before and 30-60 minutes before. Often when youeat is a matter of practicality and scheduling.2-4 hours before
Eating carbohydrate 3 to 4 hours before training does elevate bloodinsulin levels and favor the use of carbohydrate as a fuel. But becauselarger portions are tolerated, you do keep blood glucose levels nice andsteady. Plenty of research indicates that eating at this time improvestraining.Eating three hours before training, while a safe interval for race day,it is not as likely to happen during a regular training week. However,if the opportunity presents itself, you can have a nice sized meal or snackwill plenty of digestion time. Liver glycogen stores are fully restocked,sending glucose into your bloodstream when training, and you can even topoff your muscle glycogen stores. It also can stave of hunger during hardertraining sessions.Try to consume the upper limits of your tolerances for the full performancebenefit. For every hour that you allow yourself some quality digestiontime, consume just under half a gram of carbohydrate for every pound thatyou weigh (about 1 gram per kilogram of weight). If a 160-pound (73 kilogram)athlete could consume 240 grams of carbohydrate. It could be a mix of liquidand solid carbohydrate sources, depending on your tolerance. Cereals withsoy or dairy milk, juice, fruit, could comprise much of your carbohydrateintake. Small amounts of low fat protein can also be included, but tryto keep fat intake low as this will slow down digestion time.Eating two hours before training would take the recommended carbohydrateamounts down to 150 g for the same athlete. It is even more important thateasily digested food be part of your snack closer to training. Breakfastshakes, smoothies, and sports supplements can be part of the mix at over50 g of carbohydrate per serving.30-60 minutes before exercise
Real life often requires that you consume some fuel 30 to 60 minutesbefore training. Rising in the early morning hours to train often requiresa quick bite or gulp before heading out. Scheduling can also result ina large time gap between the last meal and the start of a training session,when hunger and limited fuel become an issue. You may also find it helpfulto eat closer to longer training sessions for the carbohydrate boost andperformance benefit and simply need the calories because your energy needsare very high during your current training cycle. You are most likely toderive a performance benefit from eating 30 to 60 minutes before trainingif you have not eaten for four hours or more.You are likely aware that consuming carbohydrate in the 30 to 60 minutesbefore training does produce a marked increase in blood glucose and insulinlevels prior to training. And there can be a small, but short-lived dropin blood glucose during exercise. Most athletes experience no ill-effectsfrom this drop which quickly corrects itself, and there are plenty of studiesthat show a performance improvement with this eating strategy.Some athletes are carbohydrate sensitive right before exercise, anda few simple strategies can help them tolerate a snack at this time. Youcan actually have a slightly higher dose of carbohydrate. While many athletesmay consume 50 grams or more from a gel, energy bar, or concentrated drink,aim for over 70 grams to offset the drop in blood glucose. Some easilydigested products may have a lower glycemic index and work well for theathlete, though whole, low glycemic foods may not be the most practicalchoice from a gastrointestinal perspective.Another important strategy to keep in mind is that consuming a carbohydrate-containingsports drink during early on when training maintains blood glucose levels(insulin secretion markedly declines during exercise), correcting any bloodglucose dips, and also gives you the best start in hydrating during thetraining session.Some pre-exercise meals/snacks3-4 hours before
Pancakes, 4 medium
Fruit topping, ½ cup
Syrup, ½ cup
Juice, 8 ounces2-3 hours before
Cereal, 1.5 ounces
Banana, 1 large
Juice, 8 ounces
Toast, 2 slices
Jam, 2 Tbsp.2 hours before
Fruit smoothie:
Yogurt, milk, fruit
Energy bar1 hour before
1 Energy bar or 1 Gel or 12 to 16 oz High Carbohydrate Supplement

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Monique Ryan, MS, RD, is author of "Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition,"and "SportsNutrition for Endurance Athletes," from VeloPress, and the upcoming “PerformanceNutrition for Team Sports,” (Peak Sports Press March 2005). She isa regular columnist for Inside Triathlon and VeloNews magazines, and isfounder of Personal Nutrition Designs, a nutrition consulting company basedin the Chicago area. Ryan regularly counsels endurance athlete across NorthAmerica on performance and health-related nutrition concerns and offersonline services through her website atwww.moniqueryan.com. She was the nutritionist for the Performance EnhancementTeams for USA Triathlon and the T-Mobile Women's Cycling Team for Athens2004. She also consulted with professional triathletes, the Saturn CyclingTeam, and the Volvo-Cannondale Mountain Bike Team. Ryan offers answersto reader's questions twice monthly. Readers are welcome to send theirquestions directly to Ryan at RyanWebQA@aol.com. The information providedin the "Feed Zone" does not constitute prescriptive nutritional advice.The information provided in this column is solely for general interestof the visitors to that site and is intended for educational purposes only.