I glosssed over the article that you posted by Jon Berardi and a few things struck me. 1 the prerace meal he suggests is a good meal but the break down of carbs, fat, protein does not match up to his suggestion, which i think is a horrible one. 2. the thought of a "carbo load is a fallacy. Our bodies can only hold so much glycogen in its cells. The thought that we can some how stuff in a little extra is a common one but wrong.
For a big event that matters to you i believe in starting your race diet two days out, at this point all treats are removed from the diet. We concentrate on lean proteins that break down and will be used quickly, no red meat or pork. We get our carbs from vegetable and fruit sources that are grown above the ground. We cut back or out wheat and diary, or anything else that has shown to be upsetting during digestion. Race morning is a meal of about 400 calories at least two hours prior to the event about 25grams of protein 30 grams of carbs.
The following is for events lasting more the two hours.
During the event try to consume about two hundred calories per hour, this can be difficult. I use a variety of stuff to do this, from energy bars with some protein in them to sports drinks that i mix with some protein in them and gu shots. The protein is important. I also try to get some caffeine as this can keep your stomach processing it all. This is a difficult balance to get right, it changes from race to race depending on how you feel. You also must be really on top of it early, you can't catch up if you are behind.
I love reading the stories of the great running cultures of the world, as well the great endurance athletes and their feats. Having read many of these type articles, books, and white papers i am convinced there is no magic. One must find the blend that works for them.
I have been professionally trained, I have raced at a high level, and now I am training other athletes. If you need help, I love this stuff, and would like to help you.
Ps. My back ground in racing is in triathlons, adventure racing, and mountain biking. I bought a motorcycle in August of 2010 having seen a program on the Baja 1000 and thought i want to do that.
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