Train your gut, practice your race-day fueling.
Generally the purpose of the pre-race meal is to top off your glycogen stores, breaking the fast, and rehydrate the body from an overnight dry spell. Practice this nutrition plan on upcoming long runs and days that might simulate a race day – similar anticipated weather, time of day, duration & intensity, etc. Untrained individuals report more GI distress than those who are well-trained and have practiced their nutrition & hydration strategies. The pre-race meal should be rich in carbohydrates and generally low in fiber for better tolerance. How much and what to eat will vary from person to person. Eat what is familiar and learn what is the right amount of fuel for your activity.
Andrea Rudser-Rusin, MA, ATC, RD, CSSD
Recipe – Week 6: Oatmeal Pancakes
These pancakes are light and fluffy, perfect for carbohydrate loading or recovering from a hard workout. For best results, let the batter stand for 5 minutes before cooking.
Ingredients
- ½ c uncooked oats, quick or old fashioned
- ½ c plain yogurt, buttermilk, or milk mixed with ½ tsp vinegar
- ½ to ¾ c milk
- 1 egg or 2 egg whites, beaten
- 1 Tbsp. oil
- 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt, as desired
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 c flour, preferably half whole wheat and half white
- Optional: cinnamon
- In a medium bowl, combine the oats, yogurt, and milk. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to let the oatmeal soften.
- When the oatmeal is finished soaking, beat in the egg and oil, and mix will. Add the sugar and salt (and cinnamon), then the baking powder and flour. Stir until just moistened.
- Heat a lightly oiled or nonstick griddle over medium-high heat (375̊F for electric frying pan).
- For each pancake, pour about ¼ c batter onto the griddle.
- Turn when the tops are covered with bubbles and the edges look cooked. Turn only once.
- Serve with syrup, honey, applesauce, yogurt, or other topping of your choice.
Note: I have used fruit yogurt instead of plain yogurt for a bit of variety.
Makes 6 6-inch pancakes
Recipe adapted from Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 4th Ed. Permission for use from Nancy Clark, MS, RD.
About Andrea Rudser-Rusin, MA, ATC, RD, CSSD
Andrea Ruder-Rusin, is a registered dietitian, board certified as a sports dietitian, and a certified athletic trainer (the sports medicine type). Andrea practices in the private sector under the title of SportWise Nutrition & Consulting LLC. Clients of SportWise include athletes and non-athletes as well as groups associated with both for-profit & not-for-profit organizations.
Andrea has Bachelor’s degrees in Athletic Training and Nutrition & Dietetics from The University of North Dakota. She holds Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from The University of Minnesota. Her nutrition expertise includes sports nutrition, weight management, pre- & Post-bariatic surgery nutrition & lifestyle counseling, and behavior modification. Her sports medicine skills are maintained and put to good use with ongoing work for the United States Swimming national team and traveling with other USOC sponsored teams and competitions.
Her athletic career began some 30 years ago as an age-group swimmer under the instruction of internationally known swimming & stroke expert, Mike Stromberg. Ander continued her swimming career through college, splitting her time between The University of Minnesota and The University of North Dakota. While at UND she was NCAA champion in the 100 and 200 yard butterfly and was awarded All- American status at both universities in a variety of events and distances. Andrea has participated in 5k &10k open water swimming events, ironman & ½ ironman distance triathlons, and various running events ranging from 5k to marathon distance. She has completed 3 sub-12 hour ironman races and has placed 1st in her division in the 2.4mile swim portion of the ironman triathlon. She is also a member of team Go Dog Go!, 12-time co-ed relay champions at the Chicago Triathlon.
Words to live, train, and race by: “The pain of not trying your hardest lasts a lot longer than the pain it takes to push yourself to the limit” and advice learned early on from Coach Stromberg – “Just have fun, don’t sweat the small stuff.”
