What to eat before a Half Marathon?

What to eat before a Half Marathon? This is often a tricky dilemma for most sports athletes. It is because while you will want to eat something that provides you with enough energy during the course of the game, you should also ensure that you do not start feeling hungry in the middle of the run thus distracting your concentration. Eating more does not help making you heavier, and also causing nausea and other forms of discomfort.

To ensure you attain maximum energy while running, you have to take lots of carbohydrate rich food. This is the major source of fuel for the active muscles in the form of glycogen. You have to discover your body's rate of metabolism. While it may take just one hour for most people to digest body carbohydrates, it may take up to four hours for others and hence you have to eat in such a way that your body shall completely digest your food and have them ready by the time you start the match.

You may take the following foods in the 1-2 hours preceding a match:

Bread
Fresh fruits like apple, grapes or oranges
low fat yogurt
cereals with low fat milk
Pasta
Sports energy drinks

It is not bad if you have your own choice of food. But ensure that the food you consume does not contain fat. Unlike carbohydrates which burns immediately to give energy to your active muscles, fat accumulates in your stomach and takes a long time before it is digested. Hence it may cause feelings of heaviness while you are running.