Preparing for the ultra - Carb intake and rough plan

Here we go then, the day before another big weekend. I'll be the first to admit I've barely thought about this ultra, which is weird as I'm not exactly experienced at running these sorts of distances but then again the relaxed feeling I've got going in to this might be naive of me or pure accidental genius ha ha

A two rest before the ultra is all I'm doing just because I haven't managed anywhere near the consistency of previous adventures this time and I'm really not bothered with times etc for this one, I just want to go out and leave it all on the trail, no one can do more than that - When I get near that wall of pain my attitude will be 'Move you f*****g p***k, or I'm smashing straight through you!'

With that attitude in mind I'm not going to fuss to much about race nutrition there's checkpoints every 10miles with plenty of food and at the Cardiff ultra I fussed too much, ended up eating so much that I went ill and ended walking off and on for the next 3-4 miles. The only food I'm taking with me are nutra grain bars as there so easy to eat compared to most bars. This and nuun electrolyte tablets mixed in my water.

Nutrition wise I've been generally great recently and I'm back down to a more suitable 71kg for this which I'm happy with, I feel fit despite the lack of any distance. I know this is down to good nutrition, this is even more evident if my nutrition is crap for a day or two so I try my best to nail it in the weeks before an event then just not worry about it for about a week post race. Today is about eating carbs, a lot of them to. The goal is about 600g of carbs - that's almost 2,400 calories just in carbohydrates. What I think people often get wrong with carb loading, something I've been guilty of myself is that they food load and not carb load. Usually that means eating way too much food, not being comfortable resulting in loads of calories but not enough carbs. This is the time too forget protein get a normal amount of good fat and lots of carbs - If you eat enough carbs (for me about 600g) then the protein takes care of itself, nutts and fish are good for some fats at this point.

Carb load food intake today -

7am - Normal breakfast, 50g oats, banana, low fat milk, grapes (Low fat because I'm just a baby when it comes to the full fat milk and I'm not going to change two days before)
Carbs - 70g (ish)

10am - 3 wholemeal bagels with some hummus - Carbs 120g ish (A good intake of good fats from the hummus to, a small pot about about 15-17g of fats)

Lunch 13.30PM - New potatoes 250g, kale, broccoli, broad beans and an egg, homemade chutney - (All that food has come from a garden directly and within about 10miles from home - as fresh as it gets) - 70-80g approx of carbs

3pm - Nettle tea with pack of belivitta biscuits - carbs - 30-35g (nettle tea, I'm always changing herbal teas just to see the different ones)

16.30pm - Breakfast all over again - 50g oats, banana, grapes, milk - 70g ish carbs

Dinner - Same as lunch but with 100g chicken (Chicken just to get some of the highest quality protein which offers more to the body than relying on secondary protein from wheat/oats etc) carbs - 70-80g

Pre bed - 2 wholemeal bagels small amounts of jam - carbs 80g

The end ha ha

Approximate carbohydrate intake - 550g (ish) it isn't exact but as good a guide as I can take from labels etc. 50g shy of my 600g goal but I think that will do unless I find something small again but that will do me fine to be honest. I'm already a Little on the full side and I'm not on the dinner part yet and got my bagels to go. Will easily manage tho. A little more 'normal' for tomorrow so that I'm not too full and sluggish Sunday morning.

Big amounts of eating and with work too it takes some serious planning and is like an endurance session of it's own!

Water wise I'm always around the 4 litre mark so just maintain that, If I up the water intake then I will be too full to eat! Tough old job this carb loading is, it actually is the main job of the day today!

Tomorrow will be mostly spent travelling so the main emphasis on eating is today as well as the fact that a big day of eating the day before leaves me too full and sluggish before the run. I want to be buzzing the day before not bloated so I always try and emphasise more on the carb load two days before.

Once the ultra is done I'm looking forward to 3 weeks of cross fit, cycling and rowing with the od run day. For anyone that doesn't do cross fit and want to get some good full body conditioning in try it. Be warned if your a poser who does weights purely for the dance floor this is probably a little on the hard work side for you, so maybe stick to your bicep curls, bench press and the od tricep extension with ample rest to work on posing :)

Example cross fit circuit I did the other day was - Pull ups , 25kg dumbbell clean and Press, Tyre flips, Keg carry, box jumps, = 6 rounds of great conditioning.