Your 5K race is coming up soon. You’ve sweated it out while doing the bulk of your training; now use the final days and hours to get yourself race-ready and raring to crush your running goals.
When preparing for a 5K race, consider all aspects that can affect your performance at the event. What you do in the days and hours before the race can strongly influence how you run, so it’s crucial that you optimize your nutrition, hydration, sleep, and training in the lead-up to the day.
The final stretch before your race can make all the difference to how well you run on the big day. Whether you’re racing to win or just want to make it past the finish line, here are all the eating, sleeping, hydration, and race-day-morning hacks you’ll need for the final days and hours before your race.
How To Prepare For 5K Race Day
Let the countdown begin…
We’ll start with diet…
What To Eat In The Lead-Up To Your 5K Race
With race day approaching, you should eat mainly pasta, and lots of it, right? Nope, carb-loading in the days before a 5K race won’t give you endless energy. Actually, wolfing down bowls and bowls of Bolognese can backfire, making you feel sluggish, bloated, and queasy when it’s time to race.
Fueling your body to run at its best takes planning. What and when you eat influences whether you’ll have the oomph to power through your runs, so remember these guidelines when you devise your race-ready meal plan.
What To Eat Before You Train
Your goal: Get quick energy without upsetting your stomach.
Your game plan: Eat fast-release carbs that are gentle on your tum.
Meals and snacks that power runs without giving you the runs tend to contain lots of simple carbs, a bit of protein, and not much fat or fiber.
Proteins, fats, and fiber-rich foods digest slowly, causing them to stick around in your stomach and potentially weigh you down during your runs. Simple carbs move quickly through your digestive tract, boosting energy without causing digestive issues.
As a starting point for your meals and snacks, focus on foods rich in carbs and low in protein, fat, and fiber. Then make it your mission to find out exactly which eats work best with your body pre-run. Experiment with different types of food and combinations, so when race day comes, you’ll know your go-to fuel.
Three other potential triggers for tummy trouble are caffeine, dairy, and spicy food, so check how your body responds to these before you make them pre-run staples.
Pre-Run Meal And Snack Ideas
Eat a light meal 2 hours before running, or munch a snack about an hour before.
Try a meal like oatmeal and a banana, a bagel and smear of nut butter, or potato or corn with a little soft cheese. Easy-to-make snack options include an apple and peanut butter, plain yogurt and berries, or simply a banana.
What To Eat After Your Run
Your goal: Replenish your energy stores and help repair your muscles.
Your game plan: Choose eats high in protein and simple carbs.
Great snacks to eat after your run are packed with high-quality protein and fast-release carbs. The protein helps your body recover from exercise, and the carbs quickly lift your energy levels.
Snack Ideas For After Your Run
Eat a snack about half an hour after your run. Don’t skip this snack if you’ll be working out again within 24 hours, as the food will help your body get ready for your next sweat sesh.
One of the top recovery drinks is also one of the tastiest: chocolate milk. This classic after-exercise sip gives you a good dose of protein and easily digested carbs. Another super post-run drink is a whey protein and banana shake. Protein from whey is known to be especially good at building muscle.
You could also throw fruit, leafy greens, milk alternative, and plant-based protein powder into a blender and whizz up a vegan smoothie.
If you’re feeling like nibbling, have some cottage cheese (it’s protein-packed and has sodium to replace what you lost while sweating). Pair the cheese with fruit to get vitamin goodness, too. Or dip a few veggie sticks into hummus mixed with plant-based protein powder.
What To Eat On Your Rest Days
Your goal: Maximize your nutrition by filling up on the wholesome foods you restrict on training days.
Your game plan: Focus on eating healthy fats and fiber-rich fruit, veggies, legumes, and whole grains.
The simple carbs you eat before your runs might stop digestive problems, but they aren’t very nutritious. So, your aim on rest days is to eat balanced, nutrient-dense meals including plenty of fruit, veg, and healthy fat.
Add super-nutritious foods like these to your meals: inflammation-fighting oily fish, deeply colored fruit and veggies (like dark leafy greens and berries), nuts, olive oil, and avocado.
Limit (or cut out) sugary food, commercial baked goods, fried and fast foods, and alcohol.
How To Stay Hydrated As You Prepare For Your 5K Race
Another essential nutrient to make the most of your running potential is water.
Even mild dehydration will stop you from running at your best, so make sure you stay hydrated. The easiest way to tell if you need to drink more water is to look at your urine. If it’s light yellow, you’re sipping smartly. If it’s dark yellow, it’s time to top up your water levels.
Be warned: You can’t glug a massive bottle of water just before racing and hope you’ll instantly hydrate. At best, this move will result in you needing a bathroom break during the race; at worst, you could dilute your sodium levels, with potentially dangerous consequences.
The only way to be properly hydrated on race day is to keep yourself hydrated during the days before. Take regular sips of water throughout every day, checking that your urine stays light.
Plus, drink water before, during, and after exercise. Everyone needs different amounts of water to stay hydrated, but a guideline is to drink about 16 fluid ounces of water a few hours before you run, and then 4 to 6 fluid ounces every 15 to 20 minutes you exercise.
Drink more water after your run. If you got all hot and sweaty, pair your H2O with cottage cheese or salted peanuts for a sodium boost.
How To Sleep Well In The Lead-Up To Your 5K Race
To be race-ready, you need a well-rested body and mind. So, prioritize catching Zs during the countdown to race day.
Sufficient sleep helps your body repair itself and get stronger. On the flipside, sleepless nights can make you feel sluggish and exercise feel tougher.
How many hours of sleep you need depends on your age, health, and lifestyle. The general recommendation is to sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night.
What’s also important is that you get into the rhythm of falling asleep and waking at pretty much the same time every day. In the days before your race, wake at the time you’ll get up on the big day and go to sleep early enough to give yourself adequate shuteye to feel fresh and rested in the morning.
It’s normal for nerves to keep you awake the night before your race. If you struggle to fall asleep, don’t worry. Provided you’ve been getting enough good-quality sleep during the days before the race, an isolated sleepless night might not sabotage your race performance.
Make it easier to fall asleep by avoiding stimulants about 4 hours before bedtime; showering or bathing in the evening; stretching and breathing deeply before getting into bed; sleeping in a cool, dark room; stopping screen time about an hour before you want to sleep; and believing that you’re well-prepared for the next day.
How Much Should You Run In The Final 48 Hours?
Again, how much to run in the 2 days before your race needs to be your own thing. The only advice right for everyone: Don’t push yourself in the final 48 hours. Training hard so soon before the race won’t make you faster; it will just tire you out.
Ask a bunch of hardcore 5Kers whether they run during the 48 hours before a race, and you’ll get lots of different answers. Some say an easy run the day before makes them feel calm and confident; some say resting before a race makes them feel good-to-go at the starting line.
Whether you decide to rest or take a chilled run during the final 48 shouldn’t make or break your performance on race day. Both options have benefits.
An easy 15- to 20-minute run (with up to 5 pick-ups under 45 seconds) a day or 2 before your race gets blood flowing to your legs and can help improve your stride and flexibility on race day. Then again, skipping the run can ensure you’re fresh.
You know your fitness level, recovery rate, and degree of anxiety. Take these factors into account when you decide whether to run or rest. Another option is to take short walks during the 2 days before your race.
The Nitty-Gritty For The Days Before Your 5K
You now know how to eat, sleep, and run in the days leading up to your 5K. All that’s left is to get informed and organized, and you’ll be fully prepared when race day comes.
Familiarize Yourself With The Race Details And Get Organised
Check the race’s website for info like the day’s schedule, course map, bathroom locations, parking arrangements, and instructions for picking up your race packet.
If possible, collect your race packet (inside: your race number and perhaps a few running goodies) a day or 2 early so you’ll have less to worry about on the day.
Look closely at the course map. If you’re nearby, you could drive or run the course to get a feeling for it. Though, scoping out the area could put your nerves on edge instead of calming them, so save a tour for a few days (not the day) before the race.
Take time to meditate on your racing goal. Whether it’s to win, beat your PB, run the whole way, or even just finish the race, keep your goal in mind to keep you going strong all the way to the finish line.
See our guide: How to pace a 5k run
The day before, write a to-do list for the next morning so you’ll feel prepared and be less likely to stay awake all night doing a mental checklist of everything you need to do before you set off to the race.
Get Your Race Outfit Ready And Pack Your Bag
The day before your race, check the weather forecast for the next day and then find comfortable running clothing to match. Stick to your trusty workout wear – and make sure it’s ready. Nobody likes wet running shoes! Slipping on something new might make you feel special, but if the item happens to chafe you while you run, you’ll feel anything but special before you reach the finish line.
If you already have your race number, fasten it to the front of your shirt (a safety pin at each corner should do the trick).
Pop these items into the bag you’ll take with you to the race (together with the usuals, like your phone and keys): sunscreen, water bottle, snack, post-race change of clothes, and toilet paper in case the venue runs out.
Your Winning Pre-5K-Race Morning Routine
When you wake up on race day, shout out: “I’ve got this – I’m ready to race!”
Set your alarm to give you more than enough time to go to the bathroom, eat breakfast, dress, breathe, and get to the venue early. If you don’t have your race pack already, aim to be at the venue about an hour before the race starts. Being early will let you orientate yourself, go to the bathroom, and warm up without rushing.
What To Eat For Breakfast On 5K Race Day
By now, you should know what foods fuel your bod best without causing tummy trouble. Eat a light (about 300 calories) breakfast about 1 to 2 hours before the race – something that will digest easily and give you a quick energy boost. Remember to stick to your trusty favorites.
Pre-race meals many runners swear by include oatmeal, fruit and a few nuts; yogurt, fruit and a sprinkling of seeds; or a smoothie made from yogurt (or dairy alternative), orange juice, banana and a tablespoon or 2 of muesli. NB: Test your body’s reaction to these meals during your training before eating them on race day.
If hunger strikes just before the race, eat a small banana and a spot of peanut butter or a few grapes and almonds (about 30 minutes to an hour before you run).
About 2 hours before the race, drink 16 fluid ounces or so of water, and then have another few sips roughly 20 minutes before you set off.
How To Warm Up For Your 5K Race
The point of warming up is to prepare your body for fast movement so you can run efficiently from the first stride. Your warm-up should get blood flowing all over your body, loosen your muscles, and raise your heart rate.
Start warming up 15 to 20 minutes before the race, aiming to finish just as the race is about to start.
If you’re competing, warm up your body with a brisk 5-minute walk, followed by a 1.5- to 2-mile run (start with an easy pace and then add up to six 30-second pick-ups near the end of the warm-up).
If you’re running for the pure thrill of it, not to snatch a top spot, start your warm-up with 5 minutes of brisk walking, then run for 5 minutes at an easy pace (or alternate 1 minute of walking and 1 minute of running for 6 minutes), then walk briskly for another 5 minutes.
