By Melanie McMullen // Swimnetwork.com Correspondent
What a swimmer puts into the body as fuel on race day can be critical to performance. While solid foods provide the fat, fiber, and carbs needed for endurance and speed, the right liquids are equally important.
To find out what liquids to down during a meet, Swimnetwork checked in on the favorites among the elite athletes and also got advice from two sports nutrition experts: Barbara Lewin, RD, LD, and owner of Sports Nutritionist and Kathleen Laquale, PhD, ATC, LAT, LDN and professor at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts.
1. Jumpstart with a super food. Dara Torres prepares for a super sprint time on race day by having her favorite morning drink, a LivingFuel breakfast shake. She has one every day - including at meets - a few hours before takeoff. In fact, she downed a shake at 6:15am before her 10am 50 freestyle at the Beijing Olympics. The drink is marketed as “an optimized super-food meal replacement” composed of seven to eight different foods. The flavors contain either vegetable (broccoli, spinach, kale, carrot, barley grass, spirulina) or berry complexes (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or cranberries).
2. Accelerate with a V8. If super foods seem super expensive for your training budget, try canned vegetable juices such as V8. They are filling, delicious, and also nutritious on race day, plus they are easy to pack and bring poolside. “V-8 juice is great for its potassium,” says Lewin. One 5.5 oz can contains a whopping 320 mg of potassium, which is key to a body’s muscle function.
3. Power on tap. Drinking plenty of water is the most simple but often overlooked race day performance tip. “Water is the number one nutrient of all six nutrients required by humans,” says Laquale. For swimmers, drinking water is especially important when the pool is heated or the meet is outdoors in a hot humid environment, she adds. Laquale recommends bringing a water bottle and drinking liberally during warm-up sets. Note that your body can absorb cold water more quickly than warm water, so drop in an ice cube or two. If your event is a long distance race or you need a long warm-up, bring a sports drink. Laquale suggests options with a 6 percent concentration of glucose, such as Gatorade or Powerade.
4. Get a caffeine boost. Nutrition studies reveal that coffee - in moderation - the morning of a race may have positive effects. Caffeine consumption has been shown to improve athletic performance in endurance events, including swimming, cycling, and tennis. “If you are used to having morning coffee, having a cup on race day is fine,” says Lewin. She recommends having the coffee approximately one hour prior to competition.
5. Save the milk for later. While milk is a top choice for recovery, it may not be the best option before a race. “Milk is not advisable before a race as it is high in protein and can create ‘cotton mouth’ or dry mouth,” says Laquale. “The jury is still out on milk.”
Melanie McMullen, BaySide Media (www.baysidemedia.com), is a freelance contributor for www.swimnetwork.com and a member of the Downtown Oakland YMCA Master’s swim team.
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