Skip the OJ and have water or gatorade.  I usually eat a grain bagel toasted with peanut butter.  Don't overeat, you'll hate yourself the whole race.

How did you get the OJ on the Bagel?

Usually I have a small bowl of oatmeal about an hour and half prior to a race. Works like a charm.

I would try anything new before a training run, though. No need to ruin a race because the Quisp didn't

appeal to your gut.

Yes, everyone is different.  I like a bagel with a spoonful of peanut butter and a banana about three hours before the start and then some sort of energy bar about 30-45 minutes before hand.  As for the night before, the conventional wisdom is that you go with a relatively small meal that is mainly carbs with a decent amount of protein (something like chicken or fish with rice) and avoid fat and excess roughage (no salads).

xcrunr1647, you may want to experiment with spreading your carbo-loading out over a few days and avoid that big meal the night before.  There is no way you can fully digest in that length of time so you'll be carrying unnecessary weight in your gut.  I know you're looking for those extra little advantages to help shave time and maybe this could help.

I usually eat a lot the night before my run; however, two slices of bread with Nutella and a glass of milk is enough for me for 5k.  I have a bowl of rice 3 hours prior to longer runs e.g 10k or 1/2 marathon.

Good luck with your run.

I am piggybacking. What about pre-race meals for a half-marathon? I was a 5K runner in highschool, played volleyball for 25 years, and now have fallen in love with the half-marathon.  Problem is, I have run two, and have really burned out around the 10-11 mile mark.  Real muscle fatigue. I do not eat much or breakfast, nor do I eat during the race.  Should I be?

Yes. I've used them, but just at the starting line. I am trying to focus on how I hold my wrists, so unless my wife is willing to chuck it to me on the course, I hate carrying anything. I don't know how people do waterbottles.  If I want to keep my time shrinking, I will have to change that.

Thx, Steve

I've done a few 5 K, one 8 K and one 10 K.  I've experimented with bagles, orange juice and Cool-aid, and nothing at all.  I often have cramps right before the start, probably due to nerves.  So my last 5 K (in the spring) I did not eat anything at all.  And I still had cramps.  But I ran my PR.  So I totally don't know what to think.  Last 10 K I did , about a month ago, was during the evening.  I had no cramps, and I ate normal food, nothing different. 

So now my fall 8K is coming up and I am at a loss of what to eat/not eat.  Cramps, diarrhea and such are my worst fear.  Running out of energy is close second!