Race week recipes to support your taper and carb-loading

Preparing nutritionally for an business. Google what to do and you’ll find conflicting advice about what and how much to eat. Everybody has an opinion!

The fact is, what works for one doesn’t work so well for another. Our bodies react to competition in different ways, so it’s important to develop your personal strategy during training.

The theory is that you want to supercharge your muscles so they’re ready for the race of their life! Tapering contributes towards this; carbs are converted into blood glucose and used for energy, or stored as glycogen in the liver and muscle.

You’ll be jittery and desperate to squeeze in a few more miles, but reducing the length and intensity of your training in the week before your race will enable your body to store the glycogen normally used to fuel your exercise.

You can only store enough carbohydrate to keep you going for approximately 90 minutes, after which it resorts to burning fat reserves for energy. So there’s no point overloading on the carbs.

That will just make you feel bloated and bilious. Instead, try increasing intake by around 10% over the three to four days leading up to the race.

This, combined with the reduction in your training, will help you start out with the maximum amount of glycogen in your body. Practise with these four great recipes.

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Four race-week recipes for triathletes

1. P-Beetroot Porridge

Prep: 5 mins | Cook: 10 mins | Serves: 2

First up, this P-Beetroot porridge. You’ve got the perfect combo of performance-enhancing beetroot with carb-rich porridge oats, plus the anti-inflammatory effect of the almonds and spices. Beetroot in porridge works. Trust me!

Ingredients:

• Handful almonds
• 60g jumbo rolled oats
• 250ml beetroot juice
• 200ml water
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 apple, cored and finely sliced
• 1cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 tsps chia seeds
• 2 tsps honey (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly roast the almonds for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Once cool, roughly chop.
2. In a small pan, bring the oats, beetroot juice, and water to the boil.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir frequently over a low heat for about 5 minutes until thick, creamy, and pink. Add more liquid if needed to reach your desired consistency. Add salt and cinnamon halfway through.
4. Pour into warmed bowls and top with apple, ginger, chia seeds, and honey (optional, as beetroot is already quite sweet).

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2. Tropical Power Punch

Prep: 5 mins | Cook: N/A | Serves: 2

Next, a Tropical power punch for those who can’t face a pre-race breakfast. Boosted with oats and chia seeds, this carb-rich smoothie is easy to make, easy to drink and easy on the stomach.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp jumbo rolled oats
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 500ml pineapple juice
• Pack of frozen banana, mango, and pineapple
• 2 tbsps natural yoghurt
• Squeeze of lime juice

Method

1. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Check the consistency and add more pineapple juice if it’s too thick.
3. Pour into two long glasses and drink immediately.

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3. Spaghetti with Fresh Herbs

Prep: 5 mins | Cook: 12 mins | Serves: 4

Spaghetti with fresh herbs is ideal the night before a race. With 75g carbohydrate, 18g protein, 17g fat and 5g fibre per portion, it’s tasty, simple and well-balanced.

Ingredients:

• 400g spaghetti
• 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 dried chilli, crushed
• 4 canned anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 150g fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, basil, chives, mint, oregano, marjoram — any combo)
• Grated parmesan, to serve

Method

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook spaghetti according to pack instructions. In a separate large non-stick frying pan, sweat the garlic in olive oil over very low heat for one minute.
2. Add the chilli, lemon zest, anchovies, and herbs. Stir until herbs are wilted.
3. Drain the cooked spaghetti, reserving some of the cooking water. Add spaghetti to the herby mixture and toss well.
4. Serve with grated parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. Pairs well with a fresh tomato and basil salad.

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4. Banana Malt Loaf Bars

Prep: 5 mins | Freeze: 12 mins | Serves: 4

Finally, Banana malt loaf bars make a nutrient-rich snack for the days leading up to race day, and race day itself and they don’t get stuck in your teeth like the shop-bought variety!

Ingredients:

• 100ml strong tea
• 50g dates
• 75g dried cherries
• 50g apricots
• 25g fiery dried ginger
• 100g sultanas
• 150g malt extract (plus extra for glaze)
• 50g dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 250g plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tsps ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 20cm square baking tray with parchment. Roughly chop all dried fruit.
2. Brew the tea and add the dried fruit while hot. Remove the teabag.
3. Beat malt extract and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in eggs, then stir in mashed bananas and the tea-soaked fruit.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour with baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Fold into the wet mixture.
5. Transfer to the baking tray and bake for 45–50 minutes. While still warm, brush with extra malt extract and leave to cool in the tin.

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