I'm going to tell you how I face the days before the competition. Many of the tips you already know, others are just a hobby;)
It is more than obvious the need to bring carbohydrates to your diet the days before a competition. Perhaps on Thursday or Friday, we have done our last activation training somewhat demanding for the competition, and from there, we must fill our carbohydrate deposits so that the day of the race we are full.
You may be interested in: How does an athlete eat on race day?
Personally, I like to start filling the tanks from Friday, if I have the competition on Sunday. Following my advice, the ideal would be to eat and dine pasta on Friday, eat rice on Saturday and dine pasta again on Saturday. The rice on Saturday without any salsa, try to accompany it with sautéed shrimp, fresh garlic, a chopped French omelet, some turkey ham and a few vegetables for flavor. Accompany the pasta with a drizzle of olive oil, escabeche and/or ham, chorizo...and with tomato, in small quantities if possible.
As for breakfast, on Saturday have a normal breakfast, whatever you normally have for breakfast. A bowl of milk with whole grain cereals, two rusks with olive oil and ham and / or cheese, a few almonds and a juice of sour fruit, is what I usually incorporate in all my breakfasts, and it works for me to have energy for the whole day and successfully complete the training.
The day of the competition we will have a somewhat different breakfast than normal days. We don't have to eat a big breakfast, because we need blood in our muscles and not in our stomach. So something light but carefully studied is perfect. I personally like to have bread and chocolate for breakfast on race days, adding nuts and a piece of fruit without skin. I try to avoid all dairy products, which never give me a problem, but I don't want to risk gastric problems during the race. I ALWAYS eat breakfast at least 3 hours before the start, and this is very important. I do eat a few almonds an hour before, when I start to warm up.
From Friday night onwards, I try to drink water constantly. During Saturday I always drink and hydrate every 10 minutes, to cleanse the body well and to keep the muscle well hydrated.
On the day of the competition, I do drink a special drink with some caffeine to get me going, but it's still normal hydration. It's more of a placebo effect that puts me in a "competition" situation and helps me concentrate.
If your stomach is not going to suffer during the race, it is always advisable to drink a good coffee just a couple of hours before. It will give you caffeine and your body will start to get in the mood.
You may be interested in: How much, when and what to drink?
I always advise going out for a run the day before the race, but always finishing this run at least 24 hours before the start of the race. It is a muscle activation training, it should not be fast and it will help you to concentrate and visualize the next day's race.
Go for a run with a friend who does not usually do it, so you will have to adapt to their pace, and a good conversation will help you to distract yourself and think about other things. You can even alternate running with walking, if your partner can't stand it or gets tired quickly. This session should be taken as activation, never as a training, the work for the competition has to be done by then.
The day before the competition in the afternoon, try to distract yourself! Go for a walk and find a special place for you, sit down and dedicate 10-15 minutes for yourself. Think about the race, what you have trained, visualize yourself entering the finish line and think about everything you have done to get there, it is your moment, enjoy it!!!
After the ride, rest, try to sit and rest as much as possible, watch a movie, read... but try to rest, both mentally and physically.
On the day of the race start warming up at least 40 minutes before the start. A very, very gentle run, finishing the last two minutes a little faster. A few progressions to the pace we plan to go out in the race, some stretching and to the starting area to avoid crowds.
If you have your bib number the day before the race, leave it on your T-shirt with your safety pins and that's it. This will help you avoid nerves on the day of the race, when you have other things to do. If you pick it up the same day of the race, my advice is that the first thing you do as soon as you arrive is to pick up the bib and put it on the shirt.
Make sure you tie the laces of your shoes. It should not oppress your foot, but it must be well knotted to avoid having to stop in the middle of the race to fasten the laces.
If you are in doubt whether to go out warm or not, go out warm. You can always take off your clothes, and in long races it is always good to be more covered at the beginning if the weather is not favorable.
As I said before, be at the starting box at least 10 minutes before the start of the race. A good position at the start is very important for the expected mark or record, and being in time we will avoid crowds.
Read more news about: Running Training