Sport nutrition is one of the subjects that you can get very in to, but quite frankly when rowing at college level, the general rule is: eat. I generally steer clear of getting too involved (electrolyte gels are not for me), but the following is what I’ve picked up from people who know more about this than I do.
On raceday: a timeline
Two hours before
This is the latest you want to be having something substantial. You should aim to eat something carb-heavy at around 2–3 hours before race time. Recommendations:
- Pasta (for bumps, I make a big tupperware at the start of the campaign and slowly whittle away at it during the week)
- Sandwiches
One hour before
This is the latest you want to be eating anything that isn’t very light. This is a good time for something like a banana or similar.
30 minutes before
At this point, you want to be eating something that is as close to pure sugar as you can to give you quick-release energy on the start line. This can also be a good time for a final swing of Lucozade (or similar) as well. Recommendations:
- Haribo starmix
- Haribo tangfastics
- Lucozade
Note that in bumps racing, 30 minutes before the race is about when you boat, so this is the stuff you want to be eating just before you leave the boathouse.