Gearing up for race day... to Carb or not to Carb?

So many marathons now host pasta dinners the night before the race.  Is this really necessary or just hype?

Personally, I think it's all hype. 

Loading up on carbohydrates like pasta the night before a distance race isn't the right time, if done at all.  A carb load is most beneficial when done two nights prior.  For a Saturday race, additional carbs are best used when consumed Thursday night.  For a Sunday race, Friday night is the night to up your carb intake.  It takes your body that long to actually break the food down into usable molecules for energy.

Do you really need to carb load at all?

I've run some of my best distance races (and most notably, all my recent half marathon PRs) with no additional carbs.  Heck - I ran my 1:41:55 on the 13.4-mile half marathon course on a pre-race meal of BRC Marathon chili and Stag beer! 

I'm a total proponent of race how you train.  If you do your long training runs on pizza and beer, then race on pizza and beer.  If you train on steak and veggies, race on steak and veggies.  Changing up the fuel your body has gotten used to for race day can only lead to disaster.

I've found that when I've participated in race pasta dinners, I have a WORSE race than when I just go out and eat what I'd normally do at home for training.  My stomach and intestines react in all sorts of bad ways - letting me know I've added something to the mix that they aren't used to dealing with.

For me, protein is the key.  I find that I have higher energy levels for longer periods when I make sure to 2ve plenty of protein in the two days prior to the race, particularly, protein with iron in order to make sure my red blood cells can carry enough oxygen to fuel my muscles.

So for my upcoming sub-4 attempt at Rock N Roll St. Louis on Sunday, I'll be enjoying a Friday night dinner of grilled chicken, veggies, and a small side of brown rice.  Saturday night, I'll treat myself to a nice filet with a side of steamed broccoli to get my iron levels up, maybe with some steamed corn.