Whether you’re preparing for your first 5K Pizza Race or you are ready for your first Pizza Marathon, you have to start training sooner or later. How you get ready for a pizza race will determine if you’ll ever make it to the top five or not.
As you enlist on your new pizza adventure, at Hungry Howie’s®, we want to help you reach the top. We’ve shown you how to win a pizza eating competition before. Today, we want to teach you how to get ready for a pizza race or marathon.
Two Weeks before the Race
Prep starts long before this, but the two weeks before the pizza race are crucial. Here is where you should begin visualizing yourself crossing that finish line and running towards that pizza table at the end of the race.
The two weeks before the race are all about planning and visualizing the race. If you have a big run, say a marathon ahead of you, here’s where you will take the route for a test-drive and explore the course to see how your body feels.
Also, you want to start exploring different clothing options, meal options, and so on. You can start by eating a pasta dish before your race and see how you feel. If pasta wasn’t enough for you, then try the pizza. Maybe a combination of salad for dinner and pizza for breakfast is what works best for you. It all depends on how your body functions.
And yes, believe it or not, eating pasta or pizza before a race is a good thing. Your body needs carbs to be fueled and ready for the run. More than protein, your body will be craving carbs. So load on the delicious carbs by eating your favorite baked pasta, maybe with a Howie Bread®, or you can always go with your favorite Hungry Howie’s® pizza.
Another thing you should test during these two weeks is your hydration choice. Whether you prefer sports drinks, water, sodas, or fresh juices, again, choose what feels best for your body.
The Night before the Race
The day before your adrenaline will start pumping, you’ll feel excited, nervous, and probably hungry. Don’t go crazy with the food, you want something light like a fresh salad, but you still want to add some carbs to the mix. Maybe you eat half an oven-baked sub and keep the rest for the following day.
The night before the race, you need to make sure you follow three rules, and three rules only:
- Get enough (quality) sleep.
- Eat well, don’t forget to add some moderate carb portions.
- Drink enough water to stay hydrated, but don’t drink too much water to feel full.
The Day of the Race
The day of the actual pizza race, your mind should be set on a couple of things: have fun, pace yourself, and keep your eyes on the pizza at the end of the race.
You will feel excited, ready to go, and fueled to conquer the world. Remember the best meal before a race is not the one that’s loaded with protein, but one that packs the carbs to keep your body going when you feel you can’t go anymore.
Obviously, the quantity of food you eat will depend on the length of the race and your body. For a marathon, you might need more than one pizza to keep you going. However, for a 5K Pizza Race, you might not need that much pizza or pasta after all.
Don’t eat to get full and don’t eat to the point that you’ll feel sick. Eat just enough to help you feel awake, energized, and ready to go.
After the Race
Congratulations! You have finished the race and hopefully lived to tell the tale. Now, it’s time for the fun part. Some races like to include a food table at the end of the race. At these tables, you won’t find fruits and veggies. Instead, you’ll find a pile of carbs; we’re talking burgers, pizza, pasta, subs, sandwiches, and more.
These are there to help repurpose everything your body just lost in the race. Add some proteins in your post-race meal as well. We’re thinking some crispy Howie Wings® to celebrate your accomplishment. After all, you just finished a race!
The Ultimate Pizza Race
If you’re interested in a fun pizza race, there is a famous one in New York City. Called, well, the New York City Pizza Run. However, this is not your regular race. Eating pizza is actually part of the race.
The idea is running or walking a 5K race where you have to stop to eat pizza at different checkpoints throughout the route. This way you can also take your pizza eating competition skills to the test and win at both challenges.
Have you ever run a pizza race? We’re thinking about signing up Howie for one of these races. What do you think?
Sources: https://www.outsideonline.com/2067581/10-best-recovery-foods-runners
https://vitals.lifehacker.com/how-to-prepare-for-your-first-race-whether...