The girl’s cross-country team makes sure they eat the right food as their food choices have helped them perform well in conference, qualifying them for sectionals on October 29.  

Before the day of a big race, the cross-country girls make sure to eat as many carbs as they can. This helps them be energized for their race. When you exercise rigorously, your muscles will start running low on glycogen, making you feel tired. Although, if you eat carbs beforehand, you’ll be able to store more energy in your muscles (Mayo Clinic).  

 “So, what my coaches recommend is that I eat a lot of pasta. So usually, my mom makes me pasta because I’m not that good of a cook. Usually, I eat shrimp with the pasta or like chicken alfredo,” Sara Cruz, a senior on the cross-country team, mentioned in an interview.  

The day of the race, runners make sure to eat a breakfast that isn’t too light, but also not too heavy.  

“For breakfast the day of the race I will eat toast with peanut butter and a banana no less than 1.5-2hrs before I run. Peanut butter has just enough protein to fuel you until the end of the race, but not too much to cause issues,” said Ally Coker, a junior on the cross-country team. 

The day of the race, before it’s their time to run, some athletes choose to eat a very light snack.  

“I like to eat a few dates about an hour before I run because they have natural sugars for a quick and light boost of energy,” Coker mentioned. 

Some athletes choose not to eat anything at all.  

“I don’t want to really eat anything because I’ll throw up,” said Cruz. 

Once they cross the finish line, different runners prefer to eat different things.  

Some athletes prefer something light to end off the day.  

“After a race I’ll eat a protein bar after stretching and cooling down. I like to bring light snacks like apple puffs and goldfish crackers. Some of my teammates will eat cliff bars to help restore all the nutrients we lost during the race,” Coker stated. 

Others prefer something a little more filling.  

“Pasta. After, before, you already know. I eat cheeseburgers or a sandwich or just something that’s heavy like meat. Just something that’s heavy because I’m starving [after a race],” Cruz mentioned. 

For athletes, what they eat significantly affects their performance. Therefore, their diet is important to them.  

“Overall, my strictness regarding my diet has been extremely helpful and not only do I run better but I feel good at the end of the day,” Coker mentioned.