Getting your pre-race nutrition right can feel like walking a tightrope – too little fuel and you bonk, but one wrong move and your stomach throws a fit. To help you stay balanced, we looked at some tips from Skratch Labs (who are offering a free giveaway with code SMMBUNDLE, btw!) in their guide, “Pre-Race Fueling.” They suggest dialing in hydration a week out, gradually increasing carbs three days before, and keeping meals simple and familiar 24 hours prior to the event. One interesting piece of advice was to maintain your usual caffeine intake the day before, but to “save any extra boost for race day.” Lots of runners turn to coffee and other sources of caffeine to improve their running performance in a race, but now, there’s a growing buzz in the wellness world around mushroom coffee. According to “Is Mushroom Coffee Worth a Sip?,” these drinks blend coffee with functional mushrooms which may offer additional performance benefits. We should be clear that this is speculative and more research on humans is needed, but some studies suggest that cordyceps, a common ingredient, could improve endurance. Research, including a study titled “Cordyceps militaris improves tolerance to high intensity exercise after acute and chronic supplementation,” indicates it may enhance oxygen utilization and blood flow, with greater benefits potentially coming from consistent, long-term use. For more information on their potential benefits (or lack thereof), you can read “The Truth About Mushroom Coffee: Benefits vs. Hype.”

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