Make sure you drink 8-10 glasses of water every day but this is especially critical in the day before the race. Proper hydration has major effects on your race and can help you avoid muscle cramping, speed up your recovery and run your miles well. Proper hydration is a core component of your race fuel so make sure you drink up the night before your race. Just only have the last glass before you head to bed or you will be making bathroom breaks all night long.

One of the biggest mistakes many runners make is they overload on carbohydrates the night prior to their race. The results are profound: you will awake having digestive issues, feeling completely bogged down and being bloated. So the solution is to have more carbs for several days leading up to the race so that you will not jar your body and you will still store the glycogen needed for your race.

As you watch Michael Jordan chug down a Gatorade in a commercial, you may wonder if this will help you in your next race. Gatorade and other commercialized electrolyte fluid is helpful for those running longer distances but if you are just running a 5k, this is not necessary. You can however choose more natural options with less sugar, like coconut water. Coconut water will balance your potassium level and help you to stay hydrated.

Want to get plenty of antioxidants in your body to fuel your race day? Then create a fruit smoothie with strawberries, coconut water, spinach and some chia seed. This shake will provide your body with antioxidants, electrolytes, iron and protein. This just may end up being your pre race drink because it is just that good for you!

I have to list mental fuel because as a trainer I have trained tremendously talented athletes many times that just needed to get in the right mental frame. Envision a great performance for the next day and just believe. If you get in the right mindset you will accomplish amazing things!

Take a deep breath, close your eyes and just relax. If you can practice relaxation techniques you will find yourself running stronger. You will be amazed at how this affects your performance.

70% of your race performance is mental, the rest is talent and training, so do you have what it takes? If you embrace a positive attitude you will realize proper fuel is all effective, but at the end of the day the difference between first and last is largely influenced by a positive attitude.

Hope you have enjoyed my tips on fueling the night before the race and that you do everything it takes to have a great race. What do you eat the night before the race? Have a great race!