Eating for success at the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival

You've trained, you've cross trained, you've warmed up, you've stretched, and still you feel lousy as you're starting your race. What happened? Fueling is a huge part of success in any sport. Give your body the nutrition that it needs, and it will reward you with the performance that you want.

How do you make sure that your body has the energy it needs to race hard and the protein it needs to recover when you're at an event like the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival, where your fridge and the nearest grocery store could be miles away?

Many paddlers chose to bring their own favourite food options with them. A lunch cooler stocked with fruit, muffins and protein bars is a good way of ensuring that your pre-race and post-race meals are suited to your needs. If you always eat a certain snack in training, do the same in competition. The last thing you want is to try a new energy bar and spend your race fighting stomach cramps. Building and following a pre-race pattern that includes the same healthy snack each time also helps you to calm jittery nerves and focus your mind.

You will also find options to suit any palate and training plan from the food vendors located right on site at the 2013 Canada Dry Victoria Dragon Boat Festival. We are expecting a number of returning favourites that you may have tasted in Victoria in the past, including the popular Mama Rosie's Kitchen, Puerto Vallarta Amigos, and The Reef. A meal like Puerto Vallarta Amigos' chicken tacos provides a good balance of lean protein and carbohydrates to keep you going for the whole afternoon. A new option this year is Victoria's own Nourish Cafe, serving healthy food options disguised as comfort food. Their lentil and kale salad provides long-lasting energy and plenty of lean protein.

Early races?  A healthy breakfast on the road is often hard to find. Hotel continental breakfasts are often stocked with sweet, sugary cereals and pastries, which aren't known for giving long-lasting energy. Victoria has an abundant supply of noted brunch restaurants, but beware of loading up on Eggs Benedict and waffles, and spending the next three hours sleeping off a heavy meal.

Try breakfast at the Festival instead - we'll be cooking up a fresh, hot breakfast inside the Beer Garden from 7:00 to 10:30am every morning. Tickets cost $5, and your meal includes pancakes, ham, fruit, yoghurt, and of course plenty of coffee. You can even pre-purchase your Paddlers' Breakfast tickets online, and have them delivered to you when your team arrives at the Festival. Find the pre-purchase information on our website here.

Adding healthy eating to your training plan can help you take your competition to the next level. Fuel with carbohydrates, recover with protein, and reap the benefits on the water!