Nanding, my law office colleague who will be doing his first 21k during this Sunday's Globe Run for Home, asked me (1) whether he needs to carbo-load Saturday night and (2) whether a powerbar would help him in his run.
Assuming Nanding physically prepared for his half-marathon and the only remaining things on his checklist are these two items, then he's good to run the race this Sunday regardless. My limited experience in running 5 half-marathons (the last one being the Condura 2011) taught me to worry more about spending time burning rubber than what I would digest the night prior and during the race. Having said that, then:
Carbo-loading. I have the usual staple of pasta or rice for Saturday dinner, nothing different from my normal fare. I am more conscious about having an early dinner so I at least have two hours to grind everything before going to bed, which at the latest is 10:00 p.m. so supper should not be later than 8:00 p.m. The other important dinner ingredient is vegetables to make sure that I move everything out the following morning before the race.
Nutrition gels. During the race, I make sure that I replace lost salts and other important minerals (especially potassium) quickly and easily with nutrition gels. I slurp one sachet of Hammergel after 90 minutes of running. I also hydrate at every aid station, alternating between a small cup of water and sports drink. Another colleague of mine, Mike, munched on a Cloud 9 chocolate bar midway his first 21k. To each his own, I suppose, but I like mine really fast so the nutrients will seep-in during the run to the finish.
Ultimately, my goal is to enjoy the run and be injury-free for the next race. So have fun on your first Half Mary, Nanding.
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