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Chocolate the night before a race?

skyrone's picture
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started by skyrone on August 19, 2008

After watching the Men's Olympic Triathlon in Beijing last night, the online commentator wrote that the winner, Jan Frodeno of Germany eats a big slab of chocolate the night before each race. I get the fact that it has caffeine and sugar but for that reason is seems like it would be more beneficial the morning of the race rather than the night before. Does anyone have any insight as to why a chocolate slab would be good.

Just give me one good reason to do this and its on!

kylie's picture
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kylie posted 13 weeks ago.

mmm chocolate... I don't think any more reason than that is needed :)

deepbluex's picture
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deepbluex posted 13 weeks ago.

Chocolate contains antioxidants and flavanols that are beneficial to the cardiovascular system, but on the other, it can contain fat and sugar (in the case of confectionary milk chocolate with high cocoa butter content). It also has a mild psychoactive effect that is pleasurable - probably a very desirable effect to offset potentially sleep-robbing crushing pre-race anxiety. Dark chocolate with low sugar added and mostly cocoa powder and cocoa liqueur and low cocoa butter is better for you.

wrobis1's picture
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wrobis1 posted 13 weeks ago.

maybe the man just likes chocolate, sometimes it's all mental

jbird2131's picture
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jbird2131 posted 13 weeks ago.

i read that he trains 35 hours a week. he could prob eat it every night with those workouts logged. he is one bamf.

Forest Ranger's picture
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Forest Ranger posted 13 weeks ago.

Maybe he just really likes chocolate.

wirebook's picture
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wirebook posted 13 weeks ago.

Things brings up something I was thinking about the other day - I know that caffine is sometimes considered a drug from a doping perspective. Is there an all-inclusive list of semi-common foods that you might normally eat but would otherwise trip a doping test? Purely just curiosity's sake to understand what these athletes have to go through.

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jhudalla posted 13 weeks ago.

The chocolate is probly just something he likes, and something he's been doing for a long time. Not unlike any number of pre-race routines any number of us goes through. If you watched Phelps he did exactly the same thing before every race. 2 ipod ear buds in until he gets on the deck. 1 ear bud in until they call his name, then he towels off the launch pad. 3 arm swings.

It's like Johnny Cash said... you get a rythm.

Weary is the path that does not challenge.

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UFTriGator posted 13 weeks ago.

wirebook wrote:
Is there an all-inclusive list of semi-common foods that you might normally eat but would otherwise trip a doping test?

No....they don't really need one. The chemicals that you'll get from food (caffiene from chocolate and coffee, opiates from poppy seeds) won't be at a high enough concentration to raise any questions. Artificial chemicals that are on the banned list will get you in trouble with even a trace found, but there are limits on things like caffiene so that you can still have up to a certain amount in your body and still be legal.

______________________________________________
-Matt
Not fast enough.

TriSooner's picture
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TriSooner posted 13 weeks ago.

wrobis1 wrote:
maybe the man just likes chocolate, sometimes it's all mental
+1, superstitious. If I see a dog in the starting area of a race (which is common), I have to pet it for good luck. So, far weimaraners are the only dog that ever let me down.

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Tamara posted 13 weeks ago.

I'm with Kylie. I mean, seriously, do you really NEED a reason to eat chocolate? It's CHOCOLATE - of course it's good to eat it the night before a race...or the morning of...or at the finish line...or the next day...or.......

"It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit." ~George Sheehan

kylie's picture
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kylie posted 13 weeks ago.

Tamara wrote:
I'm with Kylie. I mean, seriously, do you really NEED a reason to eat chocolate? It's CHOCOLATE - of course it's good to eat it the night before a race...or the morning of...or at the finish line...or the next day...or.......

RIGHT NOW! :-D

Happy to help.

SammyB's picture
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SammyB posted 13 weeks ago.

+100 Kylie... and guess what I just finished. About the same calories as a Cliff bar and much more yummy!

Anton's picture
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Anton posted 13 weeks ago.

It's just chocolate! Don't analyze everything...!
P.S. I always eat a little chocolate the night before a race...just tradition...and damn it's good!

"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://agingsuperhero.blogspot.com

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Leroy Bonkers posted 13 weeks ago.

I too always eat chocolate the night before a race. And the night before that, and the night of the race, and... well... every night. And this is why I can't race with my shirt off. So sad :-)

catwood's picture
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catwood posted 13 weeks ago.

Can't really imagine a day without a little chocolate... I took the GRE today and I deserve a lot of chocolate today :-)

skyrone's picture
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skyrone posted 13 weeks ago.

Thanks for all of the input. You people do love talking chocolate!

kylie's picture
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kylie posted 13 weeks ago.

skyrone wrote:
Thanks for all of the input. You people do love talking eating chocolate!

Fixed it for you... but you can have some chocolate for the good effort! ;)

trigirltina2's picture
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trigirltina2 posted 13 weeks ago.

It is chocolate.. Good anytime:)

beads1985's picture
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beads1985 posted 13 weeks ago.

Just like Chocolate GU? ;-)

Nothing to it, but to do it