Looking for hints on raceday and during race nutrition. And what about the day before?...

What distance race are you doing? I think the prerace nutrition would be different for a sprint versus an IM. For example, a sprint taking about an hour or so does not require "carbo loading." Also, during race nutrition would be different too. A sprint for example requires water and maybe a powerade like drink but usually not food or gel.
The night before a sprint distance, I will generally eat a fairly normal dinner of grilled fish/chicken with rice or pasta and veggies. Nothing out of the ordinary from what I normally eat really. A few hours before the race I will eat oatmeal, 2 hard boiled eggs (one yolk), a banana, maybe some yogurt and finish off with a powerbar (though the last part is really just superstition I'm convinced b/c I always need to finish my pre-race meal regardless of type of race or distance with a powerbar -- I've done this since high school track).
The most important thing with any nutrition both pre-race and especially during race, make sure that nothing is new race day. You don't want an upset stomach or a cramp or to bonk b/c you ate too much, too little or the wrong thing.
Also make sure that right when you finish a race or even a training practice you get some food in you within 30 minutes-- a mix of carbs and protein. I've always heard that proten is especially important to help begin to repair the muscles you've been breaking down during the race. A bagel with some peanut butter might be a good choice.

Well I finished my first, a sprint. The swim was rough, really - lots of choppy waves. Anyways, my last 2 weeks of trianing I was getting cramps on my 'bricks' so I drank about 20oz of water and about 6oz of Gatorade before the race. I felt bloated through the whole race, I think I would have rather had cramps. I have heard it, now I can say it 'stick to what you know and do not try anything different on race day'...........