What to Eat the Week Before a Tough Mudder Event

You’ve been training for weeks. You’ve been lifting weights, doing push-ups, running, stretching, and dialing in your diet. And now, the TOUGH MUDDER event you’ve been waiting for is just a few days away! Let’s make them count.

As you taper down from your TOUGH MUDDER T-MINUS 30 training to prepare your muscles and your mind for the upcoming course, you also need to keep focusing on your nutrition. And we have good news: You get to eat more carbs! This will help load up your glycogen stores so you can stay fueled and minimize the chance of running out of energy on the course.

Now, we’re talking about healthier, more nutritious carbs like whole-grain pasta, brown rice, and potatoes, not empty-calorie carbs like cake and donuts. To help you fuel up properly, we crafted this simple and delicious meal prep for the week leading up to your Tough Mudder event. Ready to chow down?

 

Pre-Tough Mudder Meal Prep Plan

We created two menus for the week leading up to your Tough Mudder event. You can enjoy them on back-to-back days, or alternate between the two. The final day — the day of the event — includes breakfast, a pre-event snack, and a post-event recovery snack. After that, you can celebrate! Enjoy the finisher festivities, refuel with some of your favorite foods, rehydrate, and then pick back up with your healthy eating plan the next day.

This plan is for those who would normally fall into the Openfit Nutrition Plan Orange, which gives you about 1,800–2,099 calories per day. And since it’s the week leading up to the event, we added approximately an extra 300 calories, primarily from carbs, per day to help build up your glycogen stores.

 

Menu 1

Breakfast: Veggie Omelet with Toast and Fruit
(2 Fruits & Vegetables, 1 Protein, 2 Fats, 2 Other Carbohydrates)

Lunch: Chicken Burrito
(1 Fruit & Vegetable, 1.5 Proteins, 1 Fat, 2 Other Carbohydrates)

Snack: Carrots and Hummus with Fruit
(1.5 Fruits & Vegetables, 1 Other Carbohydrate)

Dinner: Pasta and Side Salad
(1.5 Fruits & Vegetables, 1.5 Proteins, 3 Fats, 3 Other Carbohydrates)

Pre-Workout: Openfit Fuel Pre-Workout Formula

Post-Workout: Openfit Recovery Post-Workout Formula blended with 1 large banana and water
(2 Fruits & Vegetables, 1 Protein)

 

Menu 2

Breakfast: Yogurt Parfait
(1 Fruit & Vegetable, 1 Protein, 1 Fat, 2 Other Carbohydrates)

Lunch: Tuna Melt with Side Salad
(2 Fruits & Vegetables, 2 Proteins, 2 Fats, 3 Other Carbohydrates)

Snack: Apple and Nuts
(1 Fruit & Vegetable, 1 Fat)

Dinner: Chicken, Rice, and Veggies
(3 Fruits & Vegetables, 2 Proteins, 2 Fats, 2 Other Carbohydrates)

Pre-Workout: Openfit Fuel Pre-Workout Formula

Post-Workout: Openfit Recovery Post-Workout Formula blended with 15 strawberries and water
(1 Fruit & Vegetable, 1 Protein)

 

Day of Tough Mudder

Breakfast (3–4 hours pre-race): Oats and Yogurt

Pre-Race (10–30 min. before start): Openfit Fuel Pre-Workout Formula and fruit

Post-Race (within 30 min. after race): Openfit Recovery Post-Workout Formula blended with 15 strawberries and coconut water

 

Menu 1 Recipes

Breakfast: Veggie Omelet with Toast and Fruit

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup spinach
• ½ cup mushrooms
• 1 medium tomato
• 2 slices whole-grain toast
  • topped with 2 tsp. butter
• 1 large orange

 

Lunch: Chicken Burrito

• Whole-grain (6-inch) tortilla filled with:
  • 5 oz. cooked shredded chicken
  • ⅓ cup black beans
    
  • ¼ cup corn kernels
  • ½ cup shredded lettuce
  • 2 Tbsp. guacamole
  • ¼ cup fresh salsa

 

Snack: Carrots and Hummus with Fruit

• 10 baby carrots
• 2 Tbsp. hummus
• 1 small apple

 

Dinner: Pasta and Side Salad

• 1 cup cooked whole-grain pasta noodles
• 5 oz. cooked ground turkey
• ⅔ cup pasta sauce
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Side salad:

• 1 cup raw spinach
• 1½ medium carrots, shredded
• 1 Tbsp. vinaigrette salad dressing
• 1 Tbsp. sunflower seeds

 

Pre-Workout: Openfit Fuel Pre-Workout Formula

Post-Workout: Openfit Recovery Post-Workout Formula blended with:

• 1 large banana
• water

 

Menu 2 Recipes

Breakfast: Yogurt Parfait

• 6 oz. (about ¾ cup) Greek yogurt (plain, 2%)
• ½ cup granola
• 1 cup mixed berries
• 1 Tbsp. chopped almonds

 

Lunch: Tuna Melt with Side Salad

• 5 oz. canned light tuna
• 2 slices whole-grain toast
• ½ oz. cheddar cheese, melted

Side salad:

• 2 cups lettuce
• ½ cup cucumber, sliced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• ½ cup mushrooms, sliced
• ¾ cup sliced red bell pepper
• ⅓ cup cooked garbanzo beans
• 1 Tbsp. vinaigrette salad dressing

 

Snack: Apple and Nuts

• 1 small apple
• 10 pistachios

 

Dinner: Chicken, Rice, and Veggies

• 6-oz. cooked chicken breast
• 2 tsp. olive oil*
• ¾ cup sliced carrots
• 5 medium brussels sprouts, chopped
• ⅔ cup mashed potato with:
  • fresh chives
  • ground black pepper
• ⅔ cup cooked brown rice

*Sautée the carrots and brussels sprouts with the olive oil.

Pre-Workout: Openfit Fuel Pre-Workout Formula

Post-Workout: Openfit Recovery Post-Workout Formula blended with:

• 15 strawberries
• water

Day of Tough Mudder Recipes

Breakfast (3–4 hours pre-race): Oats and Yogurt

• 1 cup cooked oatmeal
• 8 sliced strawberries
• 2 tsp. honey
• 4 walnut halves
• 6 oz. (approx. ¾ cup) Greek yogurt (plain, 2%)

 

Pre-Race (10–30 min. before start): Pre-Workout Snack

• Openfit Fuel Pre-Workout Formula
• ½ large banana

 

Post-Race (within 30 min. after race): Post-Workout Snack

• Openfit Recovery Post-Workout Formula blended with:
  • 15 strawberries
  • 8 oz. coconut water

 

 

Photography by Anguel Dimov, AB Creative