I love the idea of a big, indulgent pasta dinner...but does carbo-loading really work?

David: The idea of stuffing one’s self with past the night before is not the real idea of carbo-loading. Stuffing the night before can leave you bloated with a lot of gas.

The true concept of carbo-loading has to do with a dramatic depletion of most carbohydrates, for a period of days, which usually begins about a week before the marathon. Near no carbs can leave you feeling as if you are starving. This is followed by a dramatic increase or loading carbohydrates for a few days before the race. It can increase the volume of glycogen and blood sugar in your system. Hence, give you a bit more energy on race day. However, it is really an individual timed thing, and should probably be done with the help of a good sports nutritionist.

By the way, Ironman races don’t have their pasta dinner the night before the race. It is held two nights before the race, so athletes can get their equipment ready, and not be bloated the next day.

Paula: Also, pasta isn't necessarily the best type of carb to eat. Lately it is considered a type of "medium" complex carb, in that it doesn't give you as much of a glycemic load (increase in blood sugar) as potatoes, white rice or sugars, but at the same time, it is not as sustaining as more complex carbs such as whole grains and certain non-starchy vegetables. Whole grains, even whole wheat pasta, are better than semolina pasta (the usual "blonde" pastas) when you're trying to fuel a long run.

Source: David A. Levine and Paula Petrella