Phillips Nationals Irvine CA 7/26-7/30 (William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center) Blog
By Jordan Kelly
As championship meets are getting closer and closer, I will be sharing some tips and options for where you might eat and how to manage your nutrition at the Phillips Nationals in Irvine California.
Make sure to do some shopping for food before the meet starts. Whether it’s before you leave home or after you’ve check into your hotel, it is important to be prepared with a stockpile of nutruis options. Make sure you have plenty of snacks, vitamins, hydration, and stretching equipment (including rollers, massage guns, bands, and tennis balls) that are accessible to you at the pool and hotel.
While you are at the meet, make sure you are constantly refueling your body with nutrients. It is important to have a great balance of food and water accessible. Managing proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while also not eating too much food close to your race so you don’t disrupt your stomach. Also, remember because the meet is outside to stay under the shade as much as possible. Put some sunblock in your check-in bag underneath the plane and remember to reapply. It wouldn’t hurt to wear some nice sunglasses either. Hydration is particularly important if you are not from the same climate as Southern California. Be sure you are not hydrating just when you are thirsty, hydrate consistently throughout the day!
In terms of meals I have listed a few restaurants that have good meal options on their menus. But I am warning you that not all of the meals on the menus are good options to get. I recommend trying to avoid heavy sauces (especially white creamy sauces), beans, corn, anything with a lot of oil, processed foods, things with a lot of added sugar, and soft drinks. Normally anything green is great, but make sure not to eat too much: Arugula, Kale, and Broccoli while at a rested meet because they have large amounts of fiber that could lead to bloating.
White bread, white pasta, and white rice are fine but not the best option. It is better to get whole wheat, marinara, and brown rice options. Personally, some of my favorite things I eat at a meet are avocados, chicken, pineapple, turkey, salmon, fish tacos (not breaded), berries, carrots, asparagus, and simple PB&J sandwiches (with no hydrogenated oils).
I recommend when getting meals it is best to order for pickup instead of ordering at the restaurant. This means once you finish your last swim of the session, call the restaurant right away, get your warmdown in, then pickup your food. This is more convenient because you’re not wasting time waiting for food. This allows for more sleep or rest time at the hotel so that you’re powered better for your next race.
Restaurants close to the pool…
(make sure they’re close to your hotel)
-Yard house
Open 11am-12am
620 Spectrum Center Dr, Irvine, CA 92618
(949)753-9373
Yes dine-in and carryout
No delivery
-Chipotle Mexican Grill
Open 10:30am-10pm
731 Spectrum Center Dr, Irvine, CA 92618
(949)753-0554
Yes dine-in, takeout, and delivery
-California Fish Grille
Open 11am-9pm
13780 Jamboree Rd, Irvine, CA 92602
(949)386-1980
Yes dine-in, curbside pickup, and delivery
https://www.cafishgrill.com/pages/menu
-Rooted plant based plates
Open 11am-9:40pm
704 Spectrum Center Dr Suite 704, Irvine, CA 92618
Yes dine-in, takeout, and delivery
No given phone number
https://www.doordash.com/store/rooted-plant-based-plates-irvine-2432957/
-Wahoo’s Fish Tacos
Open 11am-9pm
715 Spectrum Center Dr, Irvine, CA 92618
(949)753-0251
Yes dine-in, takeout, and delivery
-Brio Italian Grille
Open 11am-10pm
774 Spectrum Center Dr, Irvine, CA 92618
(949)341-0380
Yes dine-in, curbside pickup, and delivery
-Stacks Pancake House
Open 6:30am-2pm
14421 Culver Dr, Irvine, CA 92604
(949)679-1233
Yes dine-in, drive-through, and delivery
http://places.singleplatform.com/stacks-pancake-house-3/menu?ref=google
http://stackspancakehouse.com/
-Urban Plates
Open 11am-9pm
3972 Barranca Pkwy N, Irvine, CA 92606
(949)387-2600
Yes curbside pickup and delivery
No dine-in
https://urbanplates.com/menu/irvine/
-Stonefire Grille (meats)
Open 11am-8pm
3966 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine, CA 92606
(949)777-1177
Yes dine-in, curbside pickup, and delivery
http://stonefiregrill.com/menu/
http://www.stonefiregrill.com/
Right around the corner from the pool there is also a
Trader Joe’s
Open 9am-9pm
14443 Culver Dr, Irvine, CA 92604
(949)857-8108
https://locations.traderjoes.com/ca/irvine/37/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=local
Ralphs
Open 6am-1am
14400 Culver Dr, Irvine, CA 92604
(949)552-3065
https://www.ralphs.com/stores/grocery/ca/irvine/heritage-plaza/703/00161?cid=loc_70300161_gmb