Not sure what to eat before a run? What foods should you eat after a run to boost recovery time? And is eating mid-run beneficial?
Good questions! Here’s the skinny on running nutrition, and the three essential meals that can improve your overall performance.
No, we’re not here to talk about breakfast, lunch and dinner. This series is tailored for runners, so we need to look at meals specific to running nutrition. For beginning runners, this is essential.
The big three are:
- Pre-run fuel (what you consume ahead of a race or long run to prepare your body and boost your energy),
- Intra-run fuel (the snack that gets you through to the end and at the top of your game), and
- Post-run fuel (the meal or snack that kickstarts your recovery).
If you’ve never considered these essential meals, add them to your meal planner. These can seriously help runners, especially beginners, increase speed and endurance.
Fueling pre-run: What to eat before a run
This should be simple, well-rounded, and eaten about three hours before you lace up and head out.
To get the most out of this meal, think about what your body will need during your run. Obviously you’ll need calories to burn, but not all calories are created equal.
Avoid fat: Generally, our bodies have a hard time utilizing fat for fuel via digestion. (*See note at bottom on keto/low-carb diets.)
Focus on healthy carbs: Non-starchy, non-sugary carbs are your best option to boost energy without crashing mid-race. (*See note at bottom on keto/low-carb diets.)
Boost electrolytes & get hydrated: This is a great time to sneak in electrolytes. Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, then taper off before your run so you won’t need to stop for a bathroom break.
Avoid heavy food: Fats and fiber sit heavier in your stomach and can be stressful to your digestive system.
Add a last minute snack (depending): Long distance runners and those pushing a difficult pace should grab a light snack shortly before starting. If you’ll be running less than an hour, this won’t be as critical.
A good pre-run meal would be a banana and oatmeal, or an apple and an English muffin. For the optional last-minute snack, consider a granola bar.
[Note on keto/low-carb diets: For those on a low-carb diet running short durations, you probably won’t need carbs pre-run. For endurance athletes on a low-carb diet, one option is dual fueling carbs and fat, which involves a partial carb load prior to a long duration run. Leave a comment if you’d like more information.]
Fueling Intra-Run: What to eat during a run
This can be a little tricky (eating while running is rarely graceful), but it’s a must-have for long distance runners.
(Note: If your run is shorter than an hour and a half, this probably isn’t necessary; focus on your pre-nutrition instead.)
Your body has an energy reserve of muscle and liver glycogen. How far that stored fuel will get you is only discovered through trial and error.
If you often crash mid-run that means your body is running out of glycogen reserves. Try adding an intra-run snack. Options include:
1) Sports fuels
These include race gels, blocks, gummies, and more. These work great, are widely available online, and come in a TON of different flavors.
One downside: this option can be more expensive.
2) Whole foods:
Whole foods can be more of a challenge to eat mid-race, but they’re doable and can save you some money. Just keep a few things in mind:
- Is it easy to eat? It shouldn’t give you dry mouth, be too chewy, too hard, or fall apart easily.
- Is it easy to open? You’ll need to open it while running.
- Is it high in calories? Shoot for 100-300 calories per hour depending on the type of race, overall duration, and intensity.
- What are the macros? You want mostly carbs with a little protein.
- Will it stand up to different temperatures? You don’t want it melting in the heat or becoming too hard to eat in the cold.
Personally, I like oatmeal, mashed potatoes, granola bars, or rice cereal added to an electrolyte drink.
Stay hydrated. All. Day. Long.
Regardless if you chose sports fuels, whole foods, or skip the intra-run meal, remember to stay hydrated!
The more you sweat, the more critical this becomes. You should constantly replenish your water and electrolyte intake during your runs.
Fueling Post-Run: What to eat after a run
This is the time to replace what your body spent during the run, and can jumpstart your recovery. Your body worked hard – reward it.
While you run, your body is using stored muscle and liver glycogen (and some fat) for fuel. If you run hard or long enough, your body can use up all reserves. To restore your glycogen levels, add starchy carbs and fruit to your post-run meal.
You’ll also lose water and electrolytes through sweat. Depending on the amount of sweat and how much you drank mid-run, you may be dehydrated post-run (and low on electrolytes). Sports drinks will help with both. Drink up!
Lastly, your muscles take a beating when you run. Your body needs to repair itself. So add protein (a primary building block for muscles) to jumpstart your recovery.
To sum up, your post-run meal should be a good balance of carbs, protein, electrolytes, and fluids.
A good meal could be a banana, a protein shake, and an electrolyte sports drink – just watch out for added sugar in shakes and drinks.
Now it’s time to experiment
Such simple additions to your running routine can make major improvements to your speed, endurance, and recovery. So, get to meal planning!
One last critical tip! Be sure to try out all three meals prior to race day to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Once you find a good system, don’t change it up last minute.
Drop any questions or meal suggestions below!
Ready for the next post? We’re about to round out our nutrition series with a deep dive into hydration and electrolytes. Be sure to subscribe to get an alert as soon as it drops.
