As a runner or triathlete, have you ever wondered why some people can run faster, recover quickly, and perform so well? While hard work, age, consistency, and genetics are important in running success, how you fuel your runs plays a key role in optimal running performance and recovery.
Many runners and triathletes fail to eat enough and the right types of foods on a daily basis as well during their runs, and often choose foods with poor nutritional quality. A diet lacking the necessary calories and carbohydrates can contribute to greater fatigue, injuries, stomach upset, and lackluster results despite your best efforts. Proper nutrition may be just the “magic pill” you’ve been looking for to improve your running performance.
If you want to keep setting new PRs for years to come, it’s important to fuel for your training runs and races properly. In this article, we will share some tips on how to fuel your runs to help you feel your best and recover as quickly as possible.
What to Eat Before Your Long Runs
Your fueling strategy should start during the week with adequate protein, carbohydrates (aka carbs), healthy fats and fiber from fruits, vegetables and whole grains. If your weekday meals aren’t nutrient-dense, your athletic goals and health will suffer. You can download a Healthy Choices Grocery Shopping List here to help you find nutritious options for your daily meals.
Many endurance athletes skimp on calories to stay thin, or unintentionally undereat. This can lead to weaker muscles, slower run times, injuries, low bone density, greater fatigue during and after training, slower recovery, and worse performance on race day. To ensure you are eating enough for your activity level, book a Nutrition Audit.
What to Eat The Day Before Your Long Run
In addition to consuming healthy meals and beverages during the week, below are more specific guidelines for what to eat just before your training runs. These guidelines are primarily for long-distance runners who train several days per week with both short, high-intensity days and long days 10+ miles). However, the “short run” guidelines can be applied to recreational runners who run easy 1-5 miles a few days per week.
- Eat adequate carbs. This will range from about 5-8 grams per kilogram (g/kg) of bodyweight for most endurance athletes (to get your weight in kg, divide your weight in pounds by 2.204). However, for higher-performance athletes or ultra-distance runners, this could go up to 12 g/kg.
- If you are preparing for a race longer than 90 minutes, then you’ll want to do a proper carbohydrate load for 1-2 days. For details on how much to consume for your personal needs, download my free Carb-load Guide for Endurance Athletes.
What to Eat Just Before Your Long Run
- Eat a meal or large snack anywhere from 1-4 hours prior to your run. Keep in mind that the closer you are to your run, the less food you should consume to reduce GI upset. As a general recommendation, about 30-60 grams of carbohydrates may work well for many runners about one hour prior to your run.
- For key training sessions with higher intensity or longer duration, aim for 1 gram of carbs per kg of bodyweight for every hour prior to your run. For instance, if a 70 kg athlete eats a meal 2 hours before their run or race, it should contain about 140 g of carbs (2g/kg 2 hours before = 140). The more hours between your meal and the race, the more carbs you should consume. This may take some practice to determine what your digestive system can tolerate. For charts and specific details on how to plan your meal timing and carbs, check out A Runner’s Guide to Reducing Gastrointestinal Symptoms, which includes nutrient guidelines as well as foods to eat to reduce GI upset.
- Keep your pre-run meal low in fat, protein, and fiber. The amount will vary per person, but these nutrients slow down digestion and are more likely to contribute to GI distress. Keep your pre-run meal light, easy to digest, and high in carbohydrates.
Meal & Snack Ideas to Fuel Your Runs
- Light pre-run snacks: Some examples of light pre-run snacks are a slice of bread with some jam and nut butter, white rice, dry cereal, a granola bar, a banana with peanut butter, or even a gel.
- Bigger meals for long runs: a banana and nut butter sandwich, bagel with nut butter and jam, a bowl of oatmeal, or any type of snack bar that is healthy, low in fiber, and high in carbohydrates.
- Test different products, different amounts, and different types of runs to find what works for you.
How to Fuel Before Short Runs
- For high-intensity runs under 75 minutes, anywhere from about 0-30 grams of carbs should be perfectly adequate to fuel your runs. Gels, chews, Honey Stinger Waffles, Bobo’s snacks, energy bars, and sports drinks work well for light fueling.
- These lighter, easy-digesting carbs can be consumed 10-30 minutes prior to your run, depending on how well your stomach tolerates fuel just before running.
How Much to Eat During Your Run
To maintain energy and speed during your run, proper fueling is essential. The only source of nutrients that you really need is carbohydrates. How much you eat/drink will depend on the duration and intensity of your run.
- Easy runs under 30 minutes – no fuel needed. Drink water as needed.
- Runs between 30 – 75 minutes – a carbohydrate mouth rinse or up to 30 g carbs. If the run is high intensity, such as intervals for 75 minutes, you might want to consider consuming extra carbohydrates to power you through the workout and help with recovery.
- Endurance & High Intensity Runs 1-2.5 hours – for sustained intensity runs lasting over 60 minutes, you’ll need about 30 to 60 grams of carbs per hour.
- Runs over 2.5 hours – Consume 60-90 grams per hours
For more details on how to to specifically eat for different types of runs and to reduce gastrointestinal upset, check out the Runner’s Guide to Reducing Gastrointestinal Symptoms (which includes nutrition strategies for endurance athletes, regardless of whether you experience GI upset).
What to Eat After Your Run
On a normal training day, eating a balanced meal is an appropriate way to recover. Your post-run meal should include carbohydrates, around 25-40 g protein, and a bit of fat.
Meal ideas for after your run include:
- Toast with grass-fed butter or smashed avocado and a veggie omelette
- Brown rice bowl with tofu and sauteed veggies
- Lentil pasta primavera with chicken
- A protein shake made with oatmeal, fruit, and hemp seeds
- Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with spinach, tomato and avocado
Need more healthy meal ideas? Check out my Meal Plans to find one that fits your dietary needs and preferences.
If you have two training sessions in one day or ran for multiple hours such as during ultra-distance training and need to optimize quick recovery, aim for 1g of carbs per kg bodyweight every hours for the first 4 hours after your run. Also include 25-40 grams of protein within that first hour after your run.
Final Tips to Fuel Your Runs
Don’t be afraid of calories and carbohydrates, especially before, during and after your runs! Many runners desire to be thin and light and therefore become “scared” of eating too many carbs or too much food in general in order to lose weight. However, this can be a recipe for disaster, increasing your chances of injury and impairing your body’s ability to recover. The better you can recover, the better your subsequent runs will be.
Adequate food is essential to fuel your runs and keep your bones and muscles strong and healthy. You will run faster and feel better if your body is getting the nutrients it needs. If you have a body composition goal like weight loss or muscle gain, please contact me for help with your sports nutrition so that you can work towards your goals in a healthy, sustainable way.
Get Personalized Guidance for Optimal Performance
If you still find these guidelines somewhat confusing or lacking specificity, that’s completely normal! The thing is…running nutrition is very individualized and must be planned according to your age, weight, running experience, intensity and with other daily activity in mind.
If you’re struggling to figure out a plan for yourself, consider consulting with a registered dietitian like myself to create an individualized plan to make things simpler and more effective for you.
Summary of How to Fuel Your Runs
Proper fueling is essential for endurance athletes to perform well and recover properly. The key is to experiment with different types of food and drinks during training runs to find what works best for you. Remember, nutrition needs for running are very individualized, so it’s important to find your sweet spot by testing out different strategies. With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your running goals.
