How to Fuel Your Running Habit
by Chloe French, ANutr
With limited options for exercise, running has become particularly popular at the moment and is a great way to get outside and keep fit. However, it’s vital to get the right nutrition to improve performance and maximise recovery. Here are some tips to ensure you are fuelling your body correctly both before and after a workout.
Pre workout
Nutrition before your run is important to provide you with energy to help you perform at a higher level for longer. Around 2-4 hours before your workout you should eat a balanced meal including carbohydrates, protein and fat.
For some people, a pre-workout snack 1-2 hours before your workout can offer additional benefits by providing an extra energy boost. This energy does not get stored as glycogen but will be readily available as blood glucose or muscle glycogen and can help to avoid fatigue and improve performance during the run.
To provide the greatest benefit this should be carbohydrate based and have a high glycaemic index to provide a rapid delivery of glucose to the liver and muscles such as:
A banana
Fruit and nut bar
Small flapjack.
It is important to drink plenty of water before your run to maximise exercise performance and pre-empt fluid losses. Studies have also found that taking caffeine around an hour before your run can be beneficial as it decreases the perception of effort but increases performance and endurance (1).
Other people prefer to run in the morning fasted, and provided you are doing a short run and this works for you then don’t force yourself to eat beforehand, but ensure you have had a balanced meal the evening before.
Running predominantly uses stores of glycogen (carbohydrate) as well as stored fat and is, therefore, more dependent on the overall composition of your diet rather than what you eat immediately before you train.
However, if you are doing a long run, consuming sufficient carbohydrates in the 48 hours beforehand is essential (2). This ‘carb loading’ will maximise your energy reserves to fuel your muscles for longer and limit the chance of you hitting ‘the wall’. It may also be necessary to refuel with water and carbohydrates during a long run (lasting over 60 minutes). This will maintain blood glucose levels, maximise the use of glycogen and consequently, aid performance and reduce fatigue.
It is recommended to consume around 30g of carbohydrates every hour (3) after the first hour of running, although this will depend on your size and the intensity of your run. Sports drinks, energy bars, gels and gummy bears will all provide immediate energy and are easily digested, but you should try out different snacks to see what works best for your body during training.
Post workout
What you do and eat after the workout is crucial to optimising your future performance and recovery. This involves rehydrating with fluids and refuelling with both protein and carbohydrates.
Rehydrate: It’s important to drink sufficient water in the 24 hours after your run to replenish the fluid loss, regulate body temperature and minimise injury and cramping. If you’ve lost a lot of fluids during your run (e.g. through excessive sweating), then consuming a sports drink containing electrolytes or coconut water helps to replenish minerals that have been lost through sweating.
Refuel: Since running uses up glycogen stores and breaks down muscle, it is important to eat both protein and carbohydrates to replenish these stores, maximise recovery and promote muscle growth. This will also have a positive impact on energy levels for future runs and workouts.
Good post-workout snacks include:
Milk and a banana
Greek yoghurt with seeds and fruit
Sliced apple and peanut butter
Good post-workout meals include:
Peanut butter or eggs on toast
Porridge with milk, nut butter and seeds
Tuna sandwich on wholegrain bread
Hummus, avocado and salad wrap
Salmon/ grilled chicken/ tofu with quinoa and roasted vegetables
Lentil and spinach curry with brown rice
Timing: For most people, the timing of your meals can be adapted to your lifestyle and hunger cues. If you are training again later that day, then it is essential to refuel within two hours of your workout and fully utilise this recovery period (4).
For those not planning a second workout within the day, it is more important to ensure you are getting sufficient calories, fluid, protein and carbohydrates over the course of the day rather than worrying about adhering to a strict time frame.
About the author:
Chloe French is a Registered Associate Nutritionist spreading her time between working as a freelance Nutritionist and researching the prevalence and severity of food allergies at the University of Manchester. Her aim is to make healthy eating both accessible and interesting. Chloe prioritzes making evidence-based research relevant to our every day life by educating, inspiring and providing tasty and nutritious recipes. This is important to improve our health, performance and energy levels (both mentally and physically).
References
Burke, L.M. Caffeine and Sports Performance. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2008, 33(6):1319-34.
Balsom, P.D., Gaitanos, G.C., Söderlund, K. & Ekblom, B. High-intensity Exercise and Muscle Glycogen Availability in Humans. Acta Physiol. Scand. 1999, 165(4):337-45.
Rodriguez, N.R., Di Marco, N.M., Langley, S. American College of Sports Medicine position stand Nutrition and athletic performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009, 41: 709-731.
Williams, C. & Rollo, I. Carbohydrate Nutrition and Team Sport Performance. Sports Medicine. 2015, 45: 13-22.