Fueling up for a run can be tricky. Too little before you hit the pavement, and you may drag through the miles, but too much and you could end up with nausea or cramps.
It’s about finding that sweet spot that gives you enough energy but isn’t too much to cause digestive upset.
Regardless of duration, most experts recommend waiting a few hours between a meal and running, but if your stomach is growling and you’re in desperate need of a pick-me-up, a small snack should do the trick.
What you eat before running can help—or hurt—your performance, and it can be a challenge to know exactly what the right foods are to increase your stamina and help you cross the finish line faster.
To help you sort through the confusion, we’re giving you the ultimate pre-run nutrition guide. We’ll cover why pre-run nutrition is essential, what to look for pre-workout, and the best (and worst) food to eat before a run.
Why Eating Before A Run Is Important
You wouldn’t take your car on a road trip without first filling up the tank, would you? Why take yourself on a distance run without adequately fueling beforehand? Most people wouldn’t.
And while the body is wholly capable of running long distances without a pre-run meal, if you want to optimize your performance and time, a pre-run meal is recommended.
Because running is a cardiovascular activity, your heart is pumping blood throughout your body that carries oxygen and nutrients, as well as glucose to supply energy to active muscles.
While your body can pull glucose from its reserve tanks in muscles and the liver (glycogen storage), eating a meal before a run means that there’s sufficient glucose circulating in the bloodstream available for immediate energy.
Once available blood glucose is used up, the body will pull from glycogen stores. But once these stores have been used up, you’ll start to slow down, and fatigue will kick in.
Since fatigue is what we’re trying to avoid, eating a meal or small snack prior to your run can help ensure sufficient energy to get you to the finish line.
Carbohydrates, which break down directly to glucose, are one of the top recommendations for runners because they’re rapidly digested and supply an immediate source of energy with no conversion.
After a big dinner, many people wake up the following day not hungry, so they forgo the food before heading out, then wonder why they bonk in the middle of their run. A pre-meal run is vital for sustaining performance.
But the key to optimizing your run is to fuel up with simple foods that are easy to digest. You want to avoid high-fat, high-fiber foods that are slow-burning and can lead to digestive issues mid-run.
However, what’s interesting is studies show that although pre-exercise carb ingestion can improve performance, exercise with reduced carbohydrate availability can increase activation of key signaling proteins compared with exercise performed with high glucose availability, which has the potential to influence longer-term training adaptations 1.
Keep in mind that every runner is different. A pre-run nutrition protocol that works for one person may not work for another, so it’s important to listen to your body and find what optimizes your performance.
Also, the length of your run will dictate how much fuel you need pre-workout. For distance runners, they’re going to need more in the tank than someone who is doing a quick 5k.
But for long-distance runners, they’ll probably have to fuel up well beforehand to ensure glycogen stores are full. In addition to eating before a run, distance runners will also want to think about eating (liquid carbs) during the run to maintain energy, but we’re not going to cover that here.
The Basics Of Pre-Workout Nutrition
When it comes to eating before a run, carbs are where you want to place your focus if you’re doing any sort of distance running.
Muscle glycogen and blood glucose are key substrates for active muscle tissue. Fatigue is a major concern during prolonged exercise that’s often the result of depleted muscle glycogen stores and reduced blood glucose concentrations 2.
Because of this, high pre-exercise muscle and liver glycogen concentrations may help achieve optimal performance. However, these factors alone are not likely to limit exercise performance.
There is a lot of research available on pre-event carbohydrate loading as an effective strategy to maximize performance. However, unless you’re doing an ultra-endurance competition, it’s not likely you need to carb-load in the days before your run.
In fact, some research actually suggests that carb intake 30–60 minutes before exercise can adversely affect performance, as it causes hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia prior to exercise, which is usually followed by a rapid decline in blood glucose 15–30 minutes after the onset of exercise 2. This is called ‘reactive rebound hypoglycemia’ and may negatively affect performance.
That said, there is some benefit to consuming carbs prior to a run—that is, 3-4 hours beforehand. Ideally, you want to consume a little bit of fat and some carbs before your run to provide some staying power, but the bulk of your meal should consist of carbs.
If you’re running for less than 90 minutes, a pre-workout meal isn’t essential. Assuming your glycogen reserves are topped up, they should sustain you through your run with ease 3.
For exercise less than 90 minutes, 7-12g of carbohydrate/kg of body mass can be consumed in the 24-hours before running. Some studies have shown this can enhance performance for intermittent high-intensity exercise.
Here are a few guidelines to follow prior to endurance training:
- Consume 1g of carbohydrate/kg 2 hours before training or competing
- Drink 20 ounces of water 2 hours before the start of endurance training
- Carb loading in the days prior should only be done leading up to an endurance event
7 Best Foods To Eat Before Running
1. Bananas
Bananas are an ultra-portable food that are great for a pre-run power-up. They’re a rich source of quick-burning carbs and are easy to digest, as they’re not heavy on fiber. Bananas are also loaded with the important electrolyte potassium to encourage nervous system function and muscle contraction.
Since your body can easily use the nutrients in bananas quickly, they’re an excellent pick to eat if you have a bit of time to spare before you hit the pavement 4.
2. Oats
If you’re looking for sustained energy through a run, oats are a staple. It’s one of the best pre-run carbs for slowly releasing glucose, and when you combine it with some quick-burning carbs like dried or fresh fruit (or even maple syrup or honey), you’re getting a good combination of fast-burning carbs and slower burning ones. This is a great combo if you’re planning a run for 60+ minutes.
On top of that, it’s also a low FODMAP carbohydrate, so it’s less likely to cause gastrointestinal issues, especially for runners.
However, while you can add tons of options to oats, you want to keep the fiber minimal, as it can stimulate your gut too much and cause issues mid-run.
3. Smoothies
If you want a nutritional bang for your buck, smoothies are the way to do it. It essentially starts the nutrient breakdown process, making for faster digestion and great efficiency for your body. There’s no end to ingredients and flavors you can add to smoothies, plus you can easily get in a good dose of protein with a powder.
Smoothies are also incredibly hydrating and provide a good amount of quick-digesting carbs to keep your energy levels up during your run. If you’re drinking a large smoothie, give yourself a couple of hours before heading out.
If you’re in a hurry, have a few sips and save the rest until you get back. A ton of liquid jostling around your stomach isn’t an ideal running scenario.
4. Dates And Nut Butter
Dates and nut butter not only taste delicious, but they’re a good combination to keep you revved up through a run. Dates provide a good dose of quick-burning carbs to keep glucose flooding your bloodstream, while nut butter will help curb the hunger until your next meal.
If plain old PB isn’t your thing, there are tons of other options that you can load your date with—almond, hazelnut, walnut, macadamia nut. Anything you choose will give you that “stick to your ribs” feeling through your run.
5. Honey
Honey is about the cleanest source of simple carbs you can get—and it’s great for pre-run fuel. Whether eaten on its own or on top of toast, a banana, oatmeal, or yogurt, honey provides a hit of quick energy from simple fructose and glucose.
Honey is absorbed quicker and won’t sit heavy in your stomach compared to other sugars, so it’s an excellent option for pre-run energy.
6. High-Protein Yogurt And Berries
Just like a smoothie, yogurt is a great-pre run snack that doesn’t take a lot of chewing and can be easily digested. It’s relatively high in carbohydrates (assuming a sugar-free variety) and water, making it ultra-hydrating and satiating pre-run.
If you can’t do dairy, there are plenty of nut-based or oat yogurts that sub in equally well. If you want to rack up the carbs a bit more, you can throw in some granola, muesli, or fruit for more energy.
7. Energy Bar
We’re not huge advocates of protein or energy bars because most of them are full of crappy ingredients, additives, preservatives, and sugar, but if you can find a clean one with minimal ingredients, go for it.
Energy bars are usually higher in carbohydrates than anything else, which means you’re getting a good dose of rapidly digesting carbs to elevate blood glucose levels quickly. However, you want to watch out for fiber and fat content, as they can slow down glucose release.
When choosing an energy bar, look for anything with 20-30g of carbs (depending on your run duration) and lower in protein and fat. Also, be mindful of the ingredients list! If you don’t recognize something, or it’s longer than a few lines, opt for another pre-run snack.
BONUS: Hydrate!
Eating to support performance is great, but hydrating is equally important. Your body requires water to function on all levels, and even mild dehydration can have a significant impact on your running performance.
Regardless of the length of your run, hydration is critical. If you start dehydrated, you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle (literally or not) the entire way. To avoid hitting a wall, make sure you’re hydrated before you even lace up your shoes.
References
- Rothschild JA, Kilding AE, Plews DJ. What Should I Eat before Exercise? Pre-Exercise Nutrition and the Response to Endurance Exercise: Current Prospective and Future Directions. Nutrients. 2020;12(11):3473.
- Jeukendrup AE. Nutrition for endurance sports: marathon, triathlon, and road cycling. J Sports Sci. 2011;29 Suppl 1:S91-S99.
- Beck KL, Thomson JS, Swift RJ, von Hurst PR. Role of nutrition in performance enhancement and postexercise recovery. Open Access J Sports Med. 2015;6:259-267.
- Nieman DC, Gillitt ND, Henson DA, et al. Bananas as an energy source during exercise: a metabolomics approach. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e37479.
