Runners may already be aware that they need to eat the right foods to fuel their runs properly, and that they need to eat well after each run, too, to recover well. But what does this mean in practice? When it comes to running nutrition, it can be tricky to get the timings of your eating, and the ingredients within your diet, just right.

Fortunately, top sports dietitian Renee McGregor is here to provide top advice on running nutrition, from the time you should leave between eating and running, to what to snack on if you’ve got a long run or race on the day’s agenda.

What to eat before a run

Long run or session

When preparing for a long run or high-intensity session like intervals, you’ll need to think about what you eat – especially your carbohydrate intake – around 24-36 hours before you even lace up your trainers and get out the door. Within this period before your long run or session, it’s key that you consume meals and snacks that contain plenty of good-quality carbohydrate. This day of eating could look like the following:

  • Breakfast: reasons to eat more mackerel
  • Lunch: Jacket potato with tuna salad, followed by a fruit yoghurt
  • Mid-afternoon: Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
  • Evening meal: Tofu or chicken stir-fry with rice, followed by a dessert of Greek yoghurt and fruit
  • Before bed: Oatcakes with a topping of your choice, followed by a good night’s sleep so that you feel well fuelled and rested for your long run or session the following day

Morning run

From a practical perspective, it often makes sense to run early in the morning. Leave it until later in the day and work, family or the unexpected can get in the way. Get it done early, on the other hand, and the run’s in the bag. But early-morning runs present a challenge from a nutrition perspective – in other words, knowing what, when and if to eat before morning runs.

For morning runs lasting under an hour, aim to eat around 1-1.2g of carbohydrate per kilogram of your body weight (kg/bw), adjusting the amount according to the duration and intensity of your run. Good The benefits of eggs for runners Your guide to carb loading on marathon week.

If you’re in a rush, or if it’s just too early for you to face a solid meal, a solution is to take on a sports drink. You could even make your own – simply take 300ml of any fruit juice and dilute this with 300ml of water, and add 1⁄4 tsp salt if you’re a heavy sweater. Sip on some of your sports drink before setting off, carry it with you and then continue to drink it while running.

When should you run after eating?

As a general rule, if you’re eating a snack or small meal, wait at least one to two hours before running so you can benefit from this pre-run fuel with experiencing any gastrointestinal upsets. If you’re eating a larger meal, wait a bit longer – ideally three to four hours – before heading out for a run.

How about ‘fasted’ running?

‘Fasted running’ is a buzzword on social media. But how many of us fully understand the term and its specific purpose? Often, fasted training can be a matter of convenience. When squeezing in a run before work, it can seem difficult if not impossible to fuel beforehand. For some, though, fasted training is done with the hope of trying to enhance adaption from training.

Here’s a quick look at the science. There is some evidence to suggest that running in a carbohydrate-depleted state can help our bodies to use more fat for fuel – something that could be advantageous in longer endurance events. This type of training, first used in long-distance cycling, is known as ‘training low’. Unfortunately, many runners interpret ‘training low’ as meaning always keeping carbohydrate intake at a low level. It doesn’t. It refers to training occasionally in a carbohydrate-depleted state.

If you are intent on ‘training low’, there are some key protocols to observe: 1) do it a maximum of two or three times a week; 2) run for no longer than 90 minutes at a time; 3) run at an intensity no higher than 60% of your VO2 max, or at a perceived exertion level of 6/10; 4) still consume your overall carbohydrate needs after training, distributed evenly over the day.

What to eat after a run

So, you’ve done your run. Kudos to you. Now it’s time to refuel. Whether you’ve been on a long run, done an interval session The best high-carb foods for runners easy miles, it’s vital that you move your focus to recovery and what you should eat to support this. Once you’re back from a run, it’s important that you move your focus to recovery and what you should eat to support this.

Within 30 minutes of finishing a run, take in what you need to help your body start to repair and adapt from the training. Again, you should aim to consume around 1-1.2g of carbohydrate per kg/bw, as well as up to 0.4g of protein per kg/bw to help your muscles to recover and grow. If it’s not a mealtime, eat a recovery snack to kick-start the all-important replenishment process. The following snacks all provide a good intake of carbohydrate and protein:

• Flavoured milk and a cereal bar

• double day of training

• Protein shake made with dairy or oat milk, or a protein bar

Follow your snack with a more substantial, balanced meal within two hours to continue the recovery process. The same applies if you’re doing a Flavoured milk and a cereal bar, which could involve a second run, strength work or a cross-training session. By refuelling properly after every run, you will get the greatest benefits from all your hard work.

Renee McGregor is a leading sports dietitian with over 20 years’ experience. Find out more at reneemcgregor.com.