Running Tuesday: How I Fuel

The other day I received a question from a reader that I thought would be beneficial to answer publically rather than personally… and because it pertains to running, what better day to address it than Running Tuesday.

Ange asks:

What are your top 5 pre-run meals when you’re running 6-9 miles or so? I’m looking for a good list and since you are obviously a runner like me, I need some new ideas!

How I fuel for a run completely depends on when I plan to run. I prefer to run in the morning before breakfast, especially if it is a longer run. However, I have been known to crank out 6-9 miles spontaneously at the WREC in the evenings, too, after a long day.

I’ve had much practice fueling my body for training and racing, and I, personally, like to run with an emptier feeling in my stomach. I’ve found that my best runs are those when my body isn’t in the process of digesting a high-fat, high-protein meal.

For long morning runs, my pre-run fuel depends on what I’ve eaten the night before – sometimes I wake up “on empty” and sometimes I still have fuel in the tank (not my favorite feeling). I often will not eat anything, but if I am hungry, I’ll give my blood a bit of glucose (sugar). With that, I’ll have a small amount of fat and protein to sustain my energy for the longer duration of exercise.

The following are a few of my favorite {running} fuels:

Larabars

These minimal-ingredient {vegan and gluten-free} bars settle well with me. I’ll eat half of a bar about 1 hour before exercising.

Energy Bites

My homemade version of the aforementioned bar. I’ll pop 1 or 2 bites, depending on the anticipated duration of my run.

Chocolate Espresso Energy Bites

Almond Apricot Energy Bites

If I don’t have one of the above options on hand, I will often eat 1/2 banana with 1-2 tsp. of nut butter and/or 1 date with nut butter.

If I do not plan to run until later in the morning, I can eat a regular, higher-calorie breakfast of oatmeal or toaster waffles with nut butter and banana.

It’s a good thing I crave peanut butter and bananas most mornings :)

 

Read more about how I Fuel for a Feel-Good Workout in my recent guest post @ The Daily Crumb.

If you have any questions at all, please ask! Obviously, I’d be more than happy to talk food + running!

Happy Running Tuesday,

Hill

 

Of Possible Interest:

• Fuel Up! (video)
• To Eat or Not to Eat (Before a Run)? (video)
• Marathon Meals: Fueling on the Go
• Set (and Achieve) Big Run Goals
• 6 Reasons to Start Running