What to Eat Before and After a Run (Without Overthinking It)

[00:00:00] This is a banana. Some people call it the perfect pre-run food. And this, this is an energy gel. It’s basically candy for runners, but with a $3 USD price tag. And here’s the thing, most running nutrition advice is either way too complicated or just flat out. Wrong in this episode, I’m breaking down what actually works before and after a run.

[00:00:24] No bro science, no burnout, just simple nutrition for real runners. I’ll be going over how to fuel before a run so you don’t bonk or blow up your stomach. What recovery actually means? Huge hint. It’s not protein, shakes and vibes. Five. Recovery snack ideas. That you can get it in your grocery store with no fridge and you need no excuses.

[00:00:44] They can travel with you A secret, super easy and simple recovery snack that most runners ignore. I’ll get to that in the middle. I’ll be joined by certified and registered dietician and sports scientist Jordan Kane of Gutfield Nutrition here at Sydney, Australia to help me with science backed information and more.

[00:01:00] Oh, and if you stick around to the middle, I have a bonus free download so that you can actually transform. Into the runner that knows how to fuel your runs, recover smarter and stop overthinking what you eat and just get 1% better each day. Speaking up. I’m Darren D Lake, the whole 1% runner person here.

[00:01:15] I’m a certified running and nutrition coach, sub three hour marathoner and 10 hour Ironman finisher. And since 1996, I’ve been helping self-coach runners kick 1% better each day. We don’t focus on quick hacks. Oh, and a quick disclaimer before we start. This is all for general information and entertainment purposes.

[00:01:32] Only, let’s get into it. A pre-race meal. What is it? It’s not faster runs if you want to run for performance. Most runners think skipping breakfast is a badge of honor, but as Jordan sports dietician puts it, try not to train fast and let’s feel like doing a really chilled session like. Weights or like doing something that’s really not gonna be burning too much.

[00:01:53] I’d be recommending in terms of waking up and eating before going to training, some form of the, like the slower carb in that meal. Like at the end of the day, you are gonna burn carb, whether it comes from a carb, whether it comes from a fat source, still are gonna be burning like carbohydrate for energy translation.

[00:02:10] Eat something, you’re not running on vibes. Think of your pre-run meal, like topping up your fuel tank before a road trip, alright? You’re not gonna win a drag race with this whole road trip. You’re just making sure you don’t stall out halfway to your destination. We’re talking about the pre-run meals, how to do a pre-run meal.

[00:02:27] There’s a lot of different ways. Here’s the best way I found. Stick to simple foods, low fiber, low fat, and simple carb heavy. So simple carbs. Example. Toast with peanut butter and jam. Uh, a banana or quick oats with honey. Those are three different things. Protein shake with juice is another one. And if you want to add sugary fruits that are simple, apples and bananas, absolutely cool too.

[00:02:52] I would stay away from before a run. Berries, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries because they have a bit more fiber than the other. Types of fruits that I was talking about. Apples are probably perfect. And pears, right? Pears and bananas are great fruits to put in your smoothie. Uh, they also have antioxidants and, uh, again, they don’t have actually as much sugar.

[00:03:12] The, the berries do. So just try to avoid those pre-run. I’ve had some issues before. I’ve seen some evidence and some research around that. The biggest thing is to avoid fatty, oily and high fiber foods, like a salad with an avocado, bacon and olive oil before running. It takes a lot of time to process all of that.

[00:03:30] Heavier stuff, the fats, the oils, the fiber, et cetera. And when you go out to run your digestive system actually doesn’t prioritize digesting food. So what happens is you got a whole bunch of stuff in your stomach that’s half digested, sloshing around when you run, going up and down. Some people doesn’t feel great.

[00:03:47] It’s also not good to have it in there because it’s also another thing that your body and brain are trying to sort out The timing matters. Eat one to two hours before shorter runs. This is just a guide. Feel free to modify this for yourself. Everything is very personal. Uh. Or up to three hours. If your meal is heavier or your workout’s longer, you can do variations of this.

[00:04:09] So you can do three to 400 calories of, I’d say one to two eggs and toast. I wouldn’t do any veggies. If you like spinach with your eggs and toast, I wouldn’t do the spinach before a run. So that’s like three to 400 calories, and you can do that two to three hours before a run. So if you wake up really early or you do a lunch run again, or you do an evening run.

[00:04:27] That’s absolutely fine. And let’s say you only have like an hour and it’s a between 30 and 60 minute run. A light snack is fine. 50 to 150 calories. So, uh, again, the peanut butter and honey and banana’s, absolutely fine. Even as low as 30 minutes, I’d say give yourself a bit of time. Sometimes I mess around with it.

[00:04:46] You can experiment during training your stomach. Is super individual and unique, just like you’re running for him. So I’d say to figure it out, try a little bit and then try that much. I can do a lot of fasting type stuff and I usually just need salt and I can do fasting for longer runs. I only do it at certain times and I make sure that I eat the night before.

[00:05:05] ’cause I usually train in the morning or I eat directly after I’m if I’m gonna do fasted. But this episode isn’t about fasted running. That is a conversation for another day. But why is the pre-run meal so important for most runners that are between 60 and 80 kilos? That’s between 130 and 180 pounds for the Americans that aren’t on the metrics system.

[00:05:24] You’ve got around, I’m gonna be throwing numbers here, 1500 to 2000 calories of glycogen in your tank. When it’s full. So glycogen is what happens when your body digests carbs and then it’s stored in your liver and your muscles. You have less carbohydrates usually for smaller runners. And some people with different genetics and you have more carbohydrates for larger runners, but that range seems to be about right for most people.

[00:05:47] So we’ll just put that there as a, a rough guide. So in time-wise, that’s enough for 90 to 120 minutes of zone two, zone three running, and that’s why a lot of people in half marathons get through them. I think I’ve forgot the half marathon stat. It’s like 80. Percent of people finish a half marathon, and because it’s such a short race, even people that finish in three hours, they don’t need that much carbs.

[00:06:08] But because there’s 4, 5, 6 hour marathon finishers, I think, yeah, I don’t know, 50, 60% of people finish a marathon, those numbers could be off. But please don’t hold me to a comment what the actual number is, or email me talk@onebetterrun.com if you’re listening and lemme know what those numbers are. But that’s based on how much glycogen and carbs you have.

[00:06:25] So again, this is all based on genetics. So they can change and could be, you could be a a, a. Special snowflake, uh, lifelong diet, uh, what you’re used to and a bunch of other factors. So this is just a round nice number. Nutrition does that we can’t sample and test every single person in every single situation.

[00:06:43] If you want this to stick, a good metaphor is. A phone battery that drains too quickly. So a solid pre-run meal tops up your energy store so you get that battery at least 80, 80%. You know it’s gonna die when you go out and can run strong, and it signals to your brain. This is very interesting that you’re ready to do work, that you can go long or you can go fast or you can go both because your brain and your gut, they’re connected and they need to actually know, like.

[00:07:06] I’ve got enough carb stores in there. I’ve done this before. I won’t shut things down if things get kind of hard. So you got your pre-run fuel, but what happens after the run if you’re still guessing and winging it with your nutrition? You’re leaving a whole bunch of performance and gains on the table.

[00:07:22] Yes, I said that. It’s so true. That’s exactly why I put together a free five Best No Fridge Foods post run. It’s a bundle. It’s a nice little guide that you can take with you if you wanna print it out or have it on your phone or whatever. You’re like, what do I need? Boom, boom, boom. And you’re also gonna get in this bundle, a six week base training plan, a simple daily, 1% better running habit system in that six weeks.

[00:07:44] And again, that cheat sheet for how to eat smarter without overthinking. When you’re out with no fridge and you want to make sure that you’re about to go for a run and you’re fueled up, so get that at the QR code right here or the link below in the video description, or if you’re listening in your podcast player, open that up and go to show notes for the link.

[00:08:00] Sign up once and you’ll get that Plus. My five minute per week newsletter where I do deep dives on topics like VO two max and Strides and Lactate threshold and mental fitness, and a whole bunch of other stuff to help you live that 1% better life. Let’s go into the next section and go into more detail about why post run fueling is so.

[00:08:21] Dang important post run recovery snacks. What is it? Recovering isn’t about guzzling protein powder like a power lifter. Uh, if, if you lift your hybrid athlete, sure you do high rock. Sure you can. You can think of yourself like that. Everyone actually needs post run recovery or post workout recovery. It’s about giving your body the raw materials to rebuild and refuel.

[00:08:42] Its. Kinda like patching holes in your tire if you’re driving right after rolling over bad terrain. We’re back on the car analogies. If you don’t fill in those holes now you are gonna go out for tomorrow’s miles with a flat tire. It’s gonna feel like a flat tire. So how to do it? Uh, gonna get in the weeds with some numbers here, so hang with me.

[00:09:00] You want to aim for a three to one carb? To protein ratio that’s in grams. So for every one gram of protein, you have three grams of carbs. I’ll get into exactly where this just multiply for your weight. So for longer runs and races, you could even do four to one carb to protein ratio, as I like to call it carb insurance.

[00:09:18] And if you’re running a lot, I run sometimes for marathons, 8, 10, 11 hours a week. I’m running a lot. I am a furnace garbage disposal. I will burn those carbs and need them. So I, I found that I need to eat more carbs than what I think I need. So for shorter strength focused or VO two max or interval types work, I.

[00:09:39] 30 minutes. 2020 minutes, even 40 minutes. You might be fine with two to one. I’m actually fine with lower carbs or even one-to-one on off days. That’s absolutely fine. Here’s that super easy and cheap recovery snack that I hinted at earlier. It is drum roll chocolate milk. You can do soy oat almond. If you’re vegan, lactose free, if you’re lactose tolerant or just regular cow’s milk, if you can handle, uh, milk.

[00:10:02] I cannot personally, I am lactose intolerant. I get that lactose milk or soy milk pair that with this is like bonus, a baked sweet potato with salt and foil that. You cooked earlier in the week, you cooked a whole bunch of ’em in a week. You baked them ’cause it’s easy. And now you got yourself a meal that travels with you anywhere.

[00:10:19] It could be cool out of the fridge, it could be whatever, room temperature and it’s fine. Just scoop that up, eat it up. Remember, timing matters, but don’t stress. Eating within 30, 60 minutes is absolutely great. That works for me personally and from the studies I’ve found. But you can also go as far as 90 to two hours.

[00:10:37] Some people are fine with that. I cannot do that. My body is like, yo. I need that food. Give it to me as soon as possible, and then I need to keep eating for like three or four hours more than my body’s saying that I am hungry for. So if I’m. Kind of hungry, not really hungry. I know just keep eating a hundred, 200 calories, whatever, uh, electrolyte drink with carbs in it or toast with banana and peanut butter, whatever.

[00:10:58] I’m just eating snacks for the next three, four hours and then I feel good. I don’t have a weird headache ’cause sometimes when I wait till like two, two and a half hours, if I haven’t eaten enough, I don’t feel great. Do what works best for you. Experiment. This is your body nutrition. Super, super individual and figure out what feels good.

[00:11:13] So a note on protein shakes as I spoke about earlier. I’m not a fan of them and there’s no need. For the fantasy shakes, unless you love to make them, you have the time, you love the taste, you got the budget, they can be expensive. And the mental capacity to put it all together, it’s like salads. Like I just personally, personally don’t like salads.

[00:11:29] They just take a lot of time to chop it up. And I am a bit mentally lazy at times. So if you don’t wanna do the protein shake, you can also like drink the milk, have some oats, and have some berries on the side. You, you don’t have to actually like mix it all up or, uh, if you the protein powder, which I’ll talk about in a bit or in a future episode, or you can just do a peanut butter sandwich with a small apple and a banana, that works just as well too.

[00:11:50] So why is all this important after run? Your muscles are like a construction site, any carbs to give them the energy to refuel, and the protein is the actual building material to build it all. So you got your steel and your lumber and all those things, and your nails and whatever, and recovery snacks.

[00:12:06] They set you up for tomorrow’s run. That’s the biggest thing. And they can, they can reduce soreness and they can speed up repair. Just generally make you feel like you’re ready to go. And here’s, uh, my top five list of recovery snaps that you can get at the free download. So at the QR code right here, I’ll go over them in a second.

[00:12:24] Um, and you also get that base training and habits planned and sign up for the newsletter. Here we go. Number one, chocolate milk shelf stable box. Most grocery stores sell lifelong boxed versions, so cow’s milk, lactose free soy almond, dairy. Super easy to get cheap. You can buy the packs of them. They have carbs plus protein, tick, and they’re portable and obviously shelf stable.

[00:12:44] And if you’re okay with room temperature, they’re fine. You can throw them in the freezer or the freezer if you know you’re gonna be out. It’s gonna be hot for a couple hours and then it’ll be nice and cool a couple hours later if it was in the freezer. Number two, peanut butter sandwich on any type of bread.

[00:12:56] So if you’re trying to lose weight in the off season, you might wanna go whole wheat. Or if you’re a couple weeks out for a marathon, I’d say go with regular white bread. Simple carbs are your friend when you’re running a lot. And you can, again, make this ahead and the prepackaged version. So you put it in whatever packaging to go foil, whatever.

[00:13:13] And I, again, bonus add honey or cinnamon sugar and banana slices on top. So you get some balanced macros, carbs, a bit of fat, some protein, super fast to eat, no utensils required. Number three, trail mix and granola bar combo. So you could do a combo or just one or the other. Granola bars are super easy slash protein bars.

[00:13:31] Look for trail mix with dried fruit nuts, obviously, and you can customize it depending on your appetite. And they have, again, carbs, fruit, and you get protein and fat from the nuts. And number four, tuna can tuna pouch or crackers. So pre-made tuna to go. Some people not a fan of. I love this stuff personally.

[00:13:48] It’s shelf stable, so sits in your cupboard without you having to put it in the fridge for many months and possible years. Tuna is high protein and it also just a lot of calories. You need that. And if you get the crackers, you can go whole grain or regular white crackers. It’s salty. It’s got the carbs.

[00:14:03] Feels great. You need that salt. I’ll talk about salt and hydration electrolytes in a future episode and here in Australia. Fun fact, and I think New Zealand. We actually have single serves of tuna in a can, and they come in all these different flavors like lemon pepper and hot chili and sweet chilies.

[00:14:19] It’s really good. Most of you probably don’t live in Australia. Sorry for you. Uh, again, they’re protein packed. And let’s say you don’t have that flavoring. You can add a squeeze of lemon or mustard if you have that at your. Place of, uh, wherever you are during lunch or dinner or wherever, to flavor it up.

[00:14:33] And number five, you can do the broken shake. That’s what I call it. The, the piece by piece, open face shake, which is just oats protein powder. And let’s just do water. If you wanna do milk, you wanna carry milk with you and drink some warm milk. The long life shelf type milk, that’s absolutely fine too, but it’s kind of gross.

[00:14:50] Water’s fine. So just instant os in a cup or in a bag. Um, you can have the cup with you. You can dump the bag in a scoop of protein powder. It’s like recovery oatmeal. A porridge, or it’s like a recovery shake. You have that shaker whisk ball, you can shake it up. It’s easy for travel, easy for if you’re office, school, wherever you’re in destination.

[00:15:08] And if you add a dash of cinnamon or nut butter in there. You get some flavoring and you also get some protein to make it fat. Finish line, thoughts and conclusion. So yeah, pre-run meals, right? Think of them as fuel before the storm, post-run snacks and meals. They’re your repair crew. Nailed those two in your head of 90% of runners, including myself.

[00:15:28] I was horrendous until I sat down five, six years ago and I was like, I need to sort this out. So grab that free download bundle top five. No, not ten five, no fridge post run foods here at the QR code and you’ll subscribe to the newsletter. You’ll get better with the base habits and training plan, and let’s keep building that 1% better everyday approach.

[00:15:48] One bite, one step, and one run at a time. And if you want more, I did a deep dive on my top eight best run recovery foods that you can get here below or in the show notes or video descriptions. So open up your podcast player, you’ll get that link piece.