Fueling and Nutrition for Runners

By: Dr. Sarah Vincent, ND

You get out of your body, what you put in, so the focus here should be on nutritional quality. In order to achieve your personal fitness goals you should be on good quality, clean, whole foods.

Pre-run Fueling

When preparing for your run, you should place emphasis on high carbohydrate, low fat, low protein, low fiber, eaten 2 hours before. The timing here is strictly dependent on the state of your digestion and speed of your overall metabolism, so this will be different for everyone. Ensure what you eat is easily digested and absorbed. Cooked, steamed, or liquids are easiest to digest.

A few examples of what you could have, are:

1) A berry/shake with a little protein (half a scoop)
2) Oatmeal with yogurt and berries
3) Quinoa with chicken and veggies
4) Turkey sandwich/wrap with veggies
5) Almond butter and banana wrap

Carbohydrate Loading

This is useful for long bouts of endurance exercise, meaning 60 plus minutes and is only useful if muscles are already trained to store and use extra carbs.

The majority of a runner’s carbohydrate intake should come from fruits and vegetables because they are nutrient dense and of higher quality. Foods such as refined grains (and for some people even whole grains) and processed carbohydrates, such as pastas, breads and cereals will give “more” in terms of volume, but are not as nutrient dense and will likely drain your energy.

Depending on estimated energy expenditure of each person, ideal carbohydrate distribution is illustrated below:

1)     Fruit (1-3 servings)
2)     Vegetables (4-8 servings)
3)     Beans/legumes (1-2 servings)
4)     Whole grains (1-2 servings)

Generally avoid high fat, high fiber foods as they require more energy to digest and will likely sit heavily in your stomach throughout your run. Also avoid coffee because it can stimulate digestion and possibly cause diarrhea in the middle of your run.

Fueling During Your Run

For most people somewhere between 30-60 grams of carbs per hour are necessary during runs, that go longer than 60 minutes. Fueling can come in the form of gels, chews or bars and is necessary to keep you energized! Sports drinks are not enough!

If you’re new at fueling during your runs, start small and have half of a gel pack the first time and see how your body feels. If you give yourself too much, too fast, it may produces undesirable digestive effects such as diarrhea or cramping.

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