Sports Nutrition Advice For Runners
Running is one of the most intense sports for high school and college students. Fueling for a run requires you to consider your diet for a full 24 hours before the race, and to consider what will be the best choices for during the race and after the race. Because running is a true endurance sports, it is important to understand what items are going to provide the fuel your body needs to burn calories at such a consistent rate for a long period of unbroken time. Here at SportsGrub we help feed high school and college athletes before their athletic events throughout Massachusetts.
What Should You Eat Before a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, or Longer Run
Shorter runs don’t usually require too much fueling nor do you need to really worry about eating during the run. Before a 5K or a shorter run, you should consider something to just fill your stomach a little bit so you aren’t running with an empty stomach. A bagel, a slice of toast, a banana, or a nutritional granola bar can help with early morning races. That little bit of food isn’t likely going to make you feel bloated or too full, but it can remove any stomach rumblings while you run.
If you are going to be running for longer than an hour, you need to consider the fuel your body will need for that prolonged physical activity. That said, everyone is different. Some runners prefer to run on a emptier stomach even for long distances. As you start training at longer distances you will start to notice how your body reacts. If you feel yourself getting hungry while you run, you should consider a pre-run snack like a smoothie, a banana or other food that can help fill you without making you feel too full.
When you are going to run for mutliple hours and get close to that 26.2 mile mark, you need to consider the fuel you will need to run for such a long period of time. Whether you are doing high intensity or low intensity running, you will be running for a long amount of time. A few ours before you run you should try to eat something like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, granola, or oatmeal, to get a good base. An hour before the run you should consider an energy bar or a pre-workout sports drink. Right before the run, you might want have an energy chew.
What Should You Eat The Night Before A Run
If you have a long race coming up you need to start thinking about what you are putting in your body far in advance. If you are running a shorter race, you might not need to overthink your pre-run dinner. But for longer races, you are going to want to eat extra calories and focus on carbohydrates. Many runners reach for whole wheat spaghetti, or other grains that are rich in carbs. Those extra carbs will help you stay fueled and focused after you pass the 60 minute mark of your run.
What Shouldn't You Eat Before a Run
Quick rule of thumb, don’t try anything new before a run. A race is not the day to try new running gear, new running shoes, or any new foods or substantial changes in your diet. Whatever you have been eating during training should give you a pretty good benchmark for how you feel when you run. For example, if you have ever noticed that dairy makes it difficult to run, you will want to avoid it before your race. Or if you know that spicy foods are a no-go, you should carry that knowledge into your run.
Sports Nutrition for High School & College Cross Country Teams in Massachusetts
SportsGrub is a meal providing team for high school and college teams throughout Massachusetts. If you are interested in eating a delicious meal before your run, or during a track meet, we would be happy to help. Contact us for more information.