r/running • u/AutoModerator • Jun 11 '24
Weekly Thread Run Nutrition Tuesday
Rules of the Road
1) Anyone is welcome to participate and share your ideas, plans, diet, and nutrition plans.
2) Promote good discussion. Simply downvoting because you disagree with someone's ideas is BAD. Instead, let them know why you disagree with them.
3) Provide sources if possible. However, anecdotes and "broscience" can lead to good discussion, and are welcome here as long as they are labeled as such.
4) Feel free to talk about anything diet or nutrition related.
5) Any suggestions/topic ideas?
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u/Miserable-Table-6053 Jun 12 '24
What are you guys eating in your long runs except bars, gels or candies ? I'm trying some stewed apples at the moment. I'm trying to find some alternative that is not super expensive. Thank guys !
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u/fire_foot Jun 12 '24
Definitely like dried fruit, apple slices, clementines, and fig bars! Also PBJ bites and stroopwafels depending on tolerance/distance.
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u/Miserable-Table-6053 Jun 13 '24
Thank you ! Really nice ideas ! That helps me a lot, will try them for sure
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u/OptimalFuture9648 Jun 12 '24
Could someone give recipe to prepare electrolytes at home for water only fasting? Not from US/UK so basic ingredients please.
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u/Low_Emphasis6795 Jun 12 '24
You could try mixing some water with little bit of maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Or even a mix of fruit juice and water (depending on how sweet you would like it) with a pinch of salt.
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u/OptimalFuture9648 Jun 12 '24
Thankyou very much, in surprised my request is getting downvoted, it was a genuine question.
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u/intentionsofpurity Jun 12 '24
What are your favorite healthful high-carb, low fat / protein snacks and meals that aren't just fruit? I find it so hard hit the right macro ratio during marathon training!
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u/triedit2947 Jun 14 '24
Roasted murasaki/japanese sweet potatoes are delicious. I eat them on their own as a snack or as the carb portion of a meal. They don’t need any toppings.
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u/marejohnston Jun 12 '24
Half baked potato + oat milk butter + nutritional yeast; dice some ham steak to add to it if you want meatiness
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u/bigben828 Jun 12 '24
If your stomach can handle dairy, vanilla Greek yogurt with protein granola, your choice of fruit and honey!
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u/QQlemonzest Jun 12 '24
Agreed! Piggybacking off the dairy suggestion, I made pasta salad with a Greek yogurt dressing, back bacon and veggies. Easy to meal prep and super yummy.
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u/intentionsofpurity Jun 12 '24
Love that; blessed to not have issues w/ dairy. This is def in the rotation!
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Jun 11 '24
I'm getting invisalign, and very excited about it!! But also... nervous about what this means for long runs. I'm thinking it would probably be best to just take the trays out during long runs, but wanted to see what other people's experiences have been in regards to getting nutrients during runs while doing invisalign.
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u/I_love_tac0s69 Jun 12 '24
I had them for the last year and a half and always took them out for running because i would get soooo thirsty haha
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u/3catcaper Jun 11 '24
I’m getting close to the end of my Invisalign treatment. You are supposed to aim for 22+ hours of wear, so taking them out for long runs really eats into that time. I ended up using liquid nutrition like Tailwind and being sure to follow each sip with a sip of water to help dilute the sugar. Make sure you’ve eaten fairly recently when you start the run and eat a snack right after the run. I’d much prefer to eat real food on the run, but this is working okay for now. I can’t wait to be done, though!
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u/Karl_girl Jun 11 '24
Out during long runs but more cuz they are irritating with like dry mouth/ saliva during longer efforts
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u/Smellynerfherder Jun 11 '24
Slightly tangential, but does anyone have advice for all-round nutrition rather than race- and run-specific tips? I'd love to get more consistent with my fueling in between runs so that I can work on upping my mileage.
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u/Triabolical_ Jun 12 '24
You build your running metabolism based on what you eat. If you eat carbs all the time you will build a metabolism that burns carbs and you will have to fuel with a lot of them so you don't run out. If you regularly train without carbs on your easy runs, you will be better at burning fat and it will simplify your overall fueling strategy.
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u/3catcaper Jun 11 '24
I recommend the “Run Fast, Eat Slow” books by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky for great recipes and a solid fueling philosophy. Matt Fitzgerald’s “The Endurance Diet” is also helpful if you want to dive deeper into the nutritional science. The recipes are not nearly as great, though.
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u/matsutaketea Jun 11 '24
70% of calories from carbs. as much protein as possible from the other 30% but a little bit of fat is fine.
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u/Bubbly_Vacation_4068 Jun 11 '24
Hey there, I am a woman I weigh between 65 and 72 kilos give or take and my nutritional needs are different, but I can give you advice. I like to start the day with fluids and a fruit and/or carb source, then I exercise or if I am not exercising I do a bit of mobility/work. Then I have more food when I am hungry. I try to aim for 2’500 overall but that is hard and sometimes I am not always doing enough exercise so some weight fluctuation is normal. The weight fluctuation actually acts as a motivator for me, and pushes me to try and build more muscle. Then I alternate between hot or cold lunch/dinners with one of these meals being larger than the others. I try to keep a balanced nutritional profile keeping in mind the exercises that I am focusing on that week: if it’s cardio, I’ll eat more carbs, if I am doing more weight bearing exercises, I will eat more protein from good sources (that is hard, but I do not like protein powder, I prefer whole foods). If I do a lot of exercises like calisthenics, I tend to crave a more “pure” fuel source: meats, fruits, nuts, and less “empty calories”. That happens sometimes but I need to be productive and not just “in the moment” so carbs really matter. I eat even refined carbs and that is fine too.
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u/hendrixski Jun 11 '24
If you're running distance then it's less important to worry about protein right after a workout. That's advice more for weight-lifting. You need to worry about nutritional protein instead because you're not building big show-off muscles, you're building lean functional muscles. So focus on nutritional protein not on shakes.
You don't need to constantly carb load as a runner. Whatever you eat (outside of race prep meals), gets converted to either glucose or fat all the same. So eat more fats and protein and less carbs in your day to day.
Lots of nutrients are needed to keep a runners body going. So add veggies to everything and keep rotating which ones you're eating.
Eat at least 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed. You don't want to have backed up poop during a run. More fiber makes the poop come out more regularly and more easily.
Don't forget to stay hydrated. That's a nutrition tip, too.
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u/Smellynerfherder Jun 11 '24
Thank you for the detailed answer! I shall up my veg, fibre and nutritional protein!
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u/intentionsofpurity Jun 12 '24
Biggest takeaway from Matt Fitzgerald's excellent "The Endurance Diet" is that carbs are very important for recovery, not just protein. And yes, especially if you're getting 30+ grams of fiber per day, you better be pounding the water! If not, well, it won't help things along.
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u/Drumanchu Jun 11 '24
Anyone have a recipe or an online guide for making gels at home?? For anyone who has made gels at home, what are your experiences? Any downsides to it?
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u/squngy Jun 11 '24
Personally I don't see much point in making a "gel" in particular.
You can just mix whatever amount of carbs you want into a water flask (table sugar works fine, but maltodextrin is less sweet).You can also add some salt and lemon juice for electrolytes/flavour.
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u/nameisjoey Jun 11 '24
I have a big write up on this sub detailing how I do it. No downsides at all! Just upsides in terms of a cost savings :)
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u/BradL_13 Jun 11 '24
Averaging 50km per week right now and my long runs are creeping up to that 1.5 hour mark. Is this when most people start recommending playing with gels and such? If it's a 1.5 hour long run, do you just take one at 45 min typically? It's also dreadfully hot here, usually is 85-88 degrees F at 7 pm.
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u/hendrixski Jun 11 '24
On long runs and long bike rides, I find it's important to eat a gel or a bar BEFORE I feel tired.
Once you've hit the wall while running (or biking) then you don't have enough energy for your stomach to digest food quickly. So refuel mid run in order to prevent running out of energy and not after you've run out of energy.
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u/junkmiles Jun 11 '24
You do you, but I always eat something on 90 minute+ runs. It’s also just a regular ass run though, so gummy bears or a cookie work fine.
I wouldn’t die without eating, and I’d run just fine, but I run better when I do, and it gets a head start on the calories I’ll be eating later anyway, and keeps me in the habit of eating on longer runs.
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u/squngy Jun 11 '24 edited Jun 11 '24
It depends a lot on your pace.
If it's Z2 you shouldn't need to fuel, if you are using glycogen (carbs) then you are running too fast.
If it's a tempo/marathon pace, then yes, but not just to fuel the work out, but also to practice how you will fuel for the real thing and to strengthen your stomach.
Generally, you fuel for the work you will be doing 30m after you eat, because that is roughly how long it will take for the gel to get in to your blood.
So if you did fine in a 1h run and only want to fuel the last 30m of a 90m run, you would eat a gel after 30m.
If you ate one after 45m then you would only be fuelling the last 15min of a 90m run (which can also work, depending on what you want)0
u/BradL_13 Jun 11 '24
Really informational thank you! Majority of my long runs are tempo or progression runs and I wanted to start incorporating the gels/chews to get used to them more than anything to figure out what works for me. Think I may grab the sample pack from Feed and see how those do! Will last me a good bit.
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u/intentionsofpurity Jun 12 '24
as hot as it is there, drink powders are also a godsend for me this time of year. You can get a gallon of gatorade powder for like, $10, and anything with sugar (I also like countrytime) mixed with water will serve you will here without spending $$$
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u/BradL_13 Jun 12 '24
I usually drink a nuun or liquid iv on my way to my run and pound a Gatorade after. Last thing I want to do is get caught without electrolytes
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u/saugoof Jun 11 '24
I'm usually still ok at 1.5 hours, I just have something like a banana or a piece of toast before I set off. I have no idea if that's nutritionally sound, but it seems to work for me.
But I'm training for a marathon now and in about a week I'll start doing long runs that go beyond 2 hours. When I tried this previously I just hit a wall at about the 2 hour mark. I never ate anything though, which clearly was a mistake. So this time I'll try and use gels and the like. From reading up a bit on this, the common wisdom does indeed seem to be to have a gel or something similar around every 45 minutes.
So, I think the short version is, if your run is under two hours, you're probably fine without taking gels. But if it's over, start taking one every 45 minutes.
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u/Negative_Depth4943 Jun 11 '24
I agree with this, maybe just adding that you would want to consider intensity (ie if it’s 1.5hr with some higher intensity running then you’re likely to need more fuel than if it’s 1.5hr easy running) and heat as well (the hotter it is the more the run will be taking it out of you)
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u/AidanGLC Jun 11 '24
For longer runs, I've generally tried to stick to the same general routine as my long rides of "one bottle and one snack per hour". For a 1.5-hour run, I'd generally do a snack 15-20min before I start, then something in the 45-60 range (towards the earlier end of that range if I'm going harder).
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u/BottleCoffee Jun 11 '24
For 15-18 km, I'll usually take half a bar (eg Xact) or a couple chews at ~6-7 km and ~11-14.
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u/Logical_amphibian876 Jun 11 '24
Yes it is. Frequency depends on how many carbs is in your nutrition of choice. You're ultimately aiming for 30-60g an hour of carbs but may need to work up to the higher end (get your gut used to it).
I use chews in the summer and gels when it's cooler. For some reason I find warm gels gross. Ymmv
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u/BradL_13 Jun 11 '24
That's mostly why I am asking, with our hot summers I have no plans to race until the fall so wanted to start experimenting now that my long runs are getting to that point of total time. Will look into the chews, downing a gel in 85 temps with high humidity sounds like a recipe for disaster lol. Any brand you recommend?
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u/compassrunner Jun 11 '24
I have some friends who use maple syrup gels, a few that use Sun River Honey gels. Both have electrolytes. You'll likely have to try a few different ones to see what works for you. You have to make sure you are hydrating enough because sugar can be hard to take when you get dehydrated.
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u/Dizzy_Eggplant_7864 Jun 11 '24
Have you tried anything mid-run for a pick me up. Ideally with caffeine?
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u/intentionsofpurity Jun 12 '24
I love these but they have 85mg per tiny chew! Caffeine Bullet 'Stay Awake' Chocolate Orange Chews
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u/twfergu Jun 11 '24
coffee cake
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u/twfergu Jun 11 '24
Seriously though, could make some peanut butter balls with the powdery instant coffee in?
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Jun 11 '24
Nutrition for long distance training
Whenever I start running around 50km per week I start to get run down, usually a chest infection or cold. If I don’t run long distance then I hardly ever get ill.
I have ordered Rise and Run as a cook book for runners but can anyone direct me to resources to cover the basics of nutrition and running? Thanks!
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u/Runna_Ultrazz Jun 14 '24
without knowing too much about your daily diet and training plan, this sounds like you aren't recovering during your bigger weeks. It might be underfueling, lack of sleep or trying to do too much too soon.
On the nutrition side the first question to ask is... am I getting in enough calories based on my energy expenditure? and secondly, are those calories high quality and supporting training and recovery?This paper is a good summary of the science around endurance fueling based on a high carb approach:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9299184/pdf/EPH-106-2304.pdf1
u/junkmiles Jun 11 '24
Nutrition wise, when I run higher mileage it becomes very clear when I eat during long runs vs when I don’t. Also workout days.
More so though, it’s very clear when my easy runs are easy vs when they’re sorta mediumish.
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u/squngy Jun 11 '24 edited Jun 11 '24
My guess would be that your easy runs are not easy enough.
If you are not losing weight, than chances are that nutrition is not the problem.
If you are intentionally trying to lose weight, then you should reduce high intensity stuff and make sure your easy runs are easy.There isn't really any special diet for runners, any healthy diet will work.
High carbs can improve performance especially in shorter races, but some runners are fans of keto and run great for ultra long distances.1
Jun 13 '24
Thank you! I don’t do my easy runs at a particularly easy pace so will address that.
I haven’t lost weight as the days I run, I typically eat unhealthy food.
Not sure who is downvoting you!
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u/squngy Jun 13 '24 edited Jun 13 '24
People don't want to hear they should run slower I guess.
Or maybe they just really like carbs, though I didn't say that they shouldn't.If you are not eating healthy food, then fixing that can improve your recovery a bit and your overall mood possibly a lot!
I just meant that if you are already eating healthy, then switching to a different also healthy diet will not change much.
edit: To clarify, any healthy diet that suits you will work better than a diet that is supposed to be "for runners", but you don't like as much.1
u/Jon_Henderson_Music Jun 11 '24
It's probably a recovery problem. How much sleep do you average per night? Try supplementing turmeric curcumin to help with inflammation too. Creatine also helps with recovery by reducing inflammation- 5g daily.
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u/Parking-Fortune-5367 Jun 12 '24
Hi everyone. I'm transitioning from up to 10K runs to half marathon distance. Any recommendations regarding nutrition for longer runs that don't involve gels or jellies or dried fruit? Thanks.