What to eat to raise your running game

by Renee McGregor

Are you one of the two million people in the UK who go out for a run at least once a week? Whether you're planning a short run or are training for a marathon, what you eat before, during and after could make a big difference to how good you feel.

Before your run

What you should eat in the lead up to your run will vary. If you’re going for a gentle jog that will last no longer than 60–90 minutes you won’t need to make any significant changes to your diet.

If you’re planning to run fast, or a long distance, such as a half marathon or marathon, you will need to take on more carbohydrates. This doesn’t mean carb-loading platefuls of pasta the night before. The best approach is to eat a small amount more at every meal in the days leading up to your run.

Carbohydrate is the key fuel source for aerobic exercise because it is broken down into glucose and used to provide energy for your muscles. We can only store a limited amount of carbohydrates in the form of glycogen in our liver and muscles, so it’s important that what you put in is nutritious.

Choosing nutrient-dense sources of carbohydrate such as porridge oats or whole grains, over low-nutrient sources such as sugar will help to ensure your body is fuelled with vitamins and minerals as well as carbohydrates. For example:

• Wholemeal bagels contain more carbohydrates gram for gram than wholemeal bread, so you need to eat less to get the same density of carbs. Try a toasted bagel in the morning with banana or nut butter for added vitamins and minerals.
• Sweet potatoes contain more vitamins and minerals than white potatoes, try a baked sweet potato with black beans.
• Wholemeal pasta contains more minerals such as zinc and iron than white pasta, try our easy one pot pasta.
• Porridge oats are incredibly nutritious because they contain a whole host of minerals, including manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc. Make some overnight oats the night before you run for an easy breakfast on the go.

It’s a good idea to trial a few different pre-run breakfasts before the big day. The last thing you want is an upset stomach! Try to eat breakfast at least two hours before your run.

During your run

Our bodies can only store enough glycogen (carbohydrate) to provide energy for 60–90 minutes of running (depending on pace and ability). It's when these stores run out that we can ‘hit the wall’, finding our energy is suddenly depleted.

If you’re going long distance, you’ll need to top up your carbohydrate stocks at a rate of between 30-60g per hour. To give you an idea of what you would need to consume, an average banana contains 25g and jelly sweets contain an average of 5g each. Dried fruits and sports drinks can also be good ways to take on carbohydrates quickly in a race situation.

Staying hydrated is also important. You’ll need to take on around 150ml water every 30 minutes or so.

After your run

Protein has long been touted as the key to recovery after exercise, but does that mean we should all be reaching for protein shakes after a run?

While protein plays an important role in muscle building, repair and recovery, whether you need to increase your daily intake will depend on how much you are training.

Gentle jogger

If you enjoy a couple of moderate jogs a week, you probably don’t need any more protein than you already get from a healthy diet. For moderate exercise the suggested amount is around 0.8–1g per kg of your body weight a day (0.8g for women, 1g for men). This means that a woman weighing 57kg would need around 46g protein per day. This could be achieved by eating two large eggs or 400ml milk three times a day, or 75g chicken twice a day.

Event trainer

If you are an athlete or training hard for an event such as a marathon it's important to think about how frequently you eat protein rather than the quantity you eat. All exercise leads to a breakdown of the proteins in your muscles, so you need to make good protein choices to promote muscle growth and repair.

Recommendations are that an athlete should consume 0.25g of protein per kilogram of their body weight three to six times a day. For an athlete who weighs 80kg, this means 20g three to six times a day, which is equivalent to 240g (drained weight) chickpeas, 75g chicken or three large eggs.

Vegans

Proteins are made from amino acids, eight of which are essential and must come from your diet. They are found in a complete source in animal products, but if you follow a vegan diet you will need to combine different sources of protein over the course of a day to ensure you get all eight – dal and rice for example, or beans on toast. Soya protein is also a good alternative.

See our high protein recipes for more ideas of what to eat for recovery after your run.

Other diet considerations

Calcium is another key nutrient for runners because it maintains bone density and prevents injury. It is recommended that physically active adults and children over the age of nine aim to consume 1300mg calcium a day.

Dairy is the most common source, but there are other options, including soya products (when fortified) and small fish such as anchovies and sardines. You can get 1300mg from 4 servings; examples of a serving include a matchbox size piece of cheese, 250ml cow’s milk, 3 sardines with bones, 100g tofu or a small pot of yoghurt.