How And Why To Fuel Before Your Run

By Elizabeth Carey for DyeStat/Photo Illustrations by Laura Duffy

What should you eat before you run? 

It depends. 

Not the answer you wanted to hear, hmm? Here’s the thing. Opinions and “experts” on nutrition are like lungs; everyone has them. Misinformation abounds, especially when it comes to athletics and adolescence. 

Plus, we’re all facing extra fueling challenges. These include increased food insecurity, wonky schedules (see: untypical school year), and the 2020 time warp. And our wacky routines are in extra flux with the holidays, which hopefully you’re celebrating safely from home with fun foods we might not have year-round. 

What’s more, as I’ve said before and will likely say again, every body is different. Herein lies the problem and the solution!

As always, I highly recommend individuals work with a registered dietician (someone with an RD behind their name, not simply someone who calls themself a “nutritionist”) with an anti-diet approach, such as Health At Every Size (HAES) and Intuitive Eating. Bonus points if the RD specializes in working with adolescent athletes. 

I recommend this for all athletes — whether they’re experiencing disordered eating — because both our sport and culture run rampant with unhelpful and harmful myths. Too often, as Kara Bazzi from Opal Food and Body has said, runners skip right over basic eating competencies and dive into “sports nutrition” and “eating for performance.” That means we miss out on the concept of, and skills for, fueling for life! 

That said, I previously shared seven basic principles of sports-related nutrition that I’ve gleaned through years of research and painful first-hand experience. (You can also find more nutrition tips, sourced from well-versed experts, in my book, GIRLS RUNNING: All You Need to Thrive, Strive, and Run Your Best.) 

One goal of pre-run food: Fuel your session. We want to find options that power up your miles and minutes — including easy runs and hard workouts — without digestive distress or other unnecessary complications.

What YOU should eat before YOU run depends on YOU. What works? What doesn’t? What is satisfying and enjoyable? Is it convenient? Figuring out these answers will likely take some experimenting. They might change over time, too. The great news is that your gut is trainable and delivers lots of feedback! Let’s approach this with curiosity and grace. 

What do we know, in theory and practice? Carbohydrates and simple sugars are easier to digest and deliver the glucose your body and brain need. Foods high in fiber and fat are harder to digest. Some ingredients, including artificial sweeteners, spice, carbonation, and grease, may cause indigestion. Some foods or amounts take longer to digest than others. Some foods taste great to you, while others don’t. Plus, running at higher effort levels diverts your body’s attention from the digestive system; what you can tolerate before a recovery jog might differ from what foods work before a more intense session like intervals. 

Finally, underfueling — aka not eating enough — can wreak digestive havoc. Psst, that means make sure you’re consuming enough energy, rather than restricting foods.

Here are some options for what to eat before you run, sourced from RDs and experience. Remember: These are just ideas! There is no “perfect” pre-run snack, just as there’s no “perfect” runner diet. Start to experiment now, so that when race day rolls around you’re ready to rock. 

An hour or less before a run:

Banana* 

Toast

Pretzels or crackers

Energy bar (Picky Bar, for example)

Candy (Gummy worms, for example)

Raisins, dates or dried mango

Sports drink 

Grapes

Two to three hours before a run:

Toast, bagel, or sandwich with nut butter and honey or jam

Cereal with soy milk or yogurt

Toaster waffles with syrup and nut butter or butter/oil

Baked or mashed potato or sweet potato with butter or oil

Smoothie 

Oatmeal with your favorite toppings

*Case in point: I frequently eat a banana (or dates) with peanut butter (and salt and sometimes cinnamon if I’m feeling fancy) a few minutes before heading out the door for a run without issues. And some pro runners swear by convenient foods like Pop-Tarts! 

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Elizabeth Carey (https://elizabethwcarey.com/) is a writer and running coach based in Seattle, Washington. Her first book, GIRLS RUNNING, co-authored with Melody Fairchild, is available at your local book store and here: https://shop.aer.io/GirlsRunning/p/Girls_Running_All_You_Need_to_Strive_Thrive_and_Run_Your_Best/9781948007184-9934.