What to eat before a run has become my latest obsession.  Everyone seems to have a different opinion! What I’ve discovered is that there are some helpful tips that can guide your own final decision, but that when it all comes down to it, trial-and-error will end up being the last step.

How to Know What to Eat Before a Run

There’s no single food that is perfect for everyone to eat before a run. I’ve seen tons of recommendations online from experts or in running group forums that have left me running out of steam, making my stomach cramp up, or even making me feel sick.  What I’ve discovered is that we all have our own perfect combination of options. So, while there are certain rules that can help direct you toward testing out various food items, what ends up working for you is actually something quite personal.

Here’s How I’m Figuring Out My Meals and Snacks

Though I have come to the point that I have my go-to options for what I eat before a run, I still feel like I’m a work in progress.  I’ll certainly discover more successes and failures over time.  I’ll more than likely give up my current go-tos in favor of something I’ll find that is better for me one day.  I’m not committed to anything specific, and I’m keeping my mind open.

For me, that attitude has been very important the whole time.  When I was trying to be too rigid about my choices, that’s when I was running into the most problems.

Since I run first thing in the morning, I automatically had to skip some of the best pieces of advice. Still, I’m careful about what I eat before a run and make sure that I always have my favorite options available.

Helpful Tips About What to Eat Before a Run

If you’re a distance runner, it’s usually advised that you fuel up between three and four hours in advance. I’m not there yet, and I am not about to get up in the middle of the night to have a bit of a meal. Distance running is usually considered to be about 6 miles (10 kilometers) and up. It’s around an hour or more.  I am definitely not a distance runner yet, so pre-run meal isn’t as important to someone at my level. Without having done it myself, I don’t have any personal tips to share yet.

Instead, I have a pre-run snack beforehand and will have a good breakfast later on.  I have my snack the second I get up so that it has about a half hour to figure out what it’s going to do in my body before I head out the door. Since I run first thing in the morning, I consider this a very important step because it’s the only fuel I’ll have given my body that day. It’ll get my blood sugar levels and hunger to where they should be so I can focus on getting out there, moving and pushing to my best performance.

My Top Foods

I focus on getting quality carbs, keeping things small so I don’t end up feeling like I’m lugging a brick in my stomach that will only make me sick.

My go-to right now is a banana, but I’ll also go for an orange or an apple if my bananas are still too green. A quarter cup of overnight oats done yogurt and with a bit of blueberries is also great for me. I’ll usually have the same thing again when I get home after I’ve had a few minutes to cool down and settle.

I also have some water and 2 FENFAST 375 tablets (which I’m still loving – I should update about how they’re working with my weight loss strategy soon. Keep watching for future posts!), because they give me great energy that I find more predictable than a coffee.

That’s it! What I eat before a run is that easy. Nothing fancy or expensive. I hope it helps you!