It seems like a lot of folks run in the morning before eating. That is really hard for me to do. How long should you wait to run after a meal or does it matter.
It seems like a lot of folks run in the morning before eating. That is really hard for me to do. How long should you wait to run after a meal or does it matter.
If it's just a small amount of simple carbs, like toast/jam or a couple pancakes or similar, 0-30 minutes. If it's a full meal, 4-6 hours. The only thing that really matters for training is avoiding unpleasant sloshing or emergency toilet stops. As long as you plan ahead, you can eat what you need before you run and feel fine.
You are going to need to experiment on yourself here. There is no one answer that fits everyone.
It is going to depend on the food choice, the quantity and your own gut's time to allow it to "settle" enough to run. Also the intensity of the run matters at least to my gut.
Simple foods with little fat are probably the ones that will allow you to run sooner.
For instance, instant oatmeal 30 minutes before a long run works fine. That same food before an interval session would need 60 minutes.
I’m needing to run before I eat because I’m now in my 40s.
You don’t want to mess with Acid Reflux.
Sometimes I gorge or fill after
Bc I know that I’ll be rail thin too
I have never been able to run with anything at all in my stomach. First thing in the morning before breakfast, when I haven't eaten for at least 9 hours, is the only thing that works for me.
sarahatl wrote:
It seems like a lot of folks run in the morning before eating. That is really hard for me to do. How long should you wait to run after a meal or does it matter.
If it is just a training day, then for regular meals, 3-4 hours. That way full metabolization has been endured, and most of my blood will go to my muscles.
I never eat anything before a race. I just have a meaningful meal the night before, that way my body is fully loaded and ready to go.
However, you have to do what is right for you. If that does not work for your body, then so be it. It's just that running on an empty stomach makes for a lighter, faster run. Your body isn't using energy to breakdown food while you are trying to run.
Everyone is different. It depends on the run too. If it's an easy run then generally a small to medium portion wait about 90mins and I'm good. If it's a large meal I'm gonna be hurting if I try to run before 3 hours after consumption. Tempo or speed days I will need at least 6 hours for a medium to large meal, or wait about 2 to 3 hours for a small meal. I cramp really bad and learned the hard way a few times before finding out what works for me. Most of my running is in the evening. My morning runs are usually early Sunday mornings, and I don't eat anything before I do my long runs.
It varies widely. For me, I never eat a large meal on the day of a race, even if the race is in the evening. I never eat a meal within 3 hours of a workout. I might eat an energy bar or half bar 60 minutes before a workout if I felt that my blood sugar might drop before the race.
If I'm getting hypoglycemic (a hereditary problem for me), I might eat a half bar of something that's almost all carbs, like a fig newton, a half hour before an unimportant workout or low key run, but this is rare.
At track meets where I have to compete in 3-4 events over 4-6 hours, I might mix a scoop of protein powder into a 20 ounce bottle of Gatorade and sip it off and on throughout the day.
Training for ultras, I wait until AFTER I start running to eat. Rice with honey is my go to meal.