FREE Nutrition Guide For Runners
If you have been struggling to get the right nutrition and hydration into your running schedule, here is a free guide you can use as an aid.
A cheat sheet for nailing your hydration and nutrition when it comes to pre, intra, and post run.
Hydration
Before Your Run
This depends on when you run, but generally sip on 500ml in the hour leading up to the run.
Don't scull water and ensure your urine is light in colour.
During Your Run
500-750ml per hour while running, stick to the higher end on hotter days and lower end on cooler days. Try to space the water out fairly evenly over the hour.
For any runs longer than 2 hours, you also want to consume 1-1.5 serves of electrolytes or 1-2 salt tablets per hour, again depending on how hot it is and how much you're sweating
After Your Run
Weigh yourself before and after the run. However much weight you lose on the run, consume 1.25x that amount of water over the first hour
Nutrition
Before Your Run
Option 1
2 to 3 hours before the run consume a regular sized meal consisting of carbohydrates, fats and protein. The longer and/or higher the intensity of the run, the more calories you should consume.
Option 2
45-60 mins before the run consume a small-moderate sized meal consisting of majority carbs and some protein with minimal fats, again longer/higher intensity runs would have more calories, but still less than your regular sized meals
During Your Run
For any run longer 90-120 mins or for interval and tempo runs, consume 25-50g of carbohydrates every 45-60 mins. Where to go in the range will be determined by your ability to digest the carbohydrates and the intensity of the run.
If you are working on the higher end, try to consume a blend of glucose and fructose based carbohydrates to optimise absorption.
For events lasting 6 hours or more, you may want to include one meal of 50-75g of carbohydrates + some fat and protein every 3 hours to minimise muscle depletion.
Different food options include gels, chews, bars, sandwiches, dried fruit, muesli bars, potatoes, pretzels etc. Again, what you eat will be determined by your preference in regards to digestibility.
After Your Run
This will be mostly determined by your overall diet but should include a good amount of protein 30g+ and a mix of carbohydrates and fats. After high intensity and long runs, consuming more carbs may be necessary to restore glycogen levels and speed up recovery.
I hope you find this useful and remember it is only a guide and should be considered in your individual context.
If you would like assistance with your training or race nutrition, you can book a 30 or 60 minute consultation where we will break down the best strategy for you!
Yours in running and life,
Daniel Lucchini