Recipes To Fuel Long Runs (2024)

FAQs

What food is good for long runs? ›

For longer runs (more than 70 minutes), she recommends a larger snack like a bagel and at least 8 ounces of water or an electrolyte drink before the run. Then, throughout the run, fuel with a gel every 25-40 minutes and 8-16 ounces of electrolytes every hour.

Nutrition/hydration

As your distance increases with your long runs, so will your need for increased nutrition and hydration. There are many different products available with a combination of electrolytes and carbohydrates designed to fuel your body for longer mileage.

Furthermore, try to avoid solid foods. This can cause gastrointestinal complaints while running. To replenish, choose 500ml isotonic sports drink per hour of effort, e.g., 3Action Sports Drink and an energy gel (e.g., 3Action Energy gel or 3Action Liquid Energy gel) or 500ml of water and two energy gels.

Natural energy gel alternatives. If you want to stick to natural fuel for runners, you could try dried fruit, honey, or applesauce pouches. Dried fruit such as pineapple, banana chips, dates, raisins or apricots contain concentrated amounts of simple carbs.

You need roughly 40-60g of carbohydrates per hour. Read the label of your snack and understand how many carbs it has so you know how much roughly to eat. Eat little and often, start usually within the first 20 minutes of your 100 miles. Avoid high fibre foods and those high in fat and protein.

Be sure to drink plenty of water – little and often throughout the day – to stay hydrated, and top up on electrolytes during or after any hard, sweaty workouts to replace lost salt. You should also fuel appropriately for your runs to keep your body's glycogen stores in check and help beat fatigue.

Are bananas good after a run? ›

Are bananas good after runs? Yes, bananas are a good post-run snack. They contain simple carbohydrates for energy replenishment and potassium to help prevent muscle cramps.

Ignoring Rest And Recovery

Don't do an intense or difficult workout the day after a long run. Leave the track work and speed work for a few days after a long run.

The long run is generally anything from 5 to 25 miles and sometimes beyond. Typically if you are training for a marathon your long run may be up to 20 miles. If you're training for a half it may be 10 miles, and 5 miles for a 10k. In most cases, you build your distance week by week.

Competitive runners need to exceed 90 minutes, the point at which they begin to accrue many of the most sought-after benefits of long runs. Marathoners need at least one long run (pre-race) that matches the length, in time, of their projected marathon finish time (up to 3.5 hours max).

Solid foods can be tolerated, but they need to be small and easy to digest. There are numerous products on the market, such as sports gummy chews, energy bars, and even sports jelly beans, designed for long-distance runners to eat on the run. These often provide a little salt replacement as well as carbs.

“We recommend consuming calories, usually carbohydrates, for any runs longer than an hour because the carbs you store in your muscles and liver, known as glycogen, are finite,” Vogel says. “The longer you run, the more you burn through those stores and need some external source of carbohydrates.

During a Run

However, if you are planning a longer run, you should bring some nutrition along the way: carbohydrates and fluids. Most sports drinks have both. You can also carry pre-packaged sports gels or energy chews for your long-run carbohydrate intake.

If you're exercising, then you should have water with you. Your body loses water much more quickly than it loses electrolytes, so you must stay hydrated during your runs. If you have to pick between a bottle of water and a bottle of sports drink, always choose the water.