What to Eat Before a Long Run
- Claire Shorenstein, MS RD CSSD CDN
- Apr 15, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 20
We're continuing my Fuel Your Run blog series by exploring what to eat before a long run, which is any run >60-90 minutes.
These nutrition strategies apply to anyone doing an endurance activity, including triathletes, cyclists, swimmers, Peloton enthusiasts, and others. There may be some logistical differences, but the fueling principles remain the same.
Many athletes struggle with what to eat before long runs, and I get it. Maybe you don't want to wake up even earlier on a weekend to eat and digest, or you're worried about having stomach issues during your run, so you eat minimally.
Thankfully, these are problems you can fix, and they're worth solving if you care about your health and performance.
In this blog post, I'm going to cover:
If you missed my last blog post on how to fuel a short run, including general tips on what to eat and drink before ANY workout, I'm building on these concepts today. And if you want this content summarized in a FREE 4-page download, grab it below!
Why You Need to Eat More Carbs Before a Long Run
You need to eat more carbs before a long run compared to shorter efforts. That's because carbs (glucose) are the preferred fuel source for your working muscles, but your carb stores (glycogen) are limited in the body. This article further explains why carbs are so important, and how much you need to eat every day as an endurance athlete.
For longer runs (>60min), and especially once you go over 90 minutes, you drastically lower your carb stores if you don't eat anything during the run. Eating well before plus consuming carbs during exercise helps your energy stores last longer, and prevents you from feeling like hot garbage after.
For shorter runs (<60min), you need adequate carbs for overall health and performance in that session, but you're not depleting your carb stores in such a short period of time.
It's not just the meal right before a long run that you have to consider. If you're doing a 2+ hour run, for example, you should also eat more carbs at dinner the night before. This blog post on everyday eating for endurance athletes provides more information on how to adjust your carb and other nutrient intake to different types of activities and training phases.
If you're training for an endurance event, you must practice what you plan to eat for dinner the night before and on race morning. Keep in mind what you like and tolerate, but also logistical things like what will be available when figuring out what to eat. If you don't have access to a kitchen, for example, you need to plan accordingly.
Guidelines on What to Eat & Drink Before a Long Run
Here are some guidelines for carbs, protein, and fluid that you can practice before you head out on your next run or other activity >60 minutes.
Carbohydrates
General target: 60–90g of carbs, 1–3 hours before you start your run
Research-based approach: 1–4g of carbs per kg body weight, 1–4 hours pre-run
Quick rule of thumb: minimum carbs = your body weight in pounds ÷ 2.2 (i.e. 1g/kg of carbs)
For food examples that hit these ranges of 60-90g of carbs, check out my post on what to eat before a short run
Protein
Pair your carbs with ~10g of protein to:
Prevent mid-run hunger
Support recovery
Cyclists or athletes in other sports (or if you're just hungry and can tolerate it) may want slightly more than 10g of protein here
Refer back to my last blog post for examples of popular pre-exercise carbs plus proteins that will help you reach these goals
Fluids & Electrolytes
Ensure you have adequate fluids so that you can start your run well-hydrated
First, make sure you meet baseline daily hydration needs: Take your body weight (lbs) ÷ 2 = ounces/day.
Next, account for what you lose in sweat by measuring your sweat rate
Pre-run fluid target: 16–24oz of fluid, 1–3 hours before you start
Includes water, coffee, tea, juice, sports drink, etc
You may need more fluid if you are a heavy sweater
Electrolytes: Add if it’s hot, you sweat heavily, or you’re a salty sweater
Helps hydration and also adds carbs
For more information, see my Hydration for Endurance Athletes blog post
Right Before You Go
Top-up with 20–30g of carbs, 5–15 minutes before starting
Examples: gel, chews, sports drink, etc
Putting it All Together
Visuals are always helpful, so here's an example that follows the above guidelines of 1-2g/kg of carbs + protein + fluids, 2 hours before a longer training session. Remember, all of this applies to triathletes, cyclists, swimmers, and other endurance athletes.
Sample pre-run meal (about 2 hours before):
Bagel (50–60g carbs) + peanut butter (protein) + honey/jam/banana (extra carbs)
Fluids: water, tea, coffee, and/or sports drink.
A sports drink is especially useful on race mornings: it boosts carbs, fluids, and electrolytes, all in one and is great if your appetite is low
A bagel + toppings + sports drink can easily get you to ~110g carbs (still less than 2g/kg for most athletes)
Other great pre-run meal options:
Oatmeal made with milk or soy milk
Pancakes or waffles with fruit + syrup
Whatever foods you prefer and tolerate on training or race day
What to Eat Before Afternoon or Evening Long Runs
If you are running long in the afternoon or evening, you need to make a few adjustments to your meals and snacks throughout the day to make sure you don't have GI issues later on.
Breakfast Options Before a Long Run (Afternoon or Evening)
For breakfast, eat normally but with a focus on carbs. Aim for 1-2g/kg carbs plus 20-40g+ protein (this is general goal, and should be individualized), some fat (not too much), and limit high fiber foods.
Drink 8-16oz fluid which can include your coffee, tea, juice, water, or sports drink. If you are a heavy and/or salty sweater, or if it's warm out, this is where adding a sports drink is very helpful.
Example breakfast options:
A bagel with banana and PB is still great, but add protein so you're not starving in an hour or two
Low-fat greek yogurt
Low-fat cottage cheese
Eggs
Any other breakfast items you enjoy work well, just make sure to include protein
Fluids can come from coffee, tea, juice, sports drink, etc
Lunch Options Before a Long Run (Afternoon or Evening)
For lunch, eat similarly to breakfast but with slightly fewer carbs (1g/kg is fine). If this is your last meal prior to your long run, make sure that what you're consuming is easy to digest (aka lower fiber and fat).
If you're not running, and thus not jostling your stomach as much, you may be able to tolerate some slightly higher fiber foods (e.g., more fruit/veg, whole grains etc). Tolerance is always very individual!
Example lunch options:
Something simple like a turkey sandwich on white bread is a good choice (or even better, a big white roll as that can get more carbs in)
Add pretzels, graham crackers, or whatever other simple carbs you enjoy
Don't forget your fluids, such as water, tea, a sports drink, etc
Snack Options Before a Long Run (Afternoon or Evening)
Depending on the timing of your run, you may need a carb-rich snack 60-90min before you start. Again, aim for 1g/kg carbs, limit fat and fiber, and include 8oz fluid. If you're going soon after lunch (within 1-2 hours), you don't need to do this, but you should include the final top-up of fuel recommended previously.
Example snack options:
Graham crackers
Fig bars
An energy bar
Banana
Sports drink
See below for an example day of meals and snacks prior to an afternoon session.
What To Do If You're Struggling to Eat Before Runs
If you struggle to eat before a long run, don't worry - you'll get there with some practice. The gut is very adaptable to nutrition training!
With enough time and experimentation, the stomach can learn to tolerate larger volumes of foods and fluids, and the intestines can adapt to absorb more carbs. This means improved performance and reduced likelihood and severity of GI issues.
How to Train the Gut
Start with small amounts of easy-to-digest low-fat, low-fiber carbs like sports products (drinks, chews, gels etc), applesauce, graham crackers, white toast, rice cakes, etc, and slowly work your way up. Use liquids if you're particularly sensitive.
The important thing is to start out with simple carbs only, be consistent, use small amounts and gradually increase, and track what works and what doesn't.
Here is a very simple example:
Training the gut can't be rushed and can take many weeks if not months. This process also must be individualized.
If you continue to struggle with gut tolerance, then you need to rule out other causes of GI issues (there are many). This is a great reason to seek out the help of a Sports Dietitian, who can work with you closely to figure out the underlying problem and how to solve it!
Additional FREE Nutrition Resources for Active People
That wraps up the basics of what to eat before a long run! If you want all of the above in a free 4-page digital download, grab it here.
I also encourage you to check out my other online nutrition resources:
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I currently offer 7 FREE nutrition downloads on a variety of topics
I am over 100 episodes deep into The Eat for Endurance Podcast
I offer a library full of low-cost nutrition mini guides and masterclasses
If you're looking for a more in-depth resource, my course Peak Performance for Endurance Athletes: Your Ultimate Guide to Strategic Fueling is packed with evidence based, easy to understand information with tons of visuals covering everyday nutrition, hydration, intraworkout fueling, training the gut, performance and micronutrient supplementation, and preparing for race day.
Interested in Online Nutrition Coaching?
If you're interested in nutrition coaching, I offer a variety of online nutrition services to support your everyday and athletic performance needs.
My monthly membership, Fuel for Life Crew, gets you direct access to me and a supportive community of active people like you for all your nutrition questions. You also get live monthly masterclasses on a variety of nutrition topics (replays available) and access to my full online library of resources, for just $30/month (cancel anytime).
If you're ready to go all-in to transform your nutrition, health, and performance and get more personalized support, 1:1 nutrition coaching is for you. To get started, fill out an inquiry form here.
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