What to eat before a run, and how long before
Updated · 7 min read
In short: Eat a normal meal two to three hours before a run, or a small, easy snack 30 to 60 minutes before. Good choices are mostly carbohydrate and low in fat and fiber: a banana, toast with honey, oatmeal, a bagel, or rice. For an easy run under an hour, many people run fine before breakfast. For a longer or harder run, eat something first, and try new foods on a training day, never before a big effort.
How long before you run
| Time before the run | What to eat | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 3–4 hours | A full meal, mostly carbs | Pasta or rice with chicken, a turkey sandwich and fruit, pancakes with syrup |
| 2–3 hours | A normal, balanced meal | Rice or pasta with chicken, a sandwich, oatmeal with fruit |
| 30–60 minutes | A small carb snack | A banana, toast with honey, a granola bar, a few crackers |
| Under 30 minutes | Little or nothing | A few sips of water, half a banana if you are hungry |
The closer you get to the start, the smaller and plainer the food should be. A big meal needs time to leave your stomach. A banana does not. If you only have 20 minutes, a few bites are better than a plate.
How much to eat
For runs over an hour, the sports nutrition position paper from Dietitians of Canada, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American College of Sports Medicine suggests 1 to 4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight, eaten 1 to 4 hours before. The longer the gap, the more you can eat.
Here is what that looks like for a 150-pound (68 kg) runner. One gram per kilogram is about 70 grams of carbohydrate: a medium bagel and a banana. Two grams per kilogram is about 135 grams: a bowl of oatmeal, a banana, a slice of toast with jam and a glass of juice. Food labels list grams of carbohydrate, so a few days of reading them teaches you fast.
| Run | Before it |
|---|---|
| Easy, 20–40 minutes | Nothing, or a small snack if you are hungry |
| Steady, 45–75 minutes | A snack 30–60 minutes before, or your usual meal 2–3 hours before |
| Hard intervals or a tempo run | A light carb snack 60–90 minutes before, so you have energy but no full stomach |
| Long run, 90 minutes or more | A carb-rich meal 2–4 hours before, plus a small top-up snack if needed |
Breakfast before a morning run
Most people run in the morning, so the real question is often what to eat in the few minutes you have after waking up. Pick by how long you have before you head out the door.
- 15 minutes: half a banana, a few dates, or a small glass of juice, and some water.
- 30–60 minutes: a banana, toast with honey or jam, an applesauce pouch, or a small bowl of low-fiber cereal.
- 90 minutes or more: oatmeal with banana and maple syrup, a bagel with a thin layer of peanut butter, or rice with an egg.
- Very early starts: eat a carb-rich dinner the night before and keep the morning snack small.
A cup of coffee is fine if you already drink it. See caffeine before running for how much and when.
What to avoid right before
- Fried and fatty food, which digests slowly.
- Lots of fiber: beans, bran, big salads, a large bowl of high-fiber cereal.
- Spicy food, and lots of milk if it upsets your stomach.
- A large coffee if you are not used to it.
- Big portions of protein, like a steak, which sit heavy.
- Anything new. Race morning is not the day to try a new bar.
Stomach trouble is common in runners. A 2017 review in Sports Medicine says 30 to 50 percent of athletes have gut problems regularly, and that fiber, fat and very concentrated carbohydrate drinks make them more likely. The same review notes that your gut adapts when you practice eating before and during training.
Drink something too
The position paper suggests about 5 to 10 milliliters of fluid per kilogram of body weight in the 2 to 4 hours before exercise. For a 150-pound runner that is roughly 12 to 23 ounces (350 to 700 ml). Drink it early enough to use the bathroom before you leave. Pale yellow urine is a good sign. For more, see how much water to drink when running.
Is it fine to run on an empty stomach?
For an easy walk or run under an hour, yes, for most healthy adults. Your body has enough stored fuel for that. If you feel dizzy, shaky or weak, eat a small snack next time. For long runs, hard workouts, or a big day toward THOR, eat first. Fasted running does not suit everyone, and it is not needed to get fitter.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Instead |
|---|---|
| A big breakfast 20 minutes before a run | A small snack now, the bigger meal after |
| Skipping food before a long run to burn fat | Eat carbs first; long runs go better and feel safer |
| A large salad or bean burrito for lunch before an evening run | Lower-fiber choices like a sandwich or rice bowl |
| Trying a new food or gel on race day | Test everything on a training run first |
| Chugging a liter of water at the start line | Drink steadily in the hours before |
Eating by the time of day you run
| You run | Eat | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Before work, 6 a.m. | A small snack, or nothing for an easy run | Half a bagel with honey; full breakfast after |
| At lunch, noon | A normal breakfast, a small snack mid-morning | Oatmeal at 7; a banana at 10:30 |
| After work, 6 p.m. | Lunch as normal, a snack around 4 or 5 p.m. | Turkey sandwich at noon; pretzels and fruit at 4:30 |
| Late evening, 8 p.m. | An early, lighter dinner or a snack | Rice and chicken at 5:30, or toast at 7 |
The pattern is the same at any hour. A meal two to four hours before, or a small snack in the last hour, and nothing heavy in between. Evening runners most often get it wrong by skipping the afternoon snack. They head out after eight hours without food and wonder why the run feels flat.
Before a long run or a big challenge day
For a run of 90 minutes or more, the night before counts too. Eat a normal dinner with a generous portion of rice, pasta, potatoes or bread. In the morning, eat a breakfast you have tested on earlier long runs, two to three hours before the start if you can. Bring a gel, chews or a banana for the run itself. If you are aiming for a half marathon in one go, see carb loading for a half marathon.
Common questions
- Is a protein bar a good pre-run snack? Many are high in protein, fat and fiber, which digest slowly. A granola bar or fruit bar sits better close to a run.
- What about an evening run? Eat lunch as normal, then a small carb snack 60 to 90 minutes before you head out.
- Can I run after a big dinner? Wait two to three hours, or keep it to a gentle walk.
- Do I need to eat before a walk? Usually not. Eat as you would on any other day.
After the run, see what to eat after a run. This is general information for healthy adults. If you have diabetes, heart or kidney disease, are pregnant, or follow a diet set by a doctor, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian first.
Sources
- Nutrition and Athletic Performance, joint position of Dietitians of Canada, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American College of Sports Medicine (2016): carbohydrate before exercise, fluid before exercise.
- Jeukendrup, Training the gut for athletes, Sports Medicine (2017): how common gut problems are, and which foods make them more likely.
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