Over the Easter weekend, I was visiting family but also had an 18-mile run to do. It’s always tricky getting in a long run when you’re away from home but the route planning and time negotiations are only a part of it. The other important aspect of long runs is the nutrition: what you eat before, during and after the runs. When you’re away from home it takes a lot more planning and, in my case, an emergency dash to the supermarket.
I’m not a dietitian or a nutritionist. I’m a runner who has figured out over the years what works for me. I’ve spent time reading about nutrition and speaking to those who know a lot about it to inform my choices. But I’ll stress again that I’m not qualified to give any advice on this. When I was training to be a PT, I did a module on nutrition, but I don’t think this qualifies me or any other PT to advise you on your diet. So read on with all that in mind. I will also caveat this to say that I’m a pescatarian (I eat fish occasionally, but no meat or poultry) and have no known food allergies or intolerances. What I eat will be different to many other runners and you should find what works for you but keeping certain principles in mind.
Taking nutrition more seriously
For the past year, I’ve paid far more attention to two things: fuelling my running and getting enough protein. While I don’t think I’m getting it 100% right, I’ve made big improvements to my nutrition and I definitely think that has shown in my running. In my half marathon last October I ran a lifetime PB aged 41 clocking a time of 1:39.
I ran less mileage in training than I had for my next best time four years earlier, but I took on way more fuel during the race than I ever had before and I felt strong throughout. It made me look back on previous racing experiences and wonder what would have happened if I’d had a few more carbs on board.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here. First a brief recap on basic nutrition for runners.
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