The Best Food to Eat Before Running

Anybody who's eaten the wrong thing before a run knows just how important the right prerun meal can be. It's more than just a factor of athletic performance; eating the wrong food before a run can lead to sluggishness, queasiness and intestinal discomfort. While taste may vary from person to person, the best foods to eat before a run are generally carbohydrate-rich foods that are low in fat and light on protein.

Breads

Hal Higdon wrote in "Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide" that carbohydrates are "the most efficient form of fuel." He recommends bread foods such as bagels, graham crackers, pancakes and whole-grain bread to provide a constant supply of carbohydrates for training and races.

Fruit

Fruit is a lightweight way to fuel up for a run, because it's a lightweight way to load up on low to middle glycemic carbohydrates before a run. Bananas, apples and pears are some examples of low-glycemic foods, which deliver sugar to the bloodstream slowly, providing a steady flow of energy and avoiding the sugar crash that high-glycemic foods can cause.

Whole Wheat Cereal and Oatmeal

Oatmeal and whole-wheat cereals are also slow-burning and can provide a runner with energy throughout a long run. To add some variety, add berries and chopped fruit to the cereal, which can provide a quicker burst of energy to complement the slow burn that the fiber-rich cereal will provide.

Energy Bars

Energy bars and sports drinks can provide a quick burst of energy, which can come in handy during shorter runs. In the book "Training Plans for Multisport Athletes," Gale Bernhardt says that energy bars are useful for prerace and preworkout snacks. Many athletes prefer energy bars prerun because they're easy to prepare and provide carbohydrates as well as a selection of electrolytes. Potassium and sodium are electrolytes that are known to help a runner's performance.

References

• "Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide"; Hal Higdon: 2005
• "Training Plans For Multisport Athletes"; Gale Bernhardt; 2007