Nutrition Tips for Runners

I’m Barbara Cox 

Award winning nutritionist, author of 2 cook books and nutrition course creator. 

I’ve written for many magazines on nutrition ideas for runners as I’m a keen Ultra Marathon runner myself. 

I’ve run 128 Km on the Atlantic Coast Challenge from Padstow to Lands End and The Jurassic Coast Challenge from Portland to Sandbanks which was 130 km and then a 5 day ultra marathon in the Sahara desert of 164 km. 

But it all started with a simple 5 km run I did and I was hooked!  

So I’m going to give you 5 Tips on Nutrition for Runners, 7 Foods Your must eat if you’re a runner and then 4 of the most frequently asked Questions my client runner ask. 

Top 5 Tips Are:  

  1. Hydration – soooo important – aim to drink 1.5 to L a day regardless if you’re exercising, then add an additional 500ml-1L PER hour of running, depending on the weather conditions. 

  2. Good Quality Carbs – There’s Good carbs and Bad carbs so choose GOOD please and add things like brown rice, sweet potato, oats, rye breads and stay away from the White breads as they can spike your blood sugar levels causing energy fluctuations. 

  3. Protein – a really easy equation here – You need .8g of protein per 1 KG of body weight – so I’m 45kgs so I need 36g of protein a day. I love protein and so do my muscles. It’s great to build muscle, good for muscle recovery after exercise but you don’t need to OVER eat it! Eat things like nuts, seeds, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, lentils, beans and tofu. 

  4. Food Variety – MEAL PLAN to make sure you’re having about 150 different types of ingredients a MONTH! Don’t eat the same thing daily – that profile of vitamins & minerals. PLUS – don’t get menu fatigue, so menu plan for variety 

  5. Focus on FRESH. Try homemade meals and snacks and not ready meals or store bought snacks, then you can really add extra goodness with a creative splash of seaweed for extra minerals to your meals or it can help you cut the amount of sugars in energy snacks.  

Here’s my 7 MUST HAVE foods for Runners and WHY 

  1.  Bananas – potassium (good if you get a muscle cramp). Peel and go – perfect to take anywhere – Eat on Own or add to smoothies  

  2. Avocado – again perfect to take anywhere – filled fibre and healthy fats and so versatile from smashing it on rye bread toast to making a super tasty guacamole dip with crudities for a a healthy snack 

  3. Spinach & Kale – EAT YOUR GREENS – packed with magnesium for your muscles – helps with DOMS – delayed onset muscle soreness so a super RECOVERY food – I keep a spinach, banana and avocado smoothie coming on! 

  4. Dates – fresh gooey mejoule dates are backed with healthy sugars when you feel you need a boost. They also contain potassium in case you get a cramp and loaded with fibre and iron too – add to cereals, smoothies for sweetness or eat on their own 

  5. Orange – fibre, vitamin C – body doesn’t make it’s own so you need eat foods high in vitamin C daily 

  6. Tart Cherries – anthosyanin – super antioxidant to help remove lactic acid from the muscles and reduce the effects of DOMS – plus, they are a great bedtime treat as they contain a significant amount of melatonin to help you sleep. 

  7. Beetroot – fantastic to help the body produce it’s own nitric oxide. Nitric oxide makes your arteries more flexible. So when the heart pumps the blood out of the arteries, the oxygen is circulated better and can increase your athletic performance. Get your juicer out and try a beetroot shot before running. 

OK   

Here’s some FAQ’s from my clients that I thought might help you too 

  1. What to eat on Race Day  

Firstly – don’t try NEW things on race day – this could end up in a disaster of an upset tummy or sickness so make sure you have tried all your Race Day essential BEFORE the race. 

Start with a LOW GI breakfast like oats or maybe you run well on protein like an omelette. Both are great. 

Depending on the time of the race, but make sure your lunch is protein and carb based like a ryebread sandwich packed stuffed with avocado, spinach and a protein of your choice, whether it’s hummous, tuna or a meat.  

Dinner time can be a casserole of a melody of vegetables and. protein like meat, poultry or beans. Something easily digested as blood can be rushing to repair damaged muscles and not in your stomach digesting so watch out for bloating if you eat too much. 

2. Do runners require special diets 

This depends on your goals and what stage of running you’re at. 

My personal opinion, follow the hints and tips in this video and this is great for beginners. 

If you’re a seasoned athlete, then looking at specific food timing for proteins, especially for recovery or carb loading for energy can be created by a professional to make sure you’re achieving results and not doing any damage.  

3. What should I drink when I run 

Aim to drink 500ml to 1 L per hour when running. Again, this will change per person and consider factors of weather, length of run, speed of run too. 

Do you need any “add-Ins” – I would definitely look at how much you sweat and then you have an idea of how much electrolytes you need to replace. My recommendation is checking out Precision Hydration online for electrolyte and sweat advice.  

4. Do I need supplements 

Again – it’s very individual -  and please don’t think taking supplements replaces good food or, if you’re taking supplements then you can eat junk food. Have a specialist advice your supplementation as it’s a mind field. My rule of thumb is to buy only from professionals to ensure they are standardised, pharmaceutical grade and registered with informed sport as an accreditation. 

No matter where you are on your running journey, whether you’re a beginner or seasoned athlete. I want you to Enjoy every step! 

Thanks and Happy Running  

Barbara Cox-Lovesy