Recipes for Runners

Written by specialist dietitian Elle Kelly

If you’re a runner, you’re probably aware of the importance of fuelling your runs and supporting your recovery through nutrition. Whether you’re training for an ultra-marathon or simply enjoying going for a jog with the dog, supporting your body with the right nutrition can help you stay energised for both performance and life, support your recovery and progression, and keep your body functioning optimally.

This article will take you through some recipe ideas from The Food Medic Hub that are perfect for supporting your running whilst nourishing your body, regardless of whether you’re an experienced runner or just starting out.

Breakfast

Blueberry Oat Pancakes

As the name suggests, oats are the base of this recipe and provide slow-releasing carbohydrates, which can help to sustain energy levels throughout the morning and top up your glycogen stores.

Glycogen is our stored carbohydrate, which can provide fuel during runs. When glycogen stores are at full capacity, they can normally provide us with energy for up to 24 hours, however, the rate at which we use glycogen is higher when we run, and glycogen stores can become depleted even quicker through higher-intensity sessions like sprints or interval runs.

So, to maintain energy levels during your runs, it is important to ensure that glycogen stores are topped up before heading out on a run.

These pancakes make a great pre-run breakfast for your Sunday run, as they’re a great combination of carbohydrates, and protein and are low in fat, which can slow down the release of energy from food.

Make-Ahead Egg Muffins

The combination of protein, fats and carbohydrates makes these egg muffins a great breakfast for runners.

These would also make a great recovery breakfast or brunch as the addition of spinach and tomatoes provides a source of vitamins A, C and E, which are antioxidants and can help to protect against free radical damage by neutralising free radicals (1). Exercise can cause increased levels of oxidative stress, which produces free radicals, and can cause inflammation which can contribute to impaired muscle repair (2,3) which could impact your performance on your next run.

Lunch

Pesto & Feta Orzo Salad

Whether you run in the morning or the afternoon, ensuring your lunch is rich in carbohydrates (which this one is) is important to ensure that your glycogen levels are restored and ready to use.

During intense or long runs, glycogen stores can become depleted. The body’s ability to recreate glycogen is at its peak during the initial few hours following exercise, but this can continue over a longer period.

The more depleted the glycogen stores are, the longer it takes to replenish; it’s also important to remember that certain activities that involve the forced lengthening of active muscle like heavy weight training or hard running, can cause muscle fibre damage, which can delay glycogen replenishment up to a week (16).

It is important to prioritise carbohydrates in post-workout meals to support replenishment. During the first two hours following a session, glycogen replenishment occurs about 150% more quickly than the normal rate (17), and after 4 hours, returns to its normal rate.

Rainbow Balance Bowls

This recipe provides a great balance of protein, carbs, essential fats and veggies, which is not only important for meeting energy and nutrient requirements, but combining these food groups can promote satiety, which is a common challenge that some runners face!

Thanks to the avocado, beans, chickpeas & quinoa, this meal is high in fibre, which is important for supporting a healthy gut. However, a high fibre meal immediately before a run may not be the best idea as it can lead to unpleasant digestive symptoms such as cramping, diarrhoea, nausea, reflux, painful bloating and urgency to use the toilet during a run.

This is because during exercise, blood flow is directed away from the gut and to the working muscles, which can interfere with normal gut function. Everyone is different, but some may find it best to avoid any high fibre foods in your pre-run meal and save this recipe for refuelling afterwards!

Dinner

Black Bean Burrito

Plant-based proteins can lack or be low in essential amino acids, which can impact muscle repair and growth in comparison to protein from animal sources (22). However, by combining different plant-based proteins in a meal, it is possible to obtain all essential amino acids.

In this meal, black beans are high in lysine but low in methionine, but wraps are low in lysine and high in methionine. By combining these in this recipe, it is possible to obtain sufficient amounts of these essential amino acids that are required for muscle protein synthesis as well as other processes in the body.

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

This meal is simple but effective when it comes to fuelling and refuelling. This dish primarily provides carbohydrates, which would make it a great dinner the night before a long run.

Aiming for a carbohydrate-rich meal with a source of protein, and ideally, a meal that is low in fat and fibre, on the evening before a run can help to ensure that glycogen stores are full.

Fibre and fats are super important in our daily life but these lead to digestive discomfort during runs as they take longer to digest, so it’s best to avoid high intakes of these in the lead-up to a race or long run.

Snacks

Granola clusters

Pairing these granola clusters with milk or yoghurt and some berries makes the perfect post-run combo; protein (milk or yoghurt) for muscle repair and growth, carbs (oats in the granola clusters) to replenish glycogen stores, fluid (milk or yoghurt) to help rehydrate and micronutrients (berries) to re-nourish.

Runners Flapjacks

These flapjacks are the perfect pre- or post-run snack, and can even make a great snack to take on a long run.

Whilst eating during a run is not necessarily required, especially when they are less than 90 minutes (or 60 depending on the intensity), it may be beneficial for some people to have some form of carbohydrates during a run to prevent performance from declining. It might also be required if you haven’t adequately fuelled beforehand.

When our glycogen levels drop below a certain point, we can start to experience symptoms like fatigue and struggling to concentrate (25). It’s understandable to think that this is when a ‘top up’ of energy is needed, however, it is often too late to negate these symptoms at this point.

Ideally, we want to avoid falling into this depleted state in the first place, and so taking on carbohydrates before these symptoms occur, is important to reap the benefits (26, 27). For most, taking on some carbohydrates around 45 minutes into a run should help to prevent glycogen stores from depleting too low (28).

“…supporting your body with the right nutrition can help you stay energised for both performance and life.”

— Elle Kelly, specialist dietitian

References

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