- In triathlon, it's running that causes
the most discomfort for your stomach.
The up and down movement can be pretty stressful
compared to the smoother movements
that you experience with cycling and with swimming.
Well therefore, you need to think about
when and what you're going to eat ahead of a run.
So today, I'm going to bringing you
a guide on pre-run fueling.
(jazz music)
Let's start at the beginning of the day.
So the question is, what run are you going to be doing
and when do you plan on doing it?
'Cause if you don't have very much time in the morning
and it's only going to be a short run
that's a really low intensity,
you can probably do that without needing any extra fuel
and it's actually a good way to teach your body
to utilise the fat stores that we all have.
However, if it's going to be something, let's say,
longer then 60 minutes or you've got
some really high intensity intervals,
then you probably want to top up those glycogen stores
because, naturally overnight you will have been fasting
so, you body's not going to have sugar
that's ready in your blood to be used for that session.
Well then the question comes in, what to eat?
But a quick caveat before we go any further
because, we are all different.
We've got different training demands.
We have different taste.
And different abilities to digest certain foods.
So, it's very much a personal preference.
But I'm going to be bringing you my suggestions
of what to eat and when.
♪ Slowing down a lot is what you see ♪
♪ I'ma get it almost in my head ♪
♪ White T-shirt blue jeans ♪
♪ I'm looking at are good enough for you ♪
It's all well and good, heading out
for your nice easy recovery morning run
but still, some of us might require a coffee
just in order to wake-up and get going.
But make sure you allow a window
for that caffeine effect as, you might need
to pop to the bathroom before going for your run.
♪ And I can tell her to get on top of it ♪
Today, we are focusing on pre-race fueling
but, if you happen to have done a fasted run session
then just make sure that you can
fuel adequately as soon as you can afterwards.
But if you've got a hard run session early on
and you want to try and have something to eat before
then, it's a good idea to have something
with a high glycemic index which basically means
that the carbohydrates can be easily absorbed
and turned into energy pretty quickly.
So something like white bread with honey for example.
Now we know that brown bread is obviously
more nutritious in the fact that it's slower releasing
and it's got more fiber but, before a hard run
you really want to reduce the amount of fiber
you're taking on and you also want to make sure
that you're getting those carbohydrates
converted and into your bloodstream as quickly as possible.
So, before a hard run, if I've got an early one
I'll up for just having some plain toast,
maybe a bit of butter on it.
The longer and the lower intensity
morning run however, is a different matter,
'cause here you can actually opt for
slower releasing carbohydrates.
You've got more options 'cause your stomach's
going to be under less stress as you're running
at a lower intensity.
So you got a little bit more choice
and you can probably also manage
to eat a little bit closer to your run.
But remember, you've had a natural overnight fast
from since your meal the night before.
So if you can you want to try and include some protein
in your breakfast, but that does take longer to digest
so make sure you've got plenty of time.
So if you do have two or more hours,
something that I actually opt for
ahead of my long runs, some toast, some eggs and an avocado.
But if I've left it a little bit later in the morning
and don't have quite enough time
I might go for some brown toast
with a bit of nut butter and an banana.
And then obviously, a really popular
pre-training fuel is porridge,
but it really varies as to how you make your porridge
as to how easily it is to digest
and how soon before your run you can actually eat it.
If you're using milk and nuts, for example,
in your porridge then, it's going to be slower releasing
which is great but you do have to be aware
that the fats can also effect your stomach
so you might need to leave a little
bit longer to digest that.
And then if you've got fruit in your porridge,
that's going to be great for a high releasing sugar
to get your GI index up but, there is fiber
with that as well so again, you need to consider it.
So very much, it's a matter of experimentation
to find out what your stomach can handle
and also what you like to eat.
(jazz music)
Runs later in the day pose different problems.
If you're planning a lunch run, for example,
then you want to make sure you've had
a really good breakfast that ticks all the boxes.
But if that's not quite going to get you through
all the way to lunch then plan in
a high carbohydrate snack around an hour before.
So something like some rice cakes,
maybe a banana, even a cereal bar
'cause there's nothing worse then
actually getting to lunchtime
and trying to go out running whilst you're hungry.
It can be pretty distracting or even worse,
you end up having a snack just before
and then you get a stitch.
The evening run can also be tricky
'cause if you've not eaten since lunchtime
and you've got a really hard session coming up
you might well find yourself flagging midway through.
So you need to plan ahead on this one.
If you have got time to maybe eat
something at your desk, a good few hours before,
that includes something that's got some protein,
fats and carbohydrates so it can definitely
keep you going and make sure you're fully sustained.
But if it starts to get a bit
closer to that run, then you could consider something
like some plain pasta which is still easy to digest
and has very limited fiber.
But if it gets really close to your run
and you suddenly remember, oh my goodness
I haven't eaten anything for a few hours
then, there's not actually any harm
in delving into the sweets jar at work
because, they're going to have very little effects
or stress on your stomach, but will give you
a good boost in sugar levels pretty quickly.
And another factor that we actually mentioned
talking about in the morning is caffeine.
But caffeine not only, obviously,
wakes you up in the morning and gets you going
but it also can help you nail a really hard session.
But remember, it does take a little while to take in effect
so you need to have your caffeine
probably an hour before you're session
so that you can really make the most of it.
And if you are having a milky coffee
you probably want to allow a little bit longer as well
so that your stomach can fully digest it.
So far I've talked a lot about
actual food, but there are plenty
of nutrition products on the market
that are designed specifically
to help you pre and even during your runs.
So products such as gels or shot bloks are great
if you suddenly get to say lunchtime
and you want to plan a run in
and you realize you have not got time to eat
or digest anything then, you could take a gel
and by the time you finish your warmup
that sugar should have well and truly got into your blood.
And another option if you're sat at your desk
and you're normally drinking water,
you could replace that with an energy drink
before your energy run.
So you an just top up your glycogen levels that way.
I am focusing on pre-run fueling
but, if you're heading out and you're not sure
quite how well prepared you body is then
put a gel in your pocket and if you do start to struggle
you can always pop that and it's energy and sugar
will hit you pretty quickly.
And obviously energy products are very
low in protein and in fiber.
That's for a reason.
They are purely designed to give you fuel for that session.
They're not designed as nutrients so,
if you do actually have the ability
to have a proper meal or a nutritious snack
longer before and get all of the nutrition
that your body needs, that is preferable,
but then the closer it gets to the run
the more you want to reduce or limit
the amount of protein, fiber and fat
'cause that takes much longer to digest.
(jazz music)
I focused heavily on energy levels and glycogen
throughout this video but, for you body
to function optimally, it needs to be adequately hydrated.
'Cause even a small amount of dehydration
can actually result in a significant
drop in your performance.
So therefore, you want to just try
and stay on top of it throughout the day.
Just making sure you've got water
next to your desk is a good idea,
'cause you don't want to suddenly get to the afternoon
and you're about to go out for your run
and you realize you've not drunk enough
and then try and down a pint of water.
'Cause all that's going to happen,
it's going to glug around in your stomach,
you're probably going to get a stitch
and you might well end up having to stop for a pee mid-run.
I know you might well have been hoping for
the answer as to what to eat and when exactly
but, at the end of the day,
it really is personal preference.
A big part comes down to taste,
but then also your stomach's sensitivity.
So, you've just got to go out there
and workout what works for you through trial and error.
And the same goes for race day.
So make sure, if you know you've got a race coming up
that you practice that pre-race breakfast
if it's a morning race and the same with the timing.
So eat the same amount of time
before your race as you would
do at your training session, so you can really check
that it's going to work for you.
And even if you've got a race
later in the day, still replicate that as well
and then you can really fine-tune it
and you might still sometimes get it wrong,
but I find that if I'm maybe worried
I'm a little bit under fueled
for a run session I've got coming up,
there's no harm in putting a gen in your pocket.
You don't have to use it, but then
if you do suddenly find your energy levels dropping
you know you've got it there and also
it's just quite a psychological boost
and you probably will find you'll be fine without it.
But like I said, so personal.
So let us know what works for you before your runs.
How long you have to leave before you eat
before you go on your run and what sort of foods
you can digest easily 'cause, you never know,
we might all learn something by sharing here.
So, if you've enjoyed it hit the thumbs up button.
Hit the globe to subscribe.
And if you want to know what you shouldn't eat
before a run, there's quite a funny video
on that just down here.
And if you want some tips on nutrition on the go
especially designed for triathletes,
that video is just down here.