Practical eating issues
- You don’t need to eat before a run, unless your blood sugar is low.
- Reload most effectively by eating within 30 min of the finish of a run (80% carb /20% protein).
- Eating or drinking too much right before the start of a run will interfere with deep breathing, & may cause side pain. The food or fluid in your stomach limits our intake of air into the lower lungs, and restricts the action of the diaphragm.
- If you are running low on blood sugar at the end of your long runs, take some blood sugar booster with you.
- It is never a good idea to eat a huge meal. Those who claim that they must “carbo Load”, with a large meal the night before, are rationalizing their desire to eat a lot of food. Eating a big meal the night before (or the day of) a long run can be a real problem. You will have a lot of food in your gut, and you will be bouncing up and down for an extended period. Get the picture?