Cross Country is a sport that requires endurance, determination, and a willingness for athletes to push themselves to their limits. In an especially physically demanding sport like cross country, proper fuel is the key to achieve best performance and recovery. In this article we are going to dive into what food groups are most important to runners, why they matter, and the appropriate times to eat them.
How food fuels running
Nutrition plays an important role in running well for two physiological reasons. These big considerations are maintaining a healthy blood sugar level and ensuring the body can digest food before and after exercise. To start, nutrition is essential to keeping our blood sugar stable. Our blood naturally contains a sugar called glucose, which is the body’s main source of energy. When we run and exercise, sugar is used as fuel for our muscles and other functions necessary. This can cause a drop in our sugar levels due to the usage and may come with adverse side effects such as feeling dizzy or tired. But with proper refueling, athletes will feel much more energized after a run.
It’s also important to think about what we eat and when we eat it. It is very common for runners to experience stomach aches and discomfort during runs. When the body is running it often sends blood to the working muscles instead of our digestive system. Because of this, the body cannot digest complex foods while exercising. Therefore, runners can avoid stomach aches by eating light immediately before a workout.
Carbohydrates for Runners
No matter what sport an athlete does it should be said that every food group is important. Carbohydrates are essential for quick energy, fats are great to sustain us for long periods of time, and protein is used to build our muscles. However, long distance runners rely more heavily on carbohydrates.
Runners need more carbohydrates to provide quick energy for the muscles during long periods of running. As mentioned, carbs help to restore blood sugar after glucose is used for fuel. However, carbs are used in an even bigger way. If carbs are not needed, they can be converted and stored in the muscles and liver. This storage space is called Glycogen, and can be used for energy during training. During long runs and endurance activities, the body relies on these glycogen stores. To keep this fuel available to the body, runners must eat adequate carbs the same way cars must fill up with gas. While this carb loading is not necessary for races like a 5k, keeping up with carbohydrates can prevent runners from ‘hitting a wall’ or drastically losing energy.
An important distinction to make about carbohydrates is there are two kinds. The first one is simple carbs. These are the easiest to absorb and for our body to use. Some examples of foods with simple carbs are fruit juice, honey, candy, and refined grains (bread, pastries, and cereal). The second kind is called complex carbs. This has a slightly slower usage time, because the molecules are harder to break down in the body. Examples of complex carbs are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. See more about when to eat which kind of carb in the ‘warmup’ section.
How much carbs does a runner need?
So runners need carbs. But how many? Well, the quantity of carbohydrates depends on a runner’s goals and training mileage. During peak mileage and competition, runners may need up to 60-70% of their diet to be carbohydrate based to keep their ‘tank’ full. To put this in perspective, this could be about half the plate of pasta, veggies, rice or other carbs. This would leave about 15-20% for each fats and protein in the diet. These percentages are meant to be general guidelines, not strict rules that must be followed perfectly every single day. The main takeaway is that carbohydrates play a key role in fueling endurance exercise and runners may need LOTS of them. This is especially important to remember because carbohydrates are often unfairly labeled as ‘bad,’ even though they are one of the body’s most important sources of energy for endurance athletes.
The Warmup: What to Eat Before a Run/Race
The Night Before
One of the most important factors of running is pre-run or pre-race fuel. The fact is fueling and hydration for a workout starts the day before.
Dinner the night before allows the energy stores to fill up and be saved for the next day. When planning out the meal consider the macronutrient splits mentioned above, where carbohydrates are the majority of the meal.
Examples of dinner:
- Pasta with a protein and marinara sauce
- Rice bowl with a protein and veggies
- Tacos with protein, beans, sweet potato
The goal of hydration is to never start competition dehydrated. Chugging water the hour before a run is not helpful because it doesn’t have as much time to absorb. Instead, try this simple guideline: aim for about one ounce of water for every pound of body weight each day if you’re exercising regularly. For example, if you weigh 115 pounds, try to drink about 115 ounces of water over the course of the day. This may sound like a lot, but it can make a big difference by preventing headaches and cramps.
Hours Before Workout
In the hours before a workout it is best to have a complex carbohydrate focused meal or snack for the quick energy needed. Examples include eggs and bagel, yogurt parfait with granola, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or cereal and milk. For the best effect, meals like this should be eaten 3-4 hours before activity to allow time for digestion.
However, in the hour leading up to a workout it is essential to only have a simple carbohydrate based snack. This is because as mentioned the body cannot do a lot of digesting while running because most of the energy must go to the muscles. Therefore, a ‘light snack’ is the best option (see more about snack classification here). This light snack provides the body with a final boost of easily accessible energy. Avoid high fiber foods (such as broccoli), high fat foods (such as cheese, yogurt, etc) and fried foods before workouts. Because of the fat content and fiber in these, which may cause stomach issues due to a lack of digestion.
Examples of light snacks and simple carbs:
- Toast and honey
- Non-nutty granola bar
- Applesauce
- Goldfish
- Fruit snacks
- Sports drink
The Event: What to Eat During a Run
If a run or endurance workout lasts longer than one hour, it is generally recommended to bring fuel to stay energized and finish strong. During the workout, the body uses glycogen stores as a source of energy. As this “fuel tank” slowly empties, the body needs energy from simple carbohydrates to prevent “hitting the wall.” Runner favorites for intra-workout fuel include sports drinks, gels, or chews as these are easiest to consume while running.
The Cooldown: What to Eat After a Run
To support recovery, runners should eat within two hours of finishing their race or run. Even if you do not feel hungry in this time range, the body still needs the fuel. The main focuses here should be carbohydrates, protein, electrolytes and water.
Carbs need to be replenished because they are what the muscles burned off through the glycogen stores. Just like a car, when you use the fuel you must refill the tank after. Eating carbs immediately after a workout gives the best chance of stabilizing blood glucose and having an appropriate store of fuel for the next run.
Protein is also a focus because when runners run they form micro tears in the muscle from the hard work. This is a good thing, as these tears are an opportunity for new growth. However, they cannot grow without the protein as building blocks for our new muscles.
While both of these macronutrients are important, they are needed after a workout in different quantities. A good estimation is for every 1 gram of protein you should have 3 grams of carbs in your post workout meal or snack. This 3:1 ratio of carbs to protein reinforces that carbs are typically the most needed macronutrient for runners.
Examples of foods with the 3:1 carbs to protein ratio:
- Chocolate milk
- Smoothie/protein shake
- Trail mix
- Hummus and pita
- Turkey wrap/sandwich
- Pasta with protein
Electrolytes and water need to be replenished because they are lost through sweat during a run. Drinking water after your run helps replace lost fluids. Eating fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, oranges, spinach, and tomatoes, helps restore important electrolytes like potassium and magnesium. If you do not replace these losses, you may experience symptoms such as thirst, muscle cramps, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, or weakness. Replenishing both fluids and electrolytes after a run supports recovery and body function.
The Finish Line
The food you eat before, during, and after a run plays a major role in your energy, performance, and recovery. By prioritizing carbohydrates, staying hydrated, and fueling your body, you can perform your best on race day. Remember, every great run starts long before the starting line with the food that fuels your training and recovery.
Guest post written by Haley Haines, The Ohio State University
Resources:
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/carbohydrates
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/food-as-fuel-before-during-and-after-workouts