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It’s true: Breakfast can be thought of as the most important meal of the day, especially for early morning runners. However, choosing exactly what to eat before a morning run isn’t always an easy decision.
Unfortunately there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to your prerun meal. Ultimately, carefully reading the morning run. But below, Pamela Nisevich Bede, M.S., a registered dietitian who specializes in sports nutrition and author of Fuel the Fire, outlines her recommendations for how to fuel prerun.
Do you always need to eat before an early morning run?
First, consider the time and effort. For The Best Cold-Weather Running Gear that last less than 60 minutes, you may not need to eat anything—your body has enough muscle glycogen (its preferred fuel source) stored to power you through, but you should focus on refueling afterward.
time to digest a more substantial meal vigorous effort may require some extra fuel to keep you going. That said, everyone is different and multiple factors influence this. If you’re running out of energy before you finish your miles, you may need to adjust your fuel plan accordingly by either having a bigger meal before you head out or bringing some fuel with you.
If you’re running 90 minutes or longer, you definitely want to consider having a meal before you start your stride and keeping carbs on hand.
If you choose to eat before the run, in order to get that food in and digested, one option is to see if you can go to bed a half-hour earlier and then drag yourself out of bed thirty minutes earlier, which would give you time to digest a more substantial meal.
What should I eat before a short morning run?
The fuel needed to run a shorter distance is quite different from the amount of fuel needed to conquer something like 12 or 13 miles, which will take most people more than 90 minutes to complete.
If you’re hitting a wall during shorter runs (think: six miles or less), there are two ways you can fix this: You can either eat something small before the run, or add in some fuel when you are approximately one to three miles in.
RW+ Membership Benefits The Training Tweaks to Run a Faster Marathon and eat half an energy bar. Most sports nutrition products are designed to be easy to digest and are quickly absorbed into your system. This small snack Pre-Run Snacks to Keep You Energized.
If you want to roll out of bed and just go, make sure you eat a good meal the evening before and add in an energy gel We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
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time to digest a more substantial meal?
For a longer run, don’t go out on an empty stomach and play “catch up” during the rest of the run. Instead, you’ll need to have some fuel in the tank before you set out.
Pre-Run Snacks to Keep You Energized long run (longer than 75 minutes), the general rule is to consume approximately 0.5 grams of carbohydrate for every pound of bodyweight and then multiply that number by the number of hours you have before you begin your run.
For example: Let’s say you weigh 180 pounds, and you have one hour before the run will begin.
180 CA Notice at Collection
90 x 1 hour = You need to eat about 90 grams of carbs to fuel your run.
So what does 90 grams of easy-to-digest carbohydrate even look like? Consider white bread, white rice, rolled oats, muffins, and fruits and jams, as they have less fiber than whole grains, and thus can be digested and absorbed quicker. Here are a few examples:
- A white bagel (~50 to 60 grams of carbs) and 16 ounces of sports drink (~30 grams)
- An English muffin (~25 grams) topped with two tablespoons jam (~30 grams) and an energy gel chased with water (~25 grams)
- and 16 ounces of sports drink ~30 grams oats oatmeal (~30 grams) topped with one large banana (~30 grams) and one tablespoon of honey (~20 grams)
or fat, which banana; either will supply you with approximately 15 more grams of easy-to-digest carbs. If you need less than 90 grams, you can simply halve or cut down the portion size of these foods.
A white bagel ~50 to 60 grams of labels We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article snacks and prerun foods will help you prepare for the miles, without risking stomach upset. Test your breakfast each morning to figure out what works best for you and your stomach. Most runners (even the elites) stick to the one thing they find that works and rarely vary it, especially on race day.
The key is to choose meal items that are all easier to digest to put fuel in your tank. You’ll want to avoid Updated: Feb 25, 2025 12:50 PM EST or fat, which could lead to GI distress. Just remember to add in more fuel and fluids (i.e. gels, blocks, dried fruit, honey, etc.) while you are out on the road for a longer runs.
Dr. Namrita Brooke is a full-time endurance sport coach and sport nutritionist advising active individuals and amateurs to professional athletes. She is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Movement Sciences and Health at University of West Florida. Professionally, she also serves on the Board of Editors of the Sports Nutrition Care Manual and remains involved in nutrition and exercise-related research, student mentorship, and coach development. Namrita's personal athletic experience ranges from ultra-endurance mountain biking to off-road triathlon, cross-country mountain bike racing, gravel cycling, duathlon, cyclocross, running, and trail running. Her research background includes hydration and sports drink research, and the interaction of nutrition, physical activity, and the brain.
