Request for advice please

[Sunnytom]

Hi everyone. I’ve been slowly building up the miles and usually run first thing in a morning time without eating first. Recently I have been feeling a little dizzy and light headed on the longer runs and wandered off I should be eating something before running.......

Thank you everyone in advance xxx

[Hidden]

How many miles do you run then generally? Maybe you can take along some jellies or even some sort of energy bar to munch on during the run? For a 5K a run before breakfast should not be a problem I think. But if you are speaking about 10K or even more, I do think you might be better of with taking something along.

[Sunnytom Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Hi. Thank you for you reply. I am generally doing around 10K.

[Cmoi Graduate10]

Hi Sunnytom , to echo Hidden , how many miles are we talking? Regardless, you shouldn't be feeling dizzy or light-headed, even if you're running a marathon!

While in cooler weather I personally wouldn't plan to take extra hydration or fuel for runs of around 10km-10 miles, others will differ. If I'm setting out to do a half-marathon or more, then I'll carry water - essential - and a snack such as dried apricots, dates, nuts, marzipan bars or chocolate. Lots of people like jelly babies but I hate them!

Don't skimp on water, whatever you do, especially in hotter weather.

[Jell6 Graduate10 in reply to Cmoi]

You hate jelly babies 😱. Images courtesy of Google.

Jelly baby murder scene

[Cmoi Graduate10 in reply to Jell6]

Not me - that's clearly a case of Haribo harakiri! 🤣🤣🤣

[Sunnytom Graduate10 in reply to Cmoi]

Thank you for the advice. I always have water with me but never run after eating or take snacks.

[Cmoi Graduate10 in reply to Sunnytom]

I never run immediately after eating a meal, I leave it an hour or more. I've done HM distance on nothing and been fine, but only decided to run that far while I was out.

I'm sure you'll find a solution, just takes a bit of trial and error sometimes.

[nowster Graduate10]

For how long in time are you running on these pre-breakfast sessions? I couldn't go out and run for more than an hour without having had something light to eat.

[Sunnytom Graduate10 in reply to nowster]

I run around 10K which is roughly and hour and half for me..

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to Sunnytom]

At 90 minutes, I'd personally be thinking of something light like a mug of coffee and a slice of toast about half an hour before going out.

I know that this might be too much for some people's tummies to cope with, but I seem to be fine with this.

For anything over 90 minutes I'd be bringing fluids and something sugary (like jelly babies) with me. Surprisingly I got through yesterday's Half Marathon distance on just two jelly babies.

[Sunnytom Graduate10 in reply to nowster]

Thank you.... I will start with the slice toast see how I go

[Jell6 Graduate10]

I run without eating first, sometimes without drinking. We are all different and climate will be a factor. In the UK, at this time of year you should be OK as long as you are well hydrated the day before. If you have previously managed these distances and your routine hasn't changed it might be worth mentioning the dizziness to a health care professional

[Sunnytom Graduate10 in reply to Jell6]

Thank you xx

[Sandraj39 Graduate10]

Hi, well done on your runs! 🙂 As others have said, we are all different. I can run a 5K on empty but prefer to eat breakfast and then run a little later. As for 10K on empty - eek! 😱 This wouldn’t work for me! Give me a bowl of porridge and I can run for miles!! Maybe experiment with eating first and see how you go?🙂

[Sunnytom Graduate10 in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you very much. I am going to trial maybe having a slice of toast before my runs see how I go.... the porridge sounds like a good idea....

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate10]

I like the little packs of fruity oatcakes. I find I can eat those up to about half an hour before going out for a run without getting indigestion. I’ve never been able to exercise without eating first. I agree that if this is new for you and isn’t easily explained, it might be worth chatting to your doctor about.

[Sunnytom Graduate10 in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thank you for the reply.... I only tried to eat once before a run and felt nauseous. Maybe now I’m running that bit further I need some fuel...

thank you x