I'm an early bird, question is should I really be eating something before I go? I usually get up 5.30 ish and am out running for 6

I try to remember to have a few mouthfuls of water before going but no food. I haven't had a problem thus far, I start week 8 next run

[ju-ju- Graduate]

You know I never do either, I am so much better with an empty stomach... Fill up after? And well done, good progress, juicyju x

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

I don't think I'm at any risk of starving! I read that it's a no no, but I can't get up any earlier!!

[ju-ju- Graduate in reply to Hidden]

You know, I think that's early enough... It's not about expectation it's about you and feeling so good about yourself. Don't beat yourself up.. Ok?

[nativestar Graduate]

I tend to avoid early morning runs because I can't run on a full stomach and I do notice if I run without eating anything I have a lot less energy. I've reached a compromise though for when I do need to run first thing and that's to have a banana and a drink of water a 1/2 hour before I go and have the rest of my breakfast when I get back. It might be worth trying that and see if it improves your running any but if you're happy with your running then I wouldn't worry about it.

I think running on an empty stomach would only become a real issue if you were running for a longer period like say, an hour.

[Oldgirl Graduate in reply to nativestar]

I'm the same as you and have a small banana or a small cereal bar, cup of green tea and glass of water. I have found as I'm doing longer runs I need something to keep my energy up. The other thing is we eat our main meal of the day at about 6.00pm so its just too long to go without until 9.00am the next day which would be about the time of a post run. But what suites one doesn't mean it is right for everyone, you need to play about and see how you get on, you may find as you start to do 5K's and longer that you need something.

[Hidden]

Thank you for your advice, I might try a drink and banana. Currently I'm not having any difficulty, but I run at 6, eat about 7ish the night before (give or take an hour or so!!) and I usually feel ok, at the end of the working day I feel much less energy and really do need a snack prior to run.

I would like to take the run further so I'm just trying to set my self up for success now! Tomorrow looks like out will be my first rainy run!

[sfb350 Graduate]

I don't usually eat anything before a run in the morning - I used to make myself have a banana but I just feel more comfortable without food in the morning. I did 10 miles today - all I had beforehand was one of those multi-vitamin drinks that's meant to give you a boost, then drank water during my run. I included a short hills session and a few sprints - I was a bit tired at the end but I did work hard. I prefer to feel hungry than to have an iffy stomach. If I was sensible I'd take a High-5 drink with me but I tend to use those just for races. On the other hand, when I did my HM a few weeks ago, it was a much later start in the morning so I did have some brekkie a couple of hours beforehand (a pack of breakfast biscuits) and drank some High-5 before and during the race so that probably gave me a bit of a boost. I know I'm not following the advice that most experts give but it suits me - I certainly wouldn't worry too much about eating before a run on the distances you're covering on the C25K, just go with what feels right for you. As your distances get longer, you may need to experiment with what food suits you.

[danzargo Graduate]

My run is ALWAYS first thing in the morning. If it's a week day then its 6.30am before work. If it's a weekend day, then I do it around 9 or 10am. I am one of those people that HAS to eat, so I microwave 2 dessert spoons of oats with milk & honey and swallow that BEFORE going out. Followed by a glass of water. Oats give you a slow release of energy which for me is most important when out running. I usually wait for ten mins for my porridge to go down and then BOOOM! - I hit the road. Haven't thrown up yet so it must work!

[Hidden in reply to danzargo]

10mins! Woow that was my concern really, getting stitch or being sick. I love running before work, my dog gets some good exercise!

[tor41 Graduate]

I agree with all that has been said, congratulations for getting to week 8, I just start week 8 today myself

I used to run early on a banana and water, found it better to take them with me and consume them when I had finished running (I have a good 5K walk home), I think it is all to do with how well hydrated you keep yourself generally i.e the night before and if things are ok so far, well why mess with things that work?

Good luck with your last 2 weeks

[DeliaItaly Graduate]

The medical answer is "yes" you should eat if you run more than 30 minutes. But having said that I need to run on empty or else I throw up. About to try jelly babies -- this morning I ran around 8k on an espresso and yock did I taste it in my throat for an hour or so....

[mrqwest Graduate]

I'm like you, an early bird. Alarm is generally set for 5am when I run in the mornings so I'm out the door by half 5. I never eat (or drink!?) before my early runs. I tend to find the food makes me feel sluggish or full, and if I have a drink before without eating anything, (this sounds horrible but...) I can almost feel it sloshing around in my stomach as I run and that *really* puts me off.

So I go out without food or drink - but I do make sure I hydrate a lot and drink plenty of water / squash the day before.

I've also read about this before - some people use the running on empty as a weight-loss thing although I'm not sure how well it works. Some folk believe that running without any food on board means your body uses energy from existing fat / energy deposits rather than the food you've eaten before hand... but you need to run for 30-45 minutes before It starts doing that. Its not made any difference with me, but I do tend to eat the wrong type of foods when I've ran. ooops!

[TheBoyWhoRun Graduate]

I do no eat before my run, because time is against me in the mornings it is not possible to eat before my run. So far it have been great and yes it is a great weight lost time, you will be surprised to know that you burn more fat first thing in the morning.

[Hidden]

That would probably work if ii didn't eat like a truffle pig later on in the day!!!