After my abysmal lack of performance at last Saturday's Parkrun I've decided to fight the despondency and gone back to week 9 running today. I ran on empty, having had a pasta meal last night, and felt much better. I felt comfortable all the way and finished the run. It is obvious that the timing of your food intake is important.
And I was nice to a lady dog walker who put her 3 large mutts back on their leads as I approached. Thanked her and told her I appreciated it - which I really did!
I had this dilemma on my first park run on sat, I decided to have a small bowl of cereal and a cuppa. I did ok, but usually I run on empty or if in the afternoon after a small snackeroony. AND I am desuading myself from eating crap by saying to myself... An athlete doesn't eat XYZ! (It doesn't always work)
I usually have an egg and bacon sarnie an hour before my parkrun, not had an issue yet. Done a few on empty stomachs and done alright, only Edinburgh threw me with it's 9.30 start, ran out of energy on what should have been an easy pb...
I have only had problems by not waiting long enough after eating, then feeling bloated ar I run. Pasta the night before is probably the answer.
I usually run on "near-empty", after a very small breakfast (small coffee, grapefruit, 1 toast) and that seems quite enough. Mind you, I put up a PB tonight after a plate of ribs, spuds & green beans, + tea & dark chocolate. Sometimes it's down to the mood you're in but I agree that near-empty is generally better than near-full!
A glass of water and a banana are good fillers for an empty tank before a run. Though I tend to have the banana then go, which probably makes little difference. If I ParkRun though I have it before I leave home, so it is an hour later when I run, and last week I set a PB of 26:35 
Certainly works.
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