To eat or not to eat? I like to get out to do my runs (just about to start W5) first thing - a) because I prefer to then get showered for...

[pinkhat]

... the rest of the day and b) I need to get the dog exercised anyway or I'd get no peace to work. I don't have anything to eat before I go and haven't found it a problem but I read a few other comments about having something to eat making a difference to your strength. Does anyone else just get up and go for early morning runs and if so, do you prefer to eat before or after?

[nannon82 Graduate]

I've only just started this week, but I've been eating a banana and drinking a glass of oj before my morning run. Then I have time to have a bath, get dressed and make my breakfast before I start getting really hungry.

[pinkhat Graduate in reply to nannon82]

Hi dnannon82 - I had thought about a banana as it might be easy on the stomach. Good luck - I'm only halfway there but already believe if you do what Laura says, you'll get there!

[nannon82 Graduate in reply to pinkhat]

Thanks pinkhat! I'm looking forward to getting stuck in. Been lazy for too long!

[Cazvs Graduate]

I go out first thing too. I have a banana and a glass of juice as soon as I'm up then I'm out the door about 30 mins later. When I get back I get showered and have a big bowl of porridge for a proper breakfast, or something cooked at the weekends. I find it does make a difference to my running if I go out on an empty stomach, I get sluggish towards the end.

[pinkhat Graduate in reply to Cazvs]

Think it might need more than a banana to stop me being sluggish towards the end!

[Cazvs Graduate in reply to pinkhat]

Have you seen the size of the bananas in tesco recently?

[gdeann Graduate]

We like a banana as suggested or some peanut butter on a banana or a slice of WW bread. Gayle

[pinkhat Graduate in reply to gdeann]

Peanut butter - now you're talking! In fact, a bite of banana/peanut butter combo might just do the trick - not too much to sit in my stomach but a bit of a quick energy boost. Will give it a go on Monday with my first W5 run.

[Pat184 Graduate]

Hi pinkhat do what suits you, trial and error the name of the game. I tried eating before a run and was sick, a glass of water and my blood pressure tablets suits me fine , shower and a nice breckie afterwards. Good luck and enjoy your running Pat

[pinkhat Graduate in reply to Pat184]

I definitely couldn't run after eating much and was interested more in the energy aspect. However, the plus side of not eating until afterwards is that breakfast seems to taste so much better!

[SBG356 Graduate]

I don't usually have anything to eat, just some water but if hungry then it's a banana or a breakfast biscuit like Belvita Crunch. After a run it is recommended that you eat within 20 mins and have protein and carbs. I tend to go with peanut butter on toast. Yum!

[pinkhat Graduate]

Thanks SBG356 - why 20 mins, do you know?

[greenlegs Graduate]

I was reading Chi Running again last night, and he suggested that for short runs (ie not marathons!!!) there's no need to eat before an early run, provided you ate well the previous evening) - that surprised me. I think he did recommend drinking though. But I expect we all vary.

[pinkhat Graduate in reply to greenlegs]

Ha, ha - eating well the previous evening is never a problem.

[Beads Graduate in reply to pinkhat]

Ahh, but.....

If you read the intros, people's first posts, you'll find that alot of us are doing this in addition to cutting down food to try to lose weight as well as get fitter. So in that case although we're eating well (plenty of fruit and veg) we're probably not getting the right amount of calories to keep us going for a morning run with no food as a boost. If you fall into this category then extra munchies before leaving, just 100 calories or so will possibly help during the longer runs.

[greenlegs Graduate in reply to Beads]

Very good point!

[Beads Graduate in reply to greenlegs]

A very delayed devils advocate comment coming up.....

Those of us that started running to help shift a few pounds have probably got 'reserves' in plenty to fuel the running. But it would be a question of how quickly we can mobilise those reserves. The same would go for eating. Is the 100 to 200 calories I put in my stomach actually mobilised and used during the 30 minute run, or does it just sit there and only released after I get back? So is it just a feel good thing, that I eat before I go? Or does it actually make a difference?

[Beads Graduate]

If you're about to start week 5 then it probably hasn't been an issue for you, but now you're going to head into the longer runs you may start to feel a lack of energy towards the end of the run, where you are finding it hard and legs are leaden. The belvita biscuits like SBG says are good (half a pack for me), so long as Tescos has them on offer and the rest of the ravenning hoard in the house haven't decided they were bikkies to go with their tea. Or maybe a single slice of toast, a couple of bikkies (if you have them in the house), a banana. Just something light that's not going to weigh you down but will give you a bit of extra energy 20 minutes in or so.

[gdeann Graduate in reply to Beads]

Tell me more about the belvita biscuits you and Sue mentioned. I just found these here in the States. I loaded them in my cart, then figured out the points value (I follow weight watchers) they seemed pretty pointy, so I placed them back on the shelf. Curious now!!! Gayle

[Beads Graduate in reply to gdeann]

They're a relatively new thing over here, I've only noticed them the last year or so. They are sort of in the cereal bars section of the supermarket. They come in boxes of 6 or 12 packs. Each pack contains 4 biscuits which equates to just over 200 calories (so my half pack 'run booster' is just over 100 calories and the individual packs means I'm not going to eat the whole lot). They're marketed as slow release, so eat a pack for breakfast and they'll keep you going all morning and stave off the hunger pains until lunchtime (the advert has a DJ starting work and still smiling at the end of her shift). How accurate this is I don't know, I can have a massive breakfast and still be hungry a couple of hours later. I think they're meant to be targeted at the wake up and go to work people, those that don't have time to sit down with a bowl of porridge and then feel hungry mid morning. So you grab a pack of these on the way out the door. They're basically a meal replacement rather than a snack, so if your breakfast is generally around those WW points then you can swap, but don't treat them as an additional snack.

[gdeann Graduate in reply to Beads]

Thank you Beads! I just noticed them the last 6 months or so here. I'm not a breakfast eater but am trying to do better getting something into my body first thing. I may try some and just do a half a package with some fruit. Its weird, I can go without breakfast and be fine but sometimes if I eat breakfast, I'm starving within a few hours! Gayle

[pinkhat Graduate]

Thanks, Beads. I did wonder if it was the length of the run that would make the difference. Will try without and then with to see if I notice a difference.

[PaulC]

I get up at 6:30 -> have a glass of water -> out the door for quarter to 7 -> back at quarter past > have some fruit along with weetabix or porridge and a cup of tea > shower > school

Just how I feel comfortable doing it and I'm sure you'll find the way you like to do it.

[Fingalo Graduate]

I'm up and out first thing with only a few sips of water. Then a piece of fruit and a good full glass of water when I finish. I'm only into Week 4 though so that may have to change, although I wouldn't know what it is to have any energy at the end of a run anyway.

[alliec Graduate]

I tend to get up and go straight out with just a couple of sips of water but when I do a Parkrun for which I've already been up two hours through trial and error (almost fainting) I have found a slice of toast with peanut butter and hour before I run just the job. I hear bananas are good but personally I can't stand them ??

[pinkhat Graduate in reply to alliec]

I think the issue for me is the time between eating and running - I think I'd definitely need a good hour, which makes it a no-no first thing. However, I'm planning to do my first parkrun by the end of this month and think I'll def need something beforehand but not too much, I'll maybe try peanut butter and a couple of oatcakes and see how I get on. Thanks Alliec.

[NikkiJayne]

I have to eat a proper breakfast an hour to an hour and a half before running otherwise I feel dizzy and light headed and feel like I might pass out. I have absolutely no idea how anyone can run without some fuel in them!

[pinkhat Graduate]

Ideally I would like to have something but to allow even an hour would mean getting up an hour earlier - and I do like my sleep. By coincidence, today I did my run (W6R2) for the first time not first thing in the morning but early afternoon, about an hour after a light lunch and I really didn't notice any difference, if anything I felt a bit heavy-legged. However, as someone else said above, maybe when I get to the longer, I'll feel like I'm flagging towards the end. Maybe I just have ample reserves for my body to call on - lol!

[montreal67]

I have my normal breakfast of tea and two pieces of toast and honey - no butter - and I therefore have no stamina problem. Just completed run 1 of week 8 - it's amazing the stamina/fitness that I have built up!

[Ribena]

I tend to have a square of chocolate before and another after the run, as I have blood sugar issues.

[Damaria]

I don't eat before I go for my morning. Sometimes I drink a bit of water, maybe half a glass? Most days I run 7km, and so far the run goes fine. I think in my case not eating that early in the morning (5am) is habit. That early in the morning, I can't handle the idea of food. I usually get home around 6.16am, drink some liquids (water. coffee, juice) and then eat breakfast around 7am.

I've noticed that some days, I'm hungry throughout the day though, even though I eat a lot of vegetables and salads to offset the hunger. So it's probable I need to change my breakfast habits.