Early morning long run

humpforfree · March 2012

If you do a long run (10+ miles) early in the morning (6 or 7), do you eat beforehand? I feel like I would have to get up super early in order to eat/digest before heading out.

Do you think I would be okay if I ate an english muffin w/pb tonight before bed and then maybe a couple of chomps before running in the morning? I plan on doing 10 or 11 miles and I bring chomps, water & gatorade with me. I failed pretty badly around mile 5 on an early morning long run without eating before hand so I obviously don't want a repeat.

Thanks!

taratru · March 2012

For anything under 15, I haven't eaten.

Last week, I got up at 6, had a piece of toast w/pb, went back to bed and ran at 8. I did 15 that day and didn't have a problem.

Joenali · March 2012

I would definitley eat something for a long run like that. 3-5 miles I probably wouldn't eat much. But really your body has been fasting for 8 or so hours. Get up early and eat a good breakfast and you'll have a good run. What about a smoothie?

humpforfree · March 2012

taratru:
For anything under 15, I haven't eaten.
Last week, I got up at 6, had a piece of toast w/pb, went back to bed and ran at 8. I did 15 that day and didn't have a problem.

Hmmm I like the idea of going back to bed. I think I will make myself toast & pb when the dog eats at 6 and then sleep a little more before heading out, just to be sure.

Wan-naBe · March 2012

I really think this varies from one person to the next. I always go first thing in the morning and never eat before runs, I just take water and a gu if it's going to be longer than 5 miles.

kat.in.the.hat · March 2012

honey stinger waffles are great for this. I don't do solid fuel on a run under 10 miles and my stomach can't handle even something like toast or an english muffin. But I've found a stinger waffle even 30 minutes before I leave is okay for me and does the job.

jdbmjm · March 2012

I agree that it's totally personal and you might need to try a few things first to see what works for you. I have to eat something before I run, and I also need coffee to get things, ahem, moving, before my run.

I usually eat a small amount of oatmeal, half an apple with peanut butter, and half a cup of coffee. I usually get about 5:45-6am, leave the house at 6:45 and my running group meets up at 7. I have tried getting up at 5:45, eating and drinking coffee and laying back down for 20-30 minutes, and then getting up for my run. It works, but I rarely fall back asleep, so I'd rather just stretch and wake up more.

My body just shuts down around mile 5 if I haven't eaten breakfast, especially since I don't eat after 8pm. That's a long time without any food!

GRKaters · March 2012

Yes, I have to eat something.

A group of friends and I ran a half marathon in July that started at 6am. It was over an hour away from us. I got up at 3am and had my usual toast and coffee, and packed a snack to eat closer to race time. Worked fine; it was a PR half for me.

AGsWife · March 2012

GRKaters:
Yes, I have to eat something.
A group of friends and I ran a half marathon in July that started at 6am. It was over an hour away from us. I got up at 3am and had my usual toast and coffee, and packed a snack to eat closer to race time. Worked fine; it was a PR half for me.

You're dedicated . . . and crazy.

humpforfree · March 2012

GRKaters:
Yes, I have to eat something.
A group of friends and I ran a half marathon in July that started at 6am. It was over an hour away from us. I got up at 3am and had my usual toast and coffee, and packed a snack to eat closer to race time. Worked fine; it was a PR half for me.

Yow- that is an early wake up call!!

purple.cow.0206 · March 2012

As was made abundantly clear to me this morning when I completely bonked at mile 5 of my 10 mile run, I need to have something. I usually roll out about 15 minutes before the start of my weekend runs, so I'm going to just try a Gu as soon as I get up next week. I know eating actual food that close to my run just doesn't work, but a Gu or Sports Beans work for me.

IndyGirl02 · March 2012

Everyone is different. I MUST eat breakfast before any sort of morning workout, even a short run, otherwise I crash. I try to eat at least 30-45 min before heading out -- sometimes that means getting up, eating, going back to bed to snooze for a bit, and then getting dressed and going out for a run.

GRKaters · March 2012

AGsWife:
GRKaters:
Yes, I have to eat something.
A group of friends and I ran a half marathon in July that started at 6am. It was over an hour away from us. I got up at 3am and had my usual toast and coffee, and packed a snack to eat closer to race time. Worked fine; it was a PR half for me.
You're dedicated . . . and crazy.

Oh totally. We fully acknowledge that! It was so dark when we got there, the volunteers thought WE were volunteers and we ended up helping set up the food tables. It was definitely an experience to remember--and likely *not* repeat.

wweaver0 · March 2012

I agree with PPs--this is definitely individual to each runner. Just experiment to figure out what your body needs. For me, if I don't eat something before any distance past 3 or 4 miles, I get crazy migraines and am completely worthless the rest of the day.

rainbow333 · March 2012

It is definitely an personal preference thing. I eat before all of my runs 4 miles and up. My stomach doesn't get upset over food before running, though. I can eat right before I head out and not have any trouble. For long runs, I usually try to eat 30-45 min before, but if I eat too far before, I get really hungry on my run. I always eat PB toast and a banana. You kind of just need to try things out and see how they go to figure out what works best for you.

Cinco · March 2012

IndyGirl02:
Everyone is different. I MUST eat breakfast before any sort of morning workout, even a short run, otherwise I crash. I try to eat at least 30-45 min before heading out -- sometimes that means getting up, eating, going back to bed to snooze for a bit, and then getting dressed and going out for a run.

This. I am big on my breakfast carbs in general though.

Mrs.Handy · March 2012

I need a good breakfast and a cup of coffee before my long runs to, um, get things going as another poster said. Otherwise I'll be searching for a bathroom mid-run. I usually have oatmeal, a piece of bread with PB on it, and a cup of coffee an hour or so before I run.

Now that I'm at 10+ mile distances I need some kind of fuel mid run. I tried a cliff bar but it's hard to chew and run so I'm looking into the GU gels for future runs.

aswartzw · March 2012

wweaver0:
I agree with PPs--this is definitely individual to each runner. Just experiment to figure out what your body needs. For me, if I don't eat something before any distance past 3 or 4 miles, I get crazy migraines and am completely worthless the rest of the day.

Hmm, maybe this is what happened to me Saturday. I had to get up earlier than usual and didn't eat anything and ended up with a migraine. I usually eat a banana before I head out but didn't this time.

FinallyKrisB · March 2012

Anything over 6 miles and I'll have a gu before. Over 10 and I need to eat something about an hour before I go out.

doglove · March 2012

Yes - I always eat something if I'm running more than 6 miles or an hour.

Early morning long run

Re: Early morning long run

Choose Another Board

Search Boards