I'm by no means an expert on what is right or wrong for what to use to fuel for workouts and training but I thought I would share what works for me. You always hear about how food affects your performance and I believe that is true. In general I believe that if you eat pretty healthy for the most part you will feel good when you run. Not only do healthy meals help with performance but fueling correctly helps a lot as well.
Here are ways that I fuel for runs:
Before a run:
I like to hydrate with water or tea in the morning. For food, if it is a long training run I take a Chia Squeeze or a honey stinger waffle just so that I have something in my stomach and I don't get hungry and head out the door plus they both give a little bit of extra energy.
Sometimes if I have time for breakfast before I run, I eat either a bowl of cereal (Cheerios or Puffins) or I eat a Belvita Soft Baked Banana Bread then head out. If I am doing a half marathon race, I usually eat a bagel and supplement with a Chia Squeeze. I also sometimes take EnergyBits 10-15 min before the race to help with my energy.
During a run:
I drink Nuun. Love the stuff and love that they have a variety of flavors. If I am doing a longer run I take GU after about the 6 mile mark when I am doing a half marathon and another at mile 9 or 10.
After a run:
I like drinking chocolate milk, or sometimes I mix almond milk with some Healthy Scoop A and a little bit of chocolate protein powder. If I am running with friends and it takes a while for me to get home, I enjoy eating a Quest Protein bar. My favorite flavor is Chocolate Chip Cookie dough. So good!
Hydration is definitely key in performing well in your runs. Even more so now in the summer. You especially want to hydrate well before a race. I made the mistake in the spring of not hydrating enough and it really messed up my race. I was tired and fatigued a lot faster. A good rule is that you don't want to feel thirsty. If you feel thirsty you need to drink a lot more. During long runs I use the Simple Hydration water bottle for my runs usually over 6 miles and it is an awesome bottle that easily hooks to my Flipbelt. I put Nuun or water in the bottle and I am good to go.
Everyone is different so what works for me may not work for you. Do you have any helpful tips for fueling? What works for you?
