Last night I wanted to get back on schedule and I had a 5 miler on tap. So...for the first time ever I had back to back runs. I went back out to Baker Park - check out the view from the pathway in the pic above. Let me tell you, it wasn't pretty, but I got 'er done. I don't think it would have been so bad if I had thought a little bit more about the whole dinner thing before I went out. When I get home at 5 pm, I'm hungry. I picked up this really fantastic "souvlaki for two" kit from 2 Greek Gals at the Calgary Farmer's Market this weekend (you get 4 chicken souvlaki, 4 pita bread and a small container of tzatziki). Let me tell you, it was yummy. I figured chicken, bread, some veggies, that can't be that bad. I ate, watched The Two Coreys that I had PVR'ed on A&E the night before, and gave myself about an hour before heading out. (By the way, that show, what a debacle... I used to have such a crush on them in their "License to Drive" days, but wow, this makes you think twice about having a crush on that teeny bopper, Tiger Beat star. The best thing about it was realizing that Corey Feldman lives in Vancouver and I could recognize places they were going.) Anyhow, that dinner felt like a lead balloon in my stomach almost the entire run. Oh well, at least the miles are in the bag.---
So I'm curious how to handle this whole nutrition thing. When I run in the evening I generally wait until later right now, so that I can beat the heat. But eating a full meal beforehand is now obviously not a good idea, but I don't want to eat too late after the run either. And while a PB&J works great for morning runs, I'm not sure that I want to be eating that for dinner too many times (considering I have one for breakfast every morning). Any advice?
5 comments:
I try to have a mini-dinner or snack about two hours before my evening runs.
Some nuts, power bar, etc. In the cooler months, a cup of soup ...
Sometimes I get SmartOnes veggie pockets and have one ... but that was too much before speed work last week! Lesson learned, don't eat much before speed work!
After my run, I'll have another small meal (sandwich, veggie burger, quesadilla) or, if my mini-dinner was more substantial, a bowl of cereal.
Oh Teen Beat or BOP, those were the magazines back in the day.
Anyhow on nutrition... the night time run is a tricky thing to time at least for me personally. I pretty much have to run after work on a granola bar or apple or skip it...what if you split your dinner in 1/2 and ate some before the run and some after? I know when it gets hot I sure want less food in the stomach when I run.
This is tough. I usually end up starving come 5PM when I leave work with the intent to run at 6:30 when I finally get home, so I'm not exactly one to give advice. What I try to do is eat a larger meal before 2PM, and then eat something every few hours afterwards.
I want to say that 1.5-2 hours before a run is the magical time to put a little something in your stomach before a run, but who knows. Experiment with different types of food and see what feels best.
I'm like Merry. I do the "mini meals" thing. Running or not, most days, I do 4 meals at approx 7:30, 11:30, 3:30 and 7:30. If I'm running the last two are adjusted half an hour or so either side.
Meal suggestions:
Sandwhich (meat & cheese) with v-8 & apple.
Protien shake with toast & PB.
Lean Quisine or similar frozen meal with v-8.
The protien shake before or after is my fav.
My AM runs before work are usually short so I run on empty and eat when I get to the office.
I definitely agree on the mini-meals or a substantial snack. Are you a power gel user? I would say go for a mini-meal/snack 2 hours before and then have a power gel 15 min before, for a quick boost closer to your workout. (My fave is Gu Vanilla.)
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