How Long to Wait to Run After Eating?
The Short Answer
If you've eaten a large meal then you should wait two hours after eating to run. If you only ate a small meal or snack then you can get away with running one hour after eating. I also find that having a super small carb/sugar snack like half a banana or an applesauce packet approximately 15 minutes before a longer run give a nice glucose boost to start your race without being too much on your system.
The Long Answer
Below, we will run through the answers to a series of question regarding how long to wait to run after eating and what happens if you wait too long after eating to run. I'll also talk about what foods to eat and drink before, during, and after a run so you perform your best.
What happens if you run too soon after eating?
Running too soon after eating can result in some digestive distress and discomfort. You might even get a bit nauseous, but nothing too tragic will happen. You need to allow your body time to digest so your stomach empties, because running on a full stomach can be uncomfortable if you just ate a large meal or snack. I remember this one time, I ate pickles before a run because I thought the salt would be great electrolytes, but boy was that a mistake. Two miles into the run I was almost certain I was going to puke pickles. Luckily that didn't happen, but it did put a damper on the run. Wait after eating to run if you've eaten a large meal or snack within the past two hours. Running on a full stomach can hurt your performance, let alone trying to digest food while on a run can be a bit difficult and lead to discomfort.
What happens if you wait too long after eating to run?
On the other hand, waiting too long after eating to run can result in you not having enough glycogen stores which will result in you loosing energy very quickly. Running requires calories in order to sustain exercise. Running with no fuel and not enough calories can cause fatigue and a depleted body. If you've waited too long after a meal to run, make sure you have a small snack about 30 minutes before running that consists of 15-25 grams of carbohydrates to give you the boost of energy that you need. Foods that are a good light boost in energy are sugary fruits like apples and bananas.
What to eat before a run?
The meal you eat approximately 2 hours before you go for a run should be balanced between carbs, fat and protein to give your body a balanced meal with about 600 calories. The snacks that you have in the 30 minutes before a run should consist of mostly simple carbohydrates and not contain too much fiber. Eating simple carbohydrates will be very easy for your body to digest which a few miles into your run, your stomach will appreciate as well. My favorite snacks to eat right before a run are applesauce packets, a banana, peanut butter, and watermelon juice for electrolytes and carbs. You want to be running on a relatively empty stomach to avoid nausea and cramping. Avoid food with too much protein, fiber or fat because that will slow digestion.
What to eat while running?
If you are running for more than an hour, it will be crucial to have small snacks while running. Most runners get depleted about an hour to 75 minutes into the run, you want to get ahead of depletion by fueling up with about 30-60 grams of carbs per hour. Aim to fuel in small increments on a regular basis during your run. Most runners go by the general rule of taking in nutrition every 4 miles. I personally prefer eating every two miles. Test it out to determine what your body prefers to optimize digestion and performance.
Snacks to eat while running include:
Energy gels
Dates
Sugary candy
Applesauce
Energy chews
What is also really importing while running and exercise is hydration. While electrolytes aren't typically thought of as nutrition, they're equally important when talking about gearing up for a long run. If you're running for more than half an hour, get some fluids in every mile. If you're running longer than 4 miles, make sure to drink electrolytes as well. There are many popular sports drinks that have carbohydrates and electrolytes for a little two-in-one nutrition and hydration.
What to eat after a run?
After a run you're going to want to replenish your body and muscles with a large and balanced meal that includes plenty of carbs, fat and protein. You should make sure to eat protein after running to replenish your muscles so they can recover quickly. Carbs are also extremely important to replenish your glycogen stores so your body has energy for the rest of your daily life.
Summary
Your body needs energy to run, but balancing the right amount of fuel for running but not having too much food in your stomach that you feel sick is extremely important. For the best sustained energy, eat a balanced meal 2 hours before running. This is so that your body has time to digest because running on a full stomach can lead to nausea and digestive distress. If you wait too long to run after eating, your body won't have enough energy to fuel your workout. Your muscles might start cramping and you'll struggle to run.
About thirty minutes pre run have a light snack that is very carb heavy but does not have lots of fiber or protein. This is so that your digestive system can digest the food into energy quickly so you aren't running on too full of a stomach. If you are running more than 60 minutes, make sure you are eating during the run so you can perform well without running out of energy.
