I’m trying to shave a little weight for running, so I pay attention to what I eat: lots of fruit and veggies, cottage cheese, yoghurt, full grain bread, lean meat, nuts. Overall lots of protein. Throughout the day I have little snacks so I’m never really hungry. But here’s the deal: I do most of my run training in the mornings right after I get up. Usually about 6 to 9 miles or so. In the last few days I’ve felt like I’m bonking at some point during the run. Is that possible? How can I make sure to have enough calories in me for those runs without a) eating before and running around with a full belly, or b) somehow overeating the night before? What are my options? Thanks, Jan
You may not like this option, but it is what I do. A lot of my mileage is done early in the morning. I get up about 30-40 minutes before the run and prep about a quarter cup of oatmeal in the microwave (original, out of the Quaker Oats tube box, not that crappy, pre-packaged, flavored-with-sugar junk). It only takes a few minutes to eat and you can let it digest for awhile as you check email, lurk on Slowtwitch, etc. It sucks to get up at 4:30am for a 5-5:15 run, but it doesn’t suck as much as bonking.
Either of the above suggestions will work. When you are dieting, you have to be very conscious of fuel during workouts as you’ll likely be glycogen depleted the rest of the day.
Witholding calories or running a calorie deficit is tricky for an endurance athlete. The biggest mistake folks make is viewing training time as the window of opportunity to alter body composition – compromising quality and recovery. I am not suggesting you over fuel, just that you avoid under fueling to the extent that quality and recovery are compromised. Evening (post dinner snacks) is a great time to show control. Stop eating at night and you will see changes.
Personally, I’ve had much better luck getting in a quick snack in the am, rather than more food at night. I think as little as 100-150 calories makes a huge difference in not bonking. I try to do real food–yogurt, small bowl of cereal, piece of fruit etc. I eat it with a glass of water as soon as I get up then finish getting ready. Keep it small and you’ll feel better without feeling like a full belly.
Hammer products did a lot of research on this fueling business and they found that you must either three hours or five minutes before starting exercise if you want to really training your fat-burning abilities. Here is the info they wrote: Improper Pre-Race Fueling
Far too often, athletes put themselves at a “metabolic disadvantage” during a race by fueling improperly prior to the race. The “The Pre-Race Meal” article discusses this in greater detail, but we mention it here as well because it’s definitely one of the biggest fueling errors athletes make. It’s also one that is super easy to remedy. Let’s look at the two primary factors:
1.) Over-consuming food the night before the race in the hopes of “carbo loading” - It would be nice if you could maximize muscle glycogen stores the night before the race, but human physiology doesn’t work that way. Increasing and maximizing muscle glycogen stores takes many weeks of consistent training and post-workout fuel replenishment. Excess consumed carbohydrates are only going to be eliminated or stored as body fats (dead weight).
2.) Eating a pre-race meal at the wrong time - Let’s assume you’ve been really good - you’ve been training hard (yet wisely) and replenishing your body with adequate amounts of high-quality calories as soon as possible after every workout. As a result, you’ve now built up a nice 60-90 minute reservoir of premium muscle glycogen, the first fuel your body will use when the race begins. A sure way to deplete those hard-earned glycogen stores too rapidly, which is definitely not going to help your performance, is to eat a meal (or an energy bar or sports drink) an hour or two prior to the start of the race.
Recommendations: Don’t go overboard with your food consumption the night before the race. First rule: eat clean, which means no refined sugar (skip dessert, or eat fruit), low or no saturated fats, and no alcohol. Second rule: eat until you’re satisfied, but not more.
If you’re going to have a pre-race meal the morning of your race, you need to finish it at least three hours prior to the start of the race. If that’s not logistically feasible, have a small amount (100-200 calories) of easily digested complex carbohydrates 5-10 minutes prior to the start. Either of these strategies will top off liver glycogen stores (the goal of the pre-race meal) without screwing up how your body burns its muscle glycogen.
I’ve been in the same boat most of this year and solved the problem w/ gels. I’ve had the same feeling, like I was bonking an hour into a run. I found that I could steadily drop a pound or so a week and as long as I took in gels on the run my performance didn’t suffer. I’ve managed to get down to a really low % of body fat while getting ready for IMFL and still had really good workouts.
i’m hungry when i get up and run, so gels won’t work for me. i make one piece of whole grain toast with a litle almond butter and jelly. i can head out 10 minutes after this and have no stomach issues at all.