Delicious meals that fuel your long runs

Any runner knows that heading out on the road for that weekly long run on an empty stomach is a special kind of misery. Eating a good meal the night before not only helps you to focus on your run, but can also improve your performance – and not only because you’re not dreaming of all the delicious meals you’ll make when you get home. When it comes to pre-run nutrition, the best meals are high carb meals – carbohydrates are the most basic fuel for your muscles, but they also make you feel good by boosting hormones in your brain. Try some of these delicious meals before you run to make your next long run an overall fantastic experience.

A great excuse for pizza

A pizza, especially one made at home, can be a really healthy high carb meal to fuel your long runs. Make the dough yourself so that you can prepare a really thick soft base rather than the thin and crispy kind. It’s also ok to use white flour this time because you’ll want those readily available carbohydrates, and not the whole wheat flour that might cause stomach cramps.

Make your own homemade tomato sauce – use chopped and peeled canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and some Italian herbs boiled down into a thick sauce and then blended finely. Spread the sauce thickly on the base and add fresh basil, thin slices of tomato, feta or mozzarella, and roast chicken breast. Grill until the cheese is melted and the crust is browned. Then enjoy; guilt-free!

Be a kid again

Breakfast foods are some of the best carbohydrate rich foods you can eat, and eating them for dinner is a special kind of treat you can afford yourself when you’re heading out for a long run the next morning. Pancakes, waffles, or flapjacks made with white flour are a great source of quick carbohydrates (again, avoid the whole wheat flour and the additional fibre that can cause a stomach upset). You also don’t have to feel guilty about topping your breakfast with cinnamon sugar or maple syrup because these will add some extra carbs. Top your breakfast for dinner with some berries for added deliciousness.

Jacket potato dinner

A stuffed jacket potato or butternut is a fantastic source of carbohydrates to fuel your run. You can also use a sweet potato. Bake your potato until it’s really soft and then smear lots of fat free cream or cottage cheese on it. Sprinkle with fresh basil and baby spinach, chopped canned tomato and onion, and finish it off with a small amount of fresh grated beetroot. You can vary this high carb meal quite a lot according to taste and preference.

Take breakfast seriously

As long as your dinner doesn’t contain a lot of fibre, protein, or fat, saving a portion of it to have one or two hours before you head out on the road is a really good idea. Eat enough to stave off hunger and to top up the glycogen stores lost overnight, but not enough to make you feel sluggish and slow. A cup of coffee (black with a teaspoon of sugar) and some water also make for a good breakfast the morning of a long run.