I run early in the morning (5:30am). I hate to eat breakfast beforehand -- it just sits like a rock. If I don't eat, I just burn out toward the end of the run. Does anyone have any suggestions for a light easily-digestible fuel that can get me through the run? Preferrably something liquid, I think would be best. I usually run 3-4 miles for 45min to an hour.
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Early morning fuel?...
(18 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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I haven't tried this in the morning... yet...
One high energy easily digestible food I love is frozen bananas blended with milk (or Orange Juice).
For me bananas are great because they keep my stomach nice and solid. I often make myself a protein shake with frozen bananas, peanut butter, soy powder, and milk. I think that would be a great pre-run drink.
After a strength training session I always make myself one of these "shakes". Lately though, I've been reducing the amount of milk I add, so that it's EXTRA thick, and I eat it like a bowl of ice cream.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I think bananas are a universal favorite! That's about the only thing I can eat before an early morning run. That shake sounds good though...may have to try something like that.
Posted 1 year ago # -
WOW - Frozen bananas with milk eaten like a bowl of ice cream? Good lord that sounds delish...can't wait to try that. Do you use that as a dessert, too or would that be too many carbs just before bed if eaten after dinner? Seems like frozen bananas with a bit of peanut butter would be an awesome dessert. I've really been struggling to satisfy my sweet tooth without overloading on sugar or calories. Dried mangoes are a fav but they're basically candy and my usual peanut butter and Newman's Own Chocolate alphabet cookies gets old after a while. I also tried fat-free sugar-free pudding and while it's yummy, I suck it down like water since it's just basically chemicals and doesn't have the 'feel' of being real food. Bananas sound great!
For my pre-run I've been doing one scoop of muscle milk light (which is 1/2 a serving) in a soy milk/water blend or fat free milk. The protein and fat in the muscle milk are sufficient to last through my workout but not heavy enough to give me any problems.
Posted 1 year ago # -
"Do you use that as a dessert, too or would that be too many carbs just before bed if eaten after dinner?"
Oh yeah! One of my favorites. I guess I'm not super good about limiting my food intake right before bed... but then again, I also stay up pretty late. ;)
I'll admit, this treat is not for everyone. My wife is a real ice cream fan and so she says this is a poor substitute. However, I think it hits the spot.
The other great thing about this is that you can save those bananas that got "just a little too ripe"... We have this ritual at our house, we buy green almost ripe bananas, and save all but the last ripe banana for eating raw. The other bananas that are approaching or past their prime ripeness are peeled, broken into pieces about 1/3 of a banana long, and put in a large freezer bag in the freezer. These banana chunks are then used for shakes and "faux ice cream" throughout the week.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I use to have trouble eating on long rides. It caused problems because I would bonk on multiple hour rides from lack of energy. I solved it by using gu and other liquid fuels. I could get them down and it didn't bother my stomach.
For a 45 minute run, you probably could get away with 200 to 300 calories from cyling/running products. There are many to choose from, but the gu like products are probably a good place to start.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks so much for all your feedback! I did end up trying some of Jeff's "Hammer Gel" diluted in water and that seemed to work well. I have an interesting problem while running that prevents me from eating anything too solid (I have tried eating bananas before and it didn't work out for me). It has to be mostly gone from my stomach by the time I start to really push it. I will probably continue with the Hammer Gel for a few days and see if that's a good long-term solution. But I am going to try the frozen banana thing! That sounds wonderful!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hey Kim,
Why don't you try carb-BOOM? Way better than hammer gel, which I don't like. They come in flavors like orange banana, apple cinnamon, strawberry kiwi and banana peach. They are my favorite sports gels, because they taste great and the texture isn't quite as gummy as some of the other sports gels out there.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Mmmm... Those sound good! Do you know off-hand where I can buy them?
-Kim
Posted 1 year ago # -
Foot Zone (425) 462-7463
10640 Main Street
Bellevue, WAMontlake Bicycle Shop (425) 462-8823
20 103rd Street
Bellevue, WA
orPosted 1 year ago # -
I've heard that there is really no need to eat before exercise in the morning because the glycogen in your system isn't consumed while you're sleeping.
That said, I usually drink a small glass of juice and/or have a GU before my morning workout. I usually only do the GU if I'm planning on more than an hour, otherwise I seem to do fine with just the shot of juice.
I also have a hard time with food if eaten too close to my work out, so I try to eat about 2.5 to 3 hours before hand, then have a GU or other energy gel 10-15 minutes prior.
This technique seems to work pretty well for me.
Regarding the banana comments, check out this Alton Brown recipe.
Sounds yummy right?
Posted 1 year ago # -
I also do pretty well with just a little something prior to a work out. I have trouble if I eat something too heavy within 3 or 4 hours of a work out.
If I am cycling or running for over an hour, I usually have a gu at the hour mark and then every 45 minutes after that.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I usually have a protein shake (milk & mix) about 300 calories and it is easy on the stomach, lasting protein energy for the run and doesn't make me feel weighed down. The other suggestions look good too... I love bananas!
Posted 1 year ago # -
It is best to have nothing by mouth for an hour before a workout or event. This doesn't always work in the morning, does it. My advice is to have another small meal before bed, resembling the following percent portions. If you had time before your event/ practice/ run, you would have this meal at least 3 hours before the event
Pre-Event Meal Plate:
45% grains, breads, pasta, potatoes
5% nuts, cheese, butter, olive oil
35% vegetables and fruits
15% beans, fish, chicken, meat, eggsYou will still need to have a snack in the morning:
75% carbs/ 25% protein
1 slice toasted wheat bread/ 1 T peanut butterSmoothies are fabulous, but from the comments I read, I don't see a protein source.
You can cut the following recipes in half to reduce the volume in the drink. I think you will find that I repeatedly come back to real food and recommend moving away from products like Muscle milk and high carb products. Real food has components that work in a synergistic fashion...our bodies simply prefer them.
Smoothies
Smoothies can be made with rice, almond, cashew, soy or regular dairy milk. An additional protein source is essential to the smoothie recipe. You can choose to add organic protein powder in the form of rice protein or you can omit the protein powder and use 1 T of nut butter.Milk source: dairy, soy, nut or rice
Protein source: 1 T flax meal, 1 T nut butter or protein powder (whey or rice)Pumpkin-Banana Smoothie
1 serving vanilla flavored rice protein
1 C vanilla soy milk, light
¼ c canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
½ medium banana
Dash of pumpkin pie spice
4 ice cubesChocolate Raspberry Shake
1 serving chocolate flavored soy protein
1 C vanilla soy milk, light
1 C frozen raspberries
1/8 tsp orange extract
4 ice cubesVery Berry Shake
1 serving vanilla flavored soy protein
1 C vanilla soy milk, light
1 c frozen mixed berries
A few drops vanilla extract
4 ice cubesOrange Julius Shake
1 serving vanilla flavored soy protein
1 C vanilla soy milk, light
3 Tbs frozen orange juice concentrate
¼ tsp vanilla extract
4 ice cubesApple Pie Shake
1 serving vanilla flavored soy protein
1 C vanilla soy milk, light
1 C frozen apple slices
A few dashes each cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
¼ tsp vanilla extract
4 ice cubesFor a quick snack try:
¾ cup nonfat vanilla Cascade Fresh yogurt
½ Cup mixed frozen or fresh berry
1 T peanut or almond butter or 1 scoop protein powderPosted 1 year ago # -
So just for the record, I tried the pumpkin-banana smoothie and it ROCKS. Thank you!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Have you tried Shot Bloks? They are made by the Clif Bar company. They are similar to a firm jello cube. Try eating 3-4 cubes to give you 25-30 gms carbs which will perk up your liver in the am. You need to drink a small amount of water along with the Bloks. My favorite flavor is Margarita w/salt. They are not too sweet and not too salty and can be easily carried in a small pocket without melting.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Thanks for the smoothie recipes. I'll have to give those a try.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Yeah, shot bloks are delish! I also like clif shots gels esp. the mocha and espresso flavors (lot of caffeine, tho). Clif stuff is good cause it doesn't include any high fructose corn syrup which has been implicated in a lot of health problems lately.
Posted 10 months ago #
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