Hello Runner,
How are you doing? I hope you’re fine!
My week has been full of training, running in the morning (because it's impossible to run in the afternoon in Barcelona due to the heat), studying, and work. I've also been following the Olympic Games when there's time.
So many runners ask me what they should eat during a day of running that I decided to give you a sample of a full day's meals.
This sample would be for someone who runs in the late afternoon. If you run in the morning, just switch the pre-run meal to the morning (2 to 1 hours before running) and eat your breakfast after the post-run meal.
Now that I'm running very early, the day before I eat a nice plate of pasta with protein, and the morning of the next day, I eat half a bagel with fruit jam - 40 minutes before I run. It works well for me; I haven't had any digestive problems along the way.
Remember that athletes need a minimum of 1.4g of protein/ kg of weight per day for proper muscle recovery. A 70kg athlete needs to eat 98g of protein a day. I'll divide this total amount into 4 meals.
Without further ado, let's get down to it.
SAMPLE MEAL PLAN
Breakfast
A bowl of Protein Oatmeal (26g protein)
Berries and banana
Drizzle of honey
Crushed nuts
Lunch
80g of Cooked Quinoa (4g protein)
85g of Grilled chicken breast (26g protein)
Avocado
Stir-fry vegetables
Gif by netflix on Giphy
Pre-run snack
White bread toast with fruit jam
Half a banana
Post-run snack - 30 min after running
Greek Yogurt (17g protein)
Piece of fruit
Granola
Dinner
300g of Spaghetti bolognese (28g protein)
2 tbsp of Parmesan cheese (4g protein)
Side salad
Fluid Intake
For healthy individuals, the average daily water intake for men is about 15.5 cups (~3.7 liters) and for women about 11.5 cups (~2.7 liters).
Fluids from all food and beverage sources count towards these amounts.
If the running is <60 min at a low intensity, in a non-hot environment, the recommendation is to drink water a few times during the run or drink to thirst.
If the running is > 60-70 minutes, you should drink 150-250ml of water every 15 to 20 minutes after 70 minutes.
Notice that in all the meals I've included easy and good carbohydrate options - essential for runners.
This is a general sample that can be followed by people new to running.
Remember that in the personalized meal plan, carbohydrates, proteins, and good fats are calculated for your individual needs! This enables you to achieve your goals more quickly and improve your performance.
Any questions or something you would like to share, drop me an email.
Wishing you a great weekend!
Here’s to health and good runs ⚡️
Ana Paula Alonso