Follow that with a full meal with your plate divided in thirds, she says.
Avoiding injury
Experienced runners who’ve dedicated years to the sport may be the most likely to skip pre-run snacks, Urrutia says: “They’ve just been doing it for so long that they forget.”
But she advises having an applesauce or another quick-digesting carbohydrate before heading out. Not only will it provide quick energy for the run, but proper fueling can help stave off some injuries.
Insufficient nutrition can be a factor in classic overuse injuries such as tendonitis and chronic inflammation, Urrutia says: “Your body starts to break down and not recover as fully as it could because it doesn’t have the building blocks to be able to do so.”
Eating too few calories stresses the body, leading to muscle and tendon breakdown and even stress fractures or bone loss, she says.
“A lot of these things are preventable if you’re training right and adequately fueled,” she says, adding that good nutrition also supports recovery and “makes running a little more fun.”
