Impact of Food on Running

            Should runners eat before they run? If runners do eat before we run, how much time before they run should they eat and how much should they eat? Depending on the runner, one may find it beneficial to eat before they run or may choose not to eat before they run because it hurts more than it helps. I have been trying to figure out when is the best possible time to eat before I run, if I should even eat at all and what are some things I should or could eat that would help me when I’m running. Eating the right foods and the right amount at the right time could possibly be beneficial to the runner and help them to perform better.

            I doesn’t really seem to matter if someone eats before they run or what they eat because it may not have that much of an impact but what if the things you eat does affect your ability to run. If you eat a lot of food especially junk food it can make you feel sick and slow you down when you are running so would it be better to not eat at all? Or does not eating food cause your body to eat away at your muscle or your fat which can affect your running in the long term.

            What you eat and when you eat before your run can be an important issue to look at because depending on the different things you eat or how much you eat it could impact how fast you run or how well you are able to perform during your run. On meets days or when you have important races it can be important to watch what you are eating during the day if your eating patterns before a race can really effect how you perform. Most runners always want to perform their best on big race days and wouldn’t want something as simple as food get in the way of performing their best.

            If you eat too much food right before a race it could slow you down because your stomach is full and it’s hard for food to digest when you are running. Eating junk food could also slow you down because it’s unhealthy for you. I have heard that eating Swedish fish when you are running long distances helps give you more energy and allows you to run faster. I wonder if that actually works and if there are certain foods that should be consumed before or even during your run that would help your running performance or that would hinder it.

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