15 Replies to “Runger: How runners can tame the beast and eat to perform”
Great tips. I am constantly having to reevaluate the quantity and quality of my calorie intake. All the phases of running (tapering, training, racing, recovering, injury) has different calorie needs.
I notice my hunger for sure increases the day after a hard track workout, even in some cases MORE than my long run days, which are typically 16-20 miles once a week! I guess the high-intensity helps with the after burn! I run track in the evening, so by the next morning, I’m usually famished and ready for a nice plate of eggs and veggies and an english muffin!
Oh boy, is this a topic for me! Some weeks I have major hungry days and some I feel normal. I find the hungry days usually occur a few days after a long run. Make no mistake, I am always ready to eat but the extreme hunger vs. normal hunger is different. Lately though, I am a bottomless pit. People always wonder how I eat so much and stay so thin but it’s all because of the combo between running and EATING RIGHT. I don’t fuel up on those ice cream sundaes every single day lol…But sometimes, I even amaze myself and sometimes it is extremely frustrating to eat a decent sized meal and wonder why I am still hungry. I absolutely eat before and after my runs, work on getting enough protein and eat according to my appetite – mainly so I can function and not attack people with a hungry mood.
it sounds like we are in the SAME boat…the other day at the grocery store my checker couldn’t believe how much i was buying/eating…but like you said it’s 1) input vs. output 2) fueling with quality and THEN giving ourselves the treats…cuuuuz, a world without ice cream is too dark to fathom 😉
I have been focusing more on nutrition lately and I have noticed a difference in recovering faster! I have really been making sure to take in protein/carbs right after a workout (usually chocolate milk).
That part about females’ runger being more skewed than mens’ is so not fair!:)
I’m horrible about going hours after running before I eat (and I run on an empty stomach) – probably why at dinner I eat more than anyone in the family (including 2 teen age boys!!!).
My favorite go-to post-long run breakfast is eggs. That’s really convenient, now that we have chickens and get 6 eggs per day. They fill me up and I often start thinking about what type of eggs I’ll eat while I’m still running. If it’s a longer long run (for me, that would be 13 or more miles) I like to have scrambled eggs topped with some black beans and salsa. That gives me my protein and fiber 🙂
Great tips. I am constantly having to reevaluate the quantity and quality of my calorie intake. All the phases of running (tapering, training, racing, recovering, injury) has different calorie needs.
glad you found this helpful and YES, the ups and downs of mileage and training can certainly do a number on your stomach and runger levels. 😛
I notice my hunger for sure increases the day after a hard track workout, even in some cases MORE than my long run days, which are typically 16-20 miles once a week! I guess the high-intensity helps with the after burn! I run track in the evening, so by the next morning, I’m usually famished and ready for a nice plate of eggs and veggies and an english muffin!
i do notice what you describe there! it’s odd, the hard workouts don’t make me hungry right after but it’s like the ‘delayed onset-runger’ 😉
Oh boy, is this a topic for me! Some weeks I have major hungry days and some I feel normal. I find the hungry days usually occur a few days after a long run. Make no mistake, I am always ready to eat but the extreme hunger vs. normal hunger is different. Lately though, I am a bottomless pit. People always wonder how I eat so much and stay so thin but it’s all because of the combo between running and EATING RIGHT. I don’t fuel up on those ice cream sundaes every single day lol…But sometimes, I even amaze myself and sometimes it is extremely frustrating to eat a decent sized meal and wonder why I am still hungry. I absolutely eat before and after my runs, work on getting enough protein and eat according to my appetite – mainly so I can function and not attack people with a hungry mood.
it sounds like we are in the SAME boat…the other day at the grocery store my checker couldn’t believe how much i was buying/eating…but like you said it’s 1) input vs. output 2) fueling with quality and THEN giving ourselves the treats…cuuuuz, a world without ice cream is too dark to fathom 😉
I have been focusing more on nutrition lately and I have noticed a difference in recovering faster! I have really been making sure to take in protein/carbs right after a workout (usually chocolate milk).
That part about females’ runger being more skewed than mens’ is so not fair!:)
YEA for getting in that recovery meal ASAP!! 🙂
yea…sometimes those bugger runnerdudes have one over on is genetically…pssh 😛
I’m horrible about going hours after running before I eat (and I run on an empty stomach) – probably why at dinner I eat more than anyone in the family (including 2 teen age boys!!!).
hahaha…i want to see you get that recovery meal in sooner AND still outeat those boys 😉
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My favorite go-to post-long run breakfast is eggs. That’s really convenient, now that we have chickens and get 6 eggs per day. They fill me up and I often start thinking about what type of eggs I’ll eat while I’m still running. If it’s a longer long run (for me, that would be 13 or more miles) I like to have scrambled eggs topped with some black beans and salsa. That gives me my protein and fiber 🙂
i LOVE eggs too…but dang, i need to get smart like you and raise some chickens…hmmm, not sure how my landlord would feel about that one 🙂
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