What to Eat Before Running In The Morning

Fueling before you run is so important. If you don’t do it properly, it can really mess up your run. And I’ve definitely been the fueled and not so fueled runner, and I know which I prefer! So let’s break down what to eat before running.

What to eat before a morning run: summary

Find the morning snack or meal that works for you; some runners don’t have an appetite first thing so a few banana bites work for them, and a hearty bagel works for others
Hydrate a least a little: Your body hasn’t had a drink while you’ve been sleeping, so get some fluids in, but not caffeine
You need quick release energy: white toast, a cinnamon bagel with honey or peanut butter
We like low-fibre before a morning run: avoid a veggie-packed omelet, too much fruit or anything wholegrain! It’s harder to digest (Explained by Veloforte)
Allow up to 30 mins to digest: This will be a learning curve as everyone runner is different

What should you eat the night before a morning run?

It depends on the distance you’re running as to how much to fuel. I’ve made the mistake before of over-eating the night before because I was worried I wouldn’t be fueled enough. Instead, here’s my advice.

If you’re running for less than an hour, I would eat normally the night before! You don’t need to ‘carb up’. I make sure I eat a balanced meal the evening before. So, protein, carbs, veggies – and healthy fats too.

And then the morning of a short run, I’d either run and then eat a wholesome breakfast afterwards. Or, for a run over an hour, I’d have a little snack 30 minutes before.

My go-to early morning run recipes

Banana and go

Not much appetite, or easy run (- 1 hour)? I eat a banana and have a small peppermint tea. Easy glucose with quick digestion time. By the time I’ve then walked the dog, put my running outfit on, and stretched it out with my headphones.. It’s run time.

Morning run longer than an hour? I need a little bit more energy.. Time for my easy pre-run breakfast I make and love!

Bagel bliss

I cut a cinnamon and raisin bagel in half, and spread peanut butter on one half and a bit of honey on the other half. Simple as that! If I’m extra hungry, I’ll slice a banana up on to it too.

As you can see from this photo, I used to have caffeinated tea before a run but I now have my peppermint tea instead (easier to digest), and you’ve got yourself another quick to digest pre morning run breakfast.

Best snacks to eat before running in the morning

Emma Kirk-Odunubi, marathoner and sports scientist, spoke to GQ Magazine, and explained that the best snacks to eat before a morning run is really about energy.

The primary goal is to top up your available energy

The article mentions bananas, rice crackers, and even running gels (though I’ve never tried those!).

What to eat the night before a morning run

If you’re running less than an hour, I’d have a balanced meal as you would normally eat. Make sure you get adequate carbohydrates, protein and veggies. But you don’t necessarily need to ‘carb up’.

I learnt this the hard way; ate too many chips the night before and felt way too bloated the next morning I didn’t run!

If you’re doing a longer run like a 10k, a half marathon or a marathon, you might want to plan a bit more. Something with wholemeal pasta in, or potatoes is good because it’s a slow release of energy to help you last the miles!

You might want to avoid greasy, fatty or overly heavy foods though, especially if they trigger bloating, gas and general uncomfortable IBS-related symptoms. So, for example, I wouldn’t have steak and chips the night before a run, nor a dirty pizza.

What happens if you don’t eat before running?

I think the biggest thing is making sure you don’t overeat, or undereat! If you overeat, you’ll feel bloated and a bit nauseous and you’ll feel too heavy on your run. Not great. If you don’t eat properly before you run, you’ll struggle with low energy and lose motivation.

If I don’t eat before a morning run, my attention moves away from enjoying the run, and switches to obsessing a dreamy breakfast. And then you start feeling really hungry and you’re more likely to throw the towel in.

If you’re running very early in the morning (like 5-6am) like I do occasionally, you might not want to eat in the morning – I think listen to your body!

What to drink before your morning run

I personally try and drink at least something before a morning run, but not caffeine. Because it dehydrates you.

You’ve been asleep for probably 6-8 hours so your body needs some fluid before you go and sweat even more out. I’ve found either a small glass of water or a personal favorite of peppermint tea first thing works well; it’s gentle on my IBS prone tummy.

I’d then rehydrate after you’ve done your morning run. You’ll sweat more fluid than you think! I did a morning run on 11th May 2025 and it was quite warm for 9am.. and my Garmin Forerunner 265 stat showed me 400ml sweated out, crazy!

Should I eat before a morning run?

It’s really personal! Some runners get up for their morning run, and feel energized and good to go. They don’t feel the need to eat something before they move. They’re just not hungry.

And if you don’t have an appetite in the morning and feel good in yourself (only you will know that), that’s okay. You don’t have to eat before a morning run; so long as you eat a good breakfast after your run, and rehydrate.

But, if you get up for a run in the morning and you’re hungry, listen to your body and eat.

How long of a gap should you leave between breakfast and your morning run?

I tend to leave about 30 minutes after my pre-run breakfast, usually a banana or a bagel with honey or peanut butter, before my morning run. That works well for me. But it takes a few practices to understand what your own body prefers.

For example, I know some runners on Instagram can have a small bowl of oats and be running in less than 10 minutes. Whereas, I’d get stitch on the run if I did that because I suffer from IBS-related symptoms and need longer to digest.

I’ve tried to be like the other runners, who wolf down a bit of breakfast and are out in 10, but it just doesn’t work. So my advice is find what works for you, and stick to that.

Why do you need to eat before a morning run?

Well, runners are a bit like cars. You need to put gas in your car if you’re expecting it to travel anywhere. Otherwise, you’re running on empty.

Running on empty can feel rubbish; I’ve tried it. I used to be the kind of runner to get it done ‘before your body wakes up and realizes’ so I wouldn’t eat in effort to stay in that mindset.

But I’d get a bit into my run and then I’d start flagging. Once you start flagging in a morning run, it can be a bit downhill from there.

How much should I eat before a morning run?

The amount you should eat does depend on the distance and intensity of your run, in my experience. It can also depend on how you’re feeling from the food you ate the evening before (for some runners). But if I’m planning a 5K morning run, I’ll eat a banana and drink a peppermint tea.

But if I’m planning on my morning run lasting longer than 1 hour, I’ll eat more because I need more energy (simple, really). So I’ll slice a bagel, spread some peanut butter or honey on it, and then if I’m extra hungry, I’ll slice some banana on top of it.

Again, it’s up to you to experiment how much your body feels good eating or not eating before you head out in the morning.

Other helpful resources about pre-run morning food

TikTok help about what you ‘should’ eat before a morning run

It can be so confusing because there’s a lot of information about pre morning run nutrition. And as I’m a huge food lover, have suffered with IBS-related symptoms quite regularly, and have been running for over 10 years, I wanted to share in case this helps anyone!

@lifeofamissfit
Pre-run fuel anxiety is REAL! 🤯 Everyone’s different, so what works for one might send you straight to the bushes. Let’s ditch the overthinking and listen to our own guts (literally!). What’s your go-to (or no-go) pre-run snack? 👇 PreRunFuel RunningNutrition ListenToYourBody EveryRunnerIsDifferent FoodForFuel
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Instagram video: When and what to eat before running in the morning

Here’s an instagram reel I posted about what you should eat before your morning run…

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lifeofamissfit | Running blogger (@lifeofamissfit)

My YouTube Video – What to eat before running

Instagram video: What should you eat on a rest day as a runner?

I posted a reel on Instagram where I talk about what I eat on a rest day as a runner. I include some tips and walk you through what I eat, but I also touch on some really important points. You should eat what you want to eat because every runner is different.