Up next in 10
What And When To Eat For A 5-15K Run | Nutritionist Explains | Myprotein
7K views
Jan 30, 2025
Expert nutritionist breaks down when and what to eat and fuel for running 5k, 10k and 15k. Running can be pretty fun after you get the first few runs under your belt and you’re no longer gasping for air. Jamie Wright, a certified nutritionist, explains why it is crucial to run and train around your nutrition. As you find yourself getting more and more into running you’ll soon realise your training program and schedule will play an important part in your running development. The top of the list is how you fuel your body. Jamie also touches on why hydration matters and of course, everyone's favourite friends, protein and carbohydrates. So, you want to be a runner? But not sure how to fuel yourself? Let's get into it. Follow Jamie on IG: jamiesdietguide *** Chapters: 00:00 - A runners nutrition guide 00:40 - Why nutrition matters 01:59 - Fueling for 5k 03:59 - Hydration when running 05:15 - Fueling for 10k+
View Video Transcript
0:00
so you want to be a runner but not too
0:03
sure how to feel yourself let's get into
0:05
it
0:06
[Music]
0:09
hi I'm Jamie Wright an accredited
0:11
nutritionist and I specialize in helping
0:13
people all across the world achieve
0:15
their goals without silly fad diets this
0:17
may surprise you but running can
0:19
actually be quite fun after you get the
0:21
first few runs under your belt and
0:22
you're no longer gasping for air as you
0:25
find yourself getting more and more into
0:26
running you'll soon realize I want to go
0:28
fast and not feel like I'm about to
0:30
collapse it's normal to feel that way
0:32
unsurprisingly your training program and
0:34
schedule will obviously play an
0:35
important part in running development
0:36
but there is one thing that many Runners
0:38
Overlook they're few why nutrition
0:41
matters for running it goes without
0:43
saying but running can be an incredibly
0:45
tough form of training and depending on
0:47
the duration and intensity of a run as
0:49
well as the environment in which Iran
0:51
running can result in a depletion of
0:54
existing glycogen stores which are your
0:56
internal carbohydrate stores an increase
0:59
in protein oxidation which means
1:01
breakdown skeletal muscle breakdown and
1:04
a reduction in circulating electrolyte
1:06
levels as well as overall hydration
1:08
levels thanks to increased and prolonged
1:10
sweating all of these factors can
1:13
severely impede your performance in
1:14
recovery not just in a single session
1:17
but even in a subsequent training
1:19
session either in the same day or in the
1:21
days that follow never fear this is
1:23
where being a nutrition expert comes
1:25
into play your goals with your dietary
1:27
intake around running should be to have
1:29
a glycogen sparing effect and or to
1:31
restore your glycogen stores
1:34
to reduce protein breakdown to increase
1:37
muscle protein synthesis to restore any
1:39
loss in electrolyte levels
1:41
and finally to optimize hydration levels
1:44
and ultimately avoid dehydration to
1:46
achieve all of these goals you want to
1:48
focus on these three pillars of exercise
1:50
nutrition when to time your intake what
1:53
you plan to have and which supplements
1:55
can help running your fastest ever 5K
1:58
the 5K is a relatively straightforward
2:01
run to field for it's not really a long
2:03
enough run either in distance or time to
2:06
be overly concerned with bringing fluids
2:08
and food along with you so a lot of the
2:11
work centered around performance will
2:13
really be in the pre-run lead up so
2:16
where to start firstly your energy
2:19
source carbohydrates are your best
2:21
friend here
2:22
they are the body's primary energy
2:24
source and not only allow us to perform
2:26
better during exercise but can also help
2:29
spare our own glycogen stores which may
2:31
lead to better recovery as well as
2:33
prolonging and sustaining our
2:35
performance there are three important
2:37
points to remember when it comes to
2:38
carbohydrate the timing the type and the
2:41
serving size for toxic let's say you're
2:44
in the 60 minutes before a run our body
2:46
has an estimated maximal capacity for
2:49
carbohydrate uptake of around 60 grams
2:52
per hour to ingest amounts beyond that
2:54
can lead to gastrointestinal distress
2:57
trust me the last thing you want to feed
3:00
while you're running is your gut
3:01
starting to gurgle while you can work
3:03
around this by having multiple
3:04
carbohydrate sources and or training
3:06
your gut which can be more beneficial to
3:09
Elite Runners who need that edge 405k
3:12
will try and keep it simple you may also
3:14
be wondering
3:15
Jimmy is there a minimal amount of
3:17
carbohydrate I can have and still feel
3:19
some benefit
3:20
very good question there is indeed while
3:23
there are a few figures quoted 20 grams
3:25
of carbohydrate has been found to be a
3:27
sufficient amount to provide a
3:28
performance benefit
3:29
so you'll want to aim for between 20 to
3:32
60 grams of carbohydrate in that R
3:35
leading up to your rum a few simple
3:37
ideas for that would be a banana banana
3:40
chips Bagel an English muffin a flapjack
3:44
or one or two pieces of toast with Jam
3:46
or honey bananas are a great choice for
3:48
more than just carbohydrate content
3:49
they're also a great source of
3:51
electrolytes and help to contribute to
3:53
your fluid intake as well that expertly
3:55
brings me on to my next point for
3:57
kneeling your fastest 5K hydration if it
4:00
is particularly hot or humid outside
4:02
then you may also want to consider
4:04
bringing some fluids with you given that
4:06
most 5K runs can be finished within 20
4:08
to 45 minutes you may not need to but I
4:11
would certainly advise you to have some
4:13
fluids with electrolytes on hand for
4:15
after you run speaking of after you run
4:17
you'll also want to have yourself a high
4:20
quality source of protein and even a
4:22
similar size serving of carbohydrate to
4:24
what you had before you ran this is all
4:27
intended to optimize recovery and ensure
4:29
that your body has the pieces it needs
4:31
to rebuild repair and adapt to allow you
4:35
to run even faster in your next 5K one
4:38
final tip for your 5K and this may be
4:40
more for the season Runner rather than
4:42
the fledgingly jogger is to consider
4:44
caffeine while you'll likely want to
4:46
hold back on caffeine for much longer
4:48
runs simply to maintain a steady heart
4:49
rate minimize further loss of water and
4:51
electrolytes and avoid needing to go to
4:53
the toilet
4:54
you may be able to get away with it here
4:56
especially if you're planning on a PR
4:58
research suggests that between three to
5:01
eight milligrams per kilogram of body
5:03
weight elicits the greatest benefit for
5:05
both performance and enhanced recovery
5:08
but I would suggest being more
5:09
conservative with it and not loading
5:11
yourself up with so much caffeine that
5:13
you start hearing colors and seeing
5:15
signs kneeling your 10K in 15K many of
5:19
the same principles apply from 5K to the
5:21
10K and even the 15K
5:23
there are certain elements you do want
5:25
to pay more attention to however and
5:27
even consider adding in a few more
5:29
strategies firstly fueling beyond the 60
5:32
Minutes leading into a run if you want a
5:35
few like an elite endurance athlete they
5:37
aim for anywhere between 8 to 12 grams
5:39
of carbohydrate per kilogram of body
5:41
weight per day
5:42
it's a hell of a lot of pasta I can tell
5:44
you that if that seems a bit daunting
5:46
researchers have also proposed one to
5:48
four grams of carbohydrate per kilogram
5:49
of body weight per day as an adequate
5:51
amount for people exercising longer than
5:53
90 minutes per day I wouldn't change too
5:55
much of the approach laid out for the 5K
5:57
in terms of that 60 Minutes leading up
5:59
but you may want to squeeze in a higher
6:01
carbohydrate made of yours before that
6:03
just to help top out your glycogen
6:05
stores similarly you'll also want to
6:07
keep the electrolytes in the fluid
6:09
intake up but you'll need to bring those
6:11
with you on your run for definite this
6:13
time athletes can lose anywhere between
6:15
0.5 to 2 liters of water per R so you'll
6:19
want to at least have a half liter on
6:20
hand or provided to you for those longer
6:23
runs you'll also want them to contain
6:25
electrolytes too to avoid cramping
6:27
headaches reduce performance and more
6:29
while you're running I would also advise
6:31
you have a few carbohydrate gels on hand
6:33
or to have a carbohydrate mix in your
6:35
fluids this is allium to spare your
6:37
existing glycogen stores provide a
6:40
readily available source of energy opt
6:42
performance and enhance the post run
6:45
recovery gels are a tricky one as some
6:47
people can get upset stomachs from
6:49
having them if they're not used to them
6:51
if you are going to incorporate jails
6:53
I'd advise having one every 30 to 40
6:55
minutes of running completed and if
6:58
you're intending to use them in a race
6:59
or competition make sure that you train
7:01
with them first there is nothing worse
7:03
than stomach cramps at the gurgles
7:05
Midway through a distance run especially
7:07
without a bathroom in sight focusing on
7:09
all these diet related tactics will help
7:11
you nail a 10K or even a 15K APR be sure
7:14
to follow similar recovery guidelines to
7:16
the 5K and have a high quality source of
7:18
protein Post run on a serving of
7:19
carbohydrate too let us know how you get
7:21
on in your next training run and if
7:23
these tips helped you to run faster
7:25
share your PRS and thoughts in the
7:27
comments below and finally don't forget
7:28
to like this video And subscribe to the
7:30
my protein YouTube channel for more
7:32
helpful content and be sure to keep
7:34
asking the team questions so we can keep
7:36
providing you with more evidence-based
7:38
answers
7:40
foreign
#Beverages
#Energy Drinks
#Nutrition
#Nutrition Drinks & Shakes
#Running & Walking
#Sports
#Sports Coaching & Training
#Sports Drinks