Today’s post comes from performance coach Jonah Rosner, breaking down The Beginner’s Pre-Run Snack Playbook so you never bonk again.
Estimated read time: 3.8 minutes
99% of new runners I coach fuel wrong—and it wrecks their training.
Stick with me for three minutes and you’ll join the 1 % who cruise through every mile, stomach-drama free.
Why a Pre-Run Snack Matters
When you eat a carb—banana, toast, sports drink—your body stores it away as glycogen, a mini gas tank inside each muscle.
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Easy jog (< 60 min): you slowly burn the carb tank and finish fine.
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Hard or long run: you guzzle carb fuel and run empty
When that tank empties, pace nosedives and every stride feels like quicksand. A quick carb snack tops off the tank, steadies blood sugar, and saves glycogen for the miles that count..
👇 Next: Check the table for your exact carb target—based on run length and effort.
Pre-Run Fuel Guide:
Pick Your Snack by Run Type
Easy / Recovery — < 60 min, relaxed pace
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Fasted is fine, but 25–60 g carbs gives a quick lift for those who like to run fueled!
Quality Session — 45–90 min, speed/tempo/hills
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30–100 g carbs + 0–30 g protein about 60–90 min pre-run
Long Easy — > 90 min, conversational pace
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40–150 g carbs + 10–30 g protein 2–3 h before
Long Hard / Race — > 90 min, race effort
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60–200 g carbs + 10–30 g protein 2–3 h pre-run
(1 closed fist ≈ 25 g carbs—handy portion guide.)
Rookie Pitfalls to Dodge
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🚫 Fiber Frenzy – Veggies, bran-bomb bars, or beans pre-run often equal porta-potty panic. Save the roughage for later.
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🚫 Carb-Free Courage – Long run on zero carbs = guaranteed bonk. Take 30–60 g quick carbs and keep the pace steady.
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🚫 Fat Feast – Bacon-egg-n-cheese or a peanut-butter mountain digests like a brick. Pre-run, stick to mostly carbs and just the tiny fats that come naturally.
Your Pre-Run Fueling Fast-Track 🚀
✓ Match snack to run type
• <60 min easy → 0–60 g carbs
• 45–90 min hard → 30–100 g carbs + 0–30 g protein
• >90 min long → 40–200 g carbs + 10–30 g protein
✓ Time it right – eat 45–90 min before workouts, 2–3 h before long runs/races.
✓ Portion on the fly – 1 closed fist ≈ 25 g carbs; no food scale needed.
✓ Hydrate smart – sip 16–20 oz (500–600 ml) water 1–2 h pre-run.
✓ Skip the gut-bombs – high-fiber, high-fat foods = porta-potty risk.
✓ Test & tweak – log what you ate and how the run felt; lock in your personal “gold-standard” snack within a few sessions.
