Morning runners please tell me your secrets

[Hightideattheseaside]

I find it hard to fit in running as have a busy job and kids with hobbies etc. By the evening I’m exhausted so that’s out. It makes most sense to run first thing. But I just can’t seem to do it right! If I don’t eat at all I don’t get far. If I eat a small snack I get a bit further but feel light headed and faint. If I eat a big breakfast I get a stitch unless I wait two hours. So I’d have to eat at 4/5 am which I’m not prepared to do! What’s the secret?!

I went this morning. Had a thick slice of toast with peanut butter and water 45mins before run. By the end I was feeling light headed. I know it’s from hunger as I do that route all the time and I’m fine if I do it just before lunch. Plus I’m not starving! But I just don’t always have time to do that and end up not running. what am I doing wrong?

I have the same issues, but found if I know I have a run planned in the morning I will have something like pasta the night before for dinner, then in the morning I will have an energy ball about 30 mins before I go running. I have deliciously ella cacao & almond energy ball which works for me. I do sometimes go down the jelly baby route which can do the trick. It's also important to make sure you are hydrated so make sure you have some water or something like count water for the electrolights. I usually run between 5K - 10K.

Have you experimented with taking a gel with you? You might need to try a few brands to find one that suits

I had to experiment with different breakfasts. In the end I found for me a simple banana worked about 20 mins before a morning run. Obviously depends on your distance! I use gels for distances 10k plus but they can make your tummy a bit funny the first time you use them.

Thanks for the tips. Never occurred to me to take anything with me as I’m only doing 5-6km at the moment, which I’d of thought would be fine to do on an empty stomach. Guess it is for some people but my body says no.

I’ll experiment with different breakfasts and maybe take some jelly babies to pop along the way. Doesn’t help that I trail run and there are some steep rocky sections which take it out of you.

Before I retired I put my running kit by my bed, set my alarm and once up and dressed I was pretty much was out the door. Sometimes a glass of water, occasionally half a cup of coffee. I only ran for about 30 minutes though with 2 dogs so a couple of pee and poo stops. Poo bags were like hand weights 😂
I need to do this again, especially when it’s hot.

For a long run I aim to eat something carby about 1-2 hours before. If it's morning it's porridge, if it's evening it's pasta.

If it's a short run I'll just eat if I'm planning on eating or I'll have something after.

I can do up to a 10K on an empty stomach but I'm not in peak condition and I couldn't go any further.

For a run that's 90+ minutes I'll eat 30g carbs for every hour I'm planning on running but on race days I up it to 60g per hour because that's when I need that extra boost.

It really is just trial and error.

I’m the same I get a stitch if I eat 2 hours before a run. It’s odd that you can’t run 5 km without breakfast though. Are you trying to lose weight etc?

I’ve heard that if you warm up then start with sprints/tempo the adrenaline releases will get lots of glucose into your system. Could be worth a try?

I run 5k at 9am on Saturdays. Cup of tea and banana about 15 mins before

When I was trying to lose weight (and big consistent calorie deficit) but I didn’t have enough energy for hard morning workouts, felt sick and lightheaded 30 mins into a workout. So I prepared a light breakfast that I had bedside and I ate in bed 2hrs or so before my workout then went back to sleep!

Now I’m not in massive deficit I find I can run up to 10k on an empty stomach and have to because I can’t eat 2hrs before exercising, I also get stitches.

As others suggest maybe look at how well you are eating and drinking the day before an early morning run if you want to do fasted.

I’m not on a diet. I also think it’s weird I can’t do five k without feeling light headed. I know it’s hilly and rocky but it’s not exactly that far. I’ve always suffered with feeling ill and light headed if I get too hungry. So maybe my body is just rubbish? Wouldn’t surprise me as it usually lets me down on the regular!

I wish I could just get up and go! I wonder if it’s just case of getting used to it as well? Just keep doing it and accept it won’t feel pleasant but my body will adapt? Ah well, I’ll keep experimenting and hopefully find something that works for me. Thanks all!

Banana before the run or if it’s a longer run (45 min or more) or I’m hungry, I have a small bowl of cereal with half a banana about 30 minutes before. Sometimes I eat nothing but only for a shortish run or if I had a big meal the night before. If you can’t eat anything in the morning, experiment with a bigger dinner than normal or an extra snack before bed.

I make chia pudding the night before with yoghurt and chia seeds. Eat that with a cup of tea as soon as a get up (then go to the bathroom…because that was another limiter on morning runs…I’d get 1k in to a morning run and then desperately need the loo!). Potter around for 30 mins getting ready then run. The chia seeds are like rocket fuel :)

Short runs I just drink hot water before I go. I really struggle if i eat anything!
Long runs at weekends I do eat a banana but at least an hour before I go.

I wonder if it's more mental than physical? If you're only running 5k then, even if it's slow going on rocky trails, you're only going to be out for 45 minutes or so at the very most.
Unless you were starving yourself in the previous day then you will have enough reserves to get round that. I would experiment with different approaches - eg just slowing to walking when the dizziness happens and starting to run again when it passes; taking a couple of jelly babies with you to give yourself a bit of a kick, or having half a banana before you leave the house. You definitely don't need to be getting up early to eat before a 5k.

By comparison, I'm now at the point where, in training, I won't eat before anything less than three hours (so up to 20 miles or so) but for those very long runs I'll sometimes need a gel or two by the last stretch. I do make sure I eat a big meal the night before a long run though. And races, where I'm going all-out, are a bit different so I try to have a weetabix before those.

Have you had your blood pressure checked recently? Low blood pressure might do this?

For that length of run, given you are eating something beforehand, I’d wonder if the lightheadedness could be down to something else? Perhaps you should get checked out with the GP just in case?

I have a protein shake before a morning run. It works really well for me.

Are you maybe going a bit too fast/working too hard? If you take it really easy, your body can get energy by burning fat stores. When you are working harder, it switches to burning carbs because it's quicker and easier to get energy from them. So if you go really really slowly, you might find you can manage a run before breakfast, and the more you do it, the more efficient your body will get so you'll be able to go faster while still using fat as fuel.

I don't eat anything before my morning run, I'd be sick! I do about 7km every morning.