What to Eat After a Long Run for Recovery

As runners, we often question what to eat after a long run. Recovering effectively is crucial to improve performance and to avoid injury. Even for beginners who are running smaller distances, this is important - but as your distances increase and the impact on your body gets more significant, it  becomes more of a necessity.

As you’d expect, we spend a fair amount of time studying the latest nutrition research and speaking to runners about what works for them.

Today we’re sharing some of that built-up knowledge, breaking down the best running recovery foods for refuelling after a long run, talking about some of the science around why those foods are so helpful, and  touching on what definitely not to eat.

But first, you may be wondering whether timing is a factor:

When Should I Eat Post Run?

The simple answer to this, is as soon as possible. After a long run, or any kind of intense workout, your body is crying out for nutrients, fluid and electrolytes. Providing this in adequate amounts is important, not just to feel better more quickly, but for your ongoing training results and improved performance.

While there is no specific timeframe to aim for, in an ideal world, you should take on some fluids, carbs, protein and electrolytes within 30 minutes of finishing  a run .

Post exercise is when your body is most receptive to refuelling, and giving it the right nutrients as early as possible will quickly start the growth and repair process that translates directly into training gains.

What Nutrients Do I Need After a Run?

But if you need to eat as quickly as possible after a long run, the next question is naturally - what are good foods to eat after a long run? 

Everyday runners are rapidly catching up to the fact that nutrition really does make a difference to their performance and recovery. Luckily for them, a lot of research is available thanks to decades of elites chasing excellence.

The most immediate thing to do is rehydrate with water and take in electrolytes, since both are rapidly lost through sweating during intense exercise. Electrolytes can be consumed via salt in/on food, taken as a supplement, or via electrolyte-based drinks such as sports drinks and coconut water.

While the most important electrolyte is sodium, the other electrolytes shouldn’t be neglected, with the most important of these being potassium, magnesium and calcium. All of these are sweated out and can become depleted in your body if they aren’t suitably replenished. Runners who are low on electrolytes can experience a range of health issues from fatigue, cramps and GI issues through to heart palpitations and even the life-threatening condition of hyponatremia, where blood sodium levels drop too low.

It’s also important to take in enough protein and carbohydrates following a run. 

Carbs are the body’s main fuel source, and they get stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. Since the body can only store a certain amount, and carbs are used for energy as well as most of the body’s processes, your stores need to be replenished as quickly as possible. It’s recommended that you consume around 1-1.2g of carbohydrate per kg of bodyweight. So a 60kg person should aim to consume a minimum of 60g carbs after a run or intense workout.

Protein is required for the regrowth and repair of muscle. Our muscles break down with exercise, including running, causing tiny tears in them. The body then rebuilds the muscles through the process of muscle protein synthesis. This comes with improvements to strength and endurance and is the way our bodies improve over time due to training and progressive overload.

Protein is required for this process, with 20g or more needed to kickstart muscle protein synthesis  following your run. The advice is that you should look to consume about 0.4g of protein per kg of bodyweight so a 60kg runner would need roughly 24g protein. Having said this, increased protein is recommended for up to 72 hours following intense exercise to aid ongoing muscle repair and to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). 

While you can obtain protein from your food, it’s easy not to consume enough protein when you’re active. It’s also common not to feel hungry after a run and so you may decide to skip your protein-rich meal. A protein powder that can be made into a quick and easy protein shake can make it a lot easier to get enough protein. If you decide to go down this route, you may be surprised to learn that vegan protein is just as effective as whey protein and comes with additional benefits. For instance, it’s quicker and easier to digest without discomfort, which is more important for runners than most other athletes - both to avoid stomach upset after a particularly long run, and also to get those proteins and amino acids 

Fat is also important for energy production and nutrient absorption, and while not entirely necessary when protein and carbs are already covered, it is always helpful for recovery and shouldn’t be seen as a food group to avoid.

For long distance runners especially, we can add collagen to the list of nutrients you should consume after running. 

Running puts strain on the tendons, ligaments and joints - which collagen will rebuild in the same way protein does for muscles. Collagen can be obtained from the offal of a range of animals, , but is more conveniently absorbed when in hydrolysed powder form. The powder can be easily mixed with drinks such as coffee and smoothies, rendering the powder tasteless.

Collagen is especially important due to the repetitive nature of running, which repeatedly stresses the same areas of the body over time, sometimes leading to injuries. At the least, the stresses of running can cause aching muscles and discomfort. Daily collagen helps to prevent these aches and pains and to repair and rebuild our connective tissues after runs.

A recent study found that when a group of athletes took 15g of collagen per day for 24 weeks, they experienced a significant decrease in joint pain, especially of the knees but also in the elbows, compared to athletes taking a placebo. The participants taking collagen also reported a significant improvement to their quality of life.

Now that we’ve covered what you should consume after a run,  let’s take a look at some of the best foods to support your recovery needs.

What Are the Best Foods to Eat After a Long Run?

It’s important to focus on good quality whole foods and balanced meals, rather than processed foods or fast food for example.

Healthy carbs such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, oats, rice, bread and pasta all have their place. Same for lean meat and fish, and other protein sources like tofu or cottage cheese.

Fats should be taken from healthy sources such as avocado and nuts, rather than oils. 

A good balanced meal will usually combine these with some vegetables or fruits for added nutrients, for example:

• A chicken wrap with cheese, avocado and salad

• Peanut butter on crumpets with a banana

• A sandwich with ham and salad fillings

• Fish, broccoli and rice

• Tuna pasta with sweetcorn and peas

There are certain foods that punch well above their weight when it comes to recovering after a run, and these should always be added to meals when possible. Some examples include:

• Greek yoghurt - high in protein, easy to add to other foods. 

• Porridge - high in carbs and fibre but low in sugar, ideal for an energy boost without the crash.

• Cherries and blueberries - rich in vitamins and also high in antioxidants that can help reduce muscle soreness.

• Avocado toast - full of healthy fats and carbs - consider sprinkling on some salt for a taste enhancement and electrolytes.

• Eggs - rich in protein, healthy fats, vitamins, amino acids and minerals

• Salmon - a protein and omega 3 boost.

• Beef - while overeating red meat can come with downsides, a healthy dose of protein and iron makes it incredibly helpful post- run.

What Not to Eat After a Long Run

Your body is crying out for extra energy post run, and most foods are helpful in delivering this. However some foods are a lot less helpful than others. Avoid overly oily or greasy foods, fast food or deep-fried foods, alcohol, and fizzy drinks. Some of these can do more harm than good to your recovery process - for example, fizzy drinks may feel good at the time due to the sudden rush of sugar, but are likely to increase dehydration and cause a sugar crash, which will make you feel pretty terrible later on!

Staying Fuelled During a Run

While this post is mostly about refuelling after a run to support improved performance and recovery, this will always be easier if you fuel well during your runs which means taking on enough carbs, fluids and electrolytes.

Doing this properly will mean the glycogen, fluids and minerals  you’re losing while running are constantly being replenished, leaving you with a smaller deficit at the end.

The most efficient way to take on carbs while running is to use easily absorbed, high carb and, natural food such as our maple syrup gels or maple coffee gels.

To learn how to time these gels for the best results, take a look at our post on how long it takes for energy gel to work.

To learn more about post run recovery, take a look at our post on that topic, too.