Why You Should Fuel During Every Run: A Runner's Guide to Carbohydrates

Gels made from literal sugar, bananas, Oreos, potatoes—I’ve hauled all sorts of weird stuff on my runs. Usually, though, that was just for long hauls or races. Then I started hitting 80km+ per week, and suddenly I was starving all the time. I wasn’t tracking calories to shed pounds but to make sure I didn’t waste away. And here’s the kicker: getting enough carbohydrates to rebuild my muscles? That’s a mission. My first move was chugging a smoothie—bananas, oats, the works—right after running. Solid plan, but I figured there’s room to level up.

So, I had a lightbulb moment: what if I shove carbs into my system during every run? The sooner the energy’s back, the better, right? But does science give me a thumbs-up on this?

The Science of Carbohydrates for Runners

Carbs: The Runner’s Secret Weapon

Carbs are the VIPs of a runner’s energy supply. They get stashed as glycogen in your muscles and liver. Ever hear runners yapping about “topping up glycogen stores”? That’s because when those tanks run dry, you’re toast—performance nosedives, the “man with the hammer” shows up, and you either bonk or slam into the wall.

How Many Carbs? Depends on Your Mileage and Mojo

Your carb needs shift depending on how much you’re pounding the pavement and how hard you’re pushing.

Training Volume: The More You Run, The More You Munch

For moderate training, shoot for 7-8 grams of carbs per kg of body weight daily. On hardcore days, bump it to 8-12 grams. For a 75kg runner, that’s 525-900 grams a day. A plate of Spaghetti Napoli clocks in at about 80g of carbs. Sure, I could scarf down five plates per meal, but my stomach would riot, and I’d need stretchy pants. Point is, you’ve gotta sneak those carbs in whenever you can.

Training Intensity: Easy Peasy vs. Full Beast Mode

  • Easy runs: These chill sessions mix carbs and fat for fuel, leaning more on fat to save your glycogen stash.
  • Threshold training: High-intensity stuff burns through carbs like nobody’s business, tapping both aerobic and anaerobic vibes.

So, on beast-mode days, you’re basically a carb vacuum. More Spaghetti Napoli, anyone?

Fueling: Performance Boost or Recovery Hack?

Your fueling game changes depending on whether you’re chasing mid-run glory or post-run zen.

Fueling for Performance: Stay Juiced Up

To keep the engine humming during long or intense runs, you need carbs on deck. Pre-run, load up on carb-heavy meals—complex ones for slow-burn energy. For runs over 30 minutes (especially 60-90+), scarf down 30-60 grams of easy-to-digest carbs per hour. Keeps your blood sugar steady and stops you from face-planting into “the wall.” Big race coming? Time to carboload like a champ.

Fueling for Recovery: Bounce Back Fast

Post-run, it’s all about refilling those glycogen tanks. Aim for 1-1.2 grams of carbs per kg of body weight per hour for the first four hours—starting within 30-60 minutes is clutch. Go for medium-to-high glycemic index carbs (glucose-fructose combos are gold), and toss in some protein to fix those beat-up muscles. Recovery done right means you’re ready to roll next time.

The cool part? These two strategies are besties—nail recovery, and your next run’s performance gets a boost.

Why Fuel on Every Single Run?

Let’s break down my daily grub:

  • Breakfast: Oat bowl with fruit and nuts (105g carbs)
  • Post-run: Smoothie (77g carbs)
  • Lunch: Rice and chickpeas (55g carbs)
  • Dinner: Whatever’s on the menu (50-100g carbs)

Total? A measly 320g-ish per day. For a 79kg runner like me, the bare minimum’s 395g (5g/kg). Even with my fancy smoothie, I’m nowhere close. I’ve gotta pump up my meals and grab every carb opportunity—like, say, during runs.

My Master Plan: Gels Everywhere

Here’s the deal: I’m taking homemade gels on every run, even the chill ones. I’ll tweak the carb load based on distance and intensity so my gut doesn’t throw a tantrum.

For a 79kg runner (yep, that’s me):

  • Easy runs: 5g/kg → 395g daily → 39.5g in gel (10% of daily)
  • Moderate: 7g/kg → 553g → 55.3g in gel
  • High intensity: 10g/kg → 790g → 79g in gel
  • Long runs: 12g/kg → 948g → 94.8g in gel

My lazy math? Daily carbs (in grams) × 10% = gel carbs. So, on a moderate day: 553g × 10% = 55.3g. Boom.

Just to be clear, this 10% rule is my personal hack, not standard sports science. My main goal here isn’t just fueling the run itself (like the typical 30-60g/hour advice), but rather using the run as another opportunity to chip away at those massive daily carb targets I need for recovery. This approach helps me scale the gel amount based on my overall daily needs, and conveniently, even on my highest carb days (like the 12g/kg example needing 94.8g), it keeps the gel amount under that 100g mark, which feels like a practical limit for me to carry and consume during a single run.

Wanna join the gel party? Check out my homemade gels post or play with my gel calculator to whip up your own.