Episode 6 – Fuel Your Run: What to Eat Before, During & After Running
What should you eat before a run? Do you actually need breakfast before an easy 5K? When should you start using gels? And how should your fuelling change when you go from a short run to a half marathon?
In this week’s Consistency Club Guided Run, Adam breaks down running nutrition without making it unnecessarily complicated.
Using simple analogies and relatable examples, we look at how your body stores and uses carbohydrate, what glycogen actually is, and why the duration and intensity of your run should influence how you fuel it.
In this episode:
🏃 Why an easy 5K and an all-out 5K require different approaches
⛽ Glycogen explained as your body’s fuel tank
🍌 Whether you actually need to eat before an easy morning run
⚡ What to eat before a hard 5K or parkrun attempt
🥣 How to approach breakfast before a half marathon
🍬 When gels and mid-run carbohydrates become useful
⏱️ Why runners going longer than around an hour may benefit from taking carbohydrate during their run
🚽 Why you should NEVER experiment with new gels or food on race day 😂
🏁 How to practise your race-day nutrition during training
🥔 Why carbohydrate after harder and longer runs helps replenish glycogen
🥩 The importance of protein for recovery and adaptation
💧 Hydration, electrolytes and how hot weather changes your requirements
🧠 Why runners trying to lose weight shouldn’t become frightened of fuelling their training
The biggest message from this episode is that there isn’t one perfect running diet.
An easy 30-minute run doesn’t need to be fuelled like a half marathon, and a hard 5K places very different demands on your body than a gentle 5K.
Learn what you’re asking your body to do, practise your nutrition in training, and gradually build your own running instruction manual.
Key takeaway:
“Train your legs. Train your gut. Fuel the work you’re asking your body to do — and don’t wait until the fuel light comes on before looking for a petrol station.”
What is The Consistency Club - Members Only Podcast?
The Consistency Club Podcast is a members-only podcast hosted by Adam Barski, focused on helping everyday people improve their running, fitness and health in a realistic and sustainable way.
Each episode covers topics around running, nutrition, mindset and consistency, with a big focus on keeping things simple, enjoyable and achievable long term. Expect honest conversations, relatable stories, practical advice, client experiences and plenty of reassurance for anyone who feels like they’re struggling, overthinking or constantly starting again.
This isn’t a podcast for elite athletes or people chasing perfection. It’s for normal people trying to become fitter, healthier, happier and more confident through running and better habits.
Whether your goal is weight loss, improving mental health, building confidence, completing your first 5K or training for a race, this podcast is here to help you stay motivated, consistent and heading in the right direction.