You've heard it before but it is true. Running and really exercise is just one piece of the puzzle. If you want to be a all around, healthy individual nutrition is huge. And as runners, eating the right foods and the right amounts is important.
Once upon a time, I thought that if I ate less, worked out more, ran more (and fast all the time) and lost weight I would be a good runner. And it worked. For a little bit. Until I lost the joy of running and so much weight that my entire senior year of high school is a blur in my mind and that my body eventually started breaking down (i.e. getting injured) because I wasn't eating enough. I say all this to make a point, that running well requires fuel. It requires enough of the right kind of fuel, but enough. And it really doesn't have to be too complicated.
Over the years, I've tried a LOT of different approaches to eating and what I find the most lifegiving (for me) and what works the best for me is to not over complicate things. This is especially important because it is so easy to get discouraged or give up when nutrition is or seems hard.
So don't overthink nutrition too much when it comes right down to it.
I like to focus on fueling my body with as much whole, real foods as possible.
By real foods I mean things that came out of the ground or had eyeballs at one time ;)
I then try to eat enough of a combo of protein/carbs/fats/veggies at each meal. I eyeball all of my food and eat until I am satisfied with foods that I know gives me the best bang for my buck. Do I still eat ice cream? Of course! I find that having room in my overall diet for weekly treats helps me stay on track with my nutrition and also gives me something to look forward to.
Let me make this even more practical for you guys with some examples...
A couple ideas for what to eat before/during/after
Before running // IF I am going out early and for a shorter run, I don't eat anything except sip my coffee and have water. If it is a longer run, then I have toast with PB. If I am running later in the day, I eat a full breakfast, usually something that is easy to digest and gives me a good boost of energy like oatmeal or toast and eggs.
During a run // on shorter runs, I don't use anything. On long runs over 60+ min, I use GU chews (these seem to work well for me) Honeystinger waffles (these are so good!), or the kids' fruit snacks. Nothing too crazy. I also make sure I am hydrating with water and on really long runs, some type of electrolyte drink.
After a run // my favorite, go-to post workout is a smoothie. Whether it is summer or winter, I love a good post-workout smoothie. I usually throw in frozen bananas, almond milk, ice, pb, @designerprotein whey or egg protein and spinach!
Keep nutrition simple, focus on getting real foods, eat lots of plants, and have fun experimenting in the kitchen!
