Maybe you’ve set your sights on running a half marathon (maybe more?) or a long-distance bike ride such as a metric century! Whatever your intentions, make sure you fuel your hard-working muscles and brain for what could be hours spent running or cycling. The trick with endurance eating is making sure you eat carbs, eat at the right time and eat the right amount.

With both running and cycling, your muscles are using up your stored carbohydrates (glycogen) and your liver is draining its own glycogen stores to keep your brain fueled and alert. These carb stores last about 90 minutes to 2 hours of continuous exercise, which may fall short on time spent during a long run or bike ride!

To avoid an energy collapse (or “bonk”), make sure your glycogen stores are full going into your long endurance workout from eating healthy carbs the days before. Also, take in some carb calories on your run in the form of a sports drink or easy-to-chew carb solid; and eat the same or more easy-to-tolerate carbs on a long bike ride since you will likely be cycling for hours!

Long Run:

• Breakfast: Coffee or black tea; 1–2 slices of whole grain toast; small yogurt (Adjust amounts depending upon your stomach tolerance.)
• Long Run: Aim for doubling mileage (or more) of your typical daily run. If running lasts more than 1 hour, plan on taking in liquid or solid carbs (30 grams of sports drink, energy chews or dried fruit) every hour.
• Post-Run Lunch: Asian noodle salad with 4 ounces of cooked chicken and fresh veggies; chocolate milk (Your body needs both carbs and protein for refueling.)
• Afternoon Snack: 2 fig bars; pomegranate and tart cherry juice (Antioxidants help with muscle soreness.)
• Dinner: Taco salad with Romaine greens, ground turkey or tofu crumbles, tomatoes, scallions, corn kernels, black beans and grated cheddar cheese.

Long Bike Ride:

• Breakfast: Bowl of oatmeal topped with honey, chopped fruit and vanilla yogurt; toasted bagel spread with peanut butter (Since you won’t be jostling your stomach contents on a bike ride compared to running, you can handle a bit more food.)
• Long Bike Ride: Aim for doubling or tripling your basic ride—40–60 or more miles? Aim for 30 grams of carbs per hour (the longer you ride, the more carbs you will need: up to 60 grams per hour). Try dried and fresh fruit, a sports drink, energy bars or energy chews (check labels for carb content). My favorite on mega rides: baked potato with a touch of honey (yes, messy but delicious out on the road!).
• Post-Ride Lunch: Pasta with meat or tofu sauce; big green salad and hearty whole grain sourdough (Eat those carbs and protein!)
• Dinner: 4–5 ounces grilled salmon, steamed carrots and cauliflower, roasted red potatoes; 1 slice of fruit pie

No time for the mega workout? Check out the Morning Workout Meal Plan and Midday Day Workout Meal Plan!