does anyone know a good snack to eat before running track or cross country?

Answer 1

Bananas, rice cakes, apple

Answer 2

Some good answers, but you need to be careful - rice cakes, granola bars and energy gels tend to be high in simple carbohydrates (sugars). These items tend have a high glycemic index, so if you eat one hour to 15 minutes before you run you may find that your blood sugar level spiking and then dropping while you're running. This will lead to inconsistent energy levels and make the second half of the race seem a lot longer. People generally use the high GI snacks to eat while they are running since the carbs in the blood are used directly by your working muscles and not swept out by the insulin reaction.

So, chose low GI snacks high in complex carbs - fresh fruit is near the top of the list, but some people find it can cause indigestion if eaten too close to exercise. Whole grains (brown rice, etc.) can be good, but are pretty inconvenient, so your best bet may be a slice of 100% whole grain bread with A LITTLE peanut butter on it. The bread will have lots of good carbs and the peanut butter will help slow down the release of the carbs into your system. When I ran competitive track I loved to have a matzoh with peanut butter as my pre-run snack. Weird, but it worked for me. Which brings me to my last point...

The real answer to your question is to experiment with different snacks before your training runs to see what works for YOU. Try an orange one day, bread another, an apple or energy bar the next and see how you feel. Soon enough you'll learn what your particular body wants. We are all an experiment of one.

Answer 3

Quaker makes an oatmeal bar that is tasty and also has alot of simple carbs and sugars which break down quickly and provide a great amount of energy in a very short amount of time. Also, about 4 hours before a race, a powerbar is usually not a bad idea because it provides electrolytes that your body uses up during the race.

Answer 4

I remember eating lots of lil' healthy snacks, fruit and maybe breads, never right before, and a **** load of water

Answer 5

a banana or one of the gels on the markets for runners. altough I have yet to find one that does not taste like chalk I have found Gu to be the best or luna bars.

Answer 6

definetely bananas, protein bars, graham crackers, crackers with cheese, goldfish-the crackers, granola bars, cold cereal, candy is actually good b/c the sugar gives you energy, bagel, muffin, you get the idea, anything with lots of carbs.

Answer 7

Banana,Gummi Bears,Gel Blocks are all good!!!Popsicles are good on a hot day!!! Pretty much any type of fruit that will not upset your stomach!!!

Answer 8

u should do it like 20ish minutes b4 u run and probably like granola bars or energy bars ...sometimes i have apples or oranges before i run


ps...
try to avoid McDonalds right before you run....
not the best idea
trust me

Answer 9

Ba-nana.

Answer 10

proteins bars, bananas, anything that has proteins but give it at leat 15 mins to settle or else everyone else is gonnasee it after practice