Calories for running?

Question

I have cross country practice every morning and we run about 3-4 miles for the first month then we start speed work. After we run I go out and run 3 more miles every evening. My concern is i dont feel like I am eating enough, so about how many calories should I eat in a day to run.

Answer 1

Your running is burning somewhere between 700 and 800 calories per day. I'm assuming you're an average sized, active teenage boy, so your maintenance calorie intake is probably in the neighborhood of 3000 per day. Add the two together and you need to be taking in somewhere around 3500 calories per day.

Make them good calories, whole grain cereals, breads, and pastas, vegetables, and protein. Try to avoid the empty calories and fatty stuff like sodas and fast food, all they do is clog up your system and cut down on your body's ability to transfer oxygen in your blood, reducing your running performance.