Runners...Macro Settings?

dare2love81

Okay, so I just finished training for my first 5k, using one of the C25K apps. I'm now training for a 10k and I'm beginning to wonder if my macros are right. Currently they're set at 45/25/30 for carbs/fat/protein...but I've read a few articles that say runners should be eating around 55% carbs - even more on race days.

Also, have you found it better to eat some carbs before your workouts?

Appreciate any suggestions!

LorinaLynn

I've been around 50/25/25, and averaging around 2000 calories a day, that's a very happy amount of carbs for me. Love pasta, bread and potatoes.

Pebble321

I'm simila to Lorina - except I'm 50/20/30 (carbs, protein, fat).
Honestly though, I don't track macros too closely - I try to make sure I have at least 70g protein (body weight x1) and let the carbs and fat fall where they may. I'm eating about 2000ish cals a day - which is just a small deficit below maintenance.

I usually eat fruit or toast with coffee before I run, I don't do so well on an empty stomach so this works well for me.

dare2love81

Thanks! I think I'm going to up my carbs a bit and see if that helps me power through the workouts. And hopefully I'll still lose weight...

Pebble321

Thanks! I think I'm going to up my carbs a bit and see if that helps me power through the workouts. And hopefully I'll still lose weight...

I think you can only try and see what works for you... but then I'm not a carbophobe, I think most people can lose weight just as well with carbs or without them... its personal choice as to which calories make you feel good.
Enjoy your running and your carbs!

dare2love81

Oh I'm no carbophobe either....I usually have a hard time eating enough protein. But I've been told that you're supposed to have carbs before a workout and protein afterwards. It can all be a little mind numbing with all the information available out there - that's why I figured I'd ask and see what's working for runners. I also wonder if I'm eating enough calories....I usually eat around 2,000 per day, but I have about 50-60 pounds left to lose. So I might be eating a little low with the running and bootcamp workouts I've been doing.

70davis

bump

dare2love81

Any other runners want to weigh in on this?

ItsPheebs

I have my macros set on 40/30/30 and I'm finding it impossible to do. I need more carbs to train the way I do, and I'm vegan so getting that much protein is hard for me. My normal ratio has been 50/20/30 (c/p/f) and it's worked so far. Even when I'm not running, I just function better on higher, good quality carbs ... but when I'm training hard it's a necessity.

ItsPheebs

Oh, as far as calories, I follow the TDEE at 15% cut ... and I eat back calories if I fall below my BMR. I sometimes eat them back anyway if I feel like I need them.

joybedford

i have mine set at 45,30,25 (c,p,f) this is just OK for me i reallly have to try hard though as i naturally want to eat more carbs. Before a race i eat significantly more carbs than this. Probably more 60%. for about 4 days. I laways eat back my exercise calories.

dare2love81

Yeah, I had mine set at 40/30/30 for awhile too and I don't think I was getting enough carbs. I was tiring out quickly and just didn't have the endurance. I've since upped my carbs, shooting for 50/25/25 and it seems to be helping. OH, and I eat around 2,000 calories a day, sometimes more, sometimes less, but never less than 1,900.

mlb929

I read the book Racing Weight and found the information in this book invaluable for training as a runner. I would like that at a 10K - you probably don't have too much concern about getting it right but if you push up to a half marathon or even a full marathon, you will need to make changes. My opinion is when you are running more than an hour is when your training requirements really start to change and effect your.

SelkieDiver

I go about 55/20/25 (c/p/f). I try to up the protein after long runs though, if I'm training for a 1/2 marathon.

DonniesGirl69

Pretty sure the 55% carbs is for those training for distance races. I did that while training for a half-marathon, but I've cut back some now that I've done the race and am back to just 2.5-5 miles per day running.

corys8646

I don't focus on the macros too much when i'm doing 5 and 10K runs. As others have said, they up their protein while training for a half/full, which I do also..Usually some chocolate milk or protein powder after a run.

My feeling is the 5 and 10k distances just aren't far/long enough to worry about changing my diet significantly.

Im_NotPerfect

My problem is that I get up SUPER early to run, so I don't get a chance to eat anything before I go. Not sure I want to either though because I can't see where I would do well with food on my stomach. Although maybe when I'm training for a 10K I might feel differently. Right now I'm just working on 5K distances.

I would like to know if I should adjust my macros though. I'm a carboholic and if I have a chance to eat more...I'm in!

jillybeanruns

I read the book Racing Weight and found the information in this book invaluable for training as a runner. I would like that at a 10K - you probably don't have too much concern about getting it right but if you push up to a half marathon or even a full marathon, you will need to make changes. My opinion is when you are running more than an hour is when your training requirements really start to change and effect your.

^^ This.

With that said, I've been running and racing non-stop for the last 2+ years. That's when I started on MFP and starting paying attention to macros. I run/race from 5K to marathon and 50-25-25 has always done right by me. Sometimes I eat less carbs (more like 40%) on running rest days, but on 20+ mile run days, my carbs (because of fueling) will be closer to 60%. It all evens out, but if you're having problems with energy, switch it up a bit. You might need to switch up your fuel. Oatmeal worked well for me for about a year, then my body just didn't get enough energy from it...switched to Marathon Bars and I can run 10 miles on just a Marathon Bar.

conchita962

Okay...I'm noticing that several people here are eating close to 2000 calories...I'm a runner too, training for my first full in Oct. I have completely plateaued on my weight loss and am absolutely TERRIFIED to up my calories. I've been eating about 1570 recently and haven't lost a single pound. I stay between 162-166 and rarely budge. I'm afraid I will just keep gaining weight and won't be able to lose it...I've seriously struggled for several years to lose weight and still am...
My question is how long do I up my calories before I 'might' see a difference?

ATT949

Any other runners want to weigh in on this?

I'm at 55 c/25 f/ 20 p. That's the guidance that I get from runners world and running times.

It's a bit of a "game" to me, to be frank. Having the "right" macros is a "good thing" to do, perhaps, but I'm quite happy to bet that, at our level, our macros are of very little significance compared to the other factors that impact us.

It seems to me that the biggest impediment to good performance as a runner is our cardiovascular system and, second, our "skills", meaning how we run (our "mechanics"). After that, it's losing weight. I'd guess that, unless you're doing something outlandish, macros are way, way down the list.


After running for a year (one half marathon and, despite a few injuries, I'm still averaging 15 miles a week), I finally signed up for coaching. It wasn't expensive and, even though we've only met once, it has proven to be very helpful.

I do a lot of things right - posture, hands, arms, footstrike (I converted to a midsole strike which wrecked havoc on my calves), etc. but the issue that Coach Ken and I are working on is mechanics. Within seconds of watching me run, we identified a variety of things that need to be improved in my gait. My midsole strike is not quite flat enough, I need dorsiflexion of the toes at the end of "swing open", more knee lift, increasing turnover from 88 to 96 (!), etc., etc. In a 90 minute session, we worked on a few items which lead to this scenario as we got to the end of a 100 meter fast jog

"No kidding! I can't run that fast!", I said, grinning.
"But you just did!"
"Exactly my point!"

In one short coaching session, I've identified a few things that I was doing wrong and changing those will drop my mile time by about 30 seconds.


Here's another one - forget about your macros and lose weight. I started this week at 188 pounds. Ugh. I've got a race in 51 days and my weight is up 3 pounds. That's a serious penalty so I cut my calories this week and that weight is gone.

Every "extra" pound you carry costs you two seconds per mile. Yup, one "extra" pound slow us down by almost half a minute in a half marathon ≈ a minute in the full. By losing weight this week, I cut the time for my half by 3*2*13 = 78 seconds.

Food for thought, eh?

mrsdizzyd84

I'm surprised at how low some of you go on protein. I can hardly move the day after a run if I don't get my protein up around 30%

I'm usually at 40/30/30. I eat most of my carbs at the end of the day and run in the morning. So far, I'm not noticing any performance issues, but I'm also not running long distances.