Meal planning for runners — your secret sauce to successful runs

Meal planning can help you stay fueled for your runs, save time on daily meal prep, and incorporate foods that boost performance and recovery. If you're new to the concept, we've got you covered. Here's how to make meal prep work for you, plus a delicious, prep-friendly recipe to help you get started!

What is meal planning?

If you're new to planning meals, it can seem intimidating. As a registered dietitian, I often hear this sentiment from my readers and clients. Fortunately, my career has made me aware of the challenges associated with prepping food and privy to the hacks that can make the process easier for you!

Meal planning refers to devoting some time to laying out what you're going to eat at future meals. You can plan for just a few days, a week, or even a whole month. Meal prep is the process of making meals, or components of meals, in advance and is often a part of meal planning.

Meal planning 101 for runners

Runners can plan out their meals to help support their training schedules. I love having prepped foods in my fridge that I can easily put together when I'm exhausted after a long run, and even if you don't prepare any food ahead of time, coming up with a plan for what you're going to eat takes away the pressure of thinking of a meal when you're tired or busy.

Start with whatever level of planning and prep works for your schedule and needs. You can begin by writing down your meals for a few nights a week and organizing a corresponding grocery list. Work up to planning more meals over time if desired.

Aim to incorporate foods that are great for fueling and refueling, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fruits and vegetables. A sheet pan dinner with salmon, sweet potatoes, and broccoli is an easy option to plan for a busy night. Or, perhaps you want to lean into meal prep and schedule "assembly" meals with components that you prep in advance to put together quickly when you want to eat. Even spending one hour on a Sunday roasting sweet potatoes, boiling chicken, and prepping oatmeal can be a huge help for staying on track during the week.

When you're at the store, stock up on foods that you can keep on hand for meals that you don't plan. Yogurt, fruit, eggs, bread, nut butters, jams, beans, canned fish, whole grains, potatoes, string cheese, and frozen produce are all great foods for runners. These affordable items are versatile and require minimal or no prep, making them good choices when you're short on time.

Keep it flexible

Meal planning can be as flexible as you want it to be. Don't stress about adhering to the schedule you made for the week if you want to eat something other than what you planned. See if you can freeze or repurpose meal components you prepped in advance. Maybe you made shredded chicken to eat with rice, greens, and a salad dressing but now you're craving Mexican food. Still serve the chicken with the rice, but season it with salsa and add a can of beans and some frozen corn.

Recipe: Farro bowls with honey mustard dressing

With a basic understanding of meal planning for the run, here's one of my favorite tasty, run-fueling recipes to try out for yourself!