How to Fuel Your Runna Training Plan: The Complete Nutrition Guide

Runna is one of the best running apps out there. It builds smart, adaptive training plans that have helped thousands of runners hit PRs. But there's a massive gap in every Runna plan — and in almost every training app on the market.

Nobody tells you what to eat.

Your Runna plan says "Long Run: 18km" on Saturday. Great. But what did you eat Friday night? What's your pre-run breakfast? Are you taking in carbs during the run? And what does recovery look like after? These questions matter more than most runners realize — and getting them wrong is why so many runners bonk, feel flat, get injured, or plateau.

Training is stress. Nutrition is how your body responds to that stress. Without proper fueling, you don't get the training adaptations you're working so hard for. You just get tired.

Research from the International Journal of Sport Nutrition consistently shows that athletes who match their nutrition to training load — not just daily calorie goals — recover faster, get injured less, and perform better on race day. Yet most runners treat every day the same nutritionally, whether it's a rest day or a 20-mile long run.

Your Runna plan includes different workout types for a reason. Each one places different demands on your body — and your nutrition should reflect that. Here's a breakdown of what to eat for each session type.

Easy runs are low-intensity and primarily burn fat for fuel. They don't require much pre-run nutrition unless you're running first thing in the morning.

• Before: A banana, toast with honey, or nothing if well-fueled the day before
• During: Water only — no gels or sports drinks needed
• After: Normal meal within 1-2 hours. No urgency to slam a protein shake.

The biggest mistake with easy runs? Overeating. Many runners reward a 5km jog with a 600-calorie smoothie bowl. Your easy run probably burned 300-400 calories. Keep it proportional.

Long runs are where nutrition makes or breaks your training block. Your glycogen stores last roughly 90 minutes at moderate intensity. After that, you need external fuel — or you'll hit the wall.

• Before: A carb-rich meal 2-3 hours prior (oatmeal, toast with jam, rice). Aim for 1-2g carbs per kg of body weight.
• During: 30-60g of carbs per hour after the first 45-60 minutes. Gels, chews, dates, or a sports drink all work.
• After: Recovery meal within 30-45 minutes. 1-1.2g carbs/kg + 0.3g protein/kg. Think: rice bowl with chicken, or a bagel with eggs.

Critical: Practice your in-run fueling on training runs, not on race day. Your Runna long run is the perfect time to test gels and figure out what your stomach can handle at pace.

Intervals burn glycogen fast. Even a 45-minute interval session can deplete muscle glycogen significantly because of the high intensity. These sessions demand that you show up fueled.

• Before: Carb-rich meal 2-3 hours before. Top up with a small snack (banana, energy bar) 30-60 minutes before.
• During: Water or electrolyte drink. Gels usually aren't needed for sessions under 75 minutes.
• After: Prioritize recovery. This is where protein matters most — 20-30g within an hour, combined with carbs to replenish glycogen.

Tempo runs sit in the sweet spot between easy and hard. They're glycogen-dependent but typically not long enough to require in-run fueling.

• Before: Moderate carb meal 2-3 hours before. Similar to intervals.
• During: Water is usually fine. Consider electrolytes in hot conditions.
• After: Standard recovery meal. Don't skip this — tempo runs create significant muscle damage.

Runna is excellent at periodizing your training. It varies intensity, volume, and recovery across your plan. But it treats every day the same from a nutrition standpoint — because it doesn't have a nutrition standpoint.

This means you're left to figure out: How many carbs do I need today? Should I eat more on this double-run day? How do I taper my nutrition alongside my training taper? Do I need to carb load before my race?

These are the questions that separate runners who bonk at mile 20 from runners who negative-split their marathon.

MAVR connects directly to your Runna calendar. It reads every workout on your plan — the type, the distance, the estimated duration and intensity — and generates personalized meal recommendations for each session.

• Pre-workout meals timed to your session start
• In-run fueling targets for long runs (carbs per hour)
• Post-workout recovery nutrition with specific macro targets
• Daily calorie and macro adjustments that rise and fall with your training load
• Carb loading guidance before race day

It takes 30 seconds to connect. Paste your Runna calendar link into MAVR, and every workout on your plan gets a fueling strategy attached to it.