Mavr Sports Nutrition Team
Updated October 2, 2026. 13 min read.
Short answer: after a long or hard run, drink and eat a small snack within 30 minutes, eat a real meal with carbs and protein by 60 minutes, and keep eating and drinking through the second hour. After an easy run under an hour, your next normal meal is enough. The table below gives the amounts per kg of body weight, and the 10 meal ideas after it show what those amounts look like on a plate.
Use this after long runs, hard workouts, races, or any day when you run again within 24 hours. The numbers come from sports nutrition guidelines: about 1 to 1.2 g of carbohydrate per kg per hour in the first hours when you need to refuel fast, and about 0.25 to 0.3 g of protein per kg (20 to 40 g for most runners) in one go.
0 to 30 min
What to eatFluid with some salt, plus an easy snack or drink
Carbs0.5 to 1 g/kg
Protein0.25 to 0.3 g/kg
Example for 70 kg500 ml chocolate milk: about 50 g carbs, 16 g protein
30 to 60 min
What to eatA real meal, or a big snack if a meal is far away
CarbsAbout 1 g/kg
Protein0.25 to 0.3 g/kg if you had none yet
Example for 70 kgBagel with honey and Greek yogurt
60 to 120 min
What to eatKeep eating and drinking: a second snack or your next meal
Carbs1 to 1.2 g/kg per hour if you run again within 8 hours; otherwise normal meals
ProteinNext 20 to 40 g dose 3 to 4 hours after the first
Example for 70 kgRice bowl with chicken, fruit, a glass of juice
| When | What to eat | Carbs | Protein | Example for 70 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 30 min | Fluid with some salt, plus an easy snack or drink | 0.5 to 1 g/kg | 0.25 to 0.3 g/kg | 500 ml chocolate milk: about 50 g carbs, 16 g protein |
| 30 to 60 min | A real meal, or a big snack if a meal is far away | About 1 g/kg | 0.25 to 0.3 g/kg if you had none yet | Bagel with honey and Greek yogurt |
| 60 to 120 min | Keep eating and drinking: a second snack or your next meal | 1 to 1.2 g/kg per hour if you run again within 8 hours; otherwise normal meals | Next 20 to 40 g dose 3 to 4 hours after the first | Rice bowl with chicken, fruit, a glass of juice |
Rough numbers for common portions, rounded. Brands and portions vary, so use them to pick a meal that fits the table above, not as exact label values.
1. 500 ml chocolate milk
CarbsAbout 50 g
ProteinAbout 16 g
Best forFirst 30 minutes, low appetite
2. Smoothie: banana, berries, milk, Greek yogurt, honey
CarbsAbout 70 g
ProteinAbout 25 g
Best forFirst 30 minutes, hot days
3. Greek yogurt with granola and a banana
CarbsAbout 65 g
ProteinAbout 25 g
Best forQuick post-run breakfast
4. Bagel with honey and a pot of Greek yogurt
CarbsAbout 60 g
ProteinAbout 20 to 25 g
Best forOn the go
5. 2 eggs on 2 slices of toast with a glass of orange juice
CarbsAbout 55 g
ProteinAbout 20 g
Best forMorning runs
6. Oatmeal made with milk, banana and honey
CarbsAbout 100 g
ProteinAbout 20 g
Best forAfter a long run
7. Rice bowl with chicken and vegetables
CarbsAbout 80 g
ProteinAbout 30 g
Best forLunch or dinner
8. Pasta with lean meat sauce and parmesan
CarbsAbout 85 g
ProteinAbout 30 g
Best forDinner after a hard workout
9. Large turkey sandwich, soup and fruit
CarbsAbout 75 g
ProteinAbout 30 g
Best forHot, salty, sweaty runs
10. Burrito or burrito bowl with rice, beans and chicken
CarbsAbout 100 g
ProteinAbout 40 g
Best forAfter a long run or a race
| Post-run meal | Carbs | Protein | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. 500 ml chocolate milk | About 50 g | About 16 g | First 30 minutes, low appetite |
| 2. Smoothie: banana, berries, milk, Greek yogurt, honey | About 70 g | About 25 g | First 30 minutes, hot days |
| 3. Greek yogurt with granola and a banana | About 65 g | About 25 g | Quick post-run breakfast |
| 4. Bagel with honey and a pot of Greek yogurt | About 60 g | About 20 to 25 g | On the go |
| 5. 2 eggs on 2 slices of toast with a glass of orange juice | About 55 g | About 20 g | Morning runs |
| 6. Oatmeal made with milk, banana and honey | About 100 g | About 20 g | After a long run |
| 7. Rice bowl with chicken and vegetables | About 80 g | About 30 g | Lunch or dinner |
| 8. Pasta with lean meat sauce and parmesan | About 85 g | About 30 g | Dinner after a hard workout |
| 9. Large turkey sandwich, soup and fruit | About 75 g | About 30 g | Hot, salty, sweaty runs |
| 10. Burrito or burrito bowl with rice, beans and chicken | About 100 g | About 40 g | After a long run or a race |
Chocolate milk earns its reputation: carbs and protein in about the right ratio, plus fluid and some sodium, for less money than most recovery products. But it is a bridge, not a meal. The pattern that works is snack, then meal: something small and easy within 30 minutes, then a real plate when your appetite comes back.
The saltier meals also cover sodium after a sweaty run: the sandwich with soup brings about 800 mg, and pasta with meat sauce and parmesan about 600 mg. If you only want a protein shake, add a banana or a bagel, because a shake alone has almost no carbs to refill glycogen.
The famous 30-minute "anabolic window" is smaller than its reputation. Glycogen restocking and muscle repair go on for many hours, and your total carbs and protein for the day matter more than a sprint to the fridge. The window matters most in one case: when the next hard session is close. If you run again within about 24 hours, or twice today, eating early helps.
Easy run, under 60 minutes
How fast to eatNext normal meal
WhyLittle glycogen used; nothing urgent to repair
Long run or hard workout
How fast to eatSnack within 30 minutes, meal within 60 to 120
WhyA lot of glycogen used and more muscle stress
Training again within 8 hours
How fast to eatFollow the 30, 60 and 120 minute plan closely
WhyGlycogen refills fastest when you start early
Evening run before bed
How fast to eatReal meal soon after finishing
WhySleep is prime repair time; do not go to bed unfueled
| Situation | How fast to eat | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Easy run, under 60 minutes | Next normal meal | Little glycogen used; nothing urgent to repair |
| Long run or hard workout | Snack within 30 minutes, meal within 60 to 120 | A lot of glycogen used and more muscle stress |
| Training again within 8 hours | Follow the 30, 60 and 120 minute plan closely | Glycogen refills fastest when you start early |
| Evening run before bed | Real meal soon after finishing | Sleep is prime repair time; do not go to bed unfueled |
The ratio takes care of itself when you build a plate around carbs and protein together. Carbs refill glycogen faster when you start early, and protein doses of 20 to 40 g are enough to switch on muscle repair after exercise. That is the whole theory. In practice it is a plate, not a protocol.
Here is the formula for a real runner. A 70 kg runner finishing a 90-minute long run needs roughly 70 to 85 g of carbohydrate, about 25 g of protein, 500 to 800 mg of sodium, and 750 to 1,000 ml of fluid over the next couple of hours. Meal 6 or meal 10 from the list above covers most of that in one go. Scale the carbs up or down with your body weight.
For fluid, weigh yourself before and after the run. Each kilogram lost needs about 1.5 liters back, with sodium so your body keeps it instead of passing it straight through. Spread it over the next few hours:
A common mistake runs in both directions. Runners reward a 25-minute jog with a recovery feast it did not earn, or finish a 20-mile long run, feel no hunger, eat almost nothing, and wonder why the next three days feel gray. The size of the run sets the size of the response. An easy short run needs nothing special. A long run deserves a deliberate snack, a real meal, salt, fluid, and an earlier night.
Hard running suppresses hunger hormones for a while, which is why the biggest sessions often produce the least appetite. Do not wait for hunger; it arrives late, sometimes as an aggressive raid on the kitchen at 10 p.m. Start with cold and liquid options: smoothies, milk, drinkable yogurt, even flavored recovery drinks. Cold and liquid go down when solid food does not, and they start glycogen and repair work while your appetite catches up.
Both, for different jobs. Eating before fuels the run; eating after rebuilds from it. For short easy runs you can skip the before and just eat afterward. For long or hard sessions, the before-meal protects the quality of the work and the after-meal protects tomorrow. If you only change one habit, make it this: never follow a hard session with an empty afternoon.
A meal or snack that combines carbohydrate and 20 to 40 g of protein: eggs on toast, rice with chicken, yogurt with granola and fruit, or chocolate milk as a fast bridge. The best choice is real food you will actually eat soon after finishing.
After easy runs, your next normal meal is fine. After long runs or hard workouts, have a drink and a snack within 30 minutes and a real meal within 60 to 120 minutes. Follow that timing closely when you train again within 24 hours, and keep eating about 1 to 1.2 g of carbs per kg per hour if the next session is within 8 hours.
One that has carbs and protein together: a rice bowl with chicken, pasta with meat sauce, oatmeal made with milk, eggs on toast with juice, or a burrito bowl. Aim for about 1 g of carbs per kg of body weight and 20 to 40 g of protein. See the 10 meal ideas above for rough numbers.
Start with an easy snack even if you are not hungry, then a full meal: roughly 1 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight to restock glycogen, plus 20 to 40 g of protein, fluid, and some salt. Keep eating normally across the rest of the day.
After a short easy run, no. After long or hard sessions, skipping recovery food slows glycogen refill and repair, flattens the next days of training, and over time contributes to under-fueling problems. Eat something, even if appetite is low.
Yes. It delivers carbs and protein in a sensible ratio plus fluid and sodium, and it is cheap and easy to drink when appetite is low. Treat it as the start of recovery, followed by a real meal.
No. Any 20 to 40 g protein source works: eggs, chicken, yogurt, fish, or tofu. A shake is handy when you are busy or not hungry, but a protein-only shake is incomplete after a long, hard, or sweaty run. Add carbs to refill glycogen, plus fluid and sodium if you sweated a lot.
The building blocks are the same: carbs, protein, and fluid. After long, steady runs, carbs are the priority because glycogen is the main cost. Intervals and tempo runs cause more muscle damage, so make sure the protein side is well covered too.
Yes. If heart rate, pace, heat, or duration made the session harder than planned, size recovery to the run you actually did, not the label it had on your plan.
Most hard endurance sessions take 24 to 48 hours, depending on the volume, how well you sleep, and how quickly you refuel and rehydrate. Easy runs need far less.
General guidance for healthy adults, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian if you have a health condition, take medicines or have special dietary needs.
Mavr sizes your recovery meal to the run you just finished, using the workout data already on your calendar.
Ask Kai, the coach in the app