🏃♂️ Recover Faster After Every Run—The Science-Backed Nutrition + Supplement Plan
Estimated read time: 3.1 minutes (same time it took Augie to steal my post-run banana) 🍌.
Hey Performance Nerds! Jonah here. 🤓
What you eat and the supplements you take after your long run can make or break your next session.
We’re breaking down a new paper that reveals the actual science of recovery nutrition—not influencer smoothies that cost $12 and taste like chalk.
🍝 The best carb combos to supercharge recovery
💪 A no-BS breakdown of protein needs and timing
🧪 The most effective recovery supplements (creatine, caffeine, and more)
💦 Rehydration strategies every endurance athlete should master
🧠 Performance Tip: Recovery Shake Secrets
If you're training hard, water or a random protein shake isn’t enough.
To recover fast and train again strong, you need dual carbs + quality protein—the two keys to rapid glycogen replenishment and muscle repair.
That’s why I use SiS BETA Recovery. It delivers:
✅ 60g carbs with a 1:1 ratio of maltodextrin + fructose (targets both muscle and liver glycogen)
✅ 30g whey protein to activate recovery and rebuild muscle
✅ Probiotics to support digestion and immune function
Just mix with water and drink within 30 minutes post-run. It’s science-backed, gut-friendly, and built for endurance athletes training 90+ minutes or doing doubles.
Proud to have Science in Sport (SiS) as the official sponsor of Marathon Science.
🍝 1. Carbs First: The Foundation of Recovery
Target: 1.0–1.2g/kg per hour for the first 4 hours post-run
Skip carbs post-run and your next session will suck. Period.
📈 The Science:
Muscle glycogen = the fuel tank you just emptied.
Glycogen refill rates peak in the first 2 hours post-run.
Your muscles are like sponges, ready to soak up carbs—no insulin needed.
Glucose + fructose combos (e.g., toast + honey) = faster absorption + fewer gut issues.
Fructose and glucose use different gut transporters so more efficient absorption, lower GI distress.
❌ Delay carbs by 2 hours? You slash glycogen resynthesis by 50%.
⚠️ Note: This chart shows the rate of early glycogen resynthesis—not full recovery. Even with a high-carb diet, full glycogen restoration takes 24–48 hours after a hard session.
✅ Do This:
Eat 1.0–1.2g/kg carbs per hour for 4 hours post-run.
Combine glucose + fructose sources:
Glucose = muscle glycogen refill
Fructose = liver glycogen refill (key for blood sugar and next-run performance)
🔹 Top Recovery Carb Combos:
Toast with honey + banana + OJ
White rice + eggs + fruit smoothie
Chocolate milk + jam bagel
💪 2. Protein = Repair Mode Activated
Target: 20–40g high-quality protein within 1–2 hours post-run
Carbs refill the tank. Protein repairs the engine.
📊 The Science:
20–40g of protein = muscle repair via muscle protein synthesis (MPS)
Leucine protein (amino acid) is the key trigger for MPS
High in whey and animal proteins.
Plant-based? Eat more soy, rice, and pea to get more protein (25-40g) and hit your leucine target.
🕒 Timing Tip:
The "anabolic window" is mostly myth—total daily intake matters more than exact timing.
But having protein available post-run likely improves recovery and can improve performance for your next hard session
Distance runners should aim for at least ~1.2–1.8 g/kg per day, while power athletes need closer to 1.7–2.2 g/kg
🤝 Bonus: Carbs + Protein = Recovery Power Couple
Protein boosts insulin when carb intake is low (<1.2g/kg/hr), speeding glycogen refill.
☑ Carbs + protein = faster nutrient delivery, better glycogen storage, and stronger muscle repair—especially if you're training again that day.
🛋 Pre-sleep Bonus:
≥40g casein or mixed protein before bed = overnight MPS boost if daily protein is low
💦 3. Hydrate Like a Nerd (Not Just with Water)
Target: 125–150% of sweat loss + sodium + carbs
Drinking water alone is fine. But if you're training again tomorrow—or in 6 hours—you’ll want an upgrade.
📊 The Science:
Rehydration restores blood plasma volume, glycogen, and helps muscle repair.
Sodium helps your body retain fluids—water alone often passes right through.
✅ Do This
Drink 125–150% of weight lost during training (weigh yourself before/after runs).
Fluid alone ≠ rehydration.
You need electrolytes + carbs to retain it.
Sodium helps you hold onto fluid by promoting water retention
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🏆 Best Hydration Options:
Skim milk = protein + carbs + sodium
OJ + pinch of salt
Electrolyte mixes (e.g., SiS Hydro Tablets)
⛔ Not So Helpful:
Beer, tea, and diet soda — fun but not hydrating.
🧪 4. Next-Level Recovery Stacks (For Doubles or Heavy Training Weeks)
Creatine + Carbs
Boosts glucose uptake and glycogen storage—especially after the 6-hour mark post-run
Reduces post-exercise inflammation
Take 5g creatine monohydrate post-run with carbs.
Caffeine + Carbs
Enhances post-run glycogen storage and may reduce soreness—especially if you’re training low-carb.
Best used after hard sessions and before doubles to boost muscle glycogen
Cap intake at <6mg/kg to avoid sleep issues
Sodium Bicarbonate
Buffers acid after intense sessions (like double thresholds)
Useful for intense double days
Works best when taken ~0.3g/kg post-run
Use newer enteric-coated capsules to reduce GI discomfort
🧪 Advanced Athlete Tip: Don’t take everything all the time. Use stacks strategically
✅ Practical Summary: Recovery Blueprint ❤️🩹
Save this. Print it. Tattoo it on your water bottle.
After a hard run or workout:
🍝 Refuel fast: 1.0–1.2g/kg of carbs per hour in the first 4 hours
💪 Rebuild muscle: 20–40g of high-quality protein within 2 hours
⏰ Hit Your Daily Protein: Aim for 1.2-2.2 g/kg
💦 Hydrate smarter: Drink 125–150% of sweat loss (weigh yourself pre/post)
🧂 Don’t skip salt: Add sodium + carbs to your fluids for full rehydration
🧪 Stack strategically: Add creatine if training again within 24 hours
☕ Use caffeine wisely: Only if you tolerate it—and actually need it
Are You a True Running Nerd? Prove it.. 🧐
Welcome to the prove you’re a nerd section. Each week, I ask a question about a common running science myth.
Answer correctly, and you’ll be entered into a weekly raffle to win a package of Jonah’s favorite supplements.
What’s the most effective tapering strategy for peak performance? 🎽📉
Last Week’s Results: Protein Pros in the House! 🍳💪
Nice work, team—you clearly know that when it comes to muscle gains, it’s the whole day’s protein puzzle, not just the post-workout shake that matters. 🧩✅
The correct answer? Total daily protein intake.
It’s not about slamming a shake the second you drop the dumbbells—it’s about consistently hitting your target grams per day to support muscle repair and growth. Spread it out, but most importantly… get it in! 💯📈
Here’s how the votes stacked up:
⬜️ A. Timing your protein shake immediately post-workout ⏱️ – 51 votes
⬜️ B. Hitting a high-protein breakfast window 🍳 – 6 votes
🟨 C. Spreading your intake evenly across the day 🧩 – 49 votes
🟩 D. Total daily protein intake 💯 – 173 votes ✅
Don’t forget: You + Science = AWESOMENESS 😎
Yours in science,
Jonah
P.S. - We have a crew of 15,270+ nerds here who are running FAST using science.
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