When Eating After a Run Actually Matters—And How It Boosts Recovery
Estimated read time: 3.5 minutes (about as long as it takes to scroll your Strava feed and give out way too many kudos). 😉
Hey Performance Nerds! Jonah here. 🤓
Stop racing the 30-minute clock. Your next workout decides your post-run meal. If you’re doubling, eat soon. If you’re not, normal meals win.
✅ Today you’ll learn:
🧪What carbs and protein actually do after training (hint: it's not what you think)
⏱️When nutrient timing really matters for recovery vs when it's just noise
⛽Why muscle and liver glycogen follow completely different timelines
🔧My practical protocols based on your training schedule
(Augie, my dog, thinks the 30-second window after I drop food on the floor is way more important. He's not wrong about urgency.)
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Complete fueling system (exactly how many gels/hour for YOUR pace)
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Stryd — the running power meter trusted by serious athletes — is now an official performance sponsor of Marathon Science, delivering real-time pacing precision so you can train smarter and race faster.
💡 See this week’s full Stryd training tip at the end of this newsletter.
🧬 The Science – Your Body's Two Fuel Tanks
Your body has two main gas stations:
Muscle glycogen = local fuel tank
Liver glycogen = distribution center
Here's what actually happens after you run:
Your muscles just burned through their local glycogen stores. Without refueling before your next workout, your body shifts to burning more fat as fuel.
The problem? Fat costs 5-7% more oxygen per unit of energy.
Translation: higher effort for the same pace on your next run, and eventually the dreaded shuffle.
Here’s how they refill:
Liver glycogen refills faster than muscle when you eat glucose + fructose together. Often returns to pre-run levels within 6 hours.
Muscle glycogen is way more stubborn—typically needs 24+ hours for full restoration, even with perfect nutrition.
Right after exercise, muscles are primed to absorb glycogen—refueling in those first hours speeds early restoration if another hard session is soon.
Protein supports repair and adaptation. The "window" matters less than total daily intake unless recovery time is short.
Pro tip: Combining whey protein with glucose + fructose maximizes liver refueling and supports muscle repair without slowing muscle glycogen recovery.
⚡ When Timing Actually Matters (And When It Doesn't)
Ask this first: When is my next hard session?
< 12 h (double sessions / back-to-back):
Timing = critical
Prioritize rapid glycogen restoration to protect session quality.
Miss this window, and your afternoon session suffers
12–18 h (evening → morning):
Moderate urgency
You've got overnight to reload, but why leave it to chance?
Eat within 1-2 hours to maximize that overnight recovery window
≥ 24 h:
No rush
Your body will restock glycogen with normal meals
Focus on hitting daily totals
🔧 The Protocol – Your Action Plan
Doubles, <12 h between sessions
Carbs: 1–1.2 g/kg per hour for ~4 hours, taken every hour.
Hourly dosing outperforms one big meal for glycogen resynthesis.
Per hour: ~60–90 g carbs, ~1:1 glucose/maltodextrin + fructose. >75 kg: 90–110 g. <60 kg: 50–60 g.
Example, 70 kg: 70–84 g per hour, split 35–42 g glucose/maltodextrin + 35–42 g fructose.
Protein: 25–30 g fast protein (whey) first hour only, or 30–40 g quality plant blend for muscle repair
Tolerance tweak: If high doses bother your gut, shift to ~2:1 glucose:fructose in later hours. No required switch point — adjust to feel.
Why this works: Dual carbs speed liver refill, while steady intake tops up muscle.
Evening → Morning, 12–18 h
Eat within 1–2 h post-run.
One solid meal is enough: ~1–1.2 g/kg carbs using glucose + fructose sources, 25–30 g protein.
Optional top-up: 30–60 g carbs before bed if the morning session is long or hard, or if you under-ate earlier.
Why this works: Supports faster liver refill overnight while muscle glycogen continues to restore over 12–24 h
≥ 24 h until next hard run
Normal eating
Emphasis: carb-rich meals, protein 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day spread across the day
High-volume (50+ mi/wk, even without doubles): Margins matter. Eat ASAP: 1-1.2 g/kg carbs (glucose + fructose) + 20–30 g protein within 30 minutes.
In high-volume weeks, stack every edge to maximize recovery.
📊 Your Quick-Reference Decision Matrix
Recovery Time | Post-Run Priority | Why This Matters |
<12 hours (doubles) | Eat ASAP: dual-carb + protein | Rapid liver + muscle glycogen repletion |
12-18 hours (evening→morning) | Eat within 1-2h | Short overnight window for reloading |
24+ hours | Normal meals are fine | Full glycogen recovery with daily intake |
⚡ TL;DR – Schedule beats stopwatch
The "30-minute window" is outdated for most recreational runners
Your liver refuels faster than your muscles—dual-source carbs (glucose + fructose) maximize this
Timing matters most when recovery time is short (<18 hours between sessions)
For most runners: daily consistency > post-run urgency
Bottom line: That post-run banana can wait if your next workout is 24+ hours away. But if you're doubling up? Get those carbs in fast.
P.S. Today's post-run nutrition guidelines? That's maybe 2% of what's in the full nutrition system.
The complete bundle includes 100+ pages covering everything: pre-run fueling, mid-run gel timing for YOUR specific pace, the 48-hour carb-load protocol, daily macro calculators, recovery windows, race-morning timing, and more!
All in one place. No more piecing together random blog posts.
🚨 Gels ≠ Carb Load.
Did you miss my post about a huge carb loading mistake marathoners make? You can find it below!
I won’t lie. These posts take me a while to make. If you find it helpful, share it on your story or with a friend. It helps me a ton!
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.
Which supplement has been shown to increase nitric oxide and improve blood flow to working muscles?
Last Week’s Results: Bones Love Snap, Not Just Steps ⚡🦴
Mileage loads the legs, but when it comes to bones, it’s not about piling up hours, it’s about how fast the forces hit. Most of you spotted it right.
The correct answer?
A. They create higher strain rates (forces applied quickly), which bones need to adapt ⚡🦴 ✅
Bones respond best to quick, high-impact forces like jumps, sprints, or lifts. Those rapid strain rates tell the skeleton to reinforce itself, something endless easy miles can’t match no matter how many you log.
Here’s how the votes shook out:
🟩 A. They create higher strain rates (forces applied quickly), which bones need to adapt ⚡🦴 – 188 ✅
⬜️ B. Because they last longer and accumulate more total load on bone ⏱️📈 – 6
⬜️ C. Because they mainly fatigue muscles, and bones get stronger from that 💪➡️🦴 – 4
⬜️ D. Because they boost hormones like growth hormone and testosterone, which directly drive bone growth 🧬📈 – 23
Bottom line?
If you want stronger bones, add sharp hits—jumps, plyos, heavy lifts—not just more mileage. 🏋️♂️📈
🏃♂️Stryd Training Tip: Why Asymmetry Matters and How Stryd Duo Uncovers It
Most runners watch pace and power, not left vs right. Small imbalances can cap performance, slow progress, or invite injury.
Stryd Duo uses dual foot sensors to measure left-right asymmetry so you see what each leg is doing, step by step.
Why it matters
Find weak links: Even 2–3% gaps in leg spring, contact time, or impact load can flag fatigue or emerging imbalances.
Track recovery: See your gait rebalance after injury or heavy blocks, with objective feedback.
Tune training: Catch form drift on track corners or late in long runs, then fix it with drills, pacing tweaks, or shoe swaps.
How to use it
Rebalance: Add targeted strength and mobility for the lagging side.
Flag fatigue: If asymmetry rises mid-workout or race, adjust before mechanics unravel.
See your stride: Use Stryd Footpath to visualize changes and guide small, steady improvements.
💡 Bottom line: Asymmetry hides in plain sight. Stryd Duo makes it visible so you can run balanced, efficient, and resilient.
Don’t forget: You + Science = AWESOMENESS 😎
Yours in science,
Jonah
P.S. - We have a crew of 17,450+ nerds here who are running FAST using science.
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