Month: August 2022

The PB Lunch Box

Have you ever been halfway through an evening run and wished you hadn’t had that chicken curry for lunch? Or, you can hear your stomach grumbling above your breathing from skipping lunch?
Taking an hour to relax and enjoy a wholesome home-packed lunchbox has become a thing of the past in today’s time-pressured McDonald’s society. Yet, that could be just the thing you are missing for a great workout.

The Kenyans have a very true saying – “An empty sack won’t stand up” . 

Translated – if you don’t eat well, you are going to suffer on your run.

There are two lunchtime mistakes we can make as runners which will have a big negative effect on our run.

The first is skipping lunch. When we do this, we simply just do not have enough energy to run the pace and distance we are asking of our body. If you had a good breakfast then the effect is less, you still however need to keep that glycogen topped up during the day for optimal performance. Especially if you had a stressful work day. The faster the pace, the greater the energy demands and so fueling wisely during the day becomes even more important when we have a quality workout in the evening. Your body is always going to be relying primarily on glycogen stored in your liver and muscles. Glycogen is basically stored carbohydrate. So we need to ensure that our glycogen stores are adequate by getting in enough quality carbohydrate throughout the day.
The second mistake is eating the wrong foods at lunch. These are foods that take long to digest, are gassy, cause acid reflux, could lead to nausea or an upset stomach or, very sugary foods that can lead to blood sugar spikes (with accompanying dip on your run!). For example, red meat can take up to 7 hours to digest, so if you have a steak at lunchtime, you could still be digesting come time for your workout. This will mean that the blood your muscles desperately needs for running, is being diverted to your stomach.

Common culprits for a bad workout: very spicy food, onions, dairy for some people, gassy vegetables and too much fructose, highly processed foods, "energy" drinks, too much coffee (can cause the runs-not running runs), very salty food, very fatty foods, foods high in sugars (cakes, sweets). 

That said – what are good lunchbox choices?

- Wholewheat sandwiches with e.g. egg, ham, cheese and tomato, chicken, salad; peanut butter and banana

- Egg on toast

- Roasted root vegetables – Sweet potato, potato, butternut, carrots

- Grain or pasta salads

- Soup and bread

- Bananas, Grapes

- Dried Fruit and nuts

- Low sugar fruit and nut bars

Topping your meal off with 500ml electrolyte drink will also ensure your hydration levels are good to go. 

Timing of your lunch is also important: Try to eat the bulk of your lunch 3-4 hours before your run. Then if necessary have a light snack eg. Honey on toast, banana, a few raisons, a little sweet potato an hour before. If you have a long commute, then it is worth keeping light dry snacks in your car for topping up your fuel on your way to your workout.

It is also important to make sure you are staying hydrated during the day. A good way to know if you are is if you are passing light yellow to clear urine regularly.

Make your whole lifestyle a Personal Best!

Onwards and upwards!


Coach Kathleen

Professional running coach

Cape Town, South Africa