What should one eat/drink after long runs?

Tigerandahalf

What do people on here normally do? Are some of you taking protein shakes or vitamin supplements afterwards or is it better to be putting this stuff into you the day before you run.
Cheers

BeepBeep67

Milk or milk shake and a banana if I'm out and about, milk and any combo of crabs / protein if I'm at home, turkey or tuna sandwich for example.

Dtp1979

Cherry active

ultraman1

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

if I'm out and about, milk and any combo of crabs / protein.

Cooked,raw or microscopic....

rainbow kirby

Came home from my long cycle to scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and a big mug of tea yesterday. Perfect

BeepBeep67

ultraman1 wrote: »

Cooked,raw or microscopic....

You gotta love auto correct

jebuz

Usually straight after an evening session it's a smoothie of frozen berries, banana, honey, peanut butter & milk, hits the spot. Make sure you have that a soon as you can after a session as your muscles are like a sponge waiting to top on on their depleted sugars. With that I'll usually have a small homemade energy bar and an hour or so later, my dinner which is plenty of veg, a meat and brown rice or potato, experiment but that's what works for me

Tigerandahalf

Is it sugars, carbs or protein or a combination you should be getting, to avoid the legs cramping up? Last night was my first long run since doing the half at Connemara. I did 22k and for the last third I was dreaming of the food I would be eating afterwards. It was probably a bit tough on the body but I am not too bad today. I had a few squares of dark 70% chocolate which is meant to be good to prevent stiffness after a run. Never liked the taste before but now I really like it and would find the ordinary Dairy Milk too sweet now. I also bought a pineapple the other day in Aldi. First time buying a whole one. It was really delicious, so juicy and not too hard to cut. A lovely treat and very high in Vitamin C.

jebuz

First of all understand that carbs are sugars and yes both protein and carbs are important for recovery but probably not the cause of your cramping. Running causes tears in your muscle fibers, so supplying them with protein allows them to repair and build, meaning you get stronger. Carbs fuel your muscles with glycogen, doing so as soon as you can after exercise with simple absorbing sugars (i.e fruit) means you recovery quickly and can tackle the next session properly fuelled. There could be many reasons you cramped, it could be that you've either ramped up the distance too quickly or you're going too fast, it could be that you weren't properly or hydrated either.

If it's a regular thing, try to spot patters when you cramp, note the distances, your hydration levels, your energy levels, how your training went that week and then experiment and you'll figure out why it's happening. To me it seems like you jumped into a 22k run too quickly, you've not run that distance since Connemara so I would reduce the distance and intensity. Make sure you are comfortable, no long runs are fun when you're just waiting for it to end.

Dark chocolate preventing stiffness after a run? now that's a new one. After a long run I don't think you really need a reason to justify a couple of squares of dark chocolate, you've deserved it.

Tigerandahalf

I do not get cramps while running. I doubt if I have ever cramped in my life. Thanks to my slow twitch fibers! It is the stiffness afterwards that I am talking about. I think bananas and dark chocolate are high in magnesium which helps to prevent stiffness after a run. I am no expert, just read it somewhere.
I am actually not too bad now today. Last night I took an omega 3 capsule and vitamin D3, not because I am very good at nutrition but because my wife has bought them. It is hard to know what good they do if any once you are eating proper foods. However, after a hard run I am sure the body loses a fair few nutrients and was wondering what people normally do.

jebuz

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

after a hard run I am sure the body loses a fair few nutrients and was wondering what people normally do.

Put them straight back in