Whether you are a seasoned runner or this is your first time, nutrition is really important.

Some key rules to remember are:  

• Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables every day  
• Drink lots and lots of water 
• Eat carbohydrates in your main meals such as pasta and rice for energy - now is not the time for a low carb diet!
• Stick to low fat foods

It’s really important that you don’t cut out any meals during your training because the energy that they provide will help you keep going.

Drink loads of water! You need to ensure you are not dehydrated - a good rule is to ensure your urine is a pale straw colour. Any darker is a sign you are getting dehydrated.  

As well as water, you should try a specialist sports drink (e.g. Lucozade Sport), which help replace salts and minerals that your body loses through sweating. Again, you need to practise drinking these in training if you want to drink them on the run.

It is important to think about what to eat after your run as well as before it. Your body is still working to replace any nutrients it has lost during exercise so try to eat something 2 - 4 hours after your training that is high in carbohydrates and low in fat.