Morning run - did you eat before run? (Page 2)

Thank you for all the suggestions. 

I don't feel dizzy or lightheaded unless I run more than 10k.  "no energy" means I am slower and less motivated, I feel like my arm and leg are "soft" and lazy to lift them...  Hearing my stomach yell is another issue

I guess it might be a mental thing?  I am going to try not to eat, (or eat light) and see if I can get used to it...

 I will try a shake or gel or pb or oj before the run and see how it goes. 

 Just wondering, how early you sleep when you wake up 0345?

I just get up, get dressed and go.

I've done as much as an 18 miler before work.  I was out the door around 4 and done by 6:30.  No food until after I'm done other than gels and fluids during the run.

On the weekends I don't get up that early, but I still don't eat before working out all the way up to 21 mile runs and 100+ mile rides.

The time it takes to digest, and the tolerance that one has for exercise with food in the intestines, is somewhat individual, so you may want to experiment a bit. I tend to eat closer to workout than a lot of the people here (1-2 hours before), and I've found that this works for me, but apparently it doesn't for others. In any case, if you do eat before, stick to simple carbohydrates, which are digested more quickly, minimizing fiber and protein. A lot depends on whether you have trouble running with food still in your gut .  I don't, and I find it useful to eat about 1-2 hours before a long training run, then take a gel or some sports drink right before and later during the run as needed. (For the record, in 1-2 hours the food will be in your intestines, not your stomach, unless you eat a lot of fat, fiber, and protein -- don't do that!) The combination works well for me -- better than not eating at all. When I don't eat at all before a long run early in the morning (and I'm talking about only long workouts here, at least 90 minutes), I get too sluggish and find it hard to catch back up on energy with gels (which I hate anyway) and sports drink.

Races are different. I can handle training paces (apart from the most intense) with food in my stomach, but for a race I try to eat more like 2-2 1/2 hours before. Others will insist on 3-4 hours. For me, that's too long.

Short version: Experiment.

When I run during the work week,it's under 5 miles so I do okay on my v8 and out the door.  Weekends when I go long I eat breakfast and wait about an hour before heading out to run.  Keeps the stomach issues at bay and lets the gi system "work" before heading out the door.  Nothing worse than iterrrupting a good run for the morning dump.