Most runners who search how to get energy before a run are standing in the hallway at 6am with their shoes on and nothing in the tank. The fix starts the night before and finishes at the front door. Below is the routine runners and coaches keep coming back to: sleep, a small snack at the right time, water, a short warm-up and a playlist at the right tempo. The last step takes ten seconds and fits in your pocket.
How to get energy before a run starts the night before
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society advise adults aged 18 to 60 to sleep at least 7 hours a night. A CDC study found more than a third of American adults fall short of that on a regular basis. If your alarm is set for 5:45, the run begins with lights out before 10:45.
On the Couch to 5K forum at HealthUnlocked, a runner who heads out before breakfast asked why every 5K left them drained by the end. One reply went straight to the evening before: a good night's sleep and no alcohol or anything else that dries you out. Lay out your shoes and headphones too.
What to have before a run for energy
Timing decides most of it. Mayo Clinic's guidance on eating and exercise puts large meals at least 3 to 4 hours before a workout and small meals or snacks about 1 to 3 hours before. For a morning session, it suggests getting up early enough to finish breakfast at least an hour before you start. With less than an hour, it points to something light and carbohydrate based, or a sports drink.
ASICS lists the snacks runners reach for before a short, fast run like a parkrun or a 10k:
- a banana with peanut butter and honey
- one slice of toast with jam
- a cereal bar
- a handful of cereal
For long runs the same list moves to porridge with banana, a bagel with peanut butter or muesli with blueberries. ASICS also suggests keeping high-fibre vegetables, heavy proteins, cheese, lentils and spicy food for after the run.
The banana comes up again and again. The HealthUnlocked runner who started that thread ate one with a sports drink before the next run, felt less drained and set a 5K personal best under 27 minutes.
“Definitely energized.”
Drink early, then stop
Mayo Clinic suggests roughly 2 to 3 cups of water (473 to 710 ml) in the 2 to 3 hours before a workout. Spread it out. One glass on waking and another with your snack is an easy way to get there.
Warm up on the footpath
Fleet Feet's pre-run routine needs no equipment. Do it on the footpath outside your door:
- Walk for about 5 minutes at an easy pace.
- Butt kicks, 15 to 20 per side.
- High knees, 15 to 20 per side.
- Leg swings at a wall or post, 10 forward and back on each leg, then 10 side to side.
- Three to six strides of 20 seconds, walking 20 to 30 seconds between each.
By the last stride your legs feel loose and your breathing has found a rhythm.
Music at 125 to 140 beats per minute
Dr Costas Karageorghis and his team at Brunel University have studied music for exercise for years. They found exercisers prefer a narrower band of tempo than once thought, roughly 125 to 140 beats per minute, and in a 2008 treadmill study medium-tempo tracks at 115 to 120 bpm drew the strongest motivational ratings. That research fed into Run to the Beat, a London half marathon with live bands on the course, which drew 8,000 runners in 2008 and 17,000 in 2011.
Put the slower tracks first for the warm-up and save the 130s for when you head out the door.
Energy for a morning run when your head is still asleep
You can do all of the above and still feel half awake on the doorstep. Your legs are ready and your head is ten minutes behind. ASICS lists too much tea or coffee among the things to keep away from before a run.
Plenty of people searching instant energy for running want a feeling they can switch on in one step at the door. Our pick for that step is one spray of Dragon Breath.
Dragon Breath is a chilcuague extract in a 50 ml mouth spray. Chilcuague (Heliopsis longipes), also called golden root, is a root from Central Mexico, gathered wild from growth zones the Mara team selects with the help of local elders. The root carries affinin (also called spilanthol), measured at 6.9 to 8.5 mg per gram of root. You can read what chilcuague is and where it grows in our full guide.
Here is what happens at the trailhead. You spray once into your mouth. Within 10 seconds a bright, electric buzz spreads across the tongue and mouth. Your mouth floods with saliva. A clean, fresh feeling lingers as you start your watch. One customer, filmed moments after a single spray, said it in two words: "Definitely energized." Another, on first spray, said "Oh wow, the saliva flow."
The taste is earthy and a little peppery for a second, then the tingle takes over. Start with one spray. Once you know the feeling, you can go up to five.
Why a spray works on a run
It lives in your pocket. The bottle fits in a shorts pocket, a waistband or the zip pouch on a running belt, and there are 250+ sprays in each one. A few sprays is all it takes, so a single bottle covers more than 100 runs at two sprays each, with a spray at the door and another at the turnaround point if you want it.
The extract stays sealed. Loose root and powder sit open to air and light. Dragon Breath is dual-extracted in organic solutions and kept in Miron violet glass, which keeps light off the extract and adds significant longevity to its quality and potency. Dark amber glass is a step in the right direction. Miron glass is the gold standard, and it is what Mara uses.
It is vegan, gluten free, sugar free and non-GMO.
Dragon Breath – Chilcuague Extract
50 ml mouth spray. Wild-harvested chilcuague root, dual-extracted. 250+ sprays.
Add to bagThe whole routine on one screen
- The night before, 7 hours of sleep and your kit laid out.
- 1 to 3 hours out, a banana, toast with jam or a cereal bar.
- In the 2 to 3 hours before, 2 to 3 cups of water, spread out.
- At the door, walk, butt kicks, high knees, leg swings and strides.
- Playlist queued at 125 to 140 bpm.
- One spray of Dragon Breath, wait for the buzz, then go.
Questions people ask
What should I eat 30 minutes before a run?
Keep it small and carbohydrate based. Mayo Clinic suggests a light, carbohydrate-based meal or a sports drink when you have less than an hour, and runners on the HealthUnlocked forum often reach for a small banana.
Can I run on an empty stomach in the morning?
Many runners do short easy runs before breakfast. Several runners on the Couch to 5K forum said a 5K needs no extra fuel, while others feel better with a banana and a glass of water first.
How many sprays of Dragon Breath before a run?
Start with one spray into the mouth. Once you know the feeling, you can go up to five, and with 250+ sprays per bottle there is plenty for the door and the turnaround.
How fast do you feel Dragon Breath?
Within about 10 seconds of one spray, a bright buzz spreads across the tongue and mouth and the mouth waters fast.
