I’m looking for some advice. I just completed my third half marathon at the end of April (so I’m not new to running) but I also just had surgery on 5/13 and my doctor has told me I can’t run for two weeks after the surgery. So how do you recommend I start running again? Just run according to the training plan or ease into it? Thank you for your help!!

After my run, a small low-fat chocolate milk within 30 minutes of finishing if I know I won’t have a meal within that time.

It is important to get your body used to eating pre long runs so you don’t dip into your reserves too soon and bonk or take longer to recover.

I love the chocolate milk though, it sits well in my stomach and sometimes if I am doing a track workout I push harder while thinking “chocolate milk!”

It’s hard to generalize what you should eat before/after a long run since everyone has a different diet, but try eating a bagel with peanut butter, a banana and a glass of OJ 60-90 minutes before your run to give you a good amount of carbs, sugar and potassium for your longer runs. It should keep you full without making you bloated and give you enough energy to finish your run.

Once you are finished your run, try to eat something like pasta, rice, bread, nuts (almonds/peanuts,etc) or fruits within the first 30 minutes after finishing because your body needs to replenish the nutrients it has lost during your run.

Good luck!

Becca @GRITSGAL