Many runners will tell you that the best energy sources for endurance running come from all natural sources. The most common examples being bananas and, of course, water. I also talked about why chocolate milk is one of the best recovery drinks on the planet (although it’s not entirely natural it is close enough). But there are other fuel sources that are cheap and naturally available that most runners aren’t aware of but should consider using. In this article I’ll talk about honey and the characteristics of it that make it one of the best energy sources for runners.
Honey is composed almost entirely of sugar
One of the first things you learn as a runner is that you need to consume a lot of carbohydrates. These sugars are stored as easily accessible fuel in your muscles and consumed by your body as you run. “Carb loading” is a common pre-race ritual where runners consume high amounts of complex carbohydrates in an effort to pack their muscles with as much fuel as possible. However, runners need to continue to consume a couple hundred calories per hour when going for runs lasting more than 1 or 2 hours.
As either a pre-run meal or during the race honey acts as a wonderful supplement. Analysis of typical jars of honey finds that it is made up of about 38% Fructose, 31% Glucose, 2% Sucrose, 7% Maltose, 17% water, and the remainder being a mixture of smaller constituent ingredients. As you can see from the ingredients you’ll receive multiple types of sugar (some simple and others more complex). That gives runners a nice combination of quick and slow absorption carbohydrates for sustained energy during exercise.
Fortunately honey comes in convenient packs similar to most running Gu’s. My favorite brand is called Honey Stingers and can be purchased online. It comes in several flavors however I recommend Gold, which is a pure honey flavor and has no other additives. Honey Stingers come packed with B vitamins which are known to induce euphoric effects, helping you to stay happy and positive as you start to hit high mileage.
How runners can incorporate honey in their diet
Consuming honey as a gel – As I mentioned above one of the simplest ways you can consume honey before and during the run is via honey gel packs. Each pack contains 120 calories, 50mg of sodium and 85mg of potassium. As with most gels it’s recommended that you consume one 15 minutes before you start a run and an additional gel pack for each 30 minutes of continued exercise. From experience the gel packs don’t upset the stomach either. During a recent 50 mile race I consumed 22 packs during the race and didn’t experience an upset stomach for a minute. This is one of the reasons why Honey Stingers are the only running gels that I eat during long runs or races. If interested you can find more information about the gel packs here.
Adding honey to water – other runners will also dilute honey in their water so that they can continually ingest the sugary concoction during their runs. For example, you can mix 2 ounces of honey per 12 ounces of water. Assuming you drink 24 ounces of water per hour you’ll then consume 4 ounces of honey which equates to about 400 calories per 24 ounces of water, give or take a few calories. That’s approximately how many calories you want to consume per hour during long runs anyhow. But that’s not to say you should only be eating honey. You need other fuel sources (eg proteins, fats) as well. But in terms of a carbohydrate resource honey is a sure bet.
Mixing honey with other foods – my all time favorite meal before a long run is whole wheat bread with a generous layer of Nutella and at least 2-3 ounces of honey smeared on top. It’s heaven on a slice of bread and comes packed with calories, many of which are sugars. Two slices of Nutell and honey on bread plus a banana is usually the perfect mix for me to get fueled the morning of a long run. Occasionally I’ll even pack an additional honey and Nutella sandwich to eat at the mile 15 mark if I’m running further than 20 miles that day. If Nutella isn’t your thing then you can go with a PB & J (plus honey) sandwich.
Adding honey in your tea - it’s also critical to get hydrated the morning of a long run. Most runners will do that buy waking up and getting at least 20 ounces of water down in the waning hours before they start running. Personally I prefer making a large cup of green tea and mixing in generous portions of honey. The end result is you’ll get in a high volume of water, a small amount of caffeine to help wake you up and give you a bit of a performance enhancement, plus the carbohydrates from the honey for easily accessible muscle fuel.
Quick list of honey products
A few health risks
There are some health concerns when consuming honey so you should do your research or speak to your doctor before you dig in. Check out this wikipedia article for more details regarding the health concerns. But the short of it is you should speak with your physician to check whether or not you have any allergies related to honey and also make sure you buy filtered/refined honey. Filtered honey removes many of the particles/impurities that can cause illness. Most honey’s sold in stores are refined to remove any/all impurities and it will clearly be displayed on the label.
A few health benefits
Though contested and still not entirely clear, it’s been suggested through research that the pollen collected by bees and passed into honey has an anti-allergic effect and can mitigate common daily allergies that some people experience. Honey has also been used for years to soothe sore throats and minimize congestion brought on buy the common cold as well as to battle diabetic ulcers. Check out this link for a complete list of medicinal uses.
Honey is a simple, cheap and highly effective energy source for runners. As you can tell from the above information it’s pretty easy to get your hands on it and it can be consumed in several ways. I would start by testing out honey as a fuel source on a 1-2 hour run. See how it settles in your stomach and how it performs as a fuel source and then scale it from there. And if you’re looking for a pre-run meal then definitely try my Nutella and honey on whole wheat combo!
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Thanks for all the good info.I’m runnimg my first 5K On 10/9/10 my favorite breakfas is english mufin with peanut butter and banana, but I have nutela and I love. I will definale have it before the run this Saturday.
Really good advice! I never knew that honey could be such an important supplement for runners. I’m going to have to start giving this a try and putting honey in my oatmeal and tea before I go on my long runs on weekends.
Honey is much more then just energy source , honey and bee products like bee pollen or royal jelly are one of the greatest superfoods .Benefits of eating these are tremendous. ALWAYS look for raw,organic honey.
I LOVE honey! Definitely need to incorporate more of it in my diet!
You’re welcome Drew! Let us know how it goes when you start introducing honey into your diet and if you notice a difference during your runs.
I live in New Zealand and have honey on toast before a morning run. The NZ coach the late Arthur Lydiard said it is pure energy and good for runners.The late Jack Lovelock
also thought honey was good.
[...] to the blog Made to Run, honey is the perfect running fuel. “As either a pre-run meal or during the race honey acts as a wonderful supplement. Analysis [...]
As Patrick says try to use raw, organic (natural) honey. It’s the best. Nothing from industrial production.
Honey on most cereal is fantastic.