Running tip: Start running… but please don’t sober

It's no coincidence that Peter Tauber's new book shares the same title as the current one by Irina Strohecker and me: "Get Running!" We all share the same wish: that as many people as possible experience firsthand how healthy and beneficial running is for body and mind. But people only do that when they do it: start running.

We can read as much as we want about the health benefits of running or let social media bombard us with them, but in the end, we have to get running ourselves. Whether on a treadmill or, even better, outside. One foot in front of the other, arms in motion, push off, flight phase, catch ourselves, next step, feel your breath, keep running, feel your whole body, keep running, develop mental strategies, feel fatigue, keep running, feel exhaustion, run a little bit longer, allow yourself to recover, feel relaxation, feel happiness and pride, achieve health progress and fitness.

A lap around the block is enough to start with. But you have to do it. It's such a small step, but the revelation that quickly follows is so huge. Wow, that's exhausting. Wow, I'm good. Wow, I want more. Wow, I'm hungry. Wow, I can quickly change my body structure with it. Yes, running boosts every metabolism, even after the first outing. And that feels good.

Perhaps this is one reason for the third running boom currently underway. The first running boom began in the 1970s with the emergence of large city marathons. New York was the first, and in the 1980s, large street marathons also emerged in German cities like Frankfurt and Berlin, enjoying increasing popularity. But the fields were initially elite and... male.

Women were the ones who helped fuel the second running boom. Among other things, they ensured that registration numbers for the Frankfurt Marathon, for example, increased from 3,169 in 1981 to over 27,500 runners in 2016. Not only for the marathon distance, but also in relay races and children's races. Because the time had come for fitness and recreational runners.

Set a goal, work toward it, check it off, and enjoy your success. Nowhere is success more predictable than in running. My entire "running career" also took place during this second wave of the running boom. In 2003, I ran my first marathon in Munich in 3:58 hours, and nine years later, I ran my fastest marathon in Frankfurt in 2:52 hours. And that was before the era of carbon fiber shoes.

But that's not my point today. My point, once again, is about nutrition. During my most intensive training years, I did one thing a lot: I almost always ran on an empty stomach. Did it harm me? No. Did it stress me out? Yes.

Of course, we can run on an empty stomach. So, to briefly clarify the definition of "on an empty stomach": we're actually running on an empty stomach when it's been at least 16 hours since our last meal. So, if you last ate something at 4:00 p.m. and then go to the gym at 8:00 a.m. the next day, you're on an empty stomach. Very few people do that, so very few people actually run on an empty stomach.

If you last ate 16 hours ago and then go for a run before your next meal, your body will quickly bring you to your knees. Feel free to give it a try, but please don't complain about a failed workout, a prolonged recovery time, or a sudden onset of injury or infection.

But humans are capable of running on an empty stomach; otherwise, we would likely have become extinct. Even with hungry stomachs and empty stores, our species must be able to expend energy to obtain food or hunt. But just because we can does it doesn't mean it's good for us. At least not in the long run.

So, while I wasn't completely sober in the scientific sense during all my workouts, I did mostly train according to the motto: "First business, then play!" Race first, then breakfast. Since my workout was usually preceded by a hearty dinner followed by a snack on the couch, my training usually worked. So well, in fact, that I wasn't hungry at all immediately after the workout and was proud of my well-functioning energy system.

But at some point, the intense hunger would strike, coupled with a massive appetite. At the very latest, after the respective season's goal, but usually already in the middle of the training cycle, which then led to regular, unbridled food intake, including the subsequent guilty conscience. It was stressful. For the mind and the body. Especially for me, as a young woman who relies on a consistent, healthy, and complex carbohydrate intake when demanding peak athletic performance from her body. Instead, I repeatedly tortured it with long runs on empty stores or training phases without consuming carbohydrates. Thank you, dear body, for going along with it all so well.

Thank you, dear third running boom, that the people riding your wave are finally eating right. Because, lo and behold, more and more experts are agreeing that breakfast before training makes sense. The secret is out: sugar makes you fast! So, the right sugar at the right time. The guys and girls who recently ran through London, Düsseldorf, or Hamburg, or ran away from the so-called Cather Car at the "Wings for Life" event, are consuming tons of carbohydrates along the way—much more than was the case 20 years ago.

I'm deliberately writing about the guys and girls here, because I'm primarily referring to the younger generation. They've realized that the body functions much better when it gets the fuel it needs for intense performance. I have nothing against fasting for several hours or even days. But when it comes to sports, sugar molecules need to get into the blood.

Eat before you run, eat during your run, and eat immediately after you run. You can remain fasting the rest of the time. Try it, and trust me: This energy strategy will keep your metabolism running at full speed for years to come, so that you can stay one thing above all else in the spirit of the third wave of running boom: healthy and motivated!