The worst thing I’ve ever eaten before a run? Two whole lobsters…and beer

Every runner has made that mistake. You know, the one where you stuff your face before a run thinking that your stomach is made of steel. If a tempting snack – or feast for that matter – has you feeling guilty, don’t fret. Fellow runners, we’ve been there too… We asked the Canadian Running magazine team to tell us the worst things they’ve eaten before a run. The results were… rather atrocious.  

Dave Smart, editorial director

“Chicken roti. Not very light in the stomach.”

Dan Walker, account manager and social media

“Tuna sandwich. With pickled hot peppers.”

Joel Vosburg, account manager

“A few weeks ago I ate some Banana bread… haven’t ran since.”

Tim Huebsch, staff writer

“I was so nervous before a race that I ate an entire thing of these:

“Best race I’ve had. ”

Sinead Mulhern, web editor

“I ate a somewhat massive pulled pork sandwich. With fries. Then I went for a 16K run. I’m really not sure why I thought that would be OK. It wasn’t.”

Claire Duncan, Triathlon Magazine Canada web editor, contributor 

“I ate a grilled cheese sandwich from Starbucks a couple hours before a race once because it was the only place that was open and I was starving. I threw up mid-race.”

Andre Cheuk, advertising & sales 

“Coffee and potato chips. It was for an after work run once. I was starving, but had nothing snack-sized or quick in the cupboard or fridge, save for a half-eaten bag of chips. The coffee is my usual pre-run pick me up. Somehow the combo of the caffeine and oily chips made for weirdly bad gut rot. I made it through the run and did my workout, but my cupboard has since become well stocked with healthier snacks.”

Sam Cohen, publisher

“I served BBQ lamb and beans to a group of people who were sharing duties in a triathlon the next day.  None of them were very happy with me.”

Joan Chung, podcast producer 

“Since I already have stomach issues, I’m pretty careful about what I eat pre-run so I don’t have any immediate pre-run gross outs. I did eat moules-frites in France for dinner and went for a run the morning after. I wasn’t so much sweating from the heat and running home as I was sweating from the urge to go to the bathroom and racing home.” 

But the worst of the lot is… 

Michael Doyle, editor

“Two lobsters. Yes, one was not enough (so much creature, so little meat). Coleslaw. Potato salad. Two beers. Then I went for a ten mile run on a rainy Nova Scotia highway on Christmas eve. There were zero open gas stations. I forgot to mention I also had butter for dipping… obviously.”