5K - Starter week
Simple food cues for your next 7 days of running.
This is general nutrition guidance, not personalised medical or dietetic advice. Examples may include common allergens, so use swaps where needed. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, have allergies, or have a history of disordered eating, speak to a registered dietitian or healthcare professional.
Who this is for
You run regularly or are building towards a 5K. Your week may include easy runs and one harder session.
This week's focus
Eat before harder runs with enough time to feel comfortable, then refuel steadily afterwards.
How to use it
The days are building blocks. Move them around your real runs, rest days and busy days.
Use the workout card on the day your plan has its harder run.
Use easy runs to practise snacks before you need them in a harder session.
After harder runs, aim for carbs, a protein food and a drink.
If a meal or snack sits well, keep it in the rotation.
Your 7-day week
Use these in any order. Match them to your real runs, rest days and busy days.
Banana or toast if your last meal was hours ago.
Porridge made with milk or fortified plant milk, topped with berries, yoghurt and chopped nuts.
Your next meal can cover recovery.
Small familiar snack 30-90 minutes before.
Rice bowl with chicken, chickpeas or tofu, mixed veg and avocado or olive oil dressing.
After the session, aim for carbs, a protein food and a drink.
Not needed today. Keep meals steady.
Vegetable soup with wholemeal bread, plus fruit and yoghurt or fortified plant yoghurt.
Rest helps the next session feel better.
Crumpet, cereal bar or malt loaf if needed.
Pasta salad with tuna, beans, feta or tofu, plus tomatoes, cucumber and spinach.
If your next meal is soon, let that be your recovery.
Not needed today.
Wholemeal wrap with falafel, chicken or houmous, roasted veg and salad leaves.
Keep it relaxed and filling.
Do not test a brand-new food today.
Fajitas with beans, chicken or tofu, peppers, onions, salsa and yoghurt or avocado.
Have a meal with carbs and a protein food afterwards.
Toast, bagel or porridge with banana.
Beans on wholemeal toast with eggs or houmous, plus avocado, tomatoes or spinach.
Make lunch or dinner include carbs, a protein food and veg.
Run-day basics
Easy swaps
Swap foods around without rebuilding the week. Quick swaps for common dietary needs.
Eggs, cheese, yoghurt, beans, lentils, tofu, falafel.
Tofu, tempeh, lentils, chickpeas, beans, houmous, fortified plant milk.
Rice, potatoes, gluten-free oats, pasta, bread or wraps.
Fortified plant milk, dairy-free yoghurt, houmous, avocado.
Frozen veg, tinned beans, rice, pasta, own-brand cereal bars.
Shopping list
Pick a few basics from each group so you have easy meals, run-day snacks and drinks ready without overthinking it.
For 5K running, the small stuff matters most: arrive fed, recover simply, repeat what works.
Ready for more?
The full RunFuel plan turns this starter week into 30 days of simple run-day meals, snacks and recovery prompts.
Get the 30-day system