"I run in the mornings before I’ve eaten so I tend to spend the most part of the run thinking about breakfast. Peanut butter is my breakfast staple. So I’ll most often have a big bowl of porridge with banana, dates and a generous spoonful of peanut butter on top, or a toasted peanut butter sandwich with mashed banana on thick seeded or rye bread or I whip up a smoothie with tons of berries banana and, erm, peanut butter. Peanut butter is extremely delicious but also provides a hit of heart healthy fats and a decent amount of protein to keep me full and the help my muscles repair. The other elements of my breakfast replace my glycogen stores and provide a healthy amount of fibre. I really love breakfast."
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Annie Rice, Web Assistant
"Chilli con carne. I cook it slowly for a couple of hours in the oven while I'm out running, so all the flavours are mixed together and the meat is soft and not gristly or tough. A great protein hit to help recover sore muscles. Serving it with rice means you get a decent carb hit to replace energy but without the gluten you can get in other types of carbs, which can irritate the gut. It has to be served with all the trimmings too: cheese and sour cream for bone building calcium, and salsa and guacamole for good fats and an immune system boost."
Kerry McCarthy, Commissioning Editor
"Mine's a bit dull but it's definitely scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on wholemeal toast. I usually throw a couple of sprigs of vine tomatoes in the oven to have with it, which are rich in lycopene, a strong antioxidant. As a brunch, this has a great balance of carbohydrate and protein, with some anti-inflammatory benefits from the salmon, which is also nice and salty to replace sodium lost in sweat. With a big pot of coffee!"
Sam Murphy, Section Editor
"I run at lunchtimes a lot, which means I don't have much food prep time, so big pasta- or rice-based 'salads' are favourites for me. Today's, being scoffed at my desk after getting my breath back from a 4 mile tempo run with RW Editor Andy Dixon. Brown pasta, chicken, spinach, avocado, sweetcorn and red onion. Carbs, protein, plenty of nutrients and pretty damn tasty, too.
More indulgent? A burrito. All time favourite post-race meal? A cheeseburger and fries (washed down with a pale ale or two) after last year's New York Marathon. Possibly not nutritionally the best recovery meal, but I don't think anything has ever tasted so good."
Joe Mackie, Deputy Editor
"I normally run before breakfast; I like running first thing when I'm feeling empty, plus there's the benefit of it being fasted so I just have a coffee and head out. This also makes eating breakfast even more of a joy as I'm starving when I have it. My favourite is porridge (oats, water and a splash of milk) with banana, cinnamon, peanut butter and raisins. It's delicious. I'll also have another coffee.
If I run in the afternoon, then I'll eat whatever I fancy afterwards. If I'm being 'good' I'll have a salad with chicken or fish. If not, then it's a Thai curry, burrito, sushi, shish kebab, whatever I want."
Ben Hobson, Web Editor
"I head straight for a chicken and avocado sandwich after a long run, of ten miles or so, which I've been doing every week for a while. I start with two chunky, wildly uneven, slabs of wholegrain bread, add slices of avocado (or smear it if the avocado is close to dissolving) and top this with lemon juice and black pepper. To this already delightful creation I introduce slices of chicken. The bread gives me carbs, the chicken provides protein and the avocado is packed with nutrients and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Am I thinking about any of this while I eat? No. Am I thinking it would taste even better with some bacon? Yes. Always. Sometimes, I give in."
John Carroll, Chief Sub Editor
