Carb timing with millets for runners

Carb loading usually means mountains of rice or pasta the night before a long run. Millets do the same job with a gentler blood-sugar curve.

Because millet starches digest slowly, glycogen tops up steadily overnight instead of spiking and crashing. Runners report waking up fuelled rather than heavy.

The protocol: a millet-based dinner 10–12 hours before a long effort, a light millet muesli bowl 2–3 hours before start, and nothing new on race day that you haven’t tested in training.

For recovery, pair millet carbs with protein within 45 minutes of finishing — muesli with milk is the lazy, effective option sitting right in your kitchen.