Rice Krispies Treats are not a new thing for me in 2025.

The reason they fit into that category and why I’m writing about them is not the Rice Krispies Treats themselves, but the way in which I am now using Rice Krispies Treats.

I told you yesterday about Runner’s World - and the magazine had a little piece in there about cheaper snacks that can serve the same purpose as some of the more expensive running fuel.

And one of the suggestions was Rice Krispies Treats.

Two of the small bars can provide the same amount of carbs as one of the pricey Maurten bars. (Let me just say here - I think I had a Maurten bar in the post-run bag from the Chicago Marathon. It was pretty good. Also in that bag - a Muscle Milk, which I started drinking after Chicago and haven’t stopped drinking since. I have one after every hard workout. I love them, and I think they’ve played a pretty big role in helping me recover from those workouts.)

That same article suggested 30 to 50 grams of carbohydrates an hour or two before a run is ideal (for the energy it produces).

Which is fine, but the problem is I don’t always know when I’m going to run, let alone when it will be an hour before I run. Or, if I’m running first thing in the morning, I’m not awake an hour before I run.

But it did make me think about carb loading - what’s the ideal amount I should be eating the night before a run, or the weekend of a marathon? You always hear about carb loading, but I never think about it in total grams terms.

The article got me thinking about it and doing some more research - and it’s kind of complicated for my brain.

There is a certain equation you can do - 8-10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight. (Maybe I need to read less metric-centric articles.) And there’s a higher percentage of the calories in your diet that should be carb-heavy.

These are not things I often think about - but maybe I should be.

There was also the best argument I heard for tapering, which is something I never fully understood - by running less, you’re allowing your body to store more energy leading up to the race. I have already made my bed here with the non-taper, but that’s good to keep in mind for the future I guess.

I have a book about eating for running - maybe I should re-read what that book has to say about carb loading.

I do know this - the last time I ran Chicago we went to a catered dinner because we were running with RMHC, and they hosted the spaghetti carb-loading dinner.

This year, we’re on our own.

I’m sure we’ll find somewhere to eat something the night before the marathon.

But I think I’ll bring a sleeve of wheat bagels - that’s a good go-to even on the morning of the race.

Pop-Tarts, I’ve mentioned are a good option.

And, of course, now we know we should have a bunch of Rice Krispies Treats in the hotel room as well.