aberkok

In a nutshell, the answer is definitely run before you eat. I find any feelings of hunger quickly subside (as long as I've had a meal within the past 4 or 5 hours), and the feeling of lightness and buoyancy from being empty is more fun to run with.

You won't be doing yourself any harm. Rest assured there is enough energy to do the run even though your feelings of hunger maybe telling you otherwise.

Now I answered that way because you said you need to start running. So your runs ought not to take that long. When they get over an hour or so (if you are interested in pursuing longer distances), you will want to manage your eating more, so that there is a little more in the tank. But that's another thread. I find a half a banana or so is more than enough to keep me going on the 1h30mins plus runs.

Final point: running shouldn't be the only component of your fitness plan. There should be some strength/resistance training in there. Even more important than running.

Oh and Kirstang - If you want explosive calves, incorporate some hill training. If you want them to look huge, then I'm not sure.

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