Ask me why I run, and I’ll tell you all the reasons you’ve likely heard before: it makes me feel empowered, clears my head and offers a welcome escape from the noise of everyday life. Ask me again – or, rather, ask me my favourite thing about running – and I’ll tell you I do it for the post-run coffee and croissant.

Yes, that’s right. You won’t catch me rushing home after parkrun on a Saturday morning for a protein shake and eggs. You’ll find me in the nearest café, enjoying a large cappuccino and attempting to eat an almond croissant in secret before my toddler spots it and claims the lot.

And the good news? You don’t need to feel guilty about your post-run pastry either. According to sports nutritionist Siân Secc, a croissant with a milky coffee can be a perfectly sensible post-run choice, particularly after an easy or moderate run.

What should you eat after a run?

‘Your coffee and pastry after your run is actually a really good option,’ says Secc.

‘You've got some protein in your milky coffee and carbohydrate in your pastry, which is all going to help refill your glycogen stores and get you ready for your next run.’

It’s worth noting that the coffee itself isn’t providing much of the recovery nutrition here – it’s the milk that's doing most of the nutritional heavy lifting.

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‘Milk is a real unsung hero because not only has it got more protein than you might realise, it’s giving you a dose of calcium which is really important for bone health and a dose of electrolytes,’ Secc writes on Instagram.

Meanwhile, the croissant provides carbohydrates, which can help replenish the glycogen your muscles use for fuel while running.

Is a coffee and croissant enough after a run?

It depends on the run.

A croissant and milky coffee may not provide enough protein or overall nutrition after a hard tempo session or a long marathon-training run, when your recovery needs will be greater.

But after an easier session, it can certainly contribute to refuelling – and, as Secc points out, post-run nutrition is also about consistency, enjoyment and being realistic.

‘Food doesn’t have to be perfect,’ she adds. ‘And yes sometimes we will go for different things but I would FAR RATHER you were having a lovely time with your friends, supporting local bakeries, making memories, being social and having SOMETHING rather than nothing post run and feeling sad and being underfuelled. Food freedom and flexibility, remember?!?’

The bottom line

The best post-run food is something you’ll actually eat, that helps you recover and that suits the run you’ve just done.

Sometimes that might be a carefully planned smoothie with yoghurt and oats. Sometimes it’s an Alice special – a croissant and a coffee.

And personally? I know which one I’d rather have after parkrun.