Runners: fueling long runs?

jcm

jcm

Cathlete
I have a question for you who are more experienced with long runs. I'm training for a half the end of the month and my long runs have now hit the 2 hour mark. Just curious what you put in your body and at what times? Think I've read after an hour is about the time to start something - water or Gatorade? And what about all these energy gels and bars? At about 90 mins. yesterday I did eat a little bit of banana.

This is new territory for me - and to be honest this half is completely out of my comfort zone! I kind of feel intimidated ... like now I'm hanging out with SERIOUS runners :)

Jen
 
I keep a pouch of dried fruit with me and water. If it's a very hot day, I will switch to some diluted gatorade type drink.

Anytime a run is longer than 90 minutes for me, I like to have a little bit of fruit every couple of miles.
 
Hey Jen,

I've done 2 half marathons. I am a slow runner so it takes me longer than most folks to finish them. I usually make sure that I start hydrating myself the night before the race and eat a very carb oriented breakfast in the morning. At my last 1/2 I had a banana, chocolate chip muffin (not exactly the best carbs) and a Cliff bar. I felt really good and it helped me get me through the race. I also had gels with me and that helped. I think I had 2 - one at around 7 miles and one around 11 mile. I drank both Gatorade and water at every stop.

When I am training I don't drink Gatorade just water. I run with a camelback and this supplies all the water I need and I carry a couple of gels with me...just in case.

Jen....you will do great. I am not the fastest runner but I had a great time at both races. I am signed up for a 3rd in November. There are people of all walks of life, shapes, sizes and running ability.

Have a great time!!
 
if you can try the gels they would probably be the easiest since they don't melt (like a bar might) and you can just rip off the top and suck it up in a hurry. just try to drink some water w/ it, so maybe eat it right before a water station. i don't think i would wait one hour, though. maybe 45 mins, but everyone's different. try it in your training, that's the best way to work out your nutrition. you can do all the training in the world, but if you don't have a good nutrition plan in place it can really mess you up in a race.
best of luck to you! and have fun!
 
You should start drinking WELL before an hour! You likely heard something along the lines of "you need to take in fluids/calories if you are going to be running for longer than an hour" or some such - but that doesn't mean you should wait an hour to start.

If I'm going for a run that will last longer than an hour, I'll take a bottle with me on the run - you'll either want to use a sports drink with calories (~300/hour, give or take, spread out evenly) or use gels and plain water. I personally can't run on real food (meaning, there is no chance I'd ever run with a plan of eating a bar along the way!) so these are my options. If you go the gel route, you'll want to use roughly 3/hour, with water, spaced out evenly throughout your run.

You'll have to find out what works for you - sports drinks vs gels, and the exact number of calories that work for you. And if you are training for LONGER than an hour, you'll need more than what I just listed above - that was per hour. So calculate your needs from there, and plan loop runs, or near places you can refill your water bottle, etc.
 
Hi Jen -
I just ran a half marathon this past Sunday (finished in 2 hours!!! Woo hoo!!)... I drank sips of water at almost every water station which were set up at almost every mile, and about a half cup of Gatorade at around mile 8 or so. I did have a Vanilla Gu, but honestly it was making me nauseous, so I didn't have any more after the one. If you do have a gel, I think you need to wash it down with a good gulp of water to kind of dilute it. I have to be careful with eating any real food before or during a race because it seems to send me running to the bathroom, if you know what I mean. The only thing that doesn't have this effect on me is a few spoonfuls of plain or vanilla yogurt. Sliced oranges are nice too, but it can be messy to run with them. I don't like bananas, but they also seem to be the food of choice for long distance runners too. A lot of this depends on the weather too - if it's really hot out, you might need some extra fuel and hydration. Experiment on your long runs and see what works for you - everyone's body is different, and you have to find what works for you. A friend of mine has salted potatoes during her long runs!! Go figure...

Good luck, let us know how you make out and most importantly HAVE FUN!!!

Karen
 
Serious??? nahh, we are bunch of goobers;) Actually, I wouldn't hugely worry, find what you can eat and tolerate now, in your training, I do well with peanut butter, banana chips and thinned out juice (1/8 c. of regular juice/7/8 c. of water). The banana chips don't get hot and squishy like a regular banana. And, since its only a half marathon you should be ok with eating before and after. Even though I tend to eat low carb most of the time, I often have some sort of cereal with some nuts 1-2 hours before a long run.

The other thing to consider, is depending on how hot it will be you might want an extra pair of socks. If your feet get damp thats a recipe for terrible blisters. Its easy to just peel your socks and change them.

As for water, mspina put it well. You should be drinking the whole time, little sips, don't make yourself sloshy in the stomach. (thats horrible:()

Alisha
 
mspina said:
You should start drinking WELL before an hour! You likely heard something along the lines of "you need to take in fluids/calories if you are going to be running for longer than an hour" or some such - but that doesn't mean you should wait an hour to start.

If I'm going for a run that will last longer than an hour, I'll take a bottle with me on the run - you'll either want to use a sports drink with calories (~300/hour, give or take, spread out evenly) or use gels and plain water. I personally can't run on real food (meaning, there is no chance I'd ever run with a plan of eating a bar along the way!) so these are my options. If you go the gel route, you'll want to use roughly 3/hour, with water, spaced out evenly throughout your run.

You'll have to find out what works for you - sports drinks vs gels, and the exact number of calories that work for you. And if you are training for LONGER than an hour, you'll need more than what I just listed above - that was per hour. So calculate your needs from there, and plan loop runs, or near places you can refill your water bottle, etc.
Click to expand...

300 calories/hour is quite a bit higher than I've read. I think it depends on how long the run is and how much you weigh.

Here's a RW article that suggest for 1-2 hour runs, you need 30-60 grams of carbs/hour which is 120-240 calories. As a woman weighing less, I would opt for the lower end.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-301--13917-0,00.html

I'm just curious where you heard 300 calories/hour.
 
Thanks for all the helpful advice! This is new territory for me but I'm finding - and I've found in the past - that once my weekly mileage gets past 20 I really start to enjoy running. Have two more long runs before I start tapering so let the experimenting begin. Definitely have NOT been drinking enough during my runs.

Jen
 
Good luck Jen! Definitely try out what you are considering before race day - that is not the day to find out something doesn't agree with you. I also cannot run eating food and gels make me nauseous too. Two easy options are Clif Shot Blocs (like square gummies) or Sport Beans (look like jelly beans). I start taking those at the first water stop and continue through the race at every water stop. Definitely sip water or Gatorade throughout the race at each water stop.
 
cindi1 said:
300 calories/hour is quite a bit higher than I've read. I think it depends on how long the run is and how much you weigh.

Here's a RW article that suggest for 1-2 hour runs, you need 30-60 grams of carbs/hour which is 120-240 calories. As a woman weighing less, I would opt for the lower end.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-301--13917-0,00.html

I'm just curious where you heard 300 calories/hour.
Click to expand...

My coach (not a BB "coach," but a real, degreed, professional endurance coach). :) But, I'm focused on longer distance tri-training, events that are anywhere from 2.5 - 5.5 hours long, and this is what we typically do for the bike leg. Running only events are quite possibly a bit less than that, although for the marathon this is what we did and it worked well for me.

Training and race nutrition are very personal things - you need to find what works for you. I can say, however, that most people grossly UNDERFUEL their workouts when they bump up to endurance events, so don't be afraid to take in calories.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top