Eating while on your long run (Read 867 times)

Gosh, I can't believe nobody has answered you on this! At least to tell you that this is where you get to learn what works best for your body....some will imbed in their race reports what they did, what they shouldn't have done, etc...& that doesn't mean that that will necessarily work well for you...or not! See how ambiguous this is!?! I would/did start w/what I read most people did, & modified from there...it depends on what you find in balance btwn what your stomach can handle & what additional sources you need for enough energy/hydration - that being said, everybody's different....& it depends as well on how hard you race! how fast do you need to replenish has a bit to do with when/how often/what. GU's, shot blocks, regular honey, Gatorade, salt tabs & many other things.....all commonly used, in varying combo's, w/varying results - some always carry water bottles, some only use aid stations in races...know how far apart they are & what they stock - have you used it before, & w/what results figure out a loose plan. & go out & "test-drive" it...say a GU/shot block every 40 mins, carry just water: or GU/shot blocks every 7 miles, carry two bottles & alt gatorade/water...eat bagels w/peanut butter & banana 90 mins before running...eat oatmeal & toast...some can run on a more substantial breakfast, some run on next to nothing - I need a min. of 2 hrs btwn breakfast & a hard run...& it CANNOT be bacon & eggs! keep a detailed log of not only how hard you trained, but what fuel, rest, etc. is going into it.....& then go back & read the derned thing!

Gosh, I can't believe nobody has answered you on this! Oh well, I`m probably the only person training for their first marathon right now. The ideas sound good so far. I will have to experiment with an assortment of "goodies" that I will be picking up from the running store. I was just most curious about when to start consuming them during the runs. As I stated earlier, I know I`m good until at least 10 miles, or an hour 20 in. Thanks for your suggestions guys.

I go by time, not distance, to determine if I'm going to eat. Some of my 12 mile "runs" take 4-5 hours, some take not much more than 90 minutes, so time is a better indicator for me. If it's 2 -2.5 hours or longer, I eat on them. Usually I'll eat beforehand if it's a long run, then start eating 30-60min into it. Seems to work well for me, YMMV. Experiment w/ your runs and see what works. Best of luck, - Chris

Here's the consensus from a few years of marathoning and in general it's worked pretty well for me: Carb loading begins 2-3 days prior, not just the night before. Enjoy. No calories within 3 hours of the start, it may cause blood sugar/energy spikes. That might mean you have to get up really early. I generally have an Ensure (or comparable) and maybe a banana and/or bagel, 3 hours before the start. And coffee, if you want. This is the time to drink water, which leads to: No fluids within 2 hours of the start, or you will need one or more bathroom stops in the first miles. You can take some fluids/calories within 10 minutes of the start if you want. Start taking carbs about the 1 hour point, usually about mile 6 for most of us. After that, 200-250 calories per hour is about all you will be able to absorb so any more is not necessary. How you get those carbs is up to you, and that is what your long training runs are for, to figure out what works. Personally, I would not depend on the aid stations for carbs/sportsdrink. I've been burned too many times with nasty-tasting, wrongly-mixed, or absent sportsdrinks. So I carry my own carbs and just use aid station water. Some gels have caffeine. I've found that useful in the last 5-6 miles. OTOH, it might cause intestinal problems. Again, that's what the long runs are for. Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes! And by the way, don't do anything on race day that you haven't already tried out on your training runs. MTA: Start drinking water after mile 3 or so.

but am curious your basis for such a statement.

Experience, mostly. But if you are into articles, here's a good series on the subject of fluid intake, dehydration and exercise: Part I: History of fluid intake and a conflict of interest Part II: Fluid intake, dehydration, and exercise Part III: Comparison of laboratory and field studies, and implications for fluid intake mta: this is the most relevant one: Fluid intake, dehydration and exercise: Part IV (Why waiting until you are thirsty is NOT too late)

Well, anything over 10 miles is going to be all new territory to me. So it will be interesting to see what works and what doesn`t. I picked up a wide and varied assortment of energy gels, shots, beans, etc... to get me through the next several weeks of ever increasing long runs. I usually don`t carry water with me, so I think that I will take some along just to wash down the gels. I have used the gels and all on long bike rides, but as many of you know, you can seem to get away with more cycling than you can running. The owner of the local running store concurs with most everyone`s opinion so far. She recommended, based on her past experince as well, to take a gel or shot blok every 45 minutes or so on the long runs. This will take some getting used to, as I never have eaten anything while running. I appreciate everyones help and support.

I have never bought into the philosophy of drinking a lot of water -- personally I don't know why people stop for water in a 5K or 10K race! (I think the organizers have water stations for liability purposes?). The article made a good point I've always wondered about. If we take lessons from animals, WHY AREN'T THEY DRINKING ALL THE TIME?: "One last thing, is that as humans, we are regarded (by most, anyway) as the smartest animals, right? Yet for some reason, companies making fluids deem it necessary to inform you how much you should drink. Have you ever had to force your pet cat or dog to the water bowl? Have you ever seens signs in the wild pointing animals to the watering hole with instructions to drink before they're thirsty? Yet somehow, the Gatorades of the world have "discovered" the NEED to educate us all about fluid. It does strike one as patently ridiculous - thirst is good enough for every animal in the world, it's good enough for us...!" There is another thread on this forum somewhere where people are saying they drink a gallon of water a day. That's excessive! My cardiologist told me that they are getting more and more people in to see them with heart problems due to electrolyte imbalances from drinking too much water. I find I need lots of carbs though on runs of two hours or more. If I know I'm going to be out running that long (especially trail running which is harder work), I'll consume a gel before I start and then replenish the carbs with gels or shot bloks every half hour or so. So I'll take along enough water to take with the gels -- I drink maybe 12 ounces an hour or so on these longer runs and only when I feel thirsty or need a gel. On a ten mile run around my neighborhood I'll generally take 8 ounces or so of water with me (on an amphipod belt) just to drink when I feel thirsty. I've never been concerned with replacing water due to sweat loss.