Long run tomorrow - fuel prep

Hum, I'd eat my normal every day type of super, I would probably have my usual slice of toast with PB pre-run, and I'd only carry water on the run.  If you were going to run in the heat of the day I'd probably switch it to an electrolyte drink...maybe.  Your logs are restricted so hard to say how big a stretch 8 miles will be to you.  If you are training properly should be a fairly relaxed run with no additional needs.

Hum, saw where you said it would take you close to 2 hours.  I would probably take 1 gel or your shot blocks or whatever are fine.  Anything under 1.5 hours I am not taking anything

Edited by bzgl40 2013-06-22 4:49 PM

When I was marathon training I would eat the following for breakfast:
- Cup of coffee (caffeine gets things moving BEFORE you get out for a run, not during) :-)
- Bowl of oatmeal with Greek yogurt and fresh blueberries, blackberries, or banana
- 2 slices of toast with sunflower seed butter (I'm allergic to peanuts)

Sounds like a lot of food, but it's necessary to get though some of the longer runs.

During my runs I would bring GU energy gels, 20 oz of water, and 20 oz of G2 Gatorade (lower sugar to help avoid upset stomachs). On the really long runs I'd bring some pretzel sticks to munch on and even some salt packets to help replenish lost sodium.

Eating a decent meal with carbs the night before will help, but I found breakfast to be the most important for me.

Hope this helps!

I eat whatever the day before a long run until it starts breaking over 13 miles. At that point, I like to have pasta the night before. Doesn't seem to really help that much, or at all, but I figure it can't hurt. 13 miles is my breaking point for a lot of things. If it's cool, which I doubt it is anymore, I'd bring water and switch to Gatoraid for longer runs. If it's hot, It's bring Gatoraid instead. I don't bother with GUs unless I'm going probably 15+. I noticed no improvement in speed and therefore it seems like a waste of money. If I'm going 15+ though, I'll have one every 4-5 miles before I reach my car and then drink some Gatoraid to help wash it down.

Breakfast: eat what you can tolerate. For me it's normally a bowl of Raisin Bran or other semi-healthy cereal. I also just started to add some toast + peanut butter to that but if I do this, I stay home maybe 20 minutes longer to let it settle down. Experiment and find out what works for you now instead of waiting until the really long days.

No, it's not really that cool anymore. With temperature in 80s, it gets pretty harsh after an hour of running. Not to mention the humidity. Last run, I only carried 16oz of water and that did not workout for me. Even on the bike, I carry lot of hydration. I guess just what my body needs. Same thing with fuel... on the long runs, my stomach starts getting weird after 5miles... feels a little acidic and little hungry. Maybe that's the signal that I nearing the dreaded wall?

For breakfast, I'll eat some whole wheat toast+PB+banana an hour before. Hopefully that will be enough.

double post

Edited by ironbaby 2013-06-22 9:02 PM

For a run in the two-hour range, there's really no need to carbo-load. It's more a matter of not eating anything that might cause a problem on the run the next day--I usually avoid large amounts of meat, fatty or spicy foods, and raw veggies. I do tend to eat pasta, but mainly since it's easy to prepare and digest. I've also had great long runs and even races after meals like stir-fry and rice. I wouldn't worry about grams....just eat till you're satisfied. No need to go beyond that.

As for pre-long run breakfast, again, it's more important to avoid things that won't sit well (everyone's different in that respect, but dairy and fatty or high-fiber foods are common culprits) and get something in your stomach. If I'm in Vietnam and starting very early, I usually have a granola or energy bar and some coffee; if I can run a bit later (in Oregon), something more substantial a few hours before, like a bowl of Kashi with kefir, and/or some toast with peanut butter. On the run, I usually take a gel for anything over 90 minutes, and eat it at about an hour. If you're feeling "empty" and acidic, sometimes a solid, non-sweet food like pretzel sticks can help satisfy when gels or sports drinks don't. I know I was getting that feeling in the last miles of my half-ironman, and the pretzel sticks available at the aid stations really helped.

Thanks for advice here and on my thread from couple of weeks. I survived 9miles today ...but I still burnt out in a manner of speaking.

Day before - Had early dinner of pasta and grilled chicken. Nothing fatty, heavy, carbonated or alcohol.

Run day - Woke up in the morning and it was pouring but weather was supposed to open up later in day. Around noon, I had couple whole wheat toasts+PB+banana and around 3pm half a cliff bar. Small mistake though... while I was focussed on the eating, I forgot one little thing... drinking 20oz of water an hour before.

Run - Weather was near 90 and 80% humidity so - miserable. I was running a loop of 3x 3.2mile loops with a handy 16oz bottle of electrolyte water. Car was my restocking point at every loop (I was carrying about 60oz of water+electrolytes+Gatorade, just in case). Due to hot weather, speed was considerably slow... almost nearing 14min/mi on average. I consumed one pack of Gu during the run (in couple of doses) and at no point felt dehydrated, hungry or burn in stomach. But it was HOT!!!! Couple of times, I had stop at water fountains to douse my head in water and just stand in rare shade spots to cool a little. By the end, I couldn't stand the heat and legs didn't have much left in 'em. I could barely jog .2miles without having to walk.

After run - refueled with small dose of protein+carbs within 30mins before a good dinner. No ill symptoms like last time except for the searing headache that came about 3-4hrs after ending the run. Again, popped couple of Ibuprofen and all good now but this one happens to everytime I run in the sun. Is that normal with some runners? Any way to avoid this on the days of long runs? Consuming pain killers on a regular basis can't be good for my body either.

Edited by ironbaby 2013-06-24 3:30 AM

Hmm....Sounds you are probably just struggling with the heat and maybe the distance is a push at your current fitness level. And some days just suck a bit. There's not always an obvious reason. (This from 34 years of running experience.) As for headaches, they could be due to dehydration (no matter how much I drink on a long run or ride in Vietnam, I still seem to get dehydrated in conditions like you describe), or possibly migraine-type headaches from UV exposure. I get these (I also get them in cool weather); good sunglasses definitely help. An unusually long or hard workout, or race, will also trigger migraines in some people. If you're prone to them, I'd just do what you normally do for them, and pay attention to gradually building up mileage and speed.