Taking in nutrition during long runs is important because it will allow you to recover much faster from a longer, harder workout vs. depleting yourself and then trying to take in calories afterwards which usually is hard to do. Often taking in nothing and depleting yourself leaves you feeling faint and/or nauseated making eating afterwards the last thing you want to do. After any workout there is about a 30 min window to replace calories and fluids to allow you to start recovery...miss that and it will take you even longer to get over that workout. As triathletes and endurance athletes we have other workouts to get to in the days after so RECOVERY is critical!
So when coming up with a nutrition plan for yourself it is important to consider a few things:
- The distance you are running
- The amount of time it will take
- The effort being given
- The weather
- Is the run a brick run or during a race since that can change the plan
If you need help coming up with a plan, ask your coach! That is what I am here for!
Here are easy guidelines that I use to help me know what to pack:
I ALWAYS carry some type of liquid for anything over 30 min! I am in the habit now of drinking so to go without does not work for me.
Every 30 min I aim to drink 1 Fuel Belt bottle of 8-10oz.
For long runs (Anything over 1 hour) I will often put 1 gel IN the Fuel Belt bottle to mix with water. The biggest mistake I see athletes make is taking gel without water. This leads to GI distress, which isn't fun!
For runs in the 3 hour range I will normally still put some gels in the original Fuel Belt bottles but I might aim to take in some Powerbar Gel Blasts or a package of Sports Beans as well which will give me close to 300 calories during my first easy hour of running. This is a lot of calories and something I have had to train my gut to accept but what I have found is that taking in calories EARLY changes how you feel during that last hour.
In the past I have also done the 20, 40, 60 rule taking in gels and then sipping on water separately. For some people this will work great IF you get enough water in. For others this could cause GI distress. Again - we are looking at 300 calories here. Keep in mind that this is for ENDURANCE runs. If you are doing a shorter/harder 90 min run you probably should not try dumping 300 calories in your gut. That is why when planning your nutrition for your workouts you need to have a good idea of how to answer the questions above.
For long slow distance (LSD) runs in the winter when your HR is low you can even consider eating some solids like a square of Peanut Butter and Jelly every 30 min starting around 90 min in. Pretzels, Saltines and other easy to digest starchy foods will help to absorb some of the acid in your stomach and actually help you feel better.
For long runs at the track I have found that sipping from a water bottle in between sets allows me to drink a little more when I am working harder and sweating more. During the summer months I might opt to have a little bit of a light sports drink at the track as well for the electrolytes.
If the weather is really hot and humid you are going to need more fluids so you have to plan your route accordingly if you can't carry it all. Even in the winter you still need to stick roughly to this 8-10 oz per 30 min so that you don't see decreased performance. While it is hard to make yourself take in that water, sipping on it every 5-8 min makes it a little easier for you to absorb.
Electrolytes - many athletes think in the winter that they don't need these, which is not really true. If you are a heavy sweater you will still need some sort of electrolyte which you might get enough of in your gels but if you find that you are cramping this means you need to carry Base Salt or Endurolytes (Hammer Nutrition) with you. Base Salt is a newer product but basically it is like carrying a salt lick with you during a race, which in turn helps you drink more. I find it easy to use. Endurolytes and other pill forms of electrolyte replacement often require you to take multiple (up to 6 tablets per hour) which for most athletes becomes difficult to remember to take and the longer you run, the more finger dexterity you loose so you tend to drop them as well. They do work...but I always like the easier option, which I consider to be the Base Salt now.
Gels - Every year I have athletes tell me that they can't take gels. Please keep in mind that there are lots of different gels out there. GU happens to be my favorite because of all the flavor varieties. I will admit that Carboom which is all-natural also tastes really good and sometimes can be easier on your stomach. Accel gel is much more fluid which some people find easier to get down. Then there is Huma gel, which is made from chia seeds that is popular with a lot of athletes and actually tastes very good. Honey Stingers make gel and gummies as well allowing athletes yet another type of fueling source. The moral of the story is if you are using something that you don't like or doesn't work for you, try something else until you find something you do like! Also ALL GEL needs to be taken WITH WATER! If you ignore that little fact, you will always have problems!
So here are a few examples of how nutrition might look on your next runs:
6 mile run with some tempo = 1 8-10oz flask with a gel mixed in with water
10 mile run with 1 mile race pace efforts = 2x 8-10oz flasks with gel mixed in OR 2 flasks of water and 2 packages of sports beans where you pop a few in your mouth each mile and sip water (see how that works with the workout?)
2 hour LSD run = 4x 8oz bottles with water and 2 gels and 2 packages of Clif Shot Blocks. Every 2 miles take a few blocks or take half a gel with WATER. Main thing here is make sure to have 8oz of water finished every 30 min. If you want to skip any gels during this I would go with 2-3 blocks every 2-3 miles WITH WATER. I would carry 4 packages with you. Even if you don't eat them all it is a good place to start.
LOOK AT YOUR TRASH! When you are finished with your run look at the wrappers of everything you ate and add up the calories. Did you only eat half a package of blocks during the first hour? That would only be 50 calories! Look at your water bottles? Are they all half full? This is how you learn what you are really doing vs. what you should be doing. Make notes in your workout on what you ate and how you felt. Maybe you also figure out that Sour Apple Carmel gel is disgusting. It is much better to figure this out and learn these lessons in training than at a race.
This started out to be a really short and quick overview of nutrition while running to send to two athletes this week (Thanks Will & Kristin). Apparently there is nothing short or quick about it! Questions are always welcome!
