Fueling during long runs

[lauraleh]

Can someone walk me through what you do to fuel during long runs? GU, sports beans, etc... I have run three half marathons but have only ever drank water during the races and training runs. I thought it might be time to take better care of myself during and after the runs especially as summer approaches.

My questions:
1) At what distance would you use products?
2) What benefits do you see?
3) What are your favorites?

 

[DebiPT]

I like Sport Beans. I use them ~3 miles during half marathons. It might be placebo, but I feel a nice little kick about 10 minutes after I take them (the ones I use also have caffeine in them).

I don't use them during training runs, but that's because they are about 100 calories each and I'm trying to eat in a calorie deficit. I save them just for race days.

 

[Professor_Cookie]

I always take on long runs. I’ve been doing about 300 calories and hour with success between food and Drink. My last long run I just took water and ate all 300 calories. I have been taking food on some of my hour long runs just to see how my stomach handles different things. I will be giving a 200 calorie quesadilla a try this week on my long run and will also give bacon a try.

The only things I have had issues with are eating things in freezing temps. It makes it a pain to chew.

As far as benefits go, it helps break up long runs, helps keep energy levels up, and drives off hunger pangs.

Favorite-Honey Stinger Stroopwaffle, I have been a fan since before Lance’s fall from grace.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I only take in calories for runs longer than 15 miles. I use e gels. They keep my electrolyte levels even throughout very long runs, even in extreme heat and humidity. This allows me to keep pushing hard, without worries about the leg cramps that have bothered me since I passed my 50th birthday.

 

[jhoannam]

For anything longer than 90 minutes I eat.
I’ll eat at 50 minutes, usually take Huma gels.
For anything longer than 16 miles I’ll start with a peanut butter sandwich at 50 minutes. An hour later I’ll have a gel, if I need more I’ll have another gel in 50 minutes.

 

[DopeyBadger]

1) At what distance would you use products?

On runs longer than 90 minutes. Anything shorter than 90 min, I don't eat carbs during a training run.

2) What benefits do you see?

I don't really notice anything after taking it. But not taking it makes me a bit more foggy, sluggish, and succumb to fatigue sooner.

3) What are your favorites?

Was just walking myself through a thought experiment in my journal:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...mments-welcome.3475601/page-289#post-60491989

Ended up deciding on the following for the moment:

-On runs of 90 min or less, I might consider adding in Nuun Elite to my water as an electrolyte replenishment method when I'm noticeably sweating.
-On runs of 90 min or more, I'll probably pair Maurten 320 + Nuun Elite or Maurten 320 + Egel. I may consider playing around with trying to make Tailwind into a gel.
-For run races, I'll probably pair pre-race Maurten 320 + Egel. I may consider playing around with trying to make Tailwind into a gel.
-For indoor cycling over 90 minutes, I'll probably go with Tailwind.

 

[McNs]

generally if I’m running longer than an hour I’ll run with electrolytes (I have a locally sourced product I add to my camelback). Summer for sure over an hour, winter maybe closer to 1:30 for the fuel requirement. Runs over 2 hours I’ll take gels (the same I’ll use during a race) and take them at 40 minute intervals (or evenly spaced depending on the run time).

I don’t always have every gel, most of the time during training runs the electrolyte is sufficient, but I like to make sure there are no gut issues with gels as I always take them during a race.

I do find a performance improvement with longer runs maintaining fuel.

 

[FFigawi]

All good suggestions. The key is to experiment with many different fueling methods until you find the one which works for you. Each of us respond differently to gels, blocks, Tailwind, waffles, etc.

 

[lauraleh]

Thank you for all of your thoughts. I think I'll try a few things out on some longer (10ish miles +) runs this summer. My tendency in life is very hands off so I'm not surprised that I take the same path in my running.

 

[candyls1]

On a half marathon, I usually do a Gu around miles 7 and 11 with some water. Seems to do the trick for me.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

in training for my first half, I didn't take in any fuel at all. I just went out and did it. I made it through, but that also set me up for years of not taking in enough fuel during races. After that race, I would take an energy chew every 3 miles or so or whenever I realized I should have taken one, but didn't. This did not cause me much trouble in the half marathon distance, but it would have been disastrous during my first marathon.

For me, marathon training exposed just how poorly I had been doing at taking in fuel during long runs. I was hitting walls and bonking in the middle of distances that normally caused no trouble at all for me. It wasn't until I began to review everything with @DopeyBadger that I realized I was taking in 25% or less of what I should have been taking in.

1) At what distance would you use products?

I use the 90+ minute rule. If I will be running for more than 90 minutes, I take in fuel roughly every 45 minutes, starting 45 minutes after the run begins. Because we are all different, our bodies respond differently to different types of fuel. When I began to increase my race fuel to where it should be, I quickly discovered that it usually wasn't sitting as well on my stomach as I would like. So while I really like the taste of sport beans, I only use them during races when they're given out. In small quantities they work great for me, but if they are my only fuel source during a long run, they don't settle wonderfully on my stomach. I've never had serious issues, but it's a comfort thing.

I settled on huma gels. They work really well for me and I experimented with different flavors in marathon training so I knew what I really liked and reserved those flavors for certain moments.

I continued to stick with the every 45 minute rule, but made sure I was taking in enough fuel.

2) What benefits do you see?

While I sometimes think I feel some energy kick in a few minutes after taking the fuel, I'm not entirely sure that's an actual direct result of the fuel. The placebo effect could be very real. The biggest measurable that I can certainly see is sufficient energy to keep going. When fueling properly I don't feel like I'm dragging as much during long runs/races.

3) What are your favorites?

I've used clif bloks, sport beans, and huma gels. I'm fine with the taste of all of those, but find that huma gels work best as consistent fuel for me. Sport beans offer a nice break and sort of kind of feel like something different, which I tend to want in longer runs.

All good suggestions. The key is to experiment with many different fueling methods until you find the one which works for you. Each of us respond differently to gels, blocks, Tailwind, waffles, etc.

Definitely the case for me. You need to have a very good idea of how your body responds to different types of fuels so that new fuel does not cause major trouble on race day.

 

[steph0808]

Like others, I do fuel on runs over 90 minutes.

For those, I eat every 5 miles (about every 45-50 minutes).

Right now, I use Welch's fruit snacks. They're always in my house and they have about the same carbs as Sport Beans (that I used to use).

But I'm not sure they're enough for me.

I am thinking of going back to sport beans on the next training cycle. I'm also considering the caffeine sport beans. Not sure if those will have an adverse effect on me or not, as I don't consume a lot of caffeine regularly (I don't drink coffee or pop).

 

[lauraleh]

in training for my first half, I didn't take in any fuel at all. I just went out and did it. I made it through, but that also set me up for years of not taking in enough fuel during races. After that race, I would take an energy chew every 3 miles or so or whenever I realized I should have taken one, but didn't. This did not cause me much trouble in the half marathon distance, but it would have been disastrous during my first marathon.

For me, marathon training exposed just how poorly I had been doing at taking in fuel during long runs. I was hitting walls and bonking in the middle of distances that normally caused no trouble at all for me. It wasn't until I began to review everything with @DopeyBadger that I realized I was taking in 25% or less of what I should have been taking in.

I use the 90+ minute rule. If I will be running for more than 90 minutes, I take in fuel roughly every 45 minutes, starting 45 minutes after the run begins. Because we are all different, our bodies respond differently to different types of fuel. When I began to increase my race fuel to where it should be, I quickly discovered that it usually wasn't sitting as well on my stomach as I would like. So while I really like the taste of sport beans, I only use them during races when they're given out. In small quantities they work great for me, but if they are my only fuel source during a long run, they don't settle wonderfully on my stomach. I've never had serious issues, but it's a comfort thing.

I settled on huma gels. They work really well for me and I experimented with different flavors in marathon training so I knew what I really liked and reserved those flavors for certain moments.

I continued to stick with the every 45 minute rule, but made sure I was taking in enough fuel.

While I sometimes think I feel some energy kick in a few minutes after taking the fuel, I'm not entirely sure that's an actual direct result of the fuel. The placebo effect could be very real. The biggest measurable that I can certainly see is sufficient energy to keep going. When fueling properly I don't feel like I'm dragging as much during long runs/races.

I've used clif bloks, sport beans, and huma gels. I'm fine with the taste of all of those, but find that huma gels work best as consistent fuel for me. Sport beans offer a nice break and sort of kind of feel like something different, which I tend to want in longer runs.

Definitely the case for me. You need to have a very good idea of how your body responds to different types of fuels so that new fuel does not cause major trouble on race day.

Thank you! This is very informative. I agree that I also approached fueling and training in a less than ideal way. I just ran. Which went pretty well but I think it's time to do better.

 

[DopeyBadger]

I'm also considering the caffeine sport beans. Not sure if those will have an adverse effect on me or not, as I don't consume a lot of caffeine regularly (I don't drink coffee or pop).

@dis_or_dat posted this meta-analysis of meta-analyses in my journal:

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2019/03/29/bjsports-2018-100278

It's a very good summary for those interested in determining whether caffeine will improve their performance in aerobic exercises (answer is likely yes). I think what I got from the paper is:

-take caffeine as bolus single dose about 60 min prior to exercise.
-does should be about 3-6 mg /kg body weight (so me being 79kg would be a range of 237 to 474 mg). *ALTHOUGH the recommended max is around 400mg on daily consumption of caffeine.
-whether you are a current caffeine user may or may not influence your performance boosting on race day. But nothing seems to suggest removing caffeine from a normal user for a few days and then reintroducing it hurts their performance. So you may get a neutral or positive response, but unlikely a negative response.
-most of the research was conducted using caffeine powder. Not gels, bars or gum.

I don't drink coffee or soda as well. Caffeinated soda usually gives me a headache. I've used RunGum (50mg caffeine per piece) during a few races and have found it to be quite effective. Although chewing RunGum mid-race hasn't been that easy. I'm toying with just doing a single bolus caffeine RunGum prior to the race rather than trying to chew mid-race. The half life of caffeine is roughly 5-6 hours and the peak response doesn't happen until 60-90 min after ingestion. So something consumed at Mile 7-9 of a HM, may or may not be useful until after the race is over.



https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1401080/pdf/brjclinpharm00126-0080.pdf

Here's a phenomenal review I found that is well cited:

http://www.runningwritings.com/2011/08/caffeine-and-running-effectiveness.html

Here's what I learned several years ago about caffeine and perception of effort:

Caffeine
Apparently an antagonist of adenosine which has a significant number of receptors in the brain that are responsible for sleep, memory, learning and cognition. Since caffeine occupies these receptors without actually activating them it is hypothesized that the perception of effort during endurance events is dampened and performance increases. An 11.2% improvement in performance was seen with a decreased perception of effort by using caffeine during running.

So for me personally, I try out a caffeine product in training to see whether I can tolerate it. But I try and save the caffeine use for race day, because I don't want to dampen my perception of effort during training which I personally use quite often as a pacing mechanism.

 

[steph0808]

Listen, I went for a BA in English for a reason.

Just kidding - thanks for the info. I will have to do some more research.

Like you said, I wouldn't use it during training, only races. I don't think the caffeine would negatively impact my performance, which the studies also conclude, but I wonder if however I ingest it (gum, powder mixed into water, beans with caffeine, etc.) would give me stomach issues.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Listen, I went for a BA in English for a reason.

Just kidding - thanks for the info. I will have to do some more research.

Is that because my mastery of the English language leaves something to be desired... I'm a scientist. So for me, things come out more like a stream of consciousness and less a polished form.

Like you said, I wouldn't use it during training, only races. I don't think the caffeine would negatively impact my performance, which the studies also conclude, but I wonder if however I ingest it (gum, powder mixed into water, beans with caffeine, etc.) would give me stomach issues.

Just try it on a few training runs and see if you notice anything. Try something small at first, and then work your way up in dosage if you feel the need to.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Thank you! This is very informative. I agree that I also approached fueling and training in a less than ideal way. I just ran. Which went pretty well but I think it's time to do better.

In my case, my old method of taking in fuel was not having a noticeable impact until I started marathon training. That taught me that I had not been fueling "properly" in races as the fatigue and energy drop off became noticeable as the miles increased.

Marathon training overall caused me to reevaluate many habits I had picked up in my years of training for half marathons. When I find something that works, I tend to stick to it. That made me hesitant to try something new, but in the end trying something new actually worked better for me. The key though is to find out what works best for you and not to fear the trial and error portion that may come with different approaches.

 

[JulieODC]

This is something I still need to work on, but I am finding that I need to fuel with food and water more consistently throughout the long run - starting around 30 minutes in. It helps keep my system “online” and helps minimize post-run Gi issues that I suffer badly from.

My understanding is that blood diverts from the GI tract, and heads to the exercising muscles - and then post-run, rushes back in and can cause major discomfort.

By fueling consistently, it helps me keep things more balanced.

 

[BigEeyore]

8 miles or less = just water

8-14 miles = just Tailwind (I have GI issues with any other electrolyte drink and TW has been a miracle for me)

15miles or more = TW + Clif shot blocks every few miles after 90 minutes in. I find it is best to stay ahead of my blood sugar - if I notice it's dropping it's too late for me and I won't come back from that. For a full marathon I will go through a whole pack of these.

As a side note - I can't do gels , make me gag every time!

 

[Afabena]

I am a gu user for longer runs combined with half water mixed with the low carb low sugar Gatorade. For a half I have used 2 - one at 5 miles and one at 10. I would suggest whatever you do to try it out during your longer runs to make sure your stomach can handle it. Certain flavors bother my stomach. Once you build your base up you will notice that you can go slightly longer distances without feeling totally wiped out and needing to fuel.