Effective Carb Loading?

nfpswife
nfpswife Posts: 63 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Good Morning Fellow MFP'ers!

Just curious how you runners carb load before long runs? I did 9 miles yesterday and lost steam at the 8 mark. This was my longest run ever and I'm in training for a half marathon, so I need to figure out how to push past it and get those extra miles in. I took gummies with and ate at the half way point, but plan on taking gatorade and more snacks along with next time. Any other suggestions?

Replies

  • lurcstet
    lurcstet Posts: 77
    Carb up the day before your big run. Lots of pasta/rice/brown, good sized meals, mix in some protein and plenty of fruit and veg. Its a bit like fueling your car, you need to fuel up before a long journey.

    On the day, just before the run eat well, wholemeal cerials, oats, bread, bananas, low slow release carbs that will sustain you.

    In terms of fueling during the run, sip isotonic sports drinks and take some high sugar, hi glucose snacks, some of the sports gells are great for mid run fueling.
  • timeasterday
    timeasterday Posts: 1,368 Member
    I usually eat some oatmeal or a sandwich the morning of my long run, about 2 hours before my run. I also have some eggs on the side. But you also might benefit from some carbs the day before. You should have enough in your body to make it 90 minutes or so. The day before my long run is also my "cheat day" and I get plenty of carbs. But I try to make it non-junk food type stuff. Rice, bread, or pasta are my main choices. Sometimes pizza but not too often. The night before I have a bowl of Kashi cereal before bedtime.
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    Are you eating enough carbs to fully stock glycogen stores in the muscle? I think if you want to dot your i's and cross your t's you're looking at 450-600g of carbs the day before or leading into your training. I'm sure some people will dispute me on that, but how effective you partition sugar to energy is a main factor in how effectively you can utilize it for endurance work. So when in doubt it's always better to overeat than to under eat the day before. People training as intensely as you do do not worry about weight loss, but more about getting enough calories rather than not.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    How long was the run, time wise? At some point you'll run out of energy stores regardless of how much/well you carb load. Could that be part of your issue?

    Most people will give you the standard answer of loading up on starches... pancakes, pasta, etc. I'm sure that's fine, but the best thing I've found for pure performance is ice cream. 1-2 pints of ben and jerry's the afternoon before a race and I'm set.

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