Half Marathoners--How do you fuel?

badgeratheart

What do you eat to fuel your body the day before a half marathon race? What about the morning of a race? During the race?

ZenInTexas

Half marathon is not such an extreme distance that fuel during a race is necessary. I didn't have anything during mine. The morning of I just ate my usual breakfast, oatmeal and coffee. You don't want to try anything new on the day of a race. And the day before I think I had pasta but more because I like pasta not because of carb loading. Just eat what you regularly eat and you will be fine. I do the majority of my runs on an empty stomach, even up to 10 miles. I don't think you need to worry about it until you're getting beyond the half distance. Just my 2 cents.

_Waffle_

I don't do anything different the day before. I just eat good all week and try to keep the calorie tank full. I might try to bump the carb ratio up a bit but I don't do anything special like eating tons of spaghetti. The morning of the race I would just eat something a tad filling but nothing too heavy. I had 6 fig newtons last weekend. Normally I have a couple waffles with a tiny bit of honey. I also like having a glass of cold coffee. That makes me feel good and awake.

During the race I have Cliff Energy Shot at mile around mile 5 and around mile 10.

CarsonRuns

What do you eat to fuel your body the day before a half marathon race?

I usually eat pasta, but not because I'm trying to carbo load, but because I know it's safe for me to eat the night before a race. No need to carbo load for a HM.

What about the morning of a race?

Granola bar or a half bagel. I usually don't eat before I run, so I keep it light and stay away from protein.

During the race?

One energy gel (I prefer Hammer) at mile 10.

DavidMartinez2

I normally don't do anything special the night before a Half. If the race starts first thing in the morning I won't eat before hand; if I have a couple of hours before the race starts I'll have a Chobani and a bananna. I used to not fuel during but the last couple I took a get around mile 10 and it seemed to help me sustain my effort through the end. I also like Hammer Gel.

jacksonpt

Day before: what I would normally eat with the addition of french toast and ice cream
Morning of: clif bar and/or banana
During: 1 or 2 gels with caffeine

BrianSharpe

Like Carson, my dinner the day before a race will be chicken and pasta and for the same reasons - no surprises the next day.

My pre-race breakfast is, invariably, peanut butter on whole wheat toast, a banana and a yogurt. I try to eat at least 2 to 3 hours ahead of the starting gun.

I make my own energy "gel" out of honey, molasses and a pinch of salt (with a little water to dilute it slightly) as I'm a cheapskate and it's a fraction of the cost of commercial gels (I've also used clifshots). I'll usually consume the equivalent of 1 get at 45 minute intervals - whether or not it's physiologically necessary is hard to say (researchers have reported runners getting the same energy "boost" from swishing a sports drink around in their mouths and then spitting it out) but it's almost like a ritual (we tend to be superstitious - I've worn the same pair of shorts for every road race in the past 5 years and they're starting to fall apart....)

The important thing with gels or sports drinks is that you train with them before race day. Sometimes it takes a little experimentation to find a gel you tolerate well - never anything new on race day, surprises are good at birthday parties, not on race day!

reggie2run

The day before any of my halfs I carb load a little....and have a nice pasta dinner. Nothing too crazy as you don't want any surprises before or during the race.
For breakfast the morning of the race I have yougart, oatmeal and maybe a half bagel, with some gatorate - nothing too heavy.
During the race I never do gels, etc. I have gatorate on my fuel belt and raisins with me just in case.
And always in the days leading up a race -- hydrate, hydrate, hydrate - very important.

Good luck!!

davemunger

I'm similar to the other runners in the thread, with one exception: I have a gel about 15 minutes before the start in addition to one midway through the race. I also carry a disposable bottle of water to the start and drink roughly 8 ounces just before the start, then discard the bottle.

But I'd say how much to eat during the race depends on your pace. If you are aiming for a time over 2 hours, you probably want to have 2 gels during the race (roughly mile 5 and 10), plus one before the start. Alternately if your stomach can handle gatorade / powerade at the water stops that will have about the same effect. If you're a sub-2-hour runner, 1 gel during the race is probably sufficient.

Make sure you check the course map in advance to see where the water stops are -- you want to eat your gel just before you get to a water stop, so you can drink water to wash it down.