Long run advice...

sadiebrawl

Last time I trained for half, I just ran. I brought money with me if I needed to stop in a store to buy water. This time I plan to hide a couple small waters and go back and get bottles (Got smarter). Any other tips? Friends of mine eat Goo or the like. Are those necessary? What to your longer runs "look" like?

tkfunkyfrogg

If I run more than 6 miles, I eat something before but don't carry any with me. If I run more than 8 I either stash water and goo at 6 miles or carry goo with me. Some people need to take in nutrients every 3 miles while others can run 8 miles without anything. I know for me I need something if I run more than 6 just from experience. I'll hit a wall otherwise and want to give up.

I've only run one half so far but ran it with a seasoned racer who taught me to drive the course the day before and stash tiny water bottles with Goo (a flavor I'd tried on training runs so I know how much to eat without affecting my belly) in guardrails etc so others wouldn't find and use. This saves you from having to carry anything on race day! Whatever you decide to do, try it on your training runs to see what works. Do you need a whole goo or just a 1/2 every other mile above x miles? Going to need water with the goo to keep your stomach from getting upset. If you don't like the mess of Goo (I was cleaning my sticky shorts pockets for days), there are chewables that offer the same benefits.

I followed the Hal Higdon half marathon training program and for days that work interfered or I got sick/injured (or some other excuse), I'd just change up the days a little. My longest run was 14 miles just to prove to myself I was capable. Sorry for the essay! There ya go.

glevinso

I have done up to 16 miles without water or mid-run fuel. That said, if it is going to be warm, or I am running faster than "easy pace" I will bring a fuel belt that has attachments for two small water bottles and a pouch for a couple of gels.

I don't like the idea of stopping mid-run to find my stashed bottles - that would mess up my pacing.

sadiebrawl

I am also following Hal's advice. I did last time as well and it worked out great, and they gave out Goo packets at 8 miles during the race and I thought "what the hell", but I *think* it really made a difference. The 9-11 miles I find the toughest, so I'll bring one this weekend to test. Still have 6 weeks so that's good. Gives me a few to test some ideas.

BrianSharpe

For my last HM my longest training run was 18km and I ran that fasted and only brought along a little water (there are varying opinions about deprivation training).

I use a race belt rather than pinning the bib to my shirt and it's got loops on it for gel packs. During the race I'll typically use 2 gels....one at about the halfway mark and one at km 16 or so. I don't specifically carb load leading up to the race but I tend to eat 55to 60% of my calories from carbs and my dinner the night before a race is almost always a generous plate of spaghetti. (You can also make your own "gel" out of 3 parts molasses, 1 part honey, a pinch of salt and a tiny bit of water to thin it out a little. A typical gel flask is about the same as 6 gel packs. It's dirt cheap and keeps well so you can make one batch and use it over 2 or 3 long training runs)

If you're thinking of using gels try some during training and then carry your own on race day (unless they're handing out the same kind you trained with) even though I don't usually drink much on training runs I'll have a small amount of water (or sports drink) at each aid station.

Biggest tip (other than following your training plan).....nothing new on race day, not clothing, not food nor drinks.

glevinso

For a half I like to grab a caffeinated gel around the 8-9 mile mark of the race. Not because I need the sugar (a half is too short of a race to have issues with fueling) but because the caffeine really does help keep a fast pace to the end.

yesimpson

If it's warm I normally loop back past my house for water on a long run, sometimes have a few jelly babies if I'm trying to coax myself to a longer distance, but I found that works fine for me, fasted or not.

ekat120

I prefer a handheld bottle. Mine is Amphipod. It has a little pouch for gels, money, keys, etc. I don't use it in races anymore (though I used to), but like it for training runs. I try to space out my sips to mimic the distance between aid stations. I also switch the hand it's in every mile to keep things even.

mkakids

I don't carry water or any fuel for mid run on anything less than 5 miles. Over 5 miles I carry a small water bottle (12oz) and gummy bears which I eat around the halfway point. I wear a running belt to carry it.

anything under 5 miles I leave the house in the am without eating. Over 5 miles and I generally have a granola bar

mkakids

sadiebrawl wrote: »

I am also following Hal's advice. I did last time as well and it worked out great, and they gave out Goo packets at 8 miles during the race and I thought "what the hell", but I *think* it really made a difference. The 9-11 miles I find the toughest, so I'll bring one this weekend to test. Still have 6 weeks so that's good. Gives me a few to test some ideas.

I've got a HM in 6 weeks too!

loratliff

I'll go up to 10 miles without water/fuel. If you need water for that length of time, it's probably that you're dehydrated before you even start running. I'll carry a handheld for longer training runs, but for races, I'll rely on water tables.

For runs longer than 10 miles, I'll take a Gu about every hour or eat a few Honey Stinger chews. That's what works for me.

ephiemarie

I have done one half and am training for my second next month. For runs under 10k, I don't carry water unless it's it's hot outside. I use a handheld water bottle for those. For longer runs, I wear a hydration belt and fill one 9 oz. flask with water and the other with Gatorade. I take a drink after each mile and generally alternate between the choices. If I'm running 10 or more miles, I take fuel (Huma Chia gels with caffeine are my fave. Honey Stinger chews are tasty but make me feel too full.) around mile 6. I also carry bubblegum, cinnamon Jolly Ranchers, and Chapstick in my fuel belt on training runs. I'm probably a little high maintenance.

fbinsc

I don't fuel unless it's a race or near race pace run. For races I use 2x caffeinated gu flavors and take them early and often.

For hydration if it's cool out I probably won't take any unless it's a really long run. If it's hot I carry two bottles, and only throw one away so if I need I can refill from a water fountain either to drink or pour over my head for a quick cool down.

patrikc333

I run up to 43.2km without drinking, I know it doesn't' seem wise, but I got used to not drink anything (in Uk, so not hot at all)

I do get super hydrated the day before

I guess it's a personal choice, for a HM you don't need any particular fuelling strategy, you can take some energy drinks/gels if you wish

I also don't like to wear anything (a part from clothes :lol), so just my fitbit, gps watch, HRM strap and I bring a 10 years old mini ipod - the downside is I don't have money/phone, but that's part of the fun

SLLeask

I have to admit, I'm not up to running a half marathon, only about 9 miles and some of that is walking due to steep hills where I live but I use a camelback. It sloshes around a bit as it empties, but I actually quite like that, it's soothing white noise! That way I can just take a tiny sip whenever I need it, I hate a dry mouth!

sadiebrawl

Wow that you so much for sharing your experiences and how you handle longer runs. I can do 8 with nothing (gu, water), but I feel like after that I am really hurting as far as energy. Thirst usually isn't an issue except in the summer months as I drink a ton of water regularly. I think for runs over 8, I will hide 1 small bottle and carry something with me like gu or beans. Found out the one they gave us was made by Powerbar, so maybe I'll stick with that one since it didn't seem to upset my belly. @mkakids good luck on your half! Would be wild if it was the same one. PM if you want motivation/cyber training pushes, etc.

7lenny7

I don't bother with water on runs until I'm up to 10 miles unless it's hot or my dog is running with me. I'll bring goo or chews for runs 12 miles or more, though I started this mainly to experiment before my first HM later this month.

For my long runs I like to plan a route that brings me by water sources.I've got an 18 mile run planned for Saturday. I'm running on a paved "rails to trails" trail and planning on parking my truck at a spot about midway between two water fountains. From my truck it will be 5 miles to the first fountain, 5 miles back to my truck, 4.5 miles to the second fountain, and 4.5 miles back. This will give me opportunity for water about every 5 miles without having to carry anything. Stopping to drink on a long run doesn't bother me or screw up my pace because on a long run, I don't care about pace and a one minute stop isn't going to undo all the good from the last 5 or 10 miles of running.

If I do bring a water bottle (I use a Fuelbelt "Crush" because I found it cheap) I'll freeze it the night before so I'll have cold water for most of my run.

Before the run I'll have a slice of toast and peanut butter, though this weekend I'll also wash it down with some protein powder mixed in water for the BCAA's (branch-chain amino acids) which are supposed to aid in recovery.

For my HM race, there are enough water stops that I won't bring anything. In fact I'll skip all stops until after the halfway point. I suspect that the first few may be crowded and I won't need it. I do need to find out what else they will provide an make sure I can keep it down while running. I've already found out that I really don't like chews when I run but goo is no problem (preferably something like vanilla or mocha...no fruit flavors).

JoRocka

I've been training for a half- and I haven't needed water or food at all on my runs. longest has been about 11.5- I was okay.