easy to eat, cheap, natural fuels for long run

Nicolery9

What are some soft, easy to eat, cheap, natural fuels for long run?
I'd prefer real food if possible, and it should be something soft and not hard that I can choke on.

Right now I am not sure if there is anything better than coke.
But I feel like this is "empty calories".
When I did some long runs before, I used tootsie rolls, which was fine.
These things don't have potassium like a banana, but I find it would be difficult to carry a banana.
Today I was running, thinking I'd just do 5 miles but I had a lot of energy for some reason so kept going and reached 8 miles (90 minutes) before I felt tired, if I had some fuel I could have kept going though, but I didn't and felt a little lightheaded afterwards. Next time should I just put some coke in my water bottle?
Also I feel like if I am drinking coke that I am eating empty calories, but I guess since it will help me to burn more calories, it's ok, but I wonder if there is anything nutritionally better than coke?
For now I am just doing treadmill running, but I'd prefer something that can be convenient to carry outside too. But even on a treadmill I haven't seen anyone else carry a banana with them and I don't know if it would seem weird if I took a banana with me, or cut one into thirds and maybe carried it in a small cup or something.

Top candidates:
I guess the easiest/cheapest thing is probably just to fill my pint water bottle halfway with coke, which should get me through up to about 2 hours of a workout. Or tootsie rolls which are easy to carry. I'm not sure if there's anything else better than these 2 in terms of convenience, nutrition, how easy it is to eat them while running, if they are portable (and it's not weird to be carrying around in the gym), they aren't a choking hazard (soft, easy to eat or drink), etc.

6 tootsie rolls (140 calories, 28 g carbs)
Coke (a cup is 95 calories, and 26 grams of carbs)



2 Fig newtons - (110 calories, 22 g carbs)
banana (105 calories, 27 g carbs) - any ideas to make them more convenient and easy to eat while running? I am wondering if I can mash one up and put it into water
White bread (80 calories, 15g carbs in each, 1.5 slices: 120 calories, 22 g carbs)


Other things to try:
14gummi bears (120 calories, 29g carbs)
small box of raisins (123 calories, 33 g carbs) - don't want to choke on them
candy bar ? like snickers, etc.
honey water
dates
marsh mallows
bread/jam
bagel (fourth of a bagel, 80 calories) - but I am afraid I will overeat them
1/3rd bagel (100 calories, 20g carb)

Some candies but don't want to choke on them:
gummi bears
swedish fish
fruit snacks
other chewy candies

jacklifts

One of those chewy breakfast bars?

Nicolery9

maybe but breakfast bars are expensive i just want something cheap

maybe raisins will work, they are not too soft but they are convenient to carry in a box, cheap and I can slow down a few seconds to eat them
they have potassium too
I think I am going to buy a pack of raisins !

Nicolery9

I made a list of calories, carbs, and calories per carb (the lower calories it comes with for each carb is better)
I think the best one considering nutrition, convenience, cost is probably raisins.
If you don't care about nutrition then probably coke or swedish fish.

Calories Carbs Cal/Carb
Coke 95 26 3.65
Raisins – nutrition has potass 123 33 3.73
marsh mallows 159 41 3.88
banana 105 27 3.89
swedish fish 150 38 3.95
heinz jam 35 8.5 4.12
14 gummi bears 120 29 4.14
skittles 231 52 4.44
sour patch kids 24 5 4.80
mms 142 29 4.90
2 Fig newtons 110 22 5.00
1/3rd bagel 100 20 5.00
starburst 20 4 5.00
white bread 80 15 5.33
6 tootsie rolls 140 22 6.36
snickers 215 28 7.68

zira91

Nicolery9 wrote: »

maybe but breakfast bars are expensive i just want something cheap

maybe raisins will work, they are not too soft but they are convenient to carry in a box, cheap and I can slow down a few seconds to eat them
they have potassium too
I think I am going to buy a pack of raisins !

make it yourself at home.. store bought is really expensive..

you can find lots of bars recipe online... not to mention, most of them are pretty easy too..
preferably the no bake energy bar.. majority of them are usually made by putting all ingredient in food processor, blend, pour into a tray, press, cut and done! you can get several bars depending on the recipe!

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Joreanasaurous

I stuff dates with a mix of peanut butter and honey with some sea salt.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

Coke? That's a new one for me.
As someone else mentioned, fuel during that length of run isn't necessary. However if you must fuel up, why not try gels or chews made specifically for this purpose?
If it's a cost consideration try jelly beans which are easily carried, or those small pouches of apple sauce. Or Gatorade.

Nicolery9

Well, it takes me about an hour to run 5 miles, and today after 90 minutes of running I was tired, and later in the night I was lightheaded, and felt some fatigue, after I ate something I felt a little better but I think it was because I ran out of energy during my run. For me it's around the 1 hour mark.

Nicolery9

Joreanasaurous wrote: »

I stuff dates with a mix of peanut butter and honey with some sea salt.

This is a bit difficult to prepare and carry for me, do you put the dates in a bag and take them out and eat them as you are running?

Nicolery9

Is it important to have potassium for a refuel?

Nicolery9

GuitarJerry wrote: »

Unless you're running more than 15 miles, as long as you eat properly, this is unecessary.

I am not that fit
The most I've done is half marathon, at 13 miles and for that there were regular stations throughout that I definitely needed or I wouldn't have been able to continue, and I had taken tootsie rolls with me and there were gatorade stations. I eat before, but I feel tired and faint if I don't eat after an hour or so. I eat a good meal a few hours before and the night before, and then a banana about half an hour I start to run, but that doesn't get me through the entire 2.5 hours or so that it takes me to run 13 miles.

Today I did 8 miles and after that I was feeling light headed.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

Nicolery9 wrote: »

Well, it takes me about an hour to run 5 miles, and today after 90 minutes of running I was tired, and later in the night I was lightheaded, and felt some fatigue, after I ate something I felt a little better but I think it was because I ran out of energy during my run. For me it's around the 1 hour mark.

What you need to consider and understand is that how you fuel your body in the days leading up to your run is much more important than the actual day. I get it that you hit the wall and feel like you need an energy boost, but you will find that if you pay more attention to your nutrition and hydration every day, rather than considering only your run day, your ability to sustain your running for a longer distance / time without mid run fueling will improve.

That being said, Coke is probably the last thing I'd recommend for fuel. Have you tried gels?

Jeff_01022014

I tried to have coke in my water bottles once, but didn't make it very far before they shook up and fizzed out of the tops.

I usually have a mix of different lollies that cost $5 for 1.2kg. I also have gels and wafers that supposedly have sports nutrition in them.

I start fuelling during runs that go longer than 90 minutes.

Nicolery9

I don't use gels, because you have to buy them and I just run for fun / weight loss and not really for athletic or "serious" reasons and go with whatever I can get from a grocery store that's not too expensive. Basically I just need a way to get some sugar in my system, even if it's tootsie rolls or some candy.

Why is coke not good? I can bring it to the gym in a water bottle and then drink it to get some sugar. I've thought about bringing a banana next time for a long run but I've never seen someone with a banana at the gym before so I am not sure if that is weird.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

I am trying to picture someone eating a banana while running. Lol.

I'd go with jelly beans and Gatorade. Jelly beans are easy to transport and Gatorade has the sodium you'll need to replenish from sweating.

yesimpson

I ate jelly babies/dates during the last long runs before my half marathon and during the race itself... To be honest I'm not sure how much I did that in order to fuel myself, and how much was essentially bribing myself to keep going with sweet treats.

Nicolery9

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »

I am trying to picture someone eating a banana while running. Lol.

I'd go with jelly beans and Gatorade. Jelly beans are easy to transport and Gatorade has the sodium you'll need to replenish from sweating.

I was thinking of cutting the banana into thirds and wrapping it in a paper towel or something.

Jelly beans could work, I guess like any candies like swedish fish, tootsie rolls, etc.
Gatorade for some reason I don't really want to spend money on it, I guess because I feel like it's just sugar or I could add some sea salt to the coke which is cheaper. I don't really do long runs that much, maybe like once a week max, so something simple like a couple tootsie rolls would probably be more convenient. I might not use the whole bottle of gatorade and then I'd feel like the rest would go to waste or something, or I can't really justify buying a sports drink specifically just when I'm working out for "fun".

What about potassium loss?

Maybe raisins, or the applesauce.

MeanderingMammal

Nicolery9 wrote: »

What about potassium loss?

You're talking about 90 minutes, not an ultra. There is no need to overthink this.

If you think you need to fuel on a run of that length then it's largely psychological, so you don't need to worry too much about macro balance. The effect you're after is purely the sugar kick because anything else you eat on the run isn't going to digest and get into your system.

Jelly beans, jelly babies, dates, dried apricot will do the trick.

If you're going for coke then let it go flat beforehand.

As far as bananas are concerned, I do see then available from about the 10 mile point in some races I do, they're generally in halves. I guess you could wrap in cellophane but again the distances you're doing they're not really what you need.

The key thing is eating adequately in general. How much of a deficit are you managing?

ThickMcRunFast

If you need fuel for an 8 mile run, something is off in your everyday nutrition. You really shouldn't *need* anything until you get into the 3 hour range. It seems as though you are over thinking this.

If you want something, gummy bears, gels (which, trust me, are not just for world-class athletes), or a high calorie beverage (like Hammer Perpetuem, Tailwind, etc) is fine - as long as you're working at a low intensity (they usually have protein in them, so if you are running at a sustained high heart rate, you can get digestion problems). I use coke during ultras, but not during high intensity road running. I think a banana would be unwieldy. I do mash up bananas, peanut butter, and honey into a paste and put it in a pastry bag to squeeze into my mouth, but again, this is for ultras when I am trying to cram as many calories in as possible. For a road run, it would make my stomach entirely revolt.

eta: and stay away from things like granola bars that have a lot of fiber. No good comes from that.

Springfield1970

Nicolery9 wrote: »

Well, it takes me about an hour to run 5 miles, and today after 90 minutes of running I was tired, and later in the night I was lightheaded, and felt some fatigue, after I ate something I felt a little better but I think it was because I ran out of energy during my run. For me it's around the 1 hour mark.

Sorry to hear you are having trouble with fuelling, alongside the fact that you are in an underfueled state generally from overcutting. (unless you've upped your calories since your other thread).

Why not try Greek yoghurt, 30g oats, raisins soaked overnight and a banana 2/3 hours before you run. This will give you lots of different releasing carbs to make you run really well and also give you nutrition.
Otherwise it seems you are burning muscle as you are depleted of glycogen.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

GuitarJerry wrote: »

Unless you're running more than 15 miles, as long as you eat properly, this is unecessary.

This ^^

Have a coffee and a banana 20 minutes or so before you run. There really is no need to add extra fuel to runs of this length.
If it is a very hot day I will add a zero tablet or any other brand of electrolyte tablet to a water bottle.

HealthyVitamins

MeanderingMammal wrote: »

Nicolery9 wrote: »

What about potassium loss?

You're talking about 90 minutes, not an ultra. There is no need to overthink this.

FatMoojor

Have to agree with others on this, this is probably going to be more of a mental thing than an actual requirement. Get your daily nutrition sorted out and there really shouldn't be a need to refuel on a 1 1/2 hour run.

Also, your running on a treadmill for fun/health and not any "serious" reason. So just take a banana and when you get hungry, pause the machine, eat your banana and then restart and carry on.

That's pretty much the advice even if you were running a marathon or an ultra where you may need to eat during the run. If you need to eat, you slow down to a speed at which you can eat / drink your stuff and then you carry on.

It's not like you are in a race and every second counts.