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Long Run Advice Needed (Managing hunger and side pains)

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  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
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    eldamiano wrote: »
    It isnt advisable to eat at all during runs. Eat more beforehand

    This is not true. It is perfectly fine to eat during a run. Gels, chews, fruit, gummies... someone from here once stopped at McDonalds during a half marathon. Eating and running are totally compatible.
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
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    kristinegift wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    It isnt advisable to eat at all during runs. Eat more beforehand

    This is not true. It is perfectly fine to eat during a run. Gels, chews, fruit, gummies... someone from here once stopped at McDonalds during a half marathon. Eating and running are totally compatible.
    That person is my hero

  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,983 Member
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    kristinegift wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    It isnt advisable to eat at all during runs. Eat more beforehand

    This is not true. It is perfectly fine to eat during a run. Gels, chews, fruit, gummies... someone from here once stopped at McDonalds during a half marathon. Eating and running are totally compatible.

    I passed by a Dunkin Donuts at mile 18 of my last marathon. I was mighty temped to go in and grab a road doughnut, but I was on track for a PR.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    eldamiano wrote: »
    It isnt advisable to eat at all during runs. Eat more beforehand
    I agree that this is not entirely true. I can think of three or four situations where eating during a run is essential.
    1. During a race or run of marathon distance or longer. I fuel every 45 minutes or so during a marathon. Racing a marathon without fueling is likely to result in depleted glycogen stores and a miserable time. Ultra marathoners eat entire meals during their race.
    2. Testing your fueling options for a marathon. You definitely need to know how your body will respond to your fuel during a race, so you want to try it out once or twice in advance.
    3. Emergency food during a long training run. Weather I intend to eat it or not, I always carry something with me on runs of 14miles or longer, just in case. I can't imagine running out of steam miles away from my destination. Better to be safe than sorry.
  • alikonda
    alikonda Posts: 2,358 Member
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    kristinegift wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    It isnt advisable to eat at all during runs. Eat more beforehand

    This is not true. It is perfectly fine to eat during a run. Gels, chews, fruit, gummies... someone from here once stopped at McDonalds during a half marathon. Eating and running are totally compatible.

    I have an ultra-runner friend who used to run 70 miles on a Saturday "just for fun." He'd grab a backpack, fill it with Arby's sandwiches and munch his way around his route.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    eldamiano wrote: »
    It isnt advisable to eat at all during runs. Eat more beforehand

    This is absolutely not true in any way.
  • litsy3
    litsy3 Posts: 783 Member
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    glevinso wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    It isnt advisable to eat at all during runs. Eat more beforehand

    This is absolutely not true in any way.

    No, it's not. But on the other hand, the vast majority of runners (and not just the ones on mfp) are not eating actual food during their runs, and there are some good reasons not to, including the training benefit of unfuelled low-intensity running for endurance adaptations, and - more importantly - the fact that the OP is prone to getting stitches. There also seems to be this persistent myth on mfp forums (more than I have noticed elsewhere) that you need fuel if you are running for more than an hour.

    Also, re-reading the OP, it sounds like the problem is not fuelling, i.e. running out of energy but rather feeling hungry which is not the same thing (I sometimes feel hungry towards the end of a long run, just because I haven't had my breakfast yet and three hours of running later it's getting on for lunchtime). So the advice to eat more beforehand sounds pretty sensible to me, except that it would need to be practised carefully because of the issue with the stitches. I still think a bigger dinner the night before would help a lot.

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