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I'm slow. Should I train for a half-marathon to time or distance?

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  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
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    Thanks, @STrooper ! I need to put more focus on my pre-race nutrition. I have a hard time waking up early enough and usually have half a bagel or a banana 15 minutes (at most) before. I was using the guideline recommended by my plan (or it might have been somewhere else I read it) of 100-250 calories per hour, but aiming for the lower end. 120 calories are the honey I put in my 30 oz. water bottle, and then I just had a little snack (a cracker, small date, or a chunk of dried pineapple every couple miles). It seems to have helped. I used dates only (1 serving - 140 calories worth) in my first few fuelling tries, and they were okay, but I was getting sick after the run.

    I have a sensitive stomach, so haven't tried the gels, though salted caramel sounds very appealing. I will check if I safely have that (I have stupid allergies). I was listening to a podcast where an elite runner was talking about how he followed the recommendations of his sponsor (a gel company) and he ended up not being able to finish his big race from overfuelling. That guy you saw was probably not alone in doing that.
  • STrooper
    STrooper Posts: 659 Member
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    Matt Fitzgerald does give some good recommendations for fuel intake. However, he also qualifies it with the fact that there is a limit to how fast you can process calories ( and what the source of calories are). The gel recommendation on one every 45 minutes clocks in at 133 calories per hour...right in the mid-range.
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
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    Another thought is, it can be hard to distinguish between needing calories and needing electrolytes. If you have to give up part of what you've been using, I'd say keep your homemade sports drink because it has the electrolytes and you know it works for your sensitive stomach. If you're worried about too many calories, keep salty snacks rather than sweet snacks. Runners need a lot more sodium than sedentary people do.
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
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    Thanks, guys. I think you're right about the salt too. I can get low blood pressure at times and extra salt helps with that. I bought some electrolyte capsules to carry, but they were really stinky lol, and now I will only use them in a pinch. I'm still trying to lose pounds and certainly don't want to go crazy, but I don't mind eating some on the runs if it will help performance (I need all the help I can get!). And I found I wasn't as hungry the rest of the day when I had fuelled; maybe it balances out.

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