Eating before/during endurance events

swingkid1975
swingkid1975 Posts: 105 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm currently training for the Susan G Komen 3-day 60 mile walk. Tomorrow will be my longest consecutive mileage so far (10 miles). I figure it will take 3 hours, 20 min. My longest training walk will be 18 miles. From what I've read you want to carb load prior to an endurance event? Any suggestions on what to eat prior to long walks, and also how often/what to eat during the walk.

Replies

  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    Walking that far is like an ultra marathon with the intensity low enough that your digestion can continue to work while you are moving. You can pretty much eat anything you want that agrees with you while walking. 100 to 200 calories per hour should be enough to keep you feeling good without adding more calories than you are burning. I recommend you try out some things while training to see how they work. Some ideas are fruit, baked potatoes with salt, and trail mix. Various kinds of sandwiches would also be good.

    I think these would be better than the gels some people use when running. The gels are generally kind of nasty but have the advantage of being easily digestible when running at a higher intensity.
  • miracole
    miracole Posts: 492 Member
    Walking that far is like an ultra marathon with the intensity low enough that your digestion can continue to work while you are moving. You can pretty much eat anything you want that agrees with you while walking. 100 to 200 calories per hour should be enough to keep you feeling good without adding more calories than you are burning. I recommend you try out some things while training to see how they work. Some ideas are fruit, baked potatoes with salt, and trail mix. Various kinds of sandwiches would also be good.

    I think these would be better than the gels some people use when running. The gels are generally kind of nasty but have the advantage of being easily digestible when running at a higher intensity.

    I like this advice, it's very true that you can digest pretty much anything while doing a lower intensity endurance event. I personally like things like trail mixes with a good mix of dried fruit and nuts in them as you get a good blend of protein and carbs, plus they're very portable. (am not certain how you would eat a baked potato on the go, but at a rest stop that would be delicious!) Just also keep in mind that you need to stay hydrated! It's easy to forget how much water you need to replace when you're going at a lower intensity for a long period. And don't worry about the endurance gels or gummies for this kind of event, they're WAY less satisfying than a good snack!

    Good luck on your walk!!

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