Long Distance Advice
melsue59
Posts: 5 Member
I've been a runner off and on for the past 6 years. Last year I had a severe case of IT Band Syndrome which prevented me from walking, let alone running....for about 6 months. We narrowed the cause down to doing any type of incline. My left knee just does not do well when I do anything with uneven pavement or incline. With that said, I've built myself back up by running ONLY on the treadmill. I could barely walk a mile in March of 2012, and now I just ran my first 10 miles this past Saturday. I've signed up for a "Virtual" Half Marathon through active.com that I will complete between December 22nd and January 1st...on my treadmill. I'm ok with this...I love the treadmill and its given me the chance to be able to run again without any pain...AT ALL!! I hope to eventually take it back outside, but for now....my goal is to complete this at the end of the year.
So my question to all of you......how to you prepare and eat before something like this? I've lost 30lbs over the past 5 months by cutting out carbs and watching my diet. But now I know I need to eat differently after almost passing out at the grocery store after I ran the 10 miles. Any advice, training tips, etc would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!!
So my question to all of you......how to you prepare and eat before something like this? I've lost 30lbs over the past 5 months by cutting out carbs and watching my diet. But now I know I need to eat differently after almost passing out at the grocery store after I ran the 10 miles. Any advice, training tips, etc would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!!
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Replies
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Eat as much as you can within the first 30 minutes of completing your run. Whether you have a cup of chocolate milk or a peanut butter sandwich or protein recovery shake, your body will appreciate you feeding it to aid in recovery.
As for eating before? Every runner is different. For me something like a bagel, english muffin or toast with peanutbutter or even Fig Newtons a couple hours before a long run is enough for me. My coach has me taking Gu/gel every 35 minutes during a run as I am in training for a full marathon so I also do that during my long runs.0 -
If I eat before a run, it's cereal or oatmeal. Starting about 3 hours before my last half marathon, I ate two servings of Oatmeal with a serving of Craisins and drank maybe 10 oz of water and 24 oz of coffee. I also ate a Clif Gel just before the race with 4 oz or so of water and ate one more Clif Gel at mile 8. The gels were probably not necessary. Drink to thirst rather than on a schedule.
I had the same pre-race food for my recent Marathon, but I took a lot more Gels during the race.0 -
Carbs! Runners need them.
Echoing the advice of previous posters:
Pre: carbs 1.5 - 3 hours before runs whole grain english muffin with PB and banana or oatmeal with chia seeds were my favorites
During: For most people its gel after first hour then another gel every 45 minutes
Post: Carbs and protien. A protien shake was my favorite if I could get one - otherwise chocolate milk and a bagel.
Also - expect to be hungier than usual the next day or two. (At least I know I am)0 -
My sympathies with the IT band issue - I missed 6 weeks of running last year so I feel your pain (no pun intended) Here's a link (a little OT) that you may find helpful.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/fitness/running/strengthening-beats-stretching-when-it-comes-to-this-common-running-injury/article4365074/
Back to nutrition....
I think you answered a big part of your own question when you mentioned "cutting out carbs" as part of your weight loss strategy. As a runner carbs are your friend, you want to have the glycogen reserves available to fuel your run. I like to run early in the morning and will run up to 10 or 12 km in a fasted state without feeling unduly fatigued afterward. For my longer runs I'll usually have some toast & peanut butter & a banana at least a couple of hours in advance of the run and my typical daily intake is pretty close to 60-20-20.
At half-marathon distances I don't think you need to specifically carb load but you do need an adequate intake as part of your daily diet. You may also want to experiment a bit with gels during the race (I'm not convinced that they're an absolute necessity at that distance but even a psychological boost is useful)0 -
Thank you all so much for your advice!!!
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Carbs! Runners need them.
Echoing the advice of previous posters:
Pre: carbs 1.5 - 3 hours before runs whole grain english muffin with PB and banana or oatmeal with chia seeds were my favorites
During: For most people its gel after first hour then another gel every 45 minutes
Post: Carbs and protien. A protien shake was my favorite if I could get one - otherwise chocolate milk and a bagel.
Also - expect to be hungier than usual the next day or two. (At least I know I am)
For many, this is only necessary (and then it's questionable) for races assuming your eating enough carbohydrates the rest of the day/week.0
