Marathon training "in-run" nutrition advice, please?

bluefox9er
bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
Hi guys, I am training for a marathon ( I start the Hal Higdon novice 2 programme formally on Dec 31 ) and have done ' long' training runs of 10 miles ( 6 or 7 times), 13.1 miles( 3 times) and 15 miles (once).

On none of these runs except my last 13.1 and the 15 miler have I had any 'nutrition' or hydration in-run apart from a small palm full of jelly beans.

As my training runs will extend up to 20 miles for 'long runs', when should I start thinking about ''in run'' nutrition and hydration???

I don't like the idea of carrying a water bottle while I run so I have a fuel belt that can hold small bottles of water,which I havn't used yet as I havn't yet had the need to.. and have read about the use of 'gels', and curious as to when to start experimenting with these as I don't want to get any adverse events due to trying something different on race day??

My race is the Toronto good life marathon, and I have called the event organisers to see what they provide ''in-run''...they give gatorade and 'gu' brand gels...

so at what sort of run time or even distance should I start thinking of rehydrating and or eating whilst running? i suspect this is going to be different for different people, but I want to take the time I have far ahead of my race to experiment and discover what would work for me in a safe 'training environment'...

any help is much appreciated!!

Thank you :-)

Replies

  • Dizzle_65
    Dizzle_65 Posts: 249 Member
    Hi,

    Seeing that your race will be supplying Gu Gels I would suggest trying those as this will mean you can carry less on the day of the race. You may have to try a few varieties though before you find one that you like or doesn't upset your stomach. Some people like caffeine gels, my personal opinion is that if you are going to use caffeine it should be towards the end of the run.

    As for Hydration, unless you get lucky, there is a lot of trial and error. Despite some of the scare stories regarding over hydration (hyponatremia) it is actually quite difficult to do as long as you are reasonably sensible so don't let it put you off drinking water.

    As well as drinking water you should also drink electrolytes, the key to how much depends on you as an individual and the running conditions.

    When I run long runs I also take something slightly more solid - a flapjack and break it into small pieces to eat around the half way mark.

    Some people advocate conditioning your body to running with minimal carb supplementation, personally I don't think for your first marathon that's a good idea.

    Once I start running over 10 miles I look to having a gel roughly every 6 miles or so.

    Gels are only one part of the jigsaw tghough, ensuring that your diet is spot on 7 days a week is also important because if it's not, no amount of gels will get you through the longer long runs.
  • DontThinkJustRun
    DontThinkJustRun Posts: 248 Member
    You'll get a lot of different opinions on this...bottom line is you just need to start experimenting and find what works for you during your training...some will say you don't need to fuel with gels, that our body has enough stores and will eventually start to burn fat and that this is the preffered fuel source for the body. Others will tell you to take one every 30-45 mins and everything in between. I can tell you not to count on what they say they are going to be providing on the course. I've been to several races where they don't provide what they've promised and other times when they've run out. Not to mention you don't necessarially know when you're going to be needing that fuel and once you "feel" like you do it's probably too late. I personally am a GU user and my strategy depends a little on the distance of the run and what I'm training for. For a full I'd take my first at 6 miles and then every 45-60 mins...4-5 GUs in my stomach is about my limit. For a half I'll takd the first at 4 miles and then every 30-45 mins. training runs if it's under 13 I'll take one at the half way point and over that I'll take one every 4-6 miles.

    Hydration on the other hand is a must. I also use a fuel belt and try to take a few sips every mile to keep the hydration even. On particulary hot days or long days I used some kind of electrolyte drink in combination with water. (Also if you do decided to use gels, follow them with water and NOT gatoraide and the like). During races I'll ditch the belt for half marathons and just use water stops, for fulls I do both...again you don't want to need water and not have it.

    Other than that take to the google machine and do a little research on your own, it gets a little overwhelming and for your first I don't think it needs to be that complicated, but just see what makes sense to you. Good luck and most importantly have fun!
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    I'll reply from a different perspective than most of what you will hear.

    My opinion, based on my personal experience over the last 9 years running is that, under most conditions, you don't need hydration or nutrition on a training run. I've done up to 22 miles without anything. The only exception is under extremely hot conditions, you will need water. If the temperatures are going to be over about 75°F, I'll start to think about carrying water with me. If you run early in the morning during summer, there are very few days that it becomes necessary to do this and then only on runs over 15 miles.

    The human body is designed to use the fuel that it has stored. If you eat a proper runners diet, making sure you get your carbohydrates to build your glycogen stores, then you don't need to supplement that during a run. Part of the purpose of the long run is to train the body to efficiently use fat stores and glycogen to fuel the muscles. When you add fuel from an outside source, you are compromising the purpose of the run.

    We are also very efficient at maintaining an electrolyte balance as the body becomes dehydrated. The body maintains a constant state of homeostasis. Studies show that there is no benefit to adding electrolytes during exercise as the body does not require them to maintain this balance.

    As for fluids, the body is capable of performing at a high level, even when dehydrated up to 6% or 7% of total body weight. Studies from the past 100 years show that the human body naturally dehydrates itself and then re-hydrates at meal times. The recommendations for hydration over the last couple of decades have all come from studies performed by scientist being funded by the big beverage industries. A couple decades ago, the mantra was to "drink as much as is comfortable" so as not to lose any weight during exercise. This turned out to be very dangerous as people in endurance events were drinking themselves to death, literally, by bringing on a condition called hyponatremia. The recommendation was later changed to "drink to thirst" and that is what it is today. In many cases, this is still unnecessary, depending on the length of the exertion and the air temperatures. Most people aren't going to need any fluids for anything up to about 2 hours and even after that, it depends on the individual and the temperature.

    Now, race day is a different story. By adding additional carbohydrates, you assist the body in fueling itself. I do believe that gels are beneficial for races lasting longer than about an hour. I will usually do one gel at the hour mark of a HM and I do one gel every 45 minutes during a marathon. To make sure that the gel is not going to cause problems, I will set aside one or two training runs to test out the gels. I will take two along on an 17+ mile run and take them near the end, just to make sure they don't cause any gastric distress. Always practice what you are going to do on race day. Nothing new on race day.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    While not having as much experience as the above post, I do lean towards his thinking. My last marathon I trained taking little to no gels, save a run or two to see what I liked, then took one every 45 minutes on race day. I also came into my 1st marathon over hydrated & was sluggish. I backed off chugging down the fluids before my second and was MUCH better off.
  • johnmcc215
    johnmcc215 Posts: 40 Member
    I'll be doing the Half Hidgon Novice 2 myself, I'm starting Jan 1st, hopefully not with a hangover LOL.. good luck with your training and your marathon.
  • denny_menter
    denny_menter Posts: 34 Member
    My advice - do not assume that you will get gels or any advertised food during a race. At my first marathon they ran out of gels and I had to borrow from a stranger. I pack my own since.