I like to eat oatmeal (I just use the instant) before my long run, and gels along the way. The oatmeal sits well in my stomach and doesn't cause any unpleasant side effects like burping, cramping, etc. As much as I love peanut butter it sits like a brick when I run and causes some discomfort.

I carbo load the day before, on the day I go with oatmeal and possible a breakfast muffin.
You need to intake fibre as you don't want to be carrying around the carbo load from the previous day.

My breakfast staple before a long run is peanut butter/bananna on rice cakes or ezekial bread. Otherwise I get too hungry and do not run well. I will usually bring a gu and a larabar, depending on how long I am going.

Porridge with nuts and honey with an apple or a couple of slices of wholemeal toast with banana up to an hour before going out. At least one coffee.

Before my Saturday long run, I eat a banana and some pb2 and a piece of chocolate about 30-60 minutes before I leave. The chocolate might not sit well with everyone but I kind of like it for morale purposes . Then I have about a third of a gu gel an hour in and then another third of the gu gel every thirty minutes after. I run slowly and am only up to 12 miles for my longest run so that one gu gel got me through the whole 12 miles. Then when I get back I treat myself to a chocolate gu gel. Those things are like frosting in a tube!!

Up to 15 or so I run without eating anything first. Over that, I'll have a serving of oatmeal and half a serving of dried sweetened cranberries. Before a half marathon or longer I'll eat more than that.

I have only started doing long(ish) runs the last month or so: 90 - 100 min; 110 min coming up this Saturday. I have been experimenting with different foods before I go out. I have done 2 pieces of toast (white bread) with honey and cup of tea maybe 15-30 mins before I go out, and this sits fine. I have also done banana with a few nuts and chobani yogurt with no probs either.

I always eat half a banana or piece of toast and honey, and have a cup of tea before training runs.

Long runs are first thing in the morning for me. If I eat anything I'll have just a banana, nothing too heavy. Usually I skip the food and take scoop of pre-workout mix (think 1.M.R. or C4) then bring a Gu or two with me for the run. This past week I hit the Gu @ 4.5 and 9 miles during my 13 mile run (which mimics my race fueling).

My go to breakfast for morning long runs is oatmeal. For evening long runs, I just eat a light dinner.

I try to eat a lot the day before so I still have gas in the tank. Pre-run is usually a banana and peanut butter, half of a Think Thin bar or sometimes nothing. I don't generally fuel during my runs, but I do carry a pack of gummie candies or jelly beans just in case I really need them.

For my normal mid-week runs I'll usually run fasted (a couple of cups of coffee & out the door) as I tend to eat about 55-60% of my calories from carbs.

For my longer Sunday runs (anything over 90 minutes or so) I'll have a banana and toast & peanut butter a couple of hours before heading out.

I'd probably avoid something like eggs until after my run; they're high in protein which is great but offers very little benefit as a pre-run snack (you want energy that's available fairly quickly).

This exactly what I do, except I have a bagel with pb, instead of toast. For Sunday long runs, I'll bring along a few gels for runs over about 2 or so hours. At my pace, that's about 15 miles. I don't run LSD, and I am on deficit, calorie-wise, so it's always a fine line when the time on the road gets longer. There may be time I can run 20 miles with fuel or water. But, that time is not now. For my last 20, I had a gel right before I went out, and then one every 4 miles. That worked pretty well, but that's also a lot of gels! It's was good race practice though, and I had a variety of them, to see if any would bother my stomach. As a newbie runner, it seems pretty reasonable to makes sure the runs are completed and then worry later about running with no fuel. My experience so far is that the distance run without carbs does become greater without really trying. The body just adapts.

Great tips guys! I will play around with my eating on the weekends and see what stuff gives me energy and what gives me trouble. I have my second half marathon in 10-11 weeks and I would like to know by then what type of fuel is best for my body. Really appreciate all your feedback!

My longest training run has only been 14 miles and with a diet that is 60% carbs, I've got plenty of fuel to cover that distance.
There are interesting discussions about "training low, race high" meaning that you should run your training long runs in a fasted state but race with lots of carbs.
The best single source of advice that I have found is Matt Fitzgerald's book on nutrition for the half marathon and marathon. In addition to information about carbs, Fitzgerald clearly lays out what's needed to fuel for a half marathon (not much) but he also discusses other items that we can use to improve performance including timing and dosage of caffeine, the value of beetroot juice, and a few other items. That book is well worsted $12 or so for the Kindle edition.

Dr. Noakes, in his book "The Lore of Running" states that we do best when we ingest 60 g of carbs per hour so, during a race, I'll make sure that I'm bringing in some carbs to augment a three-day carbo load of 70% carbs all of which is low in fiber, which humans cannot digest.

Another valuable source is energy gel central.com. I've used their energy gel mix, which is very easy to prepare, and use that for long runs early in the morning when I don't have time to eat breakfast.

Apologies for dictation induced typos…

I don't eat before long runs and I don't take gels or sandwiches or anything with me on long runs. My longest so far has been 16 miles and that's totally fasted. During my last half I took a gu every 45 minutes and gatorade at every water stop (except I took water at the water stops where I took a gu). But I'm also a proponent of making training more difficult so that you actually get a boost from "something new" during the race that your body hasn't come to rely on.

I do most runs fasted, up to about 20-24mi. It was difficult when I first started, but I have adapted. For a while at the beginning I used BCAA's to reduce protein and muscle breakdown (Scivation Xtend.) However I haven't done this for the past year or so. When I do 50k training runs I will train using the fuel I plan to use while racing, particularly if I plan to try anything new. So far my favorite pre-ultra (race) breakfast is peanut butter on pumpkin bread. I make my own gel from honey, a little water, and crystallized ginger- it keeps my stomach happy.I put it in a gotoob, which is a 3oz food grade travel bottle. I figure that if I adapt to more difficult conditions in training (whether fueling, weather, etc.) I feel that it is mentally "easier" come race day.