Half Marathon Questions

Depends on the conditions you're training in and personal preference. I trained for a half in Oct, and only needed water for longer runs on hotter days (I live in the UK so my version of hotter is 22 degrees C). I generally left a water bottle/sports drink in the shade on my porch and looped back past my house for a quick swig. Properly hydrating before the run seemed to make more of a difference to me. That said, I was glad I had experience of drinking during training as I needed the water on race day, and I already knew how much I could drink without feeling sick. I stuck with the water stations though as I hate carrying extra stuff.

I did most of my long runs first thing on a Saturday morning without eating beforehand, but as your runs get longer you may find snacking on the go more important. Again, you want to know what works for you before race day, so experiment with different foods before and during training runs (I like banana and PB toast beforehand, and nothing more complex than jelly babies and water whilst on the go). I find I need to wait 2-3 hours before running after eating.

Somebody_Loved wrote: »

Hi All,

I've been MIA here over the past couple months (traveling, holidays, etc) but just signed up for a half marathon in March and have some questions for all you runners!

My furthest runs (as of now) are around 8 miles, and my furthest race has been a 12k. Up until this point, my routine is to get up and run on an empty stomach, not carry any water with me and just eat/drink water once my run is over. Seeing as a half is considerably longer than what I'm currently doing, though, should I start incorporating breakfast into my training instead of running 10+ miles on an empty stomach?

And along those lines, should I invest in a hydration pack of sorts? If so, any recommendations? As my long runs start getting longer, I assume it's important to stay hydrated during the run instead of waiting until after. And as far as races specifically, I don't like using the water stations as I'm generally clumsy.

Thanks!!

It all depends on personal preference for both. When I was training for HMs exclusively, I would eat something small -- like bread with butter and honey -- and drink some water before I went out. If these are your longest runs ever, then I think eating a bit beforehand may help it go better, especially if it gives you a mental boost.

As for a hydration pack, this also depends on how thirsty you get during a run. I ran 11 miles Sunday without taking water, but it was 30 degrees outside. If it was 75, like it was some mornings during the summer, I would have taken a small 10 oz handheld with me just in case.

However, if you plan to use gels, chews, food, sports drink, etc. during your race, take that with you on your longest runs. Get used to eating the gels or what have you, find a drink that works for you (could be water!) and get used to having to hold/store it. On the go nutrition is a highly personal endeavor, but it's worth the investment (and discomfort if something disagrees with you... no surprises on race day!) to find out what works best for you.

Somebody_Loved wrote: »

Thanks, everyone! I'll start experimenting beforehand to see what works best for me. As of now, running fasted with no water has been fine (and preferable) but I'm trying to plan ahead for the longer distances. As I get to the 10-12 mile runs, I'll bring water/nutrition along and see if I end up using it. And I'll definitely test out whatever method I decide to use prior to race day so I don't have any unpleasant surprises. Thanks again for the feedback!

I usually run fasted (unless you count the coffee) and without bringing any water with me for all my weekday morning runs. These are at most 10 miles and take less than 90 minutes.

My Saturday morning long runs may or may not be done fasted. Most of the time I did bring a bottle of Gatorade with me and during summer months my group had drop off points for water and Gatorade. These we're inside a cooler planted along our course. A 20 mile long run maybe had 3 aid stops.

This was for Marathon training tho. In any case the most I ate on a Saturday morning was a banana and maybe some toast. I did experiment with BCAA's before a run when I ran fasted. It helps with recovery.

Which brings me to my next point. For me, what I ate and how soon I ate it after a run was more important than what I ate before a run. My recovery meal was within 30 minutes when I got done and consisted of quick hi-glycemic carbs and easily absorbed protein. Usually protein powder in milk and some Gatorade after all my runs.

Somebody_Loved wrote: »

Hi All,

I've been MIA here over the past couple months (traveling, holidays, etc) but just signed up for a half marathon in March and have some questions for all you runners!

My furthest runs (as of now) are around 8 miles, and my furthest race has been a 12k. Up until this point, my routine is to get up and run on an empty stomach, not carry any water with me and just eat/drink water once my run is over. Seeing as a half is considerably longer than what I'm currently doing, though, should I start incorporating breakfast into my training instead of running 10+ miles on an empty stomach?

And along those lines, should I invest in a hydration pack of sorts? If so, any recommendations? As my long runs start getting longer, I assume it's important to stay hydrated during the run instead of waiting until after. And as far as races specifically, I don't like using the water stations as I'm generally clumsy.

Thanks!!

There is nothing wrong with training fasted. If you're trying to do fast workouts it can be a little tough to hit your targets sometimes, but if you're finishing runs without feeling crazy hungry, light headed, or like you're bonking then there is no desperate imperative to change your routine.

Hydration pack would be totally unnecessary. If you're well hydrated beforehand a run of 90-120 min without water isn't really a problem. You're not going to see any elite/strong amateur runner drinking water in a half marathon beyond perhaps just enough to keep the mouth from feeling dry. If you start going beyond 90 minutes, and certainly beyond 120mins then it becomes more important to think about hydration. Don't need to go crazy, but getting in a few ounces every 30-45 mins usually works well.

As for practicing eating, it's probably something you'll want to do. If you want to perform well in your race you'll need to have eaten before it. A half is long enough that if you get the wrong foods for your system pre-race it can really make for an unpleasant experience over the latter half. I'd make a point to eat what you plan to eat on race day before at least a few of your longer runs just to make sure it sits well with your GI system.

Tons of good info on runnersconnect.net. They sell plans and coaching but there are a lot of free articles as well. Here's one on whether to eat before a run.

http://runnersconnect.net/running-nutrition-articles/should-i-eat-before-i-run-how-to-fuel-your-body-for-any-running-workout/

Here's one on what to eat:

http://runnersconnect.net/running-nutrition-articles/what-to-eat-before-a-run/

Hydration requirements are going to be dependent on a number of factors. Here's another article:

http://runnersconnect.net/running-nutrition-articles/calculate-hydration-running/

If you don't want to schlep around water on your longer runs then you can always run loops back to your house/car or leave a bottle at strategic locations. Or run with someone who doesn't mind sharing theirs... ;^)

i do one 6.6 miler with Gu chomps (2 before as i get ready, 2 halfway thru). no water but I might as it gets warmer. i also do one fasted, no water.
my long runs I don't do fasted at this point 10+. 2 Gu Chomps getting ready, and 2 more at 4 mile markers. I also started bringing water. i have a nice belt that I can keep the Gu, doggie bags, keys, phone, and water.
maybe as i improve, I'll do longer runs without, but as a beginner of sorts, i can't imagine going that long without a little help
(I found sport beans useless which made me sad because i wanted to train with jelly beans)

Somebody_Loved wrote: »

Hi All,

I've been MIA here over the past couple months (traveling, holidays, etc) but just signed up for a half marathon in March and have some questions for all you runners!

My furthest runs (as of now) are around 8 miles, and my furthest race has been a 12k. Up until this point, my routine is to get up and run on an empty stomach, not carry any water with me and just eat/drink water once my run is over. Seeing as a half is considerably longer than what I'm currently doing, though, should I start incorporating breakfast into my training instead of running 10+ miles on an empty stomach?

And along those lines, should I invest in a hydration pack of sorts? If so, any recommendations? As my long runs start getting longer, I assume it's important to stay hydrated during the run instead of waiting until after. And as far as races specifically, I don't like using the water stations as I'm generally clumsy.

Thanks!!

I prefer to run on less food, it makes me sick to run anything under 10 miles with food in my stomach (usually a couple bites of an apple) after 10 miles I eat chia gel or an apple or both. Drink slowly to wet your palate but again too much can make you throw up.

We're all clumsy so don't worry about using water stations

Everybody's nutrition and hydration needs vary. It's not so much about the distance, but the time you will be out there. When I still running marathons/half-marathons, I would mimic exactly what I would eat and wear during my long runs that I would do on race day. That way there will be no surprises.