Distance Runners - What are you fueling with?

kmp9881
kmp9881 Posts: 74 Member
in Food and Nutrition

Starting to ramp up mileage for another fall marathon and looking for different fueling, meal prep, and recovery options, especially for hot summer runs. What's everybody got?

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Replies

  • DiscusTank5
    DiscusTank5 Posts: 943 Member
    edited July 2

    Other than water, Body Armor Lyte (peach mango) is my fav drink for a long run / bike ride.

    Strawberry Shot Bloks for quick energy mid-run. Some people swear by gummy bears instead. They'd be cheaper!

    Protein bars by Quest or Pure Protein for post run / bike. I can't eat these while working out though.

    I recommend trying out individual snacks / nutrition at your local running store before buying, say, a 20 pack of GU Energy gels in salted caramel from Amazon. I did that two summers ago and ended up giving most of them away at my gym. The flavor wasn't my favorite.

    Stroopewaffel makes some tasty, light weight cookie type snacks for long runs but they are pricey.

  • ChristineEnes
    ChristineEnes Posts: 2 Member

    I typically run 60 70 miles a week. Just getting back to using my fitness pal. I ve been going more by listening to my body… big coffee lover, and cordeypeps. But water first veggies most. Beets with carrots daily with hemp seeds and oatmeal and coffee, is one of my favourite breakfasts. Also toast and cream cheese! With coffee and protein. I swear by my ag1 smoothie with matcha! Dinner is simple a shake with stir fry. With tempeh or tofu. But I haven t tracked all my taste and nibbles there’s a lot! Have you checked out the premium feature on the app? I’m not sure if it worth it

  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 950 Member

    If I'm gonna run more than ~1hr I bring some sort of running gel….I really like the Huma ones, but they are expensive….I got a box of Gu from a friend - and I like them fine, just think they're thicker than I'd like.

    My running route has 2 water fountains on it, roughly ~4 miles apart - well 3 I guess bc there's one at the parking lot too I could get to if needed, so I don't carry water, and I don't know that I'd want to deal with carrying water anyway. But I use Nuun tablets in the summer when it's hot and I'm sweating extra….or Liquid IV, sometimes** LMNT…but that SUPER salty. Also sometimes just take a big swig of cold pickle juice when I get home.

    Other than that - I tend to just eat a larger meal after a long run. I could eat more on another day that I'm not running, but I just find that I follow my hunger so after a long run, I'm hungry so I indulge in some more calories post run rather than pre- run. I'm not that big into races though.

  • mmminent
    mmminent Posts: 30 Member

    Yesterday, I ate Kimchi Instant Noodles (120 g) and 40 g of Prosciutto around 4 PM and then went for a 5k run around 7:30 PM and had a really good time and felt strong. I am not sure if or how that meal had an impact on my run but I will try it again for sure bcz I am really puzzled now. Is it because of salt or carbs from the noodles? Not really sure, but it left me surprised.

  • rudyzenreviews
    rudyzenreviews Posts: 74 Member

    For long runs in the summer, I usually keep it simple like gels or chews every 30–40 minutes and lots of electrolytes (Nuun or Liquid I.V. in my bottles). For meals, I like easy carbs + protein the night before (rice, chicken, veggies), and something light but carb-focused a couple hours before running. Post-run, chocolate milk or a protein shake plus something salty really helps me bounce back. Sadly I Fed up with running...I Stopped 4 YEARS before…Still love reading what others are doing though and it’s inspiring!

    Everyone’s stomach is different though, so it’s all about testing what sits well on the run. What have you tried so far?

  • kmp9881
    kmp9881 Posts: 74 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48742145#Comment_48742145

    Last marathon training cycle, I fueled long runs with honey stinger chews and jolly rancher gummies - never could manage the texture or how horribly gu's sat in my stomach! This time the magic combo has been sour patch kids and Nuun hydration 😆 It works and given me stomach cramps mid run.

    For meal prep, overnight oats are a go-to, and then batch cooking chicken and rice to use in different combinations throughout the week. Pasta is still the best pre long run dinner I've found, though.

  • kmp9881
    kmp9881 Posts: 74 Member

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