I recently discussed this with some friends and here's the advice I was give for during a run: water belt or camel pack and gel packs. It's not like you're going to stop and eat a sandwich in the middle of your run, so apparently the gel packs are great because they give you what you need during the run with little digestive effort.

*duplicate*

I would largely ditto Berry H advice.

I also use SIS Go gels & take a zero tablet in 500ml of water with me along with a Nakd bar chopped up. Beforehand I have jumbo porridge oats with a spoonful of chopped almonds & a banana. Have just started sipping 250ml of water with maximuscle Viper Active about an hour before I go. This seems to keep my hunger at bay.

I carb load for two days before anything over 10mi. Then after I get home I have another 250ml viper active or a protein shake plus a good carb / protein snack.

It does seem to work as yesterday I didn't carb load as much plus didn't take enough fluid (or any money) so I ran out & got thirsty as it was hotter (& struggled) - not clever!!

Would try a few products out as it does seem to be trial & error!! Good luck with the marathon though :flowerforyou:

Awesome job for training for an endurance run. I am training as well, but for a 30 mile race. I ran 18.1 miles yesterday.

My limit for a fasted run is about 10 miles, I drink lots of water before and after. When I say fasted, I mean like eating Supper like normal, skipping breakfast and lunch the next day, and then just run. I do this allot for my 5-6 mile runs because I hate having much of anything solid in my gut while running.

Gatorade ties my stomach in knots like nothing else when used while running. So if I carry fluid, I opt for straight H2O.


I have been playing with various fuels for inter race to find a combo that works for me, I went to sports authority and bought a wide assortment of Gu gels and Gu chomps. I also have tried raw almonds and Gummy bears and boiled potatoes.

I got no recovery when eating the gummy bears or the nuts. And BEST recovery when using the Chomps. on each of my last 3 long runs I have toyed with spacing of gels/chomps to see which helps me peform the best, each run I spaced intake at 45 minutes, 1 hour, or 30 minutes. the 25-30 minute spacing works the best for ME, gotta try each for yourself. I boiled a small potato, chunked it up and dosed it heavily with salt and threw it in a ziploc bag to eat at the 2 hour mark yesterday, tasted great no cramps and I felt that my energy from it was about equal to a non caffinated gu-gel.

Make sure you start carrying water, I ran short yesterday and the last .5-1 miles my leg muscles started to spasm and it was all I could do to keep moving to get into my house.

As already stated this is a very individulaized process. I have found I do well not eating at all the morning of a long run. Drinking is heavily dependant on tempurature.
This weekend I went 18. I had a gatorade pre-run packet about 10-15 mins before starting, then a gel at miles 8 & 13. That was it, besides water.

Bump for later... as I'll begin training for my first 1/2 marathon soon.... this is all good info!

I personally do not like the waist belts so I have a fuel belt hand held that I will use when running in more remote areas or on hotter days.

As for food, I can do a 10 miler on a empty stomach but don't like to. On the weekends, I will always eat before my run but I do allot for about 90 mins for it to settle. My go to food is toaster waffles and morningstar sausages.

During a run, I have some issues eating as well. I don't stomach gus very well. gummy bears work better but are harder to carry. I am currently training with some options to see what I can deal with. My biggest issues in my marathons have been fuel issues. I will do up to 18 miles no prob with no additional food during.

Boiled potatoes rock. roll in salt too for extra yummies

i normally have toast or something light for my meal. I carry my fuel belt, and i carry a product call Infinit and it is awesome, it's everything you want in a gel/sports drink. It has all the calories, electrolyte, protein you need bet of all you can customize this based on your taste, you want it more sweet you can do that, less sweet you can do that, are you a heavy sweater and need to replace more electrolytes you can do that, and the customer service is GREAT. Comes in a power so you can make it into a thick gel and put it into a small plastic bottle and hit it every 30-40mins. That's what i do and it has worked

I have ran over 17 half marathons over the past 5 years as well as 9 marathons, 3 half ironmans and a full ironman last year. In doing these endurance events, nutrition is key, especially the longer you go. I agree that you have to find out what works for you because everyone is different. I have a sensitive stomach and can only drink water and have gels during my runs. It is also dependent on the weather, the warmer it is, the more fluid and electrolytes you need to take in. Carb loading is an interesting topic. The week leading into the marathon you should actually eat more protein and less carbs but by mid week this should be switched. The most important carb meal is 2 nights before a marathon. Two days before my races, I eat a lot of carbs for all of my meals and eat larger than normal portions(if I'm running a half marathon, I don't eat larger portions...don't need to). The reason is to top off my glycogen stores in my muscles. The day before I eat regular portions but also still eating carbs. I make sure not to overeat. If it is going to be hot out, I also take in a lot of fluids with electrolytes (gatorade, pedialyte, etc). The morning of the race, I usually eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at least 2 hrs beforehand then maybe a banana at least an hour before. I also take in a bottle of water starting 2hrs before and done 30min before the race. I drink some water at every water stop even if it a small sip, I also take in a hammer gel or power gel pack every 45 min. Find what works for you. Some people take in the electrolyte drinks on the course. Make sure u do this during training so u know your stomach can handle it. Do not take in gels and electrolyte drinks together, u will probably get sick. If it is really hot out, I do alternate water with electrolyte drinks to prevent cramping in my calves.
During your training, I would make sure to bring water with u if it's hot out or if going on a run longer than 10 miles. If u don't like carrying water with, you can always leave water beforehand on your route if it's possible to do where there isn't a lot of people around to tamper with your stuff. I carry my water in a fuel belt if I need to and put my gels in there too. Remember to train how you are going to race. It also makes a difference if you are running for fun and just to finish or if you are racing for a specific time. Also, as others have said, make sure you are replenishing your glycogen stores with a ratio of 4:1 carbs to protein (chocolate milk works great!) Good luck and happy running!

I don't bother taking anything with me on runs less than8 miles or so. 8-12 miles I carry a water bottle (which I hate, but it's better than wearing the water belt). For the long runs( 12 miles and more) I wear my camelback. It's not comfortable for me, but it's the best option I have. And I only drink water. I tried the sports drinks but find them far too sickly sweet.
During races I wear my water belt but use it to carry my gels in. I use leppin gels. I take them after about 90 mins in approx every 45 mins to an hr.
For the 3 days prior to a race I start taking immodium. I also watch what I eat- nothing spicy, nothing new, and generally pretty plain. I eat carbs like white rice, pasta, and stuff like that. I also drink as much water as my body can hold! Then race day I usually have a peanut butter and banana butty 2hrs before the run, and a glass of water.
But it's taken me a year to figure out what works best for me. We're all different. All you can do is give things a go and see what suits you best. Good luck.