Anatomy of a Training Run: Fueling for Long Runs

Don't take this post as "the best way to fuel during a long run". It's definitely not. Take it at face value; it's a list of all the things I've stumbled upon for long run fueling and what I've found is best for me, based on my experiences. The best long run fuel for you might be completely different, so my overall message is please listen to your body, experiment during training and most of all, don't change anything up on race day!

photo credit: http://guenergy.com

When I was training for my first half marathon, GU was my fuel of choice. Espresso Love was my favorite flavor, because it had extra caffeine in it...which has a good reputation when it comes to distance running. The only place I could figure out where to keep it was in my sports bra, which worked out pretty nicely most of the time. I would take one pack with me and that would easily get me through 13.1 miles, because I'd only eat half at a time.

The problem with GU came when I was training for my first marathon. I had to bring more with me, so my sports bra was no longer a good place to keep it. I started to pin a few to my shorts, but sometimes that wouldn't work because the packs would rip through the pins and fall off (no good, since they're not exactly cheap).

My final straw with GU came during that first marathon though. They had GU stations every so often, so I decided to just take what they had...the flavors were vanilla and chocolate...two flavors I wasn't used to. By the time I went through the last GU station, I thought I was going to hurl because the flavor, volume of GU consumed and the consistency finally got to me. Not only that, but since I've started to mindfully eat more whole foods and limit the amount of processed foods and unpronounceable ingredients that I put into my body, GU doesn't exactly fall into the "whole foods" category:

So that was enough of that. 

photo credit: http://media.rei.com

Then I tried a few different sports drinks, Cytomax, Accelerade, a bunch of other things that I don't even remember, but wanted to try. I don't like sports drinks. Give me good 'ol water any day. There's something about these drinks that just never sit well with me - so I ended up giving them all up pretty quickly. Plus, they're also not cheap!

Ok, so it's at about this point in my life when I start realizing that I don't want to refuel with a bunch of processed energy supplements. I could easily spend less money and get the benefits of whole, unprocessed foods in my system by just doing a bit of research.  

photo credit: http://www.fcps.edu

I started with a classic: raisins. They are absolutely great for fueling on long runs! Also, the tastiest raisin you'll ever taste is the one you eat while you're exercising. My problem with this was that I don't buy raisins often enough to bring them on my runs on a weekly basis. Also, they can be pretty sticky. Sometimes I felt like I needed to eat more that I could to keep myself going too. Oh, and keeping them in my sports bra was always touch and go...they do take up a little more space than GU packs. 

I have tried GU, various sports drinks, candy, raisins, nuts...basically I've been there and back trying to find the best method for me to fuel during my long runs. Well, I've finally found a few things that I can't live without during my endurance workouts: energy bites and maple syrup water. 

photo credit: http://images.ohsheglows.com

As you know, I discovered a new love for my Camel Bak but one of the biggest pro's of the Camel Bak is all the storage space for other things you might need on your run: food, an ID, phone, etc. I like to keep my energy bites and another small water bottle full of maple syrup water in my Camel Bak. 

The energy bites are an Oh She Glows original recipe that I stumbled upon one day and haven't looked back since the first time I made them. You can find that recipe here. They are nutritionally stacked and one bite will easily fuel me through the toughest miles of my run. Plus, they're sweet and delicious; dates, almonds, sunflower seeds, the works. They're also really great for traveling, because they are small and store well.

I read something somewhere about making your own sports drink my mixing maple syrup into water. That was probably the happiest day of my life! I was brought up on real Vermont maple syrup and it is one of my favorite sweeteners. A diluted version of it is just as delicious. And it makes sense! Sugar + water = a blast of carbs that quickly goes straight to where you need it, without taking the time to get your stomach working to digest it. 

So that's the way I've been fueling for long runs during my training for the Cleveland Marathon, and it will be no different on race day. I'll come equipped with my energy bites and a bottle of maple syrup water! 

How do you fuel up for long runs?

Happy fueling!

Anatomy of a Training Run: Hydration Edition

Since last night was my first attempt at running with my new CamelBak on my back, I thought it was a good time to expand my Anatomy of a Training Run series to include a post about hydration.

I've tried all kinds of ways to hydrate on my longer training runs: handheld water bottles, Fuel Belt, CamelBak...even driving the route before running and placing water bottles every so often. I'm going to review each of these hydration methods for you and tell you which one that I like the best.

Disclaimer: All opinions in this post are my own and based on my own experiences with these products. I was not compensated by the manufacturers of the following products in any way. 

the handheld water bottle

This was my first choice for running hydration when I was training for my first marathon. I didn't think I could stand wearing a fuel belt, but didn't know how else I was going to be able to get water on my runs. I quickly found out there are many downsides to this method:

• Having to physically hold the water bottle in one hand (my hands were not created equal and I tend to use my right side more often). It can get a bit uncomfortable
• My particular water bottle only holds 12 oz. of water. Not enough on a 15 mile run...found that one out the hard way!

That being said, this method is good for longer, short runs (which is anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours for me)

the Fuel Belt

It took me a long time to warm up to the idea of wearing a fuel belt, but during training for my first marathon I needed to figure out a way to stay hydrated for 20-mile training runs. It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The downside was I had to carry all that water on my hips. After a few miles, you get used to it though. The upsides?

• There was definitely enough water to get me through 20 miles, mine held 4-10 oz. bottles.
• There's a pocket at the front to hold long run necessities: GU packs, ID, band-aids, etc. 

Given all that, Brandon and I have been taking the fuel belt out on our long runs, and for two people it will only get you through about 13 miles. 

the CamelBak

Yesterday was my first time using a CamelBak, but the impetus in buying one was two-fold: for marathon training and for our BikeMS training (speaking of which, have you donated to Team Baby Got Bike? I'll send you coookkkiesss!!) Anyway, it definitely holds enough water to get me through those extra long training runs. Cons:

• Carrying 1.5L (depending on the size of your bladder) on your back for mucho mileage
• Extra back sweat and the potential for new places to chafe. I didn't experience any new chafing because it's still to cold to wear sleeveless shirts, but I can see this potentially being an issue when it's warmer out
• The water left in the tube freezes in sub-freezing temps and you can't really get water out adequately. Had that problem yesterday. 
• The swishy water sound made me think I needed to pee. You get used to it though.

Still, I really liked not having to carry anything in my hands or on my hips. I was thrown off by all the noise at first, but I had not filled my bladder completely, which would probably help that. 

the water bottle 

(dropped in strategic places along training route)

This one takes a little planning on the runner's part. The one and only time I placed water bottles along my running route was when I went on an 18-mile training run during my Akron Marathon training (my long run the week before went sorely awry because I didn't have enough water with me). I drove my route the night before and put down water bottles at about every 4-5 miles. The plus side of this is there is plenty of water, and it simulates the water stations at the race. The downsides:

• Disposing of the water bottles is often not very environmentally friendly, unless you know where there are trash cans along your running route
• For me, I placed the bottles too close together and sometimes I still had water in one bottle when I got to the next one. This lends to water wasting because I found myself either throwing out my water bottles early or skipping the next bottle altogether - not very economical.
• It's a lot of extra work to drive the route beforehand, and if you hit any trails you might be S.O.L.

Ok folks, that's my assessment of different ways to fuel on my long runs. There are good and bad points about all of them but all of the cons are outweighed by the serious need for water during those hot summer months. So which is my favorite? 

the envelope please...

...and the winner is:

my CamelBak!

I think the amount of water this holds, plus it's versatility outweighs all the cons. I can still pack snacks and my ID, cell phone, whatever else, with me with minimal annoyance. I can take it on long bike rides. I can take it on long runs. I already have a way to ameliorate chafing (product review coming soon!) so I'm not too worried about wearing sleeveless running shirts with it. As for that swishing water sound? I got used to it within a mile or so...I'm not to worried about running 20. I imagine I'll forget about it all together if it's swishing for that long. 

What is your favorite way to hydrate during endurance execises? 

Did you miss the other Anatomy of a Training Run posts? Here they are:

• The Run/Walk Run
• The Tempo Run
• The Yasso 800

Also, be on the lookout for my first PL&B giveaway!!!

Peace, Love & Bagels,