Back at the end of February, I mentioned (HERE) that I wasn’t loving the way I was feeling on my runs and that it was time to take a much closer look at what I’m eating – both on run and rest days. So for the past couple of weeks I’ve been running my own little pre-fueling/fueling test lab, experimenting with different options on my long run days.
Here’s some of what I’ve learned so far:
- Before runs, I’m finding that either a whole wheat English muffin with almond butter and a little honey or Honey Stringer Waffles with half a banana seems to be sitting well with my stomach.
- The Stringer Waffles and banana don’t seem to have as much “staying power” so with this combo I need to start fueling sooner than the 5 mile mark.
- I read that coffee can help pre-race — I’ve tried a half a cup a couple of times and the jury’s still out on that one.
- While in the past I’ve been using GU Chomps during my runs, I do not enjoy how stiff and difficult they are to chew when the temps drop, and they require a lot more water to get them down – which leads to the dreaded sloshing feeling…not pretty!
I recently discovered Huma Gels and so far this is a win as a fueling option – no stomach issues, they’re all natural, they taste good and my energy levels were good – win!- Still trying to work out the best timing on when to take a gel. Usually I take one at 5, 8 and 11 during a half marathon, but in my last race I started getting light-headed at mile 12 and I was forced to walk for a minute or two. So I’m still working on whether I need to fuel more often in those later miles.
- For now I’ve gone back to just plain water during my runs – I kinda wanted to get the gel thing resolved before introducing anything else.
I’m feeling pretty good where I am so far – especially since I still have weeks to go before my next half marathon at the end of May.
So tell me – how often do you fuel on a long run? What’s your favorite fueling option?
*The opinions expressed here are from my own experience. I am in no way affiliated with the products mentioned.
