Quote Originally Posted by Alexandra View Post
Sounds very sensible - except that in my experience being very interested in what I am doing suppresses my awareness of thirst, hunger and needing a loo. I have arrived at the end of LDWA events quite comfortable, only to feel an almost insatiable thirst moments after.
The "eat when hungry, drink when thirsty" doesn't really work for me, & I imagine it doesn't for a lot of long distance runners. In my personal experience:

Eating: I never want to eat anything when I'm running. I'll never get hungry, even when bonking (cycling term: sex while running doesn't appeal either). I have to make myself eat, & I only eat calories as that's all I appear to need. Kendal Mint Cake upsets my stomach least, so that's all I eat. That's a mix of sucrose & glucose, so it gets into & out of my system quickly, so I eat every 45 minutes. The amount is based on what I find I can digest, & Sarah Rowell's advice in her book. 42.5 grams of KMC per 45 mins (3 Romney squares).

Drinking: I can get thirsty when running, but usually I don't, even when getting dehydrated. So I try to make sure I have a drink regularly, every 45-60 mins. Once I start drinking, that's when I find out whether I'm thirsty/dehydrated. I go with what I feel like drinking, & listen to my body - but it only really works when I've started the process by starting to drink. I don't drink more than I feel like drinking, unless it's pretty hot, in which case I might have a little more to allow for the sweating over the next 15-20 minutes.

I've never had any supplements of any kind, or a sports drink. Mind you, I did try Lucozade back in the 60s, when they marketed the same guck as an invalid drink for the elderly. It was horrible then, & I don't imagine that's changed much.