food intake

[mike1967]

Managed to get to the finish of the Tour de helvellyn on sat, what a finish...
Would like to know how much I should be eating during the event... I don't eat much, generally, on a long run, but at 6ft 2 and nearly 13 stone perhaps I need to eat a fair bit? Any guidance very welcome!

[karen nash]

I at two tuna wraps, two chunks of banana, a small mars bar , a handful of nuts and one gel. I used to eat
less and have gradually managed to get used to eating more. he tuna wraps are for me a recent discovery-savoury but moist

[mike1967]

Thanks... seems I'm definitely not eating enough...not fit enough either but that's another problem.

[Dave_Mole]

there's some detailed stuff here: http://running.competitor.com/2011/0...-the-run_28754
but it's really a matter of experimenting and finding what works for you: some people like "real" food (like wraps or sandwiches, malt loaf etc), others go for gels. I use Cliff Shotbloks on longer runs: chewy little squares, supplemented by flapjack or jaffa cakes.....

[Al Fowler]

I at two tuna wraps, two chunks of banana, a small mars bar , a handful of nuts and one gel. I used to eat
less and have gradually managed to get used to eating more. he tuna wraps are for me a recent discovery-savoury but moist

I haven't been able to eat Tuna wraps ever since I had a sudden outburst of explosive vomit in the car on the way home from this year Ian Hodgson Relays. They were post-run food though.


I used to take pork pies and blueberry sandwiches with me on the longer races. Not sure they are the best thing to eat but I loved them.

[Knightrunner]

Like many people I find it hard to eat after a bit. On Saturday's TdeH I ate granola and toast for beakfast, then on the run 1 giant almond flapjack, 1 banana Chiacharge bar, 2 small pork pies, 2 fingers of christmas cake, several handfuls of peanuts, and tea / apple juice / water to drink. I should have had a bit more and once or twice i could feel the onset of weariness as a result. The ideal is to have a bite every 20 or 30 minutes, but I don't always do that myself! I do sometimes have gels but don't like them (tho Torq are best if you must) and I'm not convinved they do that much more than proper food except when you lose lots of fluid, salt etc thro sweating in which case gels and fancy drinks are a good idea for replacement. It's also important to consider before and after the run: if you've stocked up well before you don't need to worry for a good hour or more; if you're going well and you're on the home stretch you can forget eating and just run; once back tho you need to refuel ... and that soup hit the spot alright on Saturday :-)

[Ed D]

As mentioned above, my limited experience of 20-mile plus runs suggests whatever you want to eat is what you should eat as you'll at least get it down. I once made the mistake of taking quaker oaty bars on a race having never eaten them before and they were foul, meaning they were a) useless and b)unwelcome. I can;t drink carbohydrate drinks as they dehydrate me too much and I end up being sick so just stick to electrolyte tabs and proper food/gels now. Peanuts are great for MMs and ultras as they make a nice change from sugary stuff and the salt staves off cramp. Coconut macaroons are good too, lots of fat and a bit of sugar to level out gels or shotbloks etc. Controlled/cautious use of caffeine has really benefited me on longer runs as well, cliff bar turbo shots in particular; they're great for fuelling a mad couple of mile dash to the finish, just make sure you don't peak too soon!

[rickykendall]

I am getting fats as i eat more. I know that it is so bad practice for me. But I want to control myself to lose my weight. Food intake should be controlled by me.