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Thread: Food before a long run

  1. #11
    Master IainR's Avatar
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    i'd just eat two pieces of toast, jam and PB,

    I dont carb load, but I at well generally.

    How long are you calling long? Sounds like you are just running too quick.

  2. #12
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    The aim on both those runs was around 5 1/2 - 6 hours. I've done that distance/time in the past but on these occasiions ran out of steam at 4 and 4 1/2 hours respectively.
    It seems like the rainy season has finally set in and the sun should soon be moving further north so hopefully less fierce heat/more cloud cover by the time I next go for such a long one (lion permitting) will make the difference.

  3. #13
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    Shauneto, humidity (and temp.) vary ridiculously: anywhere from mid-nineties (%) down to mid-thirties, sometimes both extremes on the same day (but at the high end early morning when I do most of my running). Temperature: occasionally high teens (C) overnight (more likely low 20s) up to mid-forties (though high 20s - mid-thirties are more normal most of the year). That's partly what makes judging long runs difficult.
    Still, I appreciate having hundreds of square miles of open savannah on my doorstep!

  4. #14
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    Shauneto, humidity (and temp.) vary ridiculously: anywhere from mid-nineties (%) down to mid-thirties, sometimes both extremes on the same day (but at the high end early morning when I do most of my running). Temperature: occasionally high teens (C) overnight (more likely low 20s) up to mid-forties (though high 20s - mid-thirties are more normal most of the year). That's partly what makes judging long runs so difficult.
    Still, I appreciate having hundreds of square miles of open savanna on my doorstep.

  5. #15
    Master Splatcher's Avatar
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    Carbs are the key. If you've had a decent meal the night before & some starch for breakfast (eg 2 slices of toast an hour or 2 before starting) that should be all you need to set you up for the first couple of hours. Before that couple of hours is over, though, you need to start taking more carbs in to keep you going for the rest of the run. Starch digests slower than sugar, so if you're going to eat starches you can eat every hour or so. If you're eating sugar, I find I need to eat every 45 minutes from that start of the run to avoid a cycle of sugar rush/lows.

    How much do you need to eat? Well, some people regulate that automatically, ie they feel hungry so eat something. I never want to eat when running so I have to be more organised about it, & make sure I eat the right amount regularly. I started off with the guidance in Sarah Rowell's book "Off-Road Running", where she says "Aim for a carbohydrate intake of approximately 60g per hour (or 1g per kg body weight...This is the maximum the body can process". I tried that for 3 or 4 years, but I tended to get pretty sick as races went on. Just the last few months I've tried cutting that back to 40g per hour, and that seems to work really well for me.

    I eat just sugar, as I've had so many problems with swallowing & digesting food while running. 40g per hour works out at 2 squares of Rowney's Kendal Mint Cake per 45 minutes.
    Andy Robinson
    Runfurther committee member
    Helsby Running Club

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