Kelly the Culinarian: Training Tuesday: Long-Run Fueling Strategies

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Training Tuesday: Long-Run Fueling Strategies

Yep, I dreamed of this moment
Nom
Gah, there's only 40 days until the marathon. I can tell you that I, for one, am totally confident in my ability to finish the race and am feeling cool, calm and collected.

Fake it 'til you make it, right? In all seriousness, positive self-talk and visualization is important to any type of success, be it weight loss, athletic events or career goals. I spent a decent amount of time before my first triathlon picturing a seamless swim, mentally walking through smooth transitions and imagining completing the race strong. It worked, as I finished the race exactly as I pictured, triumphant.
Sweaty, but stylish, post long run

Here's hoping it works for the marathon, too. In the meantime, I have two long-distance runs left: a 19 miler this weekend and a 20 miler two weeks after that. And it's taken me all these months to finally figure out a fueling strategy that works for me. I've posted before about what I eat on days that I go long, which is interestingly enough one of my most popular posts. I added gels to my running when I got ready to tackle my first half marathon, but I haven't quite found the sweet spot for fueling the long-distance runs required for marathon training.

Last Friday, I had the day off and set out at the obscene hour of 4 a.m. for an 18-mile run.  Before I ran, I ate a piece of whole wheat bread with peanut butter and sugar-free preserves, a mini Luna bar and a graham cracker.  That held me over for the first five miles.  Then, I ate one shot block every other mile until the turn around point. At mile nine, I took a gel, then repeated the shot blocks at mile 11, 13 and 15.  That seemed to work out well for me because I was able to finish the run without walking (other than to fill up my water bottle).

This week's motto: Good things come to those who work for it. Go get it.

7 comments:

Pete B said...

Sounds like you are finding the right mix of fuel, rather than guessing during the race (like I have in the past). Congrats on only having two long runs left. Do you take a day or two off before and after them?

KellytheCulinarian said...

I usually rest the day before, then cross train the day after.

Xaarlin said...

Seems like you've found a great recipe for nutrition pre and during your runs. I can't eat before runs, also mainly because I never want to wake up super early to let the food settle. Hmm. Maybe I should try eating more one of these weeks.

OMG less than 40 days until our marathon! We've totally got this :)

KellytheCulinarian said...

I can't believe it's almost here!

Erin said...

Your fueling strategy sounds a lot like mine! It's gotten me through many a long run. Glad you got it figured out. One less thing to think about!

Amanda - TooTallFritz said...

Fueling is sooo tough! Glad you worked it out. I don't miss that part of marathon training, that's for sure.

Unknown said...

I fuel the exact same way as you. It works well and I always feel the boost of energy from gels. Still need to try mocha though!

Only 40 more days?! You seem to be well-prepared so don't stress too much!