When I am in the midst of a 3 hour run, I often start to daydream about food. What delicious morsel am I going to have for my post-run feast - a smoothie? A pizza? Or the ultimate, cheese fries? There is a reason why people dream of food as they are in the middle of a long run - you are burning calories and depleting carbohydrates from your stores. Glucose is stored in the body as glycogen. When this supply is depleted, people are left feeling drained, both physically and mentally. Consuming carbohydrates while you run can help maintain your glucose level.
But, at what point do you need to worry about this and take carb replenishment with you on a run? According to Runner's World magazine, anything longer than 75 minutes requires supplementation. Anything shorter, the food you ate pre-run and your body's glycogen stores can handle. Don't wait until your body is completely fatigued to start consuming calories. It is best to start 30 to 60 minutes into a run. Continue throughout the workout in small, frequent quantities. It is recommended to have 100 to 250 calories per hour after that. The amount of calories depends on the size of the person (bigger person=more calories) and the fitness of the runner (less fit=more calories required).
So, how are you supposed to consume all of these calories as you run? There are several different ways. Sports drinks, like Gatorade or Hammer's HEED, both provide calories. However, the large volume required may cause a sloshy feeling in your stomach - not good when there are 8 miles left to go. Several runners use carbohydrate gels, like Gu, Hammer Gel, Carb Boom, or PowerBar Gel. These come in small packets, in a whole variety of flavors, and most have about 100 calories per packet. They fit easily into pockets of running shorts for portability and some even have caffeine, for an extra boost. Another form of carb replacement is gummy blocks, like Cliff Blocks (think of a giant cube shaped gummy bear) or jelly beans, like Sport Beans. Some companies make products with carbs combined with protein, for a steady level of glucose, like Sustained Energy by Hammer. Experiment with them all and find out what works for you. Some people do have problems tolerating these gels, from a GI perspective. When on a long run, blood is diverted from the gut to the muscles, making these products hard to digest for some people.
Remember, maintaining nutrition on the course can prevent you from hitting the dreaded wall. So, try a few different types and flavors and see what works for you.
Next week: running gadgets.
Happy running and eating!
Jennifer
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