So I’ve finally (finally!) gotten past the days when my sole motivation to run was that I ate terribly the previous day. And it’s no small pleasure to know that burning all of these calories means I don’t have to think a whole lot about what I’m eating all the time.
But still, as a half-marathoner-in-training--and a rookie at that--I feel a little in between things. I know that what I eat should take on more importance than it did when I was running a maximum of 6 miles at a time. At the same time, the nutrition advice that’s out there for full marathoners doesn’t seem to apply completely, either.
I found useful advice posted about a year ago here at our very own Half Wits blog. Nobody claimed to be an expert on what anyone else should be eating, but a few folks wrote about what works for them. This blog is a great source for knowledge that comes from experience. In particular, a Half Wit named Kris said...
I really try to watch what I eat 2-3 days before a race. For a 1/2 marathon, I am careful all week. First, drink a lot of water everyday (if you are getting up in the middle of the night you are doing just fine) I try to eat whole grain, fruits, vegatables, protein(salmon, cottage cheese, egg beaters, peanut butter and yogurt) The night before I eat alot of the above. The morning of the race, wake-up at least 2 hours before you want to be there and you want to be at the race about an hour before the start. I drink water up until 1 1/2 before the race, then just sips. Eat some protein and carbs about 2 hours before the race. A good choice is egg beaters, yogurt or peanut butter. You don't want anything heavy on your stomach.
Tim added “I have found you really want to watch what you eat the day before a race or long run. A big Cafe Brio dinner before your 1/2 marathon is not the best idea. Believe me!Manageable portions and a balanced diet is the key. And pay attention to your body. If you are hungry, then eat. Just don't overdo it.”
Perhaps most important is a reminder from Sanya, a former nutritionist: Life is much more enjoyable when you treat yourself for all those miles you have logged.
Outside of the Half Wits' collective wisdom (now how many times has that been uttered?), here are a few additional sites I found helpful.
Here's what Kenyans eat. Ugali, anyone?
http://www.runningtimes.com/rt/articles/?id=3955
General guidelines on sports nutrition for runners:
http://running.about.com/od/nutrition/a/nutrition101.htm
15 foods runners need every week (what I took from this: Dark Chocolate):
http://tinyurl.com/2wx45t
And because I know some of you are training for marathons (or just want to eat like you are):
http://tinyurl.com/247oob
What I’d really like to hear about is what you have found to work for you--whether you’ve been doing this for years or whether (like me) you’re new and just stumbling around doing trial and error. (Example of the latter: one martini on Friday night--sweet. Three martinis--error.)
What makes you feel light as a feather during your long runs?
What will you never eat before a run again?
What do you eat 2 hours before lacing up for a race?
And how many miles do you need to be running before you start packing energy gel???
Steph
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Well, I'm relatively new also. I've got 1 half and 1 full behind me. But what I've found to work for me for races and long runs is either a bagel with peanut butter or cream cheese, or a couple slices of toast with a good helping of peanut butter between them. Then a good sized glass of water. Like Kris said, the earlier before the race the better.
As far as energy gel is concerned, the packs say every 45 minutes. That has worked pretty well for me. I know during my marathon I went a little longer than that and felt like I could use a jolt, and felt better after I finally got to a water stop after that.
One thing I have heard about the gels is that you should always wait to take them right before the water stops. Always wash them down with liquid of some sort.
I try to eat 2 hours before my training run/race. This helps with the bathroom issue, which is important when you are doing a 20 mile run on the trail. Same as Jeremy, I like a bagel topping it with soy peanut butter and sometimes a bowl of oatmeal. I try to drink lots of water and sometimes I'll drink gatorade in addition. The night or even 2, before a long run I will try to carb up and stay away from anything really fatty. I drink water constantly during the week.
I take a GU 15 minutes before I start out and every hour after that if I'm going to be out longer than an hour. It seems to work for me.
(I am sure Kris M. can back me on this) :)
I actually just got home from meeting with Joe Thiel at Fitness Together. Thinking I was doing okay with my diet, turned out, it really wasn't even CLOSE to okay! In fact it is terrible! Of all of the things I had told him that consist of my daily diet, there was only ONE thing that he said was good. Turns out I was overloading myself with WAY to many carbs and hardly ANYTHING with proteins.
Joe has set me up with this awesome nutrition program that I can not WAIT to start. The only thing I can suggest is if you are unsure of your diet or even question it, then consider meeting with a someone like Joe Thiel. He can not only help you physically but most importantly nutritionally.
If you want a perfect 10 example, just look at Kris!!! :):):):)
Emily,
You are too kind. I am glad you spoke to Joe. I learned EVERYTHING I know regarding running, lifting and eating right from Joe. He knows exactly what he is talking about. The most important thing I learned is the importance of what you eat within 30 minutes of a tough run or workout. This is a key window of time that is crucial to muscle recovery. I know you don't always feel like eating right away, but it is so important to consume quality carbs and protein asap. There are liquid supplements that work great and are easy to digest.
Kris
I've been doing pretty well with B&B.
Bourbon and bologna.
Hey guys, since I like to eat a variety of foods, I can tell you what NOT to eat the night before a run. Olestra, corn on the cob and egg rolls!
B & B - that is entirely tooooo funny!
I usually eat a whole wheat bagel half with honey and Peanut Butter before I run (about an hour before) and try to drink tons of water. Afterwards I tend to head for the bagels or carbs again but I know I need to do better. I do this for long runs and my noontime runs.
Night before long runs? Simply pastas - easy on the sauce - and seafood or chicken.
And Pam - remember - one margarita or beer is good. Five? Oh, man - we got problems!
Energy gels - I'm with Jeremy on this one. If I'm running more than 6 miles, I'll use a gel at an hour and then every 45-50 minutes afterwards - this is what got me through my long runs, my halfs, and Chicago. But water - even in this cool weather, and gatorade is pretty critical.
Emily - was wine on Joe's nutrition plan for you? 'cause I know we got plenty of antioxidants in today, but geeez!
Wine? I think he would have to laugh at my diet... AGAIN!!!! :(
(But Oh how I so love WINE!!! Or is that I love to whine? Okay so both!)
You guys are great! Thanks so much for the excellent advice.
Pam--Olestra? Oh my....So sorry!
Yes Steph and I'm a dietitian. I know better but I thought they were baked, until I looked down and saw "made with Olestra" The Abe's amble was not pretty :(.
BTW, What is Olestra?
Wow Pam, 3 years ago I had bad luck on my "run" (noticed how I quoted that!) when I did Abes too! It didn't have anything to do with Olestra, but the alcohol comsumption from the night before... bad bad decision! One good thing, I did finish first in my age group in the 2K!! :)
Olestra (also known as Olean) is an artificial fat substance. Olestra passes through the gut without being absorbed and adds no calories or nutritive value to the diet. Chips are usually high in fat but when cooked in Olestra they have zero or low grams of fat. The chips do have calories though because it has carbs and other items in them. Large portions (My case, hey, I thought they were baked!)causes abdominal crapping and loose stools.
Soooooo can you call this the generic crisco then?
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