Panda Ramblings, Feed Me!

[windwalker]

Since we are closing in on the last 2 months till the January Marathon weekend it's time to start really thinking about food and hydration for the races. You have several things to iron out before the big day.

First and most important is what to eat the morning of the race. The races are very early in the morning so that usually means that you have to have something in your room to eat before you head out to catch the bus for the staging area. Most people get to the staging area about one to two hours before the race start so your room food has a chance to digest before the actual start of the race. It's a good idea to be trying out what you think you might want to eat now when you have time to modify and experiment.

Second is what to eat the night before. Most people look toward pasta. The important thing is some protein and lots of complex carbs. That can be a whole bunch of different things. Make sure it's something that you know agrees with you and sets well on your stomach. Avoid very spicey food, avoid foods that are known to cause gas and don't eat till you fill bloated.

Third is what to eat during the races. You should have already been practicing eating on the move, if not better get started. Vomiting, cramps or the 'runs' at mile 10 can ruin a wonderful experience so make sure ahead of time if you can tolerate the planned calorie sources. There are gels, Gu, sports drinks, bananas, pretzels, sports beans and lots of home mixed things that will fill the bill so plan well and try out your choices often.

Please share your planned menu of race weekend calorie intake so others can get ideas.

Thanks for reading.

Dave

 

[dragitoff]

Thank you for this thread! I'm not running this January, but I am doing my first 1/2 in March (with plans to do my first full in January 2013). I'm going to start practicing various things to eat before and during my long weekend runs this weekend. I have somewhat of a sensitive stomach so I'm curious to see what people are suggesting here. I've got to pick up a few things at the store Friday night for my long run this weekend.

I read in the Nov. Runner's World, they say you should consume 100 calories every 30 minutes for runs longer than 1 hour. I plan on trying to log 10-12 miles this weekend so that would fall in that category for sure.

 

[joan4mickey]

Nutrition has consumed my life as I prepare for my first full in Jan. I am currently OCD of what to eat, how to eat and have filled my cabinet with new foods.
Sports beans work well for me, but will not carry me past 13 miles, so I have tried some bars..I would name them if it's cool on these boards (so if it is, let me know and I'll name them.
An hour before a long run, I eat a small bagel with peanut butter and half a banana and 4 oz of clear juice. That may have to increase. My next long run on Monday will be 17 miles (my longest yet).
After I run, coffee! and sports drink and a sports bar. Then my DH has been taking me out to eat. I once ordered two lunch plates..ok he helped me eat some.
Carbs, proteins, fats, and well I'm a chocolate junkie so that is just part of my diet. My head spins, but it is fun.

 

[dragitoff]

One of my biggest problems is I cannot stand bananas! Seriously, the smell of a banana makes me sick to my stomach. I've forced myself to eat them a few times and gagged and nearly threw up each time. I don't know what it is. lol. I know they're very good for cramping and all, but I cannot eat them.

I hope it's cool to name the bars because that's one thing I'm looking for myself. I cut the caffeine dependency out a few months back so I seldomly have anything with caffeine in it (maybe once every 2 weeks or so). I use alot of the protein bars for energy boosts as well when I start getting tired.

I eat alot of nuts. Heck, that's my business. I'm a sales manager for a pecan shelling plant. Pecans I know are extremely good for you (high in antioxidants, help lower cholesterol, and many other things). I don't know how they'd fit in a pre-race diet though. I know they're high in fiber so maybe not good in an immediately before race meal or something.

 

[paxsarah]

I bet pecans would be great for after a long run, though!

I usually run very early in the morning, and I don't eat anything before a run shorter than 75 minutes or so. For a longer run, I eat an Access bar before I go out - it works for me, I'm a creature of habit, so I stick with it - but anything small and carby would probably work for me, banana, half a bagel, etc. I honestly don't plan to do anything different for the Disney races in January - just because I'm up a bit earlier, I'm still running at around my normal run time (5:30-6am), so why mess with it. I also have a bit of an iron stomach, fwiw.

What worked for me on my half marathon this past weekend was to have my biggest pre-race meal at lunch the day before, then a fairly light dinner. I think I had pasta leftovers for lunch, and some stir-fried veggies and chicken along with a fair amount of rice for dinner. I tried to focus on carbs for 3-4 days before the race, though that was tough because protein really helps to keep me from getting hungry, and for the last 2-3 days I switched my normal water drinking to a low-calorie sports drink instead (though Nuun, or water plus Endurolytes, etc. would serve the same purpose).

For nutrition during the race, I only just started trying gels and they work fine for me (see the aforementioned iron stomach, lol). Prior to this training cycle, I had been taking Sharkies (sports gummies) on my long runs and they were fine, too, but I think I've been won over by the simplicity of taking one shot of gel rather than dealing with a handful of gummy items. Once I get up to marathon training distances I may find I want something more food-like toward the end of the run - I know that when I ran my marathon back in March, the most welcome food on the course were the pretzels around mile 20. Mmm, salty, salty pretzels.

Oh, and after all of my runs I have a home-made protein bar (Alton Brown's recipe) - I make them and freeze them so I don't have to expend mental energy deciding how to get in some carbs and protein immediately after a run and I like that I know exactly what's in it. Then I follow up with a real breakfast 30-60 minutes later.

 

[Princess Roo]

Good topic! I'm one of those people with a really sensitive stomach. What is working for me is:

At least one hour before a long run I have 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with soynut butter (peanut butter), ~8 ounces of gatorade, ~8 ounces of water.

Gels did not work for me and the only real food I tried mid-run (a granola bar) was an absolute disaster. Sport beans settle well for me, and better if I just drink water instead of also drinking sport drink. So I have a pack ~30 minutes in and every 30 minutes thereafter. (Could do this less frequently if drinking sport drink, too.) There are 15ish in a pack and I split it into 3 with a few minutes in between. I have not had a problem with not taking them directly with water, though I do have water every 1-1.5 miles on my runs. This has worked great for me so far. I'm only a half-marathoner, though, so haven't gone further than that distance.

Also, don't forget some protein when you finish to start healing those muscles, even if you don't feel like eating anything. I drink some chocolate milk or choke down a protein bar.

 

[paxsarah]

Oh, I forgot I've also recently discovered kefir as a recovery food/drink. Plenty of protein and carbs, and the strawberry version from Trader Joe's is very tasty!

 

[dragitoff]

Oh, I forgot I've also recently discovered kefir as a recovery food/drink. Plenty of protein and carbs, and the strawberry version from Trader Joe's is very tasty!

I have been using the Gatorade Prime and Refuel for post and pre-runs.

 

[rubato]

My pre-run fuel is always oats. Steel cut if I'm home, instant oatmeal or even one of those breakfast cookies while at Disney. During my long runs (must be at least 10 miles) I use gels. I tried the beans, but can't chew while I run. It makes my breathiing really messed up. So, I love, love, love the Clif Shots Mocha energy gels. I will use any brand though and caffeinated or not. Then, after my races, I fell in love with a cold Coke this year. I don't drink soda anymore, so this was a shocker for me at Disney. It was so refreshing and an instant boost of simple sugar. Then, I just eat normally during the day. Of course, normal for me is unprocessed food with a good mix of protein and carbs. Lots of fruits and veggies (just became a meat eater again).

The key to this is to try different things while training, so that on race day, there are no surprises. I learned during the marathon this year that candy is a really bad idea for me. I'm going to be running my first ultra this year and need to figure out which real foods sit well while I'm running because I have to fuel with more than just gels to do 44 miles.

 

[DrMomof3]

I can pretty much eat anything before or during the race and have no issues. Oh wait, except the half marathon that I ran the day after Yom Kippur. Apparently consuming large quantities of smoked fish the night before a race was a bad idea. (Even so, my GI issues were miminal.)
I've been trying out different things and everything seems ok during my long runs. I've eaten sports beans, cliff bars, gels, etc.
My biggest issue has been post-long run fueling. I find that I have to eat a lot more than I think or I start to feel really crabby all day. This past Saturday I ran 10 miles. I drank chocolate milk after and then took my daughter to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. I ordered pasta and ate most of it! That seemed to work well because I felt good all day.

Amanda

 

[windwalker]

I to have a preference for Special K or Cherio's with a banana cut up on them and skim milk, a cup off coffee and a half a bottle of water and I'm ready to tackle any distance.

One the race course I like the gels and the bananas, pretzel rods are nice also a few times. I make sure to get a cup of the sports drink at every water station. That's pretty much it for me during the race. I suppose if they had tuna sandwiches or chicken wings I'd grab me one. I drank a beer at mile 10 of the Nashville half and it was ok but kinda made wanna just sit down and have another instead of going on.

Dean the Ultra Marathon man will order a pizza on his sell phone and have it delivered on the run and run along eating it.

It's all a matter of what you like and what you can tolerate. One time at an expo just before a 10K in Las Vegas I tried a shot of a super vitamin drink that was supposed to give me more energy. I was sick as a dog the whole race and thought I was not going to be able to finish.

Dave

 

[FFigawi]

My nutrition plan is pretty simple.

Pre-race - I spend the week before the race slowly adding more complex carbs and water to my diet. I find it works better for me to build up my fuel gradually than to gorge on pasta the night before. That just leaves a big blob in my stomach. My meal the night before a race is always sushi. It's got lots of easily digestible protein and carbs and is nice and light.

During the race - I use Clif Shots, Clif Bloks, and Sport Beans. For a marathon, I'll take my first goo after 90 minutes and then refuel every 45 minutes after that. I start with the shots, then the bloks, and use the beans at the end when I'm in the mood for something sweet but not sickly sweet.

For an ultra, I skip the goo altogether and eat salted potatos, PB&J, pizza, meat loaf, soup, or whatever else the aid stations are offering.

Post-race - I'm never hungry but always very thirsty. Guinness is my rehydrating beverage of choice, but since that's not always around or practical, I use chocolate milk too.