Long distance runs & breakfasts ...

Deanna34
on 4/14/08 12:49 am - Salem, OR

Hello fellow runners! I was just curious what you all eat for breakfast when you go out on a long distance run in the morning. I usually eat a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter but this weekend I felt like it wasn't carrying me through. Do you bring anything with you to munch on during your long runs? I appreciate any ideas! --Deanna :)

"Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid it will never begin."
--Grace Hansen

Weight lost: 140 pounds

Kevin A.
on 4/14/08 1:14 am - Bombay, CA

RNY on 08/21/06 with

Well on longer runs. I eat a protein bar in the morning and every 45 minutes to an hour I'm eatting something while I run!! Protein bar, gels, Sports Beans or Shot Blocks!!

"You have to be uncompromised in your level of commitment to whatever you are doing, or it can disappear as fast as it appeared." ~Michael Jordan~

Linn D.
on 4/14/08 3:25 am - Missoula, MT

RNY on 02/17/04

I don't eat anything before exercise most of the time. I rely on glycogen stores. I'm not positive about this, but I think the more we deplete them, the better they will want to build enough up for the activity we need. I'll look this up, but I think that's the way it works. In my mind, part of training is to get the body to be its best, most efficient machine so that it will carry you through. Maybe I'm wierd, but I don't eat before and almost never drink during. I went the full triathlon without eating before or drinking during, and I do all running races of half marathon or less that way also. Maybe I already have a good capacity for building up glycogen, I don't know. Linn

Rob S.
on 4/14/08 3:27 am - DE

RNY on 10/06/03

Not exactly a long-distance runner yet, but so far on the 10-milers and half-marathons I usually have my normal oatmeal with Unjury protein at least two hours before the run. I have not felt the need for much supplement during the run since the longest has been two hours. I usually carry the Cytosport R-T-D Cytomax sports beverage with me, since it is much lower in sugar than Gatorade. I also carry the Sport Beans but don't eat more than two since I find I can't run and eat/or/drink at the same time. The Bloks I've tried but I end up choking on them so I gave up on them, although I do use them when cycling. Rob

Cassie W.
on 4/14/08 8:07 am, edited 4/14/08 8:08 am

RNY on 09/14/06

Hi Deanna, I've been experimenting with denser carbs to fuel my long runs. Saturday, I ate grape nuts and raisins with just enough milk to get it damp, so I had a good 300 calories in me before my 3-hour 16 mile run. Along the way, I ate 3 sports beans every other mile. On the alternate miles, I sipped my G2. Some mornings, I'll eat a Cliff Bar and a banana. I recently picked up Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathoners and have been trying to incorporate more good carbs into my diet to give me the necessary energy for my runs. I really liked her book. For endurance exercise, the books suggests .5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight per hour of endurance exercise. So, a 130 pound person will need 260 calories per hour. I can't eat that much when I'm running. Throughout her book, she reminds readers that each individual is an experiment of one and that you have to try different things to see what works for you. Cassie

"Hard things take time to do. Impossible things take a little longer."

Deanna34
on 4/14/08 8:10 am - Salem, OR

RNY on 05/09/06

Hi Cassie! Thank you for that great information! My problem is that I like to have something in my stomach but not so much that I have that heavy bloated feeling. I need a smaller meal that has more calories! I like your Clif bar and banana idea ... I'll have to try that one! Thanks again for your help! I might have to check out that book ... it sounds interesting! --Deanna :)

"Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid it will never begin."
--Grace Hansen

Weight lost: 140 pounds

Cassie W.
on 4/14/08 8:18 am

RNY on 09/14/06

After years of Weigh****chers, isn't it strange to be looking for foods that have a lot of calories in a small package? I eat grape nuts because it has 200 calories per half cup. In the old days, I'd pick something like Rice Crispies, because I could eat 1.25 cups for only 120 calories. Cassie

"Hard things take time to do. Impossible things take a little longer."

kypdurran
on 4/14/08 11:26 pm - Baton Rouge, LA

RNY on 03/22/06

Ahhh... Long distance exercising and the associated nutrition... my daily battle. :)

I'm experimenting with all kinds of things. Using gel packs exclusively just don't do it for me and if you had RNY probably won't do it for you either. I can do 1 or 2 during a 5 hour event but anything over that and I spend more time in the porta-pottys then on the course. I've had success with Accelerade drinks because they have a 4 to 1 carb to protein ratio but even with that I have to limit intake.

The trick and our challenge is that we have to train our bodies to ultize protein instead of carbohydrates for energy during long distance exercising. Carbohydrates are 'quick fuel' like paper. You throw paper on a fire and it burns up fast. Protein is like the 'log'. It will burn but it takes a nice fire to get it burning. Also, protein, like the log, is much more efficient fuel. The problem is the fire, which in this example, is our metabolism. HOW do we get the 'fire' hot enough to burn the logs. That my friends is the problem! I can imagine the looks I would get when I pull a baked chicken leg out of my race belt. Heh heh.

What KINDA works for me now is peanut butter but it's just not as 'portable' as I need it to be. I had success during the marathon by eating peanut butter on a bagel before the race. In the second half I hit the wall because of a combination of total exhaustion and dumping from gel packs but I didn't have any gastic explosions for the entire race. I've also dipped a platic spoon into a peanut butter jar and wrapped it with saran wrap and used that as my 'gel' pack on long runs. I'm currently searching for a peanut butter pack tube / gel pack thingie that I can put in my bento box on my bike or in my pocket that's on my race belt. When I was in the Army they gave us MREs that had a squeezable peanut butter packet in it. I'm looking for something a little smaller but I'd settle for anything at this point. The plastic spoon method just isn't going to work as the weather (and distances) in the triathlons increases.

Good luck and if you have any success with anything post them.

Chad

http://www.team464.com>

Deanna34
on 4/15/08 12:38 am - Salem, OR

RNY on 05/09/06

Oh Chad, that would be so funny to pull a chicken leg out during your runs! Haha! I have seen some Jif peanut butter "on the go" type of things ... they come in a small plastic container with a peel off "lid" of sorts. I think they hold about 2 tablespoons worth of peanut butter and they are portable and fairly small. Might be worth a try! I LOVE peanut butter! --Deanna :)

"Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid it will never begin."
--Grace Hansen

Weight lost: 140 pounds

(deactivated member)
on 4/15/08 1:07 am - Cleveland Heights, OH

RNY on 10/25/05

Hi, Chad. Not sure whether this would be a good option, but have you tried peanut butter slices (portioned and wrapped like a slice of cheese)? http://www.pbslices.com/index.html Not sure how well they'd hold up to transport during a long run, but wanted to make you aware of the product. Good luck on your continuing journey - Kellie

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