half-marathon nutrition
Hey guys - I am new on this forum. I am six months out from RNY, doing great, have lost 85, have about 40 more to go, all health is good. I just get a little shakey sometimes when I haven't eaten in a while. I have been walking a lot and am really enjoying it. My husband is a runner and is planning to run the San Antonio marathon in November and I got to thinking about walking the half. I am just going to start the training program he has set up for me and see what happens, but we are both concerned about the eating / drinking during the long walks. I know I can carry water or my protein (I use Nectar and it's water based, not milk) but what else do you guys do???
Any suggestions / ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!!
Jamie
I walked a the Madison half marathon before my surgery. I was really slow back then - probably averaged a 20 minute mile. I think the whole thing took me 4 hours 20 mins including some potty breaks. Mostly I relied on water during my training walks. I think that I also would take a granola bar and maybe some nuts. You could substitute a protein bar for the granola or just go for the granol if you can tolerate it. Nuts should work too, except all of those things tend to make me more thirsty. Also dried fruit is good, but you have to look for the kind that doesn't have a lot of added sugar (not that easy to find).
Anyhow, good luck to you. You are starting far enough ahead of time that you should do fine. Plus it will enhance your weight loss.
I like the sports jelly beans for a boost, but can only handle about 3 or 4 at a time. Careful swallowing too fast during that actual run/walk table passing,...that can be painful. On long outings or for recovery, the Power Bars. potassium and protein sources help me recover and feel better during and after. I've been training to do a half jogging scheduled for Nov 15 in Richmond VA and I just have to make sure I get my water, sometimes I'll do half of a Leasn Sobe Energy drink, and some protein in about 45-60 minutes before I go out. Otherwise I feel too full when i jog. During a long jog, after the first 45-60 minutes, when i hit my first fatigue wall, I'll pull out my 3 jelly beans and try to chew them without messing up my breathing. Then it about evry 20-30 minutes I do them again till finished. A banana or banana strawberry protein smoothie is reaaaalllllly good, but if not available, I will go to my Pure Protein bars and water. I tried the electrolyte gels (two different brands) and they taste like swallowing glue and initially make me feel ill and are terribly sticky.
I also like to push my limits during practice to train my body and mind and so I know what my limits are rather than finding out in a race. My best to-date is 10 miles with jelly beans but withou****er in 2.25 hrs. I am training for the 13 mi half in 2.25. We will see,.........best of luck to you and congrads on the excellent goals and success to-date. You rock!
Hi Joe - thanks for the advice. I have had a couple people recommend the jelly beans, so I will look for them. I figure all the time I have between now and November, I can try some things out and know what I am doing by race time. I have NEVER been active like this before and it feels GREAT!!
Good luck with your 2.25!!
Jamie
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Joe
Just one word of advice - avoid the gels. Those things are lethal for somebody who's had an RNY. If you do try the gels, make sure you wear a Depends undergarment 
. I tried the gel on a half-marathon recently and lived to regret it.
Zone makes snack-sized protein bars that fit nicely into a fanny pack that I wear (along with a fuel belt - makes it easier to carry gatorade and water without having to carry a bottle in your hand the whole way). I carry those and the sports jelly beans, neither of which has given me any trouble in that regard, although I do eat both sparingly. I also make sure I have a banana afterwards to ward off leg cramping. When I talked to my PCP about it, I expressed concern about the sugar and salt in the Gatorade, but he said that I'll burn off both before either can cause problems for me (I am a recovering diabetic and high-blood pressure person), and that I need to drink it to replenish the sweat (not doing so can cause leg cramping). He also said to make sure I keep cool (I live in Mississippi), so I carry water with me and periodically pour it over my head and shoulders.
Take it easy, but have a good time. You're doing great, and you'll find the weight will come off if you're still losing, and stay off if you've gotten to your stopping point.
Marcia
That's pretty funny - I have had others advise to stay away from gels, too. I will look for the jelly beans and will try the zone bars. In the past, they had more sugar than I could tolerate, but I can tolerate a bit more now... Are you dringing the regular gatorade or the new, lower sugar G2?
Jamie
Hi Jamie,
I think I"m probably the oddball here. I don't drink or eat anything during my workouts and do just fine. The only time I ever did was on the very long training runs preparing for the marathon and that was jus****er. When I did the actual race I used gels at the 15 and 24 mile marks and drank water at a few stations when I was actually thirsty.
I did a half marathon yesterday and didn't eat or drink anything.
Linn
