It’s no secret that I love running. I love the challenge of it, the feeling I get when I’m out on a beautiful day enjoying all the scenery around me and even though I tend to bonk out during races, I love having a goal to work towards.
And speaking of bonking during races…that is one of my most epic fails when it comes to racing. Something always go south on me during a race. Whether it’s the nerves, starting too fast or what, it’s always been an issue (I’m still feeling the pain of my near epic bonk at mile 11 during last fall’s half marathon).
I’ve been listening to some podcasts over the last few weeks on my runs to take some of the monotany out of my outdated playlist and I think I’ve finally figured out my issue when it comes to my races:
Fuel.
Yep…simple as that. And to about 95% of you, probably really obvious too. What can I say, sometimes I like to follow the pack, not lead it.
Normally, during a training run, I bring Nuun with me and some energy chews (we’re talking runs that are about 6 or more miles. Shorter than that, I’ll go without unless it’s hot out in which case I bring water and/or Nuun with me). It serves me well and I feel fine after. So I’ve always done this during races and always struggled. I think that because I’m working harder, have more nerves, am more selective about what I eat before a race (because let’s face it, the port-a-potty doesn’t just appear the moment you have to go. And I don’t do bush squatting…too scared of misfiring. Yeah, I totally just went there), my body needs more fuel than I’m giving it.
So now that I think I’ve idenitifed one of the major issues around my long run blues, it’s time to come up with a solution for it. But I first want to hear from you! What types of energy have you tried on your runs? Gu’s, Chomps? Beans? Straight up candy? What works best for you? At this point, I’m willing to try anything, especially with Ragnar coming up next month! I don’t want to disappoint my teammates after all!
I use VFuel gels! I actually have a giveaway for them up on my blog right now! I posted it a couple days ago!
I’m loving EnergyBits right now. There’s a review on my blog if you’re interested. They’re made of algae. Works better for me than any other chew or bar…which are all just basically sources of carbs. So I’ll just have a small bowl of oatmeal with a couple eggs an hour or so before a workout then pop the energy bits and I’ve got energy for hours! Those sugar bars and stuff just make my stomach queasy.
Fuel is very important! But I think the secret is to start fuelling early – fuel before you feel you need it because once you feel you need it, it’s too late for your body to digest it and get it to the working muscles. I’ll eat a snack (or a meal – today I had an egg cheese and bacon bagel) 30 min before a long run, and I eat a Clif ShotBlock right as I’m starting my long run, and have another one every 5 km during the run. I also carry water during my long runs and drink about 200ml every 30min.