For your long run plan to come to fruition, you've gotta plan your nutrition!
Planning your nutrition for your long run is super important to make sure that you've got enough fuel to enjoy your run, get the maximum benefit from it, and make it home in one piece!
However, sometimes for whatever reason we plan our nutrition enough and suffer the consequences towards the end of our long run.
I've been there and it's not a good place to be!
So, I'd like to share with you guys 3 simple tips I use to set out my long run nutrition plan!
Let's Get It Done!!
What is a Long Run?
This will vary from person to person...
The general rule of thumb is that your long run should be 1.5-2 times as long as your normal-length run.
For example, if you typically go out for 30 minutes on your easy run day, your long run should be 45 to 60 minutes long.
Why do we need nutrition during exercise?
Most people will need to eat and drink during a long run to moving and replenish what you’re burning.
IN addition, taking on extra fuel allows you to:
maximize exercise performance
provides your body with the energy to go the distance
prevent injury
I have seen some people comment on various forums that even for long runs of 2-3 hours all they need is water! Fair play to them, maybe you want to give it go but I'd suggest taking some taxi money with you!
"It's, I'm tough, I won't need water today!"
Ok, let's crack on with my 3 SIMPLE LONG RUN NUTRITION TIPS!!
Tip #1 - Take More Fuel Than You Need
First up, you need to consider how far you're running and how long it's likely to take.
If you're run is less than 75 minutes then don't necessarily need to have anything except water. This is because our bodies have enough fuel stored to give us the energy we need for 75 minutes.
Once you go beyond the "75 minute rule", aim to consume between 30g - 60g of carbohydrates for each hour of exercise.
The specific amount of carbohydrates required is going to vary for everyone. Think of athletes like cars.
Smaller, lighter athletes are like Mazda 2, they run efficiently and can for longer on less fuel. On the other hand, heavier runners are like a high-performance sports car and need more fuel to go the same distance!
Find out what works for you, keeping the above recommendation in mind.
Personally, i like to err on the side of caution and make sure I have a little bit more than I need. You never know how you will feel on that day, and some days you may need to take on more energy than others. Things like your physical condition on that day and the weather can play a part in that.
Tip #2 - Try New Things and Find Out What Works
There are a few reasons why energy gels are so popular with athletes, one of them being that they're easy to eat and can be absorbed into your bloodstream quickly.
But that doesn't mean you have to stick with energy gels. There are lots of other options that you might be better suited for.
Remember the GOLDEN RULE - nothing new on race day! Use your long runs in training to try out new foods. You don't want to try something new on race da only to find that it gives you serious stomach problems!
Just before my last long run, I wanted to check out some different options for my long run nutrition. I asked in the Facebook group "Triathlon Nation" to see what other people took on their long runs lasting over 2 hours.
I got over 160 replies!! Check some of them out below!
It became clear that many people have found alternatives to energy gels. Healthier, more natural and dare I say it, lower cost options.
Some examples included bananas, sachets of applesauce, peanut butter sandwiches and dried fruit.
For my long run that I was going to do that weekend I chose to take some dried dates and apricots with me, so I went to my local supermarket and picked up a couple of bags!
Funnily enought, one serving of both dried apricots and dates contains 24g of carbohydrates!
I was heading out for a 21k run which I predicted should take around 2:15, so I'd need around 40g of carbs.
Here's my dates and apricots packed into a little plastic bag, easy to stick in my pocket and take the fruit out when I needed.
Tip #3 -Drink Enough Water / Sports Drink
Whether you’re an elite athlete or a weekend warrior, drinking water during exercise is essential.
When trainer Amanda Carlson did a study on college football players preparing for a major NFL scouting event, she found that 98% of them were dehydrated at the beginning of their morning evaluation.
“Your ability to perform athletically can decline with a very small amount of dehydration,” says Carlson, director of performance nutrition for Athletes’ Performance, which trains many of the world’s top athletes. “Just losing 2% of your body weight in fluid can decrease performance by up to 25%.”
The National Athletic Trainers' Association recommends between 200-300ml of water or sports drink every 10 to 20 minutes.
So for a 2-hour run you're looking at between 1200ml - 1800ml.
As with the food you eat on a run, this number can vary from person to person and also the weather conditions can take their toll.
I sweat a fair bit in normal conditions, so that's exaggerated even more living out here in Thailand, so I really need to be on the upper end of that scale.
To get an extra energy boost you can of course take on board sports drinks.
If you're looking for a healthy, low-cost, tick all the right boxes, home made sports drink then check out my recipe HERE!
I use this formula all the time and it always works well for me - give it shot!
Tip #4. Plan When to Eat
I always like to spend a few minutes before heading out just to plan when I'm going to take my nutrition.
I find it helps so that I have an idea and don't have think about it when I'm out running, which allows me to concentrate on important things like where I'm running!
If the plan is take between 30g and 60g of carbs per hour, you can try spreading it out over the whole hour, and not just consume in one go.
Consider taking on some energy every 10-15 minutes to keep you nicely fuelled up and make sure your body doesn't have to digest too many carbs at once.
BONUS TIP
Ok, it's not really nutrition based, but one thing I have found that helps so much with my long runs is to make sure I'm doing 1-2 strength workouts each week.
You may find that with your long runs it's not so much the cardio aspect that gives you problems, but that your muscles just become tired. And when that happens it beomes harder to lift you legs properly and you end up kind of shuffling along.
Doing strength training can help to avoid this by increasing tour muscular endurance, effectively prolonging the time it takes for your muscles to get tired. And of course, the longer you can prolong this feeling, the faster you'll run!
This is one of my favourite high intensity interval training (HIIT) bodyweight workouts.
It has a lot of lower body stuff, so your hamstrings, quads and glutes will get a docent workout, and because it's a HITT workout you'll be working your cardiovascular system as well. It's pretty intone but you'll see the benefits in a just a couple of weeks.
And here's a great Kettlebell circuit, which again will absolutely burn your lower body and make you sweat like madman!
THE WRAP UP
As a runner, cyclist or triathlete, your diet and nutrition are important not only for maintaining good health, but also to promote peak performance.
Proper nutrition and hydration can make or break a workout or race, and also affect how you feel, work, and think.
Let's have a final recap on the 4 tips for long run nutrition success!
Carry more nutrition than you need
Try different foods to see what works for you
Drink enough water and/or sports drink
Plan when you'll eat + drink
I hope these quick tips can help you for YOUR next long run!
Let's Get It Done!
What do you use to carry the fluids and the carbs on your long runs?