May 2014

[marathondan]

Everyone has their personal favourite running food, but for me on the long runs it's a handful of rasins or jelly babies every 5 miles or so (or maybe 2 jelly babies every mile). They seem to keep the energy levels up a bit. As an endurance cyclist you probably know a bit about the science of glycogen depletion already. Oh, and I always run with a water bottle, and get through around half a litre every 5 miles. I'm not sure whether that makes any difference though or if it's just a security blanket. I've heard good reports around here about replacing the water with weak squash, with a little salt added.

Personally I wouldn't eat much for 2 hours before a long run - hence I never do long runs in the morning. If I do have two hours to hand, I'll go for a mixture of complex and simple carbs, like muesli. Afterwards... carb-a-rooney. Although I understand that post-run is the right time to eat protein, as well.

Anyway, great effort on the run. Don't worry about those whippets, we all have people streets ahead of us and streets (well, small lanes perhaps) behind us. It's all about you vs you.