Fueling your machine

I figured since I gave my soapbox on hydrating, I'd do one on fueling.

Oh the joys of fueling. How you and I collided for so many marathons.

Not to get overly-personal, but when I run my system shuts down. What ever I have eaten before a race will feel like a brick in my stomach. To train your body in a race, you have to train yourself before your race begins. You must teach your body to hydrate (yes, some people I know say water in a race makes them feel sick) and you must also teach your body to accept food. This is especially important in long races (ultra's and relays) where your body is relying on you to keep it nourished. I've been told the best way to adjust to eating for a race is to eat something small about 30 minutes before your training run. By small I mean a small granola bar, piece of bread, etc.

I am at the point now where my body will accept carbs the night before. I definitely don't over do it, but I have it. Usually the week of my race I will have whole wheat spaghetti for either lunch or dinner almost every day. I may skip one day of carbs to give my body a rest. Eat whole wheat over white noodles. Much better for your body. If you are not used to this kind of eating--hold back on the carb in-take. I also up my water intake this week. So--the week before a marathon up your carbs and water. Oh yes, and the night before your race, eat gummy bears. They are my favorite night before snack to help calm my nerves. Call it comfort food.

What about the marathon itself? When I had my stomach issues I would sometimes eat half of a pro bar.
They are natural, vegan, and according to the dude at the running store easily digestible, which makes for a quick source of fuel. They are even delightful to eat. For the most part they would sit okay with me. To mix it up I also eat two pieces of whole wheat bread and a banana (spread out over the drive to the start, and the waiting time) if I didn't plan in advance to buy a pro bar.

During the race I either load my pockets with tons of Gu's or safety pin them to my waistband (and I've been known to store a few between my sports bra and the bra shelf in my tank top...okay, thats my number one storage place). I now try to eat one about every 30 minutes of a race. I like the vanilla bean, tri-berry and always pack some of the espresso because it has 2x the caffeine...I think its placebo, but I pretend it works. Some races also offer oranges and bananas. The oranges give your mouth a wonderful taste, and the bananas obviously help fuel your body. Gu's pack 100 calories per pack and really help keep your body going. Be sure to drink them with water to get the maximum benefit.

Fueling is like hydrating. You have to listen to your body, experiment before the race to find out what will or wont work for you. I've seen people at the start of races downing apple juice, others eating cold pizza, and some eating Gu. Just listen to your body, it will tell you what you need. Mine always tells me when to stop eating gu, when to eat some banana, and what type of liquid I want to drink.

What I don't recommend is trying something new during the race. That can be a bad idea.

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