Food for thought.

Another week has passed by and we’re another week closer to THE BIG DAY. Our fundraising is ticking along too, but we could really do with your support as we’ve currently only got 20% of our £10k total raised.

We’re all now busy entering and running half marathons too, to see how our training is progressing and get us in the race mood. Kate and Amy ran the Brighton half marathon, I’ve just run the Berkhamsted half, Dan’s running in Milton Keynes this weekend, and next weekend Simon is running in Bath (I’m very jealous of this!), and I thought I’d give the Forest of Dean half a whirl, because I’m a sucker for punishment! We’ll have more details on all these races and how we fared for you in the coming weeks.

I was really pleased with the result I got from my half marathon, and it was a good chance for me to try out my eating and running in a race situation. The 10:30am start seemed a long way from breakfast at 8:00am, so I was a bit concerned about how hungry I’d get, but it all worked out in the end.

I took a gel before the start, and then had two others on the way around, plus I carried a small water bottle as I’d read that the drinks stops were few and far between. I was certainly glad for a few gulps of water after the massive climb during mile three. The other challenge I wanted to ensure I had sorted was how to carry the gels, so I strapped on my belt bag as tight as possible and hoped for the best. Thankfully it stayed in place the whole race – in fact I had a small fight with it at one point while trying to wrestle out a gel and attempting to continue running...perhaps not so tight next time eh?

As far as the balance of food and running goes, I try and eat before I head out for my long runs, but eating when I first get up in the morning is really really hard! Because I don’t usually have breakfast until I’ve been up for at least an hour, I find eating on waking makes me feel just a teensy bit nauseous...still, I know how important it is to have the right energy for long runs, so I always attempt to eat about half of what I’d normally have, but even that much is a huge struggle.

I definitely like to have a large mug of coffee before I run though, and find that the caffeine does as science says it should and picks me up for a good hour or so at the start of a long run. That, and I’m not sure I could tackle any day without that first burst of caffeine... me, addicted? Nooooo...

I take energy gels and water on all runs of an hour or longer... I take a gel about every 40-45 minutes, and drink when I feel I need to. At the moment, I am using Torq gels (http://www.torq.ltd.uk/index.html), which come in yummy flavours like Strawberry yoghurt and Forest Fruits, but are dairy and gluten free. The forest fruit flavour also has caffeine in it, so I take one of these once the initial caffeine of the day has run out. Previously I’ve used Squeezy (http://squeezyshop.co.uk/) gels, but I don’t like some of the flavour surprises in the box!

I think it’s definitely important to find a product you like and that you can stomach. It’s a great way of avoiding the dreaded “wall” that runners talk about, and despite being only a small calorie intake, they provide a necessary energy boost when required.

Dan:
Sunday is the long run day and I tend to get up relatively early and have a couple of Weetabix and a slice of toast to get some basic fuel in me. I consume copious amounts of water to make sure I am hydrated.

When out running I have a camel pack that I fill with Lucozade sport which I sip at regular intervals to keep the energy levels up making sure my muscles get what they need. I also carry a pack of Jelly Babies which I eat 4 or 5 every 30 minutes or so just to get the energy boost I need.

I finding eating whilst running far easier than drinking so don’t find in too much of an issue. I will be trying the energy gels over the next few weeks as I start to reach the 20 mile mark. I have heard varied reports on how good these are and what they can do to you so I am a little wary.

Amy:
I don’t think I’ve quite got to that stage yet. I’m very dubious about these gel things… Jelly babies sound like a great idea.

Kate:
I always eat before I go for a long run on Sunday and then tend to spend the time whilst out running fantasizing about what I can eat when I get back (something has to get you round). But as yet I haven’t experimented with gels or energy drinks, like Amy I’m a little dubious.... So at the moment it’s plain old fashioned water, but as next Sunday is up to 16 miles I think I will be needing some kind of fuel, perhaps the jelly babies is the way to go...