Eating during Long Runs

From Runners World

You’ll burn roughly 400 to 600 calories per hour during your run, but your body can absorb only 240 to 280 calories per hour. That’s a difference of around 140 to 300 calories! You’ll never dig out of this deficit, but eating early and often will keep you from bonking.

Early on, you can survive on gels and other carbs, but after four hours, add one part protein to four parts carbs. This mix can be found in most sports bars.

After 10 gels or energy bars, it’s doubtful you’ll feel like another, so try get your mits on real food.  Sandwiches, potatoes, pretzels, nuts, winegums, oranges and bananas will do the trick.

Sip on sports drinks or coke at the water stations.

Remember to keep it small!

And the ever vital rule: test it out before hand! You never know how your belly will react to the combination of certain foods and extreme exercise! Race day isn’t the time to see if a slice of pizza gives you the added oomph…

Related articles

• Do Energy Drinks and Supplements Work? (medicalinsurance.org)
• Eating Right for Exercise (everydayhealth.com)
• How to Start Running (webmd.com)

Cramps? Have a pickle...

Well, almost.... pickle juice, in fact.

If you're one of those unfortunate runners whose legs frequently cramp up during your runs, you may be willing to try anything to solve the problem. Anything? Are you sure? How about some pickle juice? Yes, pickle juice has long been touted as a fix for cramping muscles by some runners and coaches, and now a recent study lends even more credibility to this home remedy.

Researchers had 10 male college students exercise to the point of mild dehydration and then electrically induced toe cramps. Their average cramp lasted 153 seconds. They then repeated the experiment and gave the subjects either water or pickle juice. For those who drank pickle juice, the cramp was gone in 85 seconds. For subjects who drank water, their cramps lasted 134 seconds.

Fans of pickle juice have said it's the electrolytes in the juice that help get rid of the muscle cramps but, in this study, blood and urine tests found no change in the subjects' sodium, potassium, magnesium or other levels. Something else in the juice (researchers suspect vinegar) must have triggered a neurological response in the mouth, which then signaled the brain to stop the cramping.

Muscle cramps have never been much of an issue for me, but -- even if they were -- I don't think I'll be packing pickle juice in my Fuel Belt. I think I'd rather just deal with the cramps.

From About.com: Running & Jogging

Quote of the Day

Perseverance is like wrestling a gorilla, you don't quit when you're tired, you quit when the gorilla is tired -- Robert Strauss

Quite appropriate for long distance runners!

It's All Mental

"Long distance running is 90% mental and the other half is physical." -Rich Davis

While the above quote is meant to be humorous, like many things that make us laugh, there's a little truth to it. All long distance runners know that the mental challenges of running and racing can be just as difficult, and sometimes even harder, than the physical tests. Staying motivated to keep training can be tough and getting through long runs also requires a great deal of mental strength.

Most runners have been in a race when they've hit a rough patch. When you find yourself struggling during a race, try some of these mental tricks to get to the finish:

Give yourself mini-goals. If you're really struggling, don't focus on how much further you have to go. Just worry about getting to the next km board, the next water point, or another landmark. Keep giving yourself small goals, so you don't feel overwhelmed by thinking about how far it is to the finish line.

Go fishing. Focus on someone in front of you who you think you can catch. Imagine you're casting out a fishing line and hooking that person. Then imagine yourself reeling that person in, as you keep getting closer and closer to him.

Find a mantra. Picking a short phase, such as "One step at a time," that you play over and over in your head while running can help you stay focused and centered. You may already have a favorite phrase to use as a mantra, but if you don't have one, check out these quotes about running motivation and running marathons for some inspiration.

Distract yourself. Try to take attention away from how you're feeling by focusing on everything outside your body. I always like to look at the spectators' faces or read their signs as I pass them. It helps me take my mind away from any discomfort I'm experiencing.

Talk to yourself. Who cares if the person running next to you thinks you're crazy? Sometimes giving yourself a little pep talk and saying things such, "I can do this!" or "I'm staying strong" can help you through a rough patch.

From the About.Com article It's All Mental