Eating during marathon training

[CarrotPuff]

I've got some questions about eating before/during long runs when marathon training.

I ran a half last year, and never ate even during longest runs, and kind of felt fine. During the race itself I died after 9 miles though, although the heat and hilly terrain probably had a lot to answer for.

I don't think I can get away with not eating anything while I'm doing long runs now that I'm training for the full thing. Or can I?

I've tried one of those gels once and it was absolutely disgusting. Are there any other things others tried if you can't stomach the gels?

Also, do you eat before a long run? I remember eating a banana and maybe toast 2h before the race, but I can't wait that long every weekend, I prefer to just get up and go. I'm not sure I can get away with it though?

@CarrotPuff

I've got some questions about eating before/during long runs when marathon training.

I ran a half last year, and never ate even during longest runs, and kind of felt fine. During the race itself I died after 9 miles though, although the heat and hilly terrain probably had a lot to answer for.

I don't think I can get away with not eating anything while I'm doing long runs now that I'm training for the full thing. Or can I?

I've tried one of those gels once and it was absolutely disgusting. Are there any other things others tried if you can't stomach the gels?

Also, do you eat before a long run? I remember eating a banana and maybe toast 2h before the race, but I can't wait that long every weekend, I prefer to just get up and go. I'm not sure I can get away with it though?

I wouldn't recommend fasted long runs. It's pretty trendy now among certain people but there's some suggestion that the biochemistry of women is not suited to it (the idea being that you are getting your energy from fat instead of glycogen - in theory it's more sustainable over a long time).

I would usually eat a slightly bigger breakfast than normal (so porridge and a banana for eg) one hour before, give yourself time to go to the loo because nowhere is open now for a cheeky pit stop 🤣

There's a few alternatives to gels. Depends how many you've tried tbh. I use Torq now, the flavours are less disgusting. But if you don't like the texture there's shot bloks (like mini jelly cubes), also some people swear by normal sweets - jelly babies, fruit pastilles etc. You can also get stuff to dissolve in a bottle of water, although the flavours can be odd. Savoury stuff is generally more difficult for your body to utilise the energy in a high stress situation such as a marathon. Whatever you pick must be easy to digest. Use the long runs to try different things and see how you get on.

If you prefer to get up and go, take the banana with you and eat a bit every now and then? Your body will need a good store of energy before your race which is why you will definitely need breakfast so it's as well to practice now.

Veloforte bars are lovely for a boost during a long run. I eat porridge at least an hour before running to give me time to digest it.

I make a smoothie the night before and take it up with me so I literally down it as soon as I open my eyes. Banana, peanut butter, nuts, milk, maple syrup DELICIOUS!!

I HATE eating before running but that doesn't sit too heavy and realistically even if I'm then up and out (which I'm not!) it takes 30 mins to wake up properly, get dressed, stretch, get water etc sorted which gives the smoothie time to settle..

It's also good to have half before and keep half for an instant refuel after. I get horrible headaches which last the whole day if I don't eat almost immediately after - and it's too easy to get dragged into life and miss the window.

I prefer to run first thing and can happily run 10 miles having only drunk water beforehand. I was marathon training earlier this year and when my long runs got longer I started eating porridge and then waiting 2.5 hours before running (didn't like running later but needs must). I take jelly babies and water for fuel while out. It's taken me a bit of trial and error and getting used to but fuelling properly makes long runs easier and helps recovery too

@TeaAndHobnob is saying what I was going to write too! Recent research highlighted by female sports nutrition expert Dr Stacy Sims shows that women respond very differently to fasted exercise to men - studies that show the benefit of fasted runs are generally done on only men. I'd really recommend the book Roar by Dr Stacey Sims as she has a lot to say about what you should eat when in terms of training and performance. There are more pitfalls for women of not adequately fuelling what is a essentially a huge challenge for your body to handle in a marathon. She's not a fan of gels either as they need a lot of liquid to dilute the chemicals in them and it can lead to dehydration.

Thanks everyone, this is very helpful.

Where do I buy these gel blocks or bars or whatever? I might just try fruit pastilles though, if I get sour ones they'll still be quite high in sugar but hopefully won't be too disgusting. It's such a shame chocolate melts when warm...

I'll eat a banana and maybe some toast before heading out next time. I quite like smoothie idea too, never thought of that.

I think I'll just have to aim to get up earlier and and eat something, even if it pushes my run later. I ran 8m yesterday, and I was so tired for the rest of the day. Hopefully eating will make the recovery a bit faster.

I would run up to about 8 miles, possibly 10 without food first but anything longer than that I would definitely need something.
I have trialled several gels, some were horrific and made me gag but I can deal with torq (but need to take water as well). I generally get them online from amazon or wiggle. I have also used jelly babies which were fine.and loads cheaper than gels I hadnt discovered anything as scientific as gels when I did my first marathon and I did it fine on water and about 5 jelly babies!! (I'm sure I couldnt do that now!)
I wouldnt use fruit pastilles though as they are harder and more difficult to eat. I asked DH to get jelly babies once for running fuel and he got wine gums which were hopeless as way too chewy.
Probably a good time to test various things while most races are still in the distant future.
Re breakfast, I find shreddies work better for me than porridge but I need to leave at least an hour after eating before I run.

Have a look at Tailwind nutrition. It was a absolute game changer for me. I did a half ironman last year (so on the go for just shy of 6 hours) and needed nothing on top of this. It’s liquid (a powder you mix with water so you can adjust the concentration, IIRC a scoop is about 20g carbs/100 cals) so much easier on the tummy than gels etc. And easier to get down. It tastes okay too!

You can buy Shot Bloks from Tesco, they have a small range of energy products. I don't know about other supermarkets. I have bought small packets of sweets from the supermarket in the past - jelly beans, dolly mixtures etc but the chewing annoyed me after a while. My friend swears by Jaffa cakes. Everyone's different, you just have to trial and error things.

Other than that go direct to the manufacturer, or Wiggle. Decathlon sell SIS stuff as well, they do a really good value box of gels if you want to give them a try.

There is absolutely no way I would do a race without having breakfast beforehand - I'd always have a piece of toast or a banana.

You have to find what works for you - some brands of gel shots don't sit well at all on my stomach whereas others are fine. I find the Maurten Gel 100 CAF (which have caffeine in them) absolutely amazing and very easy on the stomach as they aren't flavoured - they really make a noticeable difference. I also sometimes munch on a couple of lolly snakes and/or some sultanas.

Try some stuff out on some training runs and see what sits best with your stomach. I think it will help.

I like the SIS rego recovery drink. Tastes like milkshake. I find im ok up to about 8 miles without food, but after that I need something. I take sweets, not keen on jelly babies (too slimy) but cola bottles, Percy pig sweets etc are all good. Then I swig the Rego afterwards.