First half marathon

[oustedbymymate]

Hello.

I've got a place in great north run 13.1 miles or 22km.

I've run a bit before but mainly 5km. I'm slowly working my way up but run 5 min walk for 2. Longest I've done so far is 10km.

I work full time and have two young children so fitting in training is hard!

Just need some advice re best things to eat before going for a run. I'm going right after work around 6pm and I felt a bit wobbly today. I hadn't had much since lunch at 1pm so need some ideas of what I could have to see me though a run that's quick and easy and not too heavy on the tummy.

Additionally I would like to try nutrition such as energy gel or such like on longer runs. Any suggestions please of what I can take/have?

Hi @oustedbymymate I find if I eat a banana around 30/45mins before I run, it doesn't sit too heavy and I feel better than running on a totally empty stomach. Although I'm not running as far as you yet! Sorry I don't have a clue about the energy gel type products, so hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will be along soon!

For me I need to eat very plain before a run so I will have some thing very basic like a bagel 90 mins before.

Fuelling whilst on a run is a whole different ball game! You can use gels, chews, bars as official sports nutrition or real food (banana, flapjack, mint cake, jelly babies etc) but the real trick I finding out what works for you whilst moving. Walk running is perfect to test this out on- you eat on your 2 min walk. I can’t take gels as they immediately make me need the loo, I get on really well with Clif Shot Blocks though as they are just like sweets. Test out the strong stuff on shorter runs with nearby toilets before you rely on it! I would test nutrition out on any run over 1 hour and if I’m training anything over 80 mins wouldn’t go out without something to take on the way round. Most articles would tell you to fuel every 30 mins or so, depending on how much time you’re out there might be more or less!

Our local Superdrug has a fair selection different gels and running and cycling shops are often good too. I would buy single portions until you’ve tested a few and them order a box of whatever you like best from Amazon.

Lucozade do a gel if you like the taste of that, SIS are a big gel brand, Sports Nutrition, Maurten and Precision Fuels are all popular at the moment. Pure Sport do one that can be dissolved in a drink. High5 another popular brand, Clif or Veloforte if you want chews or bars. Definitely consider whether you want extra caffeine (gives a good boost but might also impact bowels) or salt (particularly useful if sweaty!).

I didn’t take anything on my half marathon-just jelly babies and haribo from the crowd. I ate a slice of toast about 2 hours before. I try un fasting in the mornings and rarely eat if doing less than 15km and I’m heavy and slow… I don’t like gels but you need to see what suits you. You will need yo eat as gnr you are penned in for quite a while beforehand.

I did GNR in 2012 with a 3 year old and I had hardly exercised at all until 6 months before. It's possible! Amazing atmosphere and great route, I hope you love it.

A lot of info about gels and fuelling is aimed at blokes whose metabolism is quite different (I'm assuming you're female!). I have a tendency to IBS and need to remember to drink lots of water when using dense energy products like gels or protein bars. But just try things out and see what works. I wouldn't use gels for less than an hour's run. I would have a protein heavy meal (cheesy omelette is my go-to) and coffee a couple of hours before, and a banana and water half an hour before. Then I'd have fruit/nut bars and another banana ready for immediately afterwards, and a rehydration drink.

If you can, follow a training plan, they really work (I think there's a couch to 10k, as you're already able to do 5k). Or join a running club (8 know this is really hit and miss depending on the type of people in your area and your available time!), or seek out a trainer (££ but really impactful).

And you will reduce your injury risk and improve your comfort and times if you do strength training too, working on your legs one at a time, and your core. Squats, split squats, calf raises, woodchop, deadbugs, bird-dogs, windmills, and box jumps.

Can we talk about bladder weakness too? It happens to EVERYONE and it should not be embarrassing. I have a wet mark in the (professional, posted on the race website) pictures from a 10k I did earlier this year... The one where I set a pb of 57 mins, boom! I do wear 'period pants' but to be honest they're not very effective. Dark shorts/leggings are the answer, and a shower after.

There is some incredibly poor advice on here, as is unfortunately often the case with these running threads.

The key thing is to find what works for you; and you have plenty of time to do so before the race.

What works for me is a banana an hour before a race (I never fuel before training runs, just races) and then - during a half- SIS gels at 6, 9 and 12 miles. But this may not work for you at all, so you need to use your long runs over the next three months to experiment.

Hi-5 gels are more watery and some find them easier to swallow (though I find they come straight back up). SIS ones are gloopier and stay down for me, but some find them harder to take on.
Clif blocks and jelly babies are easier to stomach but I don't find they're "enough" when I'm racing. They're fine for training runs though.

You may find that you better suit having "proper" food like nuts etc during a race but this isn't common at half marathon distance unless you're going to be going at a very steady pace or walking. It's much more common in ultras though.

Food beforehand, too, is very individual. Most runners I know wouldn't go for anything heavier than a banana or a single slice of toast, but again you need to see what works for you.

Good luck; the GNR is a great race and a good choice for your first half. You'll have fun!

The energy gels and gummies I find really make me feel sick (and thirsty) and I don’t need for a HM. I eat something light 2-3 hours before a longer run. I like the porridge sachets you can microwave

Pre-run you want quick release, light carbs. Bananas are great. I'm also partial to salt and vinegar crisps.
Get some complex slower release carbs in at lunch time if you can so that your body still has energy in the tank through the afternoon. Make sure you're well hydrated through the day.

I fuel on solids while running. Most running energy products contain artificial sweetners which have a laxitive effect on me. I also struggle if I feel hungry (I tend to be a lunch time runner). I tend to eat Nakd Bars. Lidl do good own brand dupes and protein balls which are a similar combination of dried fruit and nuts. While racing, I tend to eat two bars and set my watch to 30min alerts to prompt me to have a nibble. Full sugar drinks also help.

I don’t really eat anything specific before a run. But some good crabs 30-60 mins before do help. That said, if I run straight after work I wouldn’t have eaten anything since lunch and I usually feel fine, but first thing in the morning I’d have to make sure I have some toast or something if doing more than 5k.

before a race I may have a flapjack or something on top of the toast and maybe a gel before I start. I can’t stomach them whilst running and I don’t use them for training. I do have some energy gummies that I can get down during a race if I need to top up my energy. You have to kind of find what works best for you. I only really give it a lot of thought on the actual race day.

Good crabs....!!?!?

I'm going to choose to believe you do mean crabs and not carbs.

Crabs would be so much more fun 😂