Let's talk nutrition DURING long runs / bike rides / workouts

I will usually carb up a day or 2 before a long run or race. Just add in some pasta, rice, etc and cut back on the meats. In the am of the run (a couple of hours before), I will have around a cup of Oatmeal with a handful of Raspberries. Prior to the race/run (30 mins to an hour out) it's usually a Honey Stinger waffle and maybe a banana. I will also sip on some Tailwind, depending on the distance. Anything over 10 miles and I will pack a Maurten Gel or 2 and have one at 5/10 if needed. I should say I've never run a Full Marathon and this post is catered to the Half race and easy/long runs up to 20 miles.

Your body can only absorb so many calories doing specific tasks. It varies per person, but there are rules of thumb. Cycling is about 300 calories per hour for me. Running is only about 100 per hour.

On the bike, my last nutrition plan was a product called infinit nutrition. It's a powder you mix in your water bottle. Each serving is close to 300 calories. Supposed to mix into a water bottle. But I'd mix the serving 3 times as strong, so 900 calories in a super concentrated bottle. Then I'd have a separate water bottle to dilute in my stomach. Refilling with fresh water was easy and didn't have to keep mixing on the ride. Has all your electrolytes, carbs, etc in the mix. You can actually customize the blend to how much carbs, electrolytes, calories, protein, amino acids, caffeine, etc. Its pricey, but if protein makes your stomach upset (common), you can reduce. If you are a salty sweater, you can increase electrolytes.

For running, its gels and maybe bananas if an aid station has them. Take a gel (100 cal) every 45 minutes to an hour. I like a little caffeine in my gels too. I've run with the infinit, but I dont love carrying a bottle.

Only time I really need salts/electrolytes was for my full ironman training. Never was an issue for a half distance or marathon running so far.

Bad part is, what you can handle for 3 hours might sour your stomach at 5, so it's a game of practicing to get used to it and figuring out what you like as an individual.

I don't do long distance cardio, but I use a mix of simple Gatorade and protein powder to sip during lifting weights. It's way cheaper than most pre-made stuff and also has protein.

Most produced intrawrkout stuff lacks protein, and protein can help a good deal intraworkout. A study on the impact of protein during/before resistance and endurance training.

LINK /

The honey stinger waffles are great during a run too. They dissolve pretty quickly and I can get one down without water if I need to. They're also one of the best calorie/weight "real" foods if you care about that.

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Your body can only absorb so many calories doing specific tasks. It varies per person, but there are rules of thumb. Cycling is about 300 calories per hour for me. Running is only about 100 per hour.

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This is important. If you are ingesting too much then eventually you are going to have stomach issues. Once you are trained, you should be able to do a 20 miler on just water. Any calories that you take in are more mental than physical.

I remember back when I started running longer distances and I would make sure to have some calories for a 6 mile run. Now, in a training cycle, I will do 6 miles while fasting. The important thing is to find what works for you but I would say most people are probably consuming too many calories on long runs.

Yeah, it totally depends where your HR is. If I stay in Zone 2 and the lower ends of zone 3 I can go 15 miles without food, especially if it’s in the morning and my glycogen stores are still present from the night before.