When do you eat or drink while running ?

During a normal training run, I won't take any water or food. Now if it is hot or if it is a long training run (>18 miles), I'll take water and food.

During a race, it depends on the distance. For the marathons and further, I hit almost every water station. For shorter stuff, I play it by ear.

For longer runs which for me I mean maybe 8, definitely 10+ miles Gatorade works well as fuel for me, little sugar, little sodium, we're good to go. I drink it starting a little earlier than I might want it, maybe 20 minutes in, then just whenever after that. I do gu for long runs but find it doesn't sit well, requires a lot of water and I spend another mile or two trying to get my stomach to settle. Gatorade doesn't sit great either always but I have better results with the gatorade. I have friends who do marathons on nothing more than Gatorade/drink of choice.

Sidenote sort of related: In Houston someone got me started on these pumpkin seeds that I believe were soaked in brine, ie VERY salty. They are probably sold as feed for some farm animal but we would carry a few in a pocket then suck on them on runs that were into the upper 90s where we would be drenched a few miles in just to get some sodium and it really helped perk us back up INSTANTLY, it was pretty amazing.

Have you tried this since Houston? If so, same results? This sounds fascinating.

I run 90+ minutes without stopping (10.5 - 13 miles) and don't eat or drink at all.

Then again, I'm an id**t.

But I have yet to fall over dead from malnutrition. And I think stopping to eat or refueling for the last 30 minutes is a bit overkill. I would probably have to do the eat on the run thing for anything 2:00 or longer. But to answer your question, I do think it would be silly to refuel for only 15 additional minutes.

I have also run into the side of a Jeep during a race, run in mountain lion territory, and bled from falling flat on my face after tripping over a crack in the sidewalk. My advice should be taken with extreme caution.

PM me when you get the right answer.

I always had H2O with me when I ran in the summer no matter what the distance. In the other months, any run over 6 miles I carried it with me. The only eating I did was Clif Shot or Gu, and they were on runs over 8 miles. Usually did them at the half way point. When I raced, and if Gatorade was offered, I took at every other stop that it was availble, no matter what the distance. When I raced I took in more Shots/Gu. Here is a sample

• Broad Street (10 miles), 2,5,7,9 mile markers
• Half Marathon, 3,6,8,10,12 mile markers
• Marathon, 3,6,8*,10,12*,14,16,18*,20,22,24,25 mile markers

*Optional

In training, nada for 8M or less except for summer, where it's nada 6M or less. After that it's based on time. Every half hour, alternate half a FuelBelt bottle of Gatorade with a full FB bottle of water. If the runs are 2 hours or more, 30min in, half a FB bottle of Gatorade. 60min in, full FB bottle to wash down ClifShot. Repeat as necessary.

In races: nothing for 5Ks or 5M. 10Ks only if hot, then water at mile 4-ish but if it's cool nothing. 10M/15K - every 2M or so - water only. half - first 6M water only, then alternate water and Gatorade at every station. A ClifShot at mile 6, another at mile 10. Marathon - water at every station that offered it, Gatorade at every station that offered it. ClifShot at mile 5, 10, 15, and 20. 8 oz of beer offered to me by a good samaritan somewhere during mile 20 (obviously not recommended but interestingly enough, that's where my race painwise picked up for the better).

If I had as many gels as Cappy, I'd be puking and dead before the half. I can't stomach more than 4 in a race, and usually have to choke down the last two.

Cheeks - this is all HIGHLY individual. I've never heard of two people having the same stategy. I spent months trying to determine what my body could tolerate, when, and in what quantities. It took me four months alone to build up a tolerance for Gatorade as it used to make me super sick to my stomach. Experiment, experiment, experiment. You'll know when to take water - when you feel really thirsty, it means you should've had some a mile or two back. Glad to see you're thinking ahead to Brooklyn. :thumbsup:

As elkid says, this is highly individual and your stomach/GI tract is really what is going to dictate. A person doesn't "need" any type of "fuel". I'm evidence of that. 25-yrs of running and water/gatorade is the only thing I've ever used...marathons included.

And in the big picture, like you mention with the 200 calories, there's just no way a person can, nor would want to, try to fuel your running mileage with food on the run. What I've seen over recent years is that these foods provide a slight physical benefit, but largely it's a mental boost that a runner can get.

Like much of my advice, this too fits into my Caveman attitude. Having to carry packs or jugs or have to worry about when and how to pace eating it all, just makes a run too much of an event for me. I find I gain psychological edges with "minimalist" training. Working through tough patches with just my head to get me, might be the Caveman way, but it can work :)

:1: That's probably the main reason I won't take fluids or food for training runs.
As far as Gu, I stay away from it. I tried it once and had a BAD experience.
Mostly, when I take food during a marathon, it is to put some substance in my stomach. I really dislike running with an empty stomach. I also believe that it helps in the post-race recovery.
For me, the foods of choice are bananas, oranges, or baked potatoes. Although, a 12" subway sandwich or a McDonalds cheeseburger are sometiems good during a race.

For 6 miles or less I bring nothing. Anything over (and this isn't often for me) I bring water or gatorade and maybe a nutrigrain bar. Sometimes I use all of it sometimes none of it. I just go with how I feel at the time.

:1: I too do this. Anything less than 15 miles and I will not drink or eat. I've never eaten during a run. I've used a water bottle a few times on 10+ mile runs, but it's more of an inconvenience than anything. As far as races, water in a 5 or 10k just throws off the rhythm. I drank water once or twice (not sure) in my half marathon, and I guess it was okay.

I always have water with me when I am inside. Outside in the summer I always bring at least 2 cups of water with me. Runs over an hour and a half, I plan at least some type of gel stop/gatorade at least half way, especially in the summer.

Real simple, drink 6-8 oz. every 15 mins.. hot or cold.
Even if you jog, rehydrate. No one's body can build itself to not need hydration. Tough people that dont drink liquids are full of the unhydrated stuff.
So many people cross the finish line dehydrated, it's amazing how many stubborn but tough people refuse to acknowledge solid medical science.

No one needs carbs in a race less than 1 1/2 hrs.. After that the glycogen stores are needing to be replaced.

Just my experience... but this much fluid, I'd be 'sloshing'.

I agree with jrjo also. I'd be sloshing as well. That and it adds too much discomfort. I don't have anything against dehydrating myself on a run, as long as I get plenty of fluid after. Especially in a race. I'll trade being hydrated for a 20 second difference anyday.