Half Marathon - Nutrition?

lway

So i'm running my first Half Marathon in a couple of weeks, I'll be looking to get around in the 2hr to 2hr 10min timeframe. This will be the longest race I will (hopefully) complete having only done up to a 10mile race a few months back.

Mid thirties and 6foot 4 and around 16 and a half stone, and I should also mention I sweat quite a bit when exercising, from about 1 mile into a run I will be wiping the sweat from my eyes, thank goodness for vaseline on the eyebrows, helps a lot.

So given the amount of time i'll be running (~2hrs) I guess I should be taking a Gel or two on the run?. Experimented with some during training (High 5 iso gel, Kinetica, Sis Go Gel) and found the Sis Go Gel suited me best. Along with water at every station to prevent dehydration, how many Gels should I be getting into myself, if any at all?

Thanks.

spurscormac

Have you used any gels/sweets or other food in training yet?
They can be troublesome on the stomach (gels, especially), so you would need to have tried something out beforehand.

You'll probably have some people come on here say you don't need nutrition for a half marathon, and some might be fine that way. Try a few things out in training in the next few days, see what you're stomach can cope with.
Don't take anything new on the day.

At this point I'd suggest trying the power sweets, jelly beans, wine gums, bananas and go with the first thing you agree with.

rom

As you say you sweat a lot then there is danger that you will feel very thirsty and drink too much during the race. This will slow you down. Some people end up drinking in excess of 2 liters of water and perform poorly. If it is a hot day then take two bottles/cups from the water stations and if you feel thirsty pour one over your head to cool you down and take no more than half a cup of water to drink, rest over the head. You may not even need that. I am doing a 10 mile race on Sat and don't plan to drink any water during the race. I used to drink 2 liters on a 10 mile run about 1 1/2 years ago so I can see why you may feel that you need it. It is very important to be well hydrated leading into the race. If you have taken a drink with salts. I am going to take 1.5 nuun tables (you can get in most running shops) in 500ml of water to give me time to piss about 2 hrs before the race. A banana at 1 hr before the race and then thats it. If I was drinking right up till the race starts I would need to go for a piss a lot. Then during the race I will take water at each water station but it will go over the head or just rinse my mouth out. Having water in your mouth tells your brain that you are cooling down so it has similar impact to drinking it. Mind you I am not advocating not drink any water but I am saying that if you are well hydrated before the races as I have said above you will need less. Also sports drinks can be very strong like luqozade sport and actually cause you to feel more thirsty. As the race is this weekend and you don't really have time or it is not advisable to try anything new then take the above with a pinch of salt as it may not work for you but if you know that you can eat a banana 1 hr before a run without problems then you should do it. As you will be out there over the 2 hr mark then probably 2 gels is what is required for you. I would take one at 45 mins and the next one at say 90 mins. taking one like a mile from the end of the race is pointless. If they are gels that are hard to take then look at the route and plan to take them just before drink stations so you can wash them down.

Disclaimer: All the above is my opinion and is not based on any hard facts but would be how I would approach it. However doing something that you have not tried before on race day is not advisable. RE: sleep I would make sure 2 nights before the race you get a very early night as the nerves etc will make the night before the race sleep not as good.

I like to have spaghetti bolognese the night before but I have found I don't need to eat any more than I do normally as I would have been taking it easy in the days leading up to the race so its the normal sized portion for me.

lway

Thanks guys, I find lucozade sports gives me slight cramp if I drink too much of it during a run, it's ok if I sip it. I tried High 5 Iso Gel (non caffeine) during an 8 mile run in training and got the same slight cramp from it (more of a stitch in my side than a full on cramp), I tried a Kinetica Gel (cola) during another 8 mile training run and found it totally dried out my mouth (I wasn't carrying water:rolleyes:). I tried SiS Go Gel during a ten mile training run and had no issue with it.

I guess my main concern is the amount of fluid lost through sweat and how best to manage keeping a balance of fluid and mineral intake to compensate for this. I'm wondering what i'd need to carry with me, probably going to bring two gels just in case.

Thanks for the input, it's a tough question I know and all advice is both appreciated and understood to be individualistic.

rom

lway wrote: »

Thanks for the input, it's a tough question I know and all advice is both appreciated and understood to be individualistic.

Exactly

ThePiedPiper

Lway, if you have put in a decent amount of training, there shouldn't really be any reason to take on gels or carbs on the run. Only drink small amounts at the water stations.

I kinda stick with the basics, don't overdo the running on the days before a big run, hydrate hydrate hydrate for a day or two beforehand, but not immediately before the race itself or take on too much during it, I like pasta a couple of hours beforehand etc etc. Certainly do not try anything new, food, taking gels, runners, even socks on the day. If the run starts early, maybe do a run or two at that time if you were normally training in the evenings.