Long Run Fueling

Remember last month when I whined about not being able to properly fuel myself during my long runs? I read through everyone’s comments and decided to revamp everything. After all, my system was clearly broken, so it was time to do some fixin’! I’ve done a couple double-digit runs since then, and thus far, I’m thinking everything is A-Ok.

So, here is what I’ve got!

1. Breakfast, pre-run: Two pieces of bread (not toast! It’s too hot outside for hot bread!) and nut butter. Sometimes I’ll even put both peanut butter AND almond butter on the same piece of bread, just because I like to rebel against society. However, this is not new and this breakfast has been my go-to breakfast for any athletic event for the past 10 years. But you know what I did add to this routine? Chia gel!

I’ve gone on and on in the past about how much I love chia seeds, so I won’t bore you with the details. However, I had gotten out of the habit of making chia gel, and was instead just chucking the seeds in yogurt, smoothies, cereal, etc. A good friend suggested this to me, and I am so glad that he did! I’ve been eating/drinking 5-6TB of chia gel before every long run, and I truly believe the slow-release properties of the seeds are helping my body gradual hydrate throughout the run.

And yes, I realize this makes me sound very hippy-esque, but whatever. I lived in Boulder for 10 years; I think it rubbed off on me 🙂

2. During My Run: This is where I think I was struggling the most, but I think I’ve figured out a system! I’m still drinking my beloved Cytomax, because we all know that I am not willing to change that! I’ve also switched over to a small CamelBak so I can drink until my heart is content. However, in terms of fuel, I’ve switched away from gummies and gone the gel route.

Quite honestly, I think they all taste fairly bizarre, but they seem to do a better job of keeping my hunger at bay and my energy levels up. I think my favorites are the Honey Stinger gels, but they are also a bit pricier than the Clif gels. Whatever. I am now paying to eat flavored slime. Awesome.


Know what else I’ve added into the mix per a reader suggestion? These little bits of deliciousness:

Yum, yum, yum, YUP! I’ve been putting two or three of these in my CamelBak and eating them while running, in between my gels. Not only are they delicious (obviously) but the combination of sugar and carbs seems to keep my body going. Well, either that or I have just mentally tricked myself into thinking that Snickers are good for me, but I’m willing to continue living this lie. The placebo effect is real, folks!

3. Post Run: This varies from day to day, mood to mood, but lately I have been loving the Vega Energizing Smoothie packets.

I am not vegan or vegetarian, but I do like to get in as many fruits and veggies into my diet as possible. Each serving contains two servings of veggies, 10g of protein, 5g of fiber, and 1g of Omega-3. I mix it with vanilla almond milk instead of water, so those stats don’t include the good stuff in the milk, either. I wasn’t a crazy fan of the berry or tropical flavor (a little too synthetic fruit for me) but I loved the vanilla and chocolate flavors (please see Snickers above).

I think my favorite aspect of the Vega smoothies is the fact that I am lazy, and don’t have to use my blender to make a smoothie 🙂 Seriously, this is a factor because I hate washing my blender! I just dump the packet and the almond milk into my protein shaker and I’m a happy camper. Laziness at it’s finest, my friends!