I think it largely depends on the individual Grendel and would be subject to some scientific study no doubt
I heard 90mins - 2 hours is optimal to allow body to use the energy - however I think the body gets used to using what is available
Most of my runs I've not eaten for a good 4-6 hours due to my break at work the getting home I don't want to eat then run 2 hours after.. Other times would be never having breakfast until after the run -
3 hours before a race is often quoted as the ideal for most people, topped up with something small and easily absorbed like a gel or banana 20 mins before the off.
I used to feel the benefits of a meal about 60 minutes into a training run. Not a race.
3 hours before a race seems average. Topping off with sugar 20 minutes before a race is the last thing I'd ever do. Its the metabolic equivalent of driving away from the petrol pumps while still filling up.
i eat betwen 3-4 hours before. i dont like racing if im approaching hunger. but my pre-race food will either be granola if an early race or bagel and flap jack if an evening race.
either way i probably had a bucket load of pasta the night before....doesnt matter if it is a 800m or half marathon. So my tank will be full regardless.
most of my long runs are very early in the morning and i will do them without eating in the morning.
A meal ric? Come on son, you didn't have meals mid training run! A snack maybe, but unless you're going very slow, ie ultra pace that's going to feel uncomfy.
But we've been here before.
I remember arguing with clubmate, a vet 65, about time to digest.she said 2hours.i said i need 3.
But then she couldn't understand why xc races start at 11am, which means they use "the whole day"..
Didn't seem to realise these events take hours to set up, and that theyre already starting that early and in the dark!
I'm not scared of starving to death if I haven't eaten for a couple of hours. Its a modern thing, not many people (In the west) eat on an empty stomach. Maybe they think the stomach is the bodies fuel tank.
Incidentally, I don't expect everyone on the thread will be able to read your post for some reason.
SG, I can eat as much as I like and still run. Full fish and chips! one of the best hill sessions ever.
Chris Finill (he of London Marathon fame) and myself, ran a warm down after the Middlesex Vets XC. We were talking and eating as we went.
Most of the time I don't bother. Lets face it, at the moment its only 2 - 5 miles. If I'm out for 10 or 12 miles I'll change tactics.
Chiltern League races start so late in the day, I wonder if the organisers get some sort of thrill watching runners finish in the dark with ice forming all around.
Topping off with sugar 20 minutes before a race is the last thing I'd ever do. Its the metabolic equivalent of driving away from the petrol pumps while still filling up.
How does that analogy work then?
I topped up with a caffeinated gel before Maidenhead and all my PBs 10M and over, so works for me one way or another! (and I never ended up engulfed in a ball of flames )
SG - I meant a general training run, I would say probably more for a session or race is optimal but I don't follow that guide as such.. I think it would still come down to being athelte specific and 100% the elites have had this sort of thing checked out..
I would also say thought the longer you leave it the more potential for needed the toilet crops up though??
I think my last few pre race fuelling has been whatever either my daughter is having (ie - cocopops) or a few slices of toast but nothing over the top or making sure I get some pasta in night before.. Lets not mention Egg + beans on toast though SG
Everyone eats chia charge flapjacks don't they? Well apart from me.
Night before a race is usually whatever the missus has made, if not its tesco pic n mix. The morning of a race is usually a couple of porridge pots where I just add water and a bit of granola and lion bar cereal to add a bit of flavour. I usually then have about 5 shits leading up to the race then around 40 mins before the race I have a can of red bull and 2 Imodium. Once made the trip up the lakes for a XC and had to drop out as I needed a crap so the Imodium stops it.
My bowels usually explode within an hour of finishing.
Breakfast this morning was porridge pot with kids cereal in it. Mid morning I had a bacon, sausage and hash brown baguette with 2 mega thick toast. Couple of cans of diet coke to was it down.
I've just ran a 10x 1 minute hill session that I did the other week and ran 5 yards further on every rep than what I did the other week. That's after I had a dump in the woods after my warm up.
I've just had a bowl of cereal and an apple for my tea.
Bus, its the time lag of 20 minutes not the substance.
Worst marathon for having zero energy. Abingdon, when having just timed such an intake for the scheduled start, then discover the organisers had moved it back 30 minutes to accommodate (would you believe it) late entries.
I ran my parkrun PB the morning after a massive blowout at the chip shop.
Unless its a marathon I don't really pay any heed to what I eat the night before. Well, I'd probably avoid a hot curry, but then I generally avoid hot curries.
You get your kids at school who do jack all work, yet get top marks, and you get your fast runners who do none of the proper stuff/eat junk etc. It's just one of life's quirks.
For me, I'd always lived a healthy lifestyle all in. Back in football days I realised I was wasting time doing that, as I'd be surrounded by a sea of goons who'd all been boozing and cigging it up. You can get away with that at the lowest level In football, as efforts are very short bursts, and you have long long periods of doing nothing, not to mention 10 teammates. There's no hiding place in running.
This probably explains why I never got any adrenaline before football games, unless there was something else added in, like having to get up at 4am to play in Holland at 10am on a work footy trip (!), whereas every race and even some of the sessions have plenty of adrenaline.
So far this week has been 50M bike, 170 flights of stairs, bit of stretching, a walk and no running!
Took #2 back to Cambridge today and she is 6 flights of stairs up and I reckon easily 20 times up and 20 times down today for 120 flights today. Needed a 5 miler afterwards to straighten out the legs.
Bus, its the time lag of 20 minutes not the substance.
Worst marathon for having zero energy. Abingdon, when having just timed such an intake for the scheduled start, then discover the organisers had moved it back 30 minutes to accommodate (would you believe it) late entries.
Still don't know what you mean Ric - the body can't turn food into energy instantly. It takes time to be absorbed through the stomach , into the blood stream and then into the muscles. The high intensity of the start of a race means that process isn't happening very effectively , so the 20 mins before is to get the process underway, make sure your glycogen levels are completely topped up.
Putting back the start of a marathon by half hour for late entries is completely unforgivable! I'd have thrown a Benny at that point!
Bus, my apparent guess work is based on two or three occasions when having not eaten for a few hours and feeling hungry, I decided against a snack and had a sugary drink instead.
Started the run (but not race effort) and about 5 minutes in, started to go all dizzy and weak. Sweating like anything and now absolutely starving hungry I walked jogged home. Horrible.
The last time this happened I'd done it on purpose in case I'd imagined it. I won't be doing it again.
In view of racing, I did find I could get rid of the symptoms with some high paced efforts. However, this is difficult when lying down seems best.
Fair enough - sounds like a possible blood glucose level sensitivity thing with your body perhaps over-reacting to a temporary glucose spike and swinging the other way fooling the endocrine system into thinking you are mildy hypoglycemic. I guess that type of pure sugar affects people in different ways. Not nice either way!
That's the daft thing about those energy drinks. They work really well once you're actually up to speed and blasting along.
In 2005 I was doing 50 miles plus rides on the bike to the Chilterns and back. This was the aerobars, camelbak and 'go for it' stuff. I averaged 21 mph plus.
Aiding this effort was a pile of glucose lozenges which were consumed every couple of miles. Now each one of those is only 25 kcal so not much energy. But rather than supply all the energy I needed, they simply gave my system a rest from drawing it naturally.
The body uses sugar for energy. It just doesn't like too much of it in the blood which happens if you drink lucozade sport without already running around.
Too high sugar levels are brought down by the release of insulin, but that tends to overshoot the mark, giving you a blood sugar too low. A right mess.
That's the daft thing about those energy drinks. They work really well once you're actually up to speed and blasting along.
In 2005 I was doing 50 miles plus rides on the bike to the Chilterns and back. This was the aerobars, camelbak and 'go for it' stuff. I averaged 21 mph plus.
Aiding this effort was a pile of glucose lozenges which were consumed every couple of miles. Now each one of those is only 25 kcal so not much energy. But rather than supply all the energy I needed, they simply gave my system a rest from drawing it naturally.
Which is similar to long distance tri racing. 750ml of energy drink and a gel before the swim. Then on to solid food every 20 minutes on the bike. About an hour or two before the end of the bike switch to gels. All this is about replacing the energy from the swim, and pre-loading for the run. The rest keeps you ticking over whilst cycling.
Anything can happen on the run leg. I found my body didn't like gels at this point so fuelled the run on orange segments, jaffa cakes, ready salted crisps and electrolyte drinks. Later on I moved on to flat coke as well. That is like rocket fuel.
Regarding the conversation the other day about rest days and niggles, I had yesterday off. I woke up yesterday with a tight RH leg
tea is the second best drink in the world after beer!
Lucozade sport is the devil's jizz
Took a chance on a run to the rail station this morning, an easy 5.5M. As per the last time I rehabbed this one back in the spring, it was uncomfortable not sore, but knew it was time to stop at the end! Seems OK after. Next easy run, Sunday.
This morning's ride was very peaceful and calm. Nice to have a ride like that.
Take it easy Bus.
Windsor was my first ever HM, and the race guide booklet(!) mentioned issues about fuelling and dehydrating. At each of the 6 drink stations I had a bottle of of Lucozade sport. There were some funny stomach feelings during that run that made themselves apparent right after the finish line. I learnt from that.
you do get in and around some skirmishes Ric! Hope it pans out ok.
Today was the tempo part of my week, planned a 35min MP-HMP 5min segments jobby. This was a session i'd struggled with a month or so back on random roads. Therefore, went back to the tried and tested loop.
Went perfectly, so I added an extra 5mins on, which added another HMP section. I must admit I did hear Lit's voice saying to do the extra.
The "full" session is actually 45mins, but to be honest the last 5mins of that is the MP section, so not a big difference between that and the 40mins, you still get the 4xHMP.
5.54 average pace, 6.7miles in the 40mins. Bang on numbers.
Felt good as well.
I've done this session before and had to lie down after, utterly wiped out. But looks like i'm at a better point in the cycle now!
The beauty of this one, is that you're in effect using the MP as a controlled recovery! Which at 6 or so min miling sounds bonkers, yet feels comfy in comparison to the HMP!
Comments
I heard 90mins - 2 hours is optimal to allow body to use the energy - however I think the body gets used to using what is available
Most of my runs I've not eaten for a good 4-6 hours due to my break at work the getting home I don't want to eat then run 2 hours after.. Other times would be never having breakfast until after the run -
i wonder how many elite runners monster heavy food down 90mins before a race Scott.
3 hours before a race is often quoted as the ideal for most people, topped up with something small and easily absorbed like a gel or banana 20 mins before the off.
I used to feel the benefits of a meal about 60 minutes into a training run. Not a race.
3 hours before a race seems average. Topping off with sugar 20 minutes before a race is the last thing I'd ever do. Its the metabolic equivalent of driving away from the petrol pumps while still filling up.
🙂
i eat betwen 3-4 hours before. i dont like racing if im approaching hunger. but my pre-race food will either be granola if an early race or bagel and flap jack if an evening race.
either way i probably had a bucket load of pasta the night before....doesnt matter if it is a 800m or half marathon. So my tank will be full regardless.
most of my long runs are very early in the morning and i will do them without eating in the morning.
But we've been here before.
I remember arguing with clubmate, a vet 65, about time to digest.she said 2hours.i said i need 3.
But then she couldn't understand why xc races start at 11am, which means they use "the whole day"..
Didn't seem to realise these events take hours to set up, and that theyre already starting that early and in the dark!
Same here Dean.
I'm not scared of starving to death if I haven't eaten for a couple of hours. Its a modern thing, not many people (In the west) eat on an empty stomach. Maybe they think the stomach is the bodies fuel tank.
Incidentally, I don't expect everyone on the thread will be able to read your post for some reason.
🙂
SG, I can eat as much as I like and still run. Full fish and chips! one of the best hill sessions ever.
Chris Finill (he of London Marathon fame) and myself, ran a warm down after the Middlesex Vets XC. We were talking and eating as we went.
Most of the time I don't bother. Lets face it, at the moment its only 2 - 5 miles. If I'm out for 10 or 12 miles I'll change tactics.
Chiltern League races start so late in the day, I wonder if the organisers get some sort of thrill watching runners finish in the dark with ice forming all around.
🙂
How does that analogy work then?
I topped up with a caffeinated gel before Maidenhead and all my PBs 10M and over, so works for me one way or another! (and I never ended up engulfed in a ball of flames )
SG - I meant a general training run, I would say probably more for a session or race is optimal but I don't follow that guide as such.. I think it would still come down to being athelte specific and 100% the elites have had this sort of thing checked out..
I would also say thought the longer you leave it the more potential for needed the toilet crops up though??
I think my last few pre race fuelling has been whatever either my daughter is having (ie - cocopops) or a few slices of toast but nothing over the top or making sure I get some pasta in night before.. Lets not mention Egg + beans on toast though SG
Night before a race is usually whatever the missus has made, if not its tesco pic n mix. The morning of a race is usually a couple of porridge pots where I just add water and a bit of granola and lion bar cereal to add a bit of flavour. I usually then have about 5 shits leading up to the race then around 40 mins before the race I have a can of red bull and 2 Imodium. Once made the trip up the lakes for a XC and had to drop out as I needed a crap so the Imodium stops it.
My bowels usually explode within an hour of finishing.
Bombproof.
I've just ran a 10x 1 minute hill session that I did the other week and ran 5 yards further on every rep than what I did the other week. That's after I had a dump in the woods after my warm up.
I've just had a bowl of cereal and an apple for my tea.
Matt, you are living proof that a Ferrari can run on horse manure
Nowhere near that depth of quality now with a supposed better diet and medical science and nutrition etc.
Thread seems a bit shit tonight.
Bus, its the time lag of 20 minutes not the substance.
Worst marathon for having zero energy. Abingdon, when having just timed such an intake for the scheduled start, then discover the organisers had moved it back 30 minutes to accommodate (would you believe it) late entries.
🙂
Unless its a marathon I don't really pay any heed to what I eat the night before. Well, I'd probably avoid a hot curry, but then I generally avoid hot curries.
You get your kids at school who do jack all work, yet get top marks, and you get your fast runners who do none of the proper stuff/eat junk etc. It's just one of life's quirks.
For me, I'd always lived a healthy lifestyle all in. Back in football days I realised I was wasting time doing that, as I'd be surrounded by a sea of goons who'd all been boozing and cigging it up. You can get away with that at the lowest level In football, as efforts are very short bursts, and you have long long periods of doing nothing, not to mention 10 teammates. There's no hiding place in running.
This probably explains why I never got any adrenaline before football games, unless there was something else added in, like having to get up at 4am to play in Holland at 10am on a work footy trip (!), whereas every race and even some of the sessions have plenty of adrenaline.
Just lazy and use the Garmin to record and summarise the month. It is actually odd how the odd points of a mile add up over the weeks and months.
Took #2 back to Cambridge today and she is 6 flights of stairs up and I reckon easily 20 times up and 20 times down today for 120 flights today. Needed a 5 miler afterwards to straighten out the legs.
They did Matt, and all the better for it! (fat fursday down sowf anyway!)
Still don't know what you mean Ric - the body can't turn food into energy instantly. It takes time to be absorbed through the stomach , into the blood stream and then into the muscles. The high intensity of the start of a race means that process isn't happening very effectively , so the 20 mins before is to get the process underway, make sure your glycogen levels are completely topped up.
Putting back the start of a marathon by half hour for late entries is completely unforgivable! I'd have thrown a Benny at that point!
30mins delay would be a problem for short stuff let alone the big one.
Those Watford 3ks are a weird feeling.you aren't getting going until 930 but that can easily become 10 if the shorter races are stacked with heats
Bus, my apparent guess work is based on two or three occasions when having not eaten for a few hours and feeling hungry, I decided against a snack and had a sugary drink instead.
Started the run (but not race effort) and about 5 minutes in, started to go all dizzy and weak. Sweating like anything and now absolutely starving hungry I walked jogged home. Horrible.
The last time this happened I'd done it on purpose in case I'd imagined it. I won't be doing it again.
In view of racing, I did find I could get rid of the symptoms with some high paced efforts. However, this is difficult when lying down seems best.
🙂
Fair enough - sounds like a possible blood glucose level sensitivity thing with your body perhaps over-reacting to a temporary glucose spike and swinging the other way fooling the endocrine system into thinking you are mildy hypoglycemic. I guess that type of pure sugar affects people in different ways. Not nice either way!
Wouldn't dare race or do sessions post lucozade though!
That's the daft thing about those energy drinks. They work really well once you're actually up to speed and blasting along.
In 2005 I was doing 50 miles plus rides on the bike to the Chilterns and back. This was the aerobars, camelbak and 'go for it' stuff. I averaged 21 mph plus.
Aiding this effort was a pile of glucose lozenges which were consumed every couple of miles. Now each one of those is only 25 kcal so not much energy. But rather than supply all the energy I needed, they simply gave my system a rest from drawing it naturally.
The body uses sugar for energy. It just doesn't like too much of it in the blood which happens if you drink lucozade sport without already running around.
Too high sugar levels are brought down by the release of insulin, but that tends to overshoot the mark, giving you a blood sugar too low. A right mess.
Enough!
I'm out for a run on cups of tea.
With no added sugar.
🙂
Which is similar to long distance tri racing. 750ml of energy drink and a gel before the swim. Then on to solid food every 20 minutes on the bike. About an hour or two before the end of the bike switch to gels. All this is about replacing the energy from the swim, and pre-loading for the run. The rest keeps you ticking over whilst cycling.
Anything can happen on the run leg. I found my body didn't like gels at this point so fuelled the run on orange segments, jaffa cakes, ready salted crisps and electrolyte drinks. Later on I moved on to flat coke as well. That is like rocket fuel.
Regarding the conversation the other day about rest days and niggles, I had yesterday off. I woke up yesterday with a tight RH leg
tea is the second best drink in the world after beer!
Lucozade sport is the devil's jizz
Took a chance on a run to the rail station this morning, an easy 5.5M. As per the last time I rehabbed this one back in the spring, it was uncomfortable not sore, but knew it was time to stop at the end! Seems OK after. Next easy run, Sunday.
And Gin & Tonic, and Red (some) wine. Cider isn't bad either.
The source of some of my questionable posts came from a mixture of this lot,
and lager.
3 miles this morning, made up of sprints, hills and general blowing up. Ok. Still in one piece.
Something else. Police phoned up this morning. Looks like I'm going to end up in court.
As a witness.
Seems the hit and run driver who wiped out a cyclist in front of me has been working on the assumption that there were no witnesses.
Wrong! Oh dear.
🙂
Hang him Ric!
This morning's ride was very peaceful and calm. Nice to have a ride like that.
Take it easy Bus.
Windsor was my first ever HM, and the race guide booklet(!) mentioned issues about fuelling and dehydrating. At each of the 6 drink stations I had a bottle of of Lucozade sport. There were some funny stomach feelings during that run that made themselves apparent right after the finish line. I learnt from that.
you do get in and around some skirmishes Ric! Hope it pans out ok.
Today was the tempo part of my week, planned a 35min MP-HMP 5min segments jobby. This was a session i'd struggled with a month or so back on random roads. Therefore, went back to the tried and tested loop.
Went perfectly, so I added an extra 5mins on, which added another HMP section. I must admit I did hear Lit's voice saying to do the extra.
The "full" session is actually 45mins, but to be honest the last 5mins of that is the MP section, so not a big difference between that and the 40mins, you still get the 4xHMP.
5.54 average pace, 6.7miles in the 40mins. Bang on numbers.
Felt good as well.
I've done this session before and had to lie down after, utterly wiped out. But looks like i'm at a better point in the cycle now!
The beauty of this one, is that you're in effect using the MP as a controlled recovery! Which at 6 or so min miling sounds bonkers, yet feels comfy in comparison to the HMP!