There are many methods for how to fuel during a long run, but an easy metric is about 100 calories for every hour of work, or (for me) every 5 miles. This can be translated to about 500 calories during a marathon distance.
Backing up, sometime in June my running group was running an 18 mile run, and I totally bonked out. In grand fashion. I walked the last 2 miles, because I was so light headed I thought I might actually fall down. I felt terrible, and my recovery from that run was brutal. I maybe didn't feel right for a full 36 hours. It was the first run over 15 miles for this training period, and while it was a particularly stressful week for me (eating, sleeping, stress levels were all issues), I began to be concerned that perhaps I just didn't have it in me this time around. So, I drafted an email to my running coach, detailing my problems and concerns, and asking for some honest opinions. Her response "let's talk about your fueling methods?" And as I thought about what my "method" is, I realized I had none. I always had beans or chews with me. And I took some in the beginning. But, as my runs went on and got tough, I'd forget. Or more, deem it unneeded. It's like if you owe $2,000, does $20 really seem like it's going to be helpful? No. I felt similar, if this is already being so tough, is a little jelly bean going to help? No.
I was probably taking in between 100-200 calories for a marathon length run. This is well under the 500 that some people say, which is a lower estimate compared to some other suggestions. My coach decided that this is what I needed to focus on. And so I tried.
I'm much more math/science than art/literature, and so instead of "do what feels right" I decided I needed a strict plan. I needed something to fall back on when the miles got hard, something concrete to focus on for those time I'd feel like I couldn't do anything. So I read several peoples suggestions, I talked to some better informed runners, and I planned out my running "meal plan". And, here's what I've come up with!
Step 1 is always to package everything into 100 calorie servings. I prefer to save the small bags that the jelly beans come in, because they are easy to shove in to my belt. I will repackage the shot blocks, power bars new chews, and small bites of either clif or power bars. And now, my plan is as follows:
mile 4: take a bag of sports beans from the belt, and eat a few. Place the unfinished bag of beans on the side zip cord of my running belt. Finish this bag before crossing mile 6. (100 calories)
mile 8: take a bag of shot blocks (approx. 3 blocks) and eat one. Place the unfinished bag on the side cord and finish it all before mile 10. (100 calories)
mile 10: take a salt pill! These things have been great!
mile 14: Here it gets tricky. It depends on the day and how I'm feeling, but it's either back to beans or more shot blocks. If I feel like I can handle the beans I take these now, as it is the last time I'll be able to all race. If not, I take more shot blocks. These get finished before mile 16. (100 calories)
mile 18: This is where I break out the power bar chews, because they are less sweet. At this point in the race I can no longer have jelly beans. I can marginally have the shot blocks. These chews get finished before mile 21. (100 calories)
mile 20: depending on the day, another salt pill!
mile 23: Those small bites of power bars get moved to my side zip cord. Eat in case of emergency! (Or rather, in case of self-doubt!) (maybe 100 more calories)
This has me consuming 4-500 calories and 1 or 2 salt pills. Which is way more than I was doing before. I wasn't sure how much of an effect this would have, and then I started using it on long runs and races....
(how's that for a cliff hanger)
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