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I know I missed last week’s marathon training update so let’s consider this post this week’s update as I discuss my 20 mile run and food, of course! 

I’m happy to share that my travel schedule (which was CRAZY in September) will now quiet down until the Marathon, which is less than a month away.

Here is everything I ate before a 20 mile run, including how I fueled during and after.

this Post!

Last Marathon Long Run

This weekend marked my last marathon long run for training. 

I did just about 20 miles, and I’m doing a half marathon this upcoming weekend (with a few miles added on before and after).

Then, I’ll head into my marathon taper mode, as we’re 3 weeks out currently.

Aside from this week’s long run, last week I also got 20 miles in over 4 runs. I felt really good, much better than I have throughout all of the training.

Most of those runs were in Rhode Island where it strongly felt like fall and I’m wondering if that played a role. That and my nutrition, of course.

I’ve been stocking my pantry staples with many of my favorite things from this athletes grocery list. 

I feel much faster and more efficient in the fall. I don’t run well in warm weather and I guess I’m realizing this more and more.

PS – I love this lightweight running vest from Nathan. I’m someone who hates holding anything when I run, so handheld water bottles don’t work for me.

This is a good in between and it doesn’t feel heavy or like it’s wearing me down. 

How I Felt On the 20 Mile Run

After this weekend’s run (which was a much-needed confidence booster), I’m feeling more at peace with just being content with where I am currently.

I ran this week’s 20 miles nearly 13 minutes faster than last week. And it wasn’t that I was out killing myself, I just had a group to keep pace with.

There were 9 of us that ran together for 14 miles. I ran three miles before meeting up with the group, and four miles on my own after to get to the 20.

I haven’t run for 3 hours since training for the Ogden Marathon (2.5 years ago), so that almost seemed like a new sensation for my legs. 

Ed and Cam joined me for the last hour, which really helped because my legs were starting to feel really heavy and tired then.

He brought me some of my diy electrolyte drink mix (the tart cherry one). 

I thought it’d be fun to show a day of eats on long run day, although most of us know that the real hunger comes the day AFTER the long run.

I feel like I have constant hunger, but just to give some context, here we go.

As always, these meals aren’t meant to compare and remember that we are all different in how much food we need each day. I like to base meals off of the performance plates!

Breakfast Before a 20 Mile Run

In terms of race day nutrition, I always eat a balanced breakfast before a run, 1-2 hours before.

This time it was toast, one with yogurt and blackberries and the other with peanut butter and banana.

I also had a pumpkin zucchini muffin with more peanut butter, coffee, and water with electrolytes. Also, some caffeine since there are performance benefits.

On days where I have less time before a run, I need some quicker acting carbs, aka simple carbs that will turn to glucose faster.

Soemtimes, it’s a bowl of Kellogg’s S’mores cereal + half a banana.

I usually run with a Fitletic belt for my phone. On my long runs, I usually wear two. I add the second one to hold my fuel.

For the fuels, I’ve been doing Honey Stinger chews + some Huma gels + Tailwind mixed in my water bottle. I love the Tailwind and think it’s a great for people who have stomach pain when running.

You mix it in your water bottle and it provides carbohydrates as well as adequate electrolytes, namely sodium and potassium.

When you are fueling for longer workouts and runs, you want to aim for a variety of carbohydrates sources, which will be better absorbed by the body.

Getting glucose, fructose, maltose and/or sucrose, rather than just glucose can help maximize absorption. Proper absorption will help you avoid hitting the wall, too. 

If you are just relying on glucose, your body can only oxidize 60 grams per hour, whereas when you are consuming a combination of carbohydrates, your body can oxidize (use) up to 100 grams per hour.

That equates to your body being more efficient, more instant energy for you, and lower chances of “bonking” or running out of carbohydrate stores.

I typically space out my eating every x amount of miles, or as I feel hungry.

You want to think about eating during your run as fuel to help you keep going. It’s not going to be stored. It’s going to be used right away.

Your glycogen (carbohydrate) stores become depleted during longer runs, so we get our energy from 3 main options:

• carbohydrates we ingest during exercise
• breaking down our muscle protein for carbohydrates (this is not ideal and is not an efficient process)
• fat stores (which is pretty much an unlimited energy source, but takes more time for your body to use and break down than carbohydrates).

I probably took about 30-35 ounces of water in total, which is probably on the lower end (more on hydration needs in the summer), but I always drink a bunch before my run, too.

Remember: you won’t stay hydrated with water alone. You need electrolytes for running, particularly salt, to help your body use that water. 

Recovery Meal After 20 Miles

I was starving immediately after finishing the 20 mile run so my attention turned to the best recovery foods.

I had a stroop waffle on the ride home with more water and prepared an easy lunch.

For lunch, I had leftovers from the night before – pumpkin risotto with some crockpot chicken and a salad with hemp seeds, orange slices and grapes.

I believe in and follow intuitive eating, but for recovery purposes, I do make sure to include a variety of foods that I’ll talk about here.

• Risotto and fruit, for carbs, obviously
• Chicken, eggs or beef (protein for runners are important for recovery and repair!)
• Salad for fiber
• Protein powder mixed in a drink usually before my meal
• Grapes and Oranges for phytochemicals, antioxidants (to help with inflammation)
• Oranges and tomatoes for Vitamin C (an antioxidant) but also to help with iron absorption from the chicken

These are things I just kind of do naturally, but figured it would be helpful to break it down for you.

Later on, I made a snack plate with a mix of salty (electrolytes), crunchy and savory, with some chocolate for sweet.

I shared most of this with Cam (not the chocolate/nuts/seeds because choking hazards), so that also helped make this snack plate complete.

She has always loved tomatoes, and is also really into crunchy peppers right now. She was also crushing that popcorn, too!

Dinner Recovery Meal

After a long run, your immediate meal is a recovery meal as well as the subsequent meals after.

I did some meal prep for the week, including many easy meals from my easy recipes for marathon training. 

Then, we reheated some of my sweetpotato mac and cheese because it was just what my body needed!