Despite what I said I planned to do in the last post on this subject; I didn't eat the big greasy pizza last night in preparation for my long run today — and I bonked at mile 15, just like hitting a wall, and struggled through the last three miles. It was perhaps made worse by the fact that two of them are uphill. My mile times stretched out by more than a minute a mile, despite the fact that I was still pushing with everything I had. Up to the 15 mark I'd been running as well and fast and comfortably as I ever have at this distance. Anyhow, I'm sure pizza's not the only thing that could have made for a better outcome, but I am sure that I didn't eat enough calories last night and this morning (not that I didn't eat good meals, just not the mega meals I'm beginning to think I need for these days). As the runs get longer it's really hard to tell how much fuel you're going need until you either get enough or you don't. If anyone has a formula, let me know. One other observation — I ate two packets of GU while out on the road and they seemed to give me some real energy for about a half an hour each and then I felt more wrung out than before. I think bananas and granola bars, while they have to be left at my halfway water stop (our driveway) instead of carried, have both brought me better sustained results.
Tags: endurance food, long run, marathon
