By Debbie Perry

In the last 5 years, more and more people are becoming familiar with and adopting the Paleo diet lifestyle.  But if you are one of those onlookers who still are wondering what in the world this caveman food is and how it may/or may not work for you, then here is your quick pocket guide to some Paleo basics.

Theory

The foundation of the Paleo diet theory is based on the evolution of man. The hypothesis is that if we, as homosapiens, have evolved and thrived over the last 10 million years on specific types of foods, then the introduction of  “modern day” foods may be causing harm. Modern day foods, in the paleo world, would be those food introduced in the last 10,000 years that the human body is not capable of really processing and using well because we are not yet adapted to do so. While refined sugar, flours and processed foods are on the obvious “problematic” list, the surprise to most people is that grains and dairy are members of this list as well since the widespread use of cultivated grains and cattle has only occurred in that 10,000 year modern window.

Paleo Foods

Very simply put, Paleolithic food choices would be meats, seafood, vegetables, tree nuts and fruits.  The consumption of only these food groups would, in fact, resolve a LARGE majority of health issues faced by the people of today. The obvious health improvements would be obesity, heart disease, chronic degenerative diseases and many cancers.  The biggest problem people face is trying to switch their lifestyles over to paleo habits ,when they currently eat over 70% of their food as grain, dairy, processed items, alcohol and fatty meats. However, there are now good resources with lots of ideas on how to switch over to a more natural, whole food eating style. Some of those sites are www.marksdailyapple.com and www.thepaleodiet.com

Paleo Foods for Endurance Athletes

As someone who is probably running, biking and/or swimming for exercise, there is probably a little bit of concern you may be having at the moment on how you think it’s possible to train while eating a paleo oriented diet. The book, Paleo Diet for Athletes, does a nice job explaining how to alter the plan a bit to accommodate for the large amount of carb consumption needed in the endurance world. For the most part, the emphasis is put on using high quality commercial Carbohydrate products (like gels, block, carb drinks and etc) to help make up most of that difference before, during and right after a workout. The other allowance is by adding in some sweet potatoes that are otherwise not recommended for more sedentary folk due to the high carb content. Most Paleo athletes feel like those two alterations to the original Paleo plan are enough to meet their needs.

Should you try it?

Without a doubt, the whole concept of getting rid of processed and refined foods, fatty meats, refined vegetable oils, alcohol and large amounts of dairy would tremendously help anyone to feel better, live a higher quality life as they age and look better too! The extreme to which you take it, is highly individual. There are many people who feel that they theory of evolutionary man is incorrect and therefore keep small amounts of whole grain (not refined flours) in their meal plan.  The same holds true for the addition of raw or cultured dairy.  So, the extent to which a person applies the idea is up that individual. But, without a doubt, converting most of a person’s eating habits over to Paleo foods would bring about a myriad of positive health changes!

For more information on Sports Nutrition, come listen to Debbie Perry’s Nutrition Seminar at the 700 E location of  Salt Lake Running co. The cost is $45 and you are sure to walk away with a renewed motivation to trat your body right!

You’ve already read Running For Beginners: The Right First Steps so you know way more than I did when I first started running. You have the right shoes, fit to you specifically for your Biomechanical needs, the right socks, a running buddy and a goal.

Now that you have all the confidence in the world, let’s crush it! Just kidding…but really, the first runs can be quite humbling/heartbreaking, especially for those who used to run and ran quite well. It takes time and patience and consistency to be able to run so take note of your accomplishments along the way and don’t get discouraged. You will get there. I promise. If you follow the steps below, your run will be motivating instead of demotivating.

Your first run is a chance to test the waters, test out your new shoes and to see what your starting point is. You will see great improvements in your fitness over the first few weeks of running and it will boost your confidence. I recommend getting a note book or training journal/log to track your workouts and see improvements. Anything will work for this purpose. You could even start a training blog and all your friends can read about your progress. The log I like to use is part of the the Nike + Sportband system.  This watch is really affordable, tracks my distance pace and time, and after every run I plug it into my computer and it keeps track of everything! I don’t have to write anything down!

I run, therefore I eat. As beloved and sacred a mantra this is to us runners, evil lurks inside every shiny Doritos bag! How often have you run the above scenario through your head during a post-workout kitchen pillage, though. Apart from the bison meat, which I fully endorse, but is an entirely different story, we always draw to the most damaging foods we can find don’t we?

You need to fuel after a run, but you need to do it smart. Psychologically this can be a challenge and I’ve found from experience that finding good filling foods containing the necessary nutrients your body is craving is key. You can stuff endless amounts of junk in your body and be full but not satisfied. Your body is asking for specific things.

Primarily, it wants to reload on carbohydrates and recover with protein. Recently, I’ve found Clif Brand “Builder’s Bars” have really hit my post-workout “spot” if you will. They pack a punch with 20g of soy protein, which is a lot to ask of a little bar. Also, they contain whole flax seed meal. Flax seeds contain Essential Fatty Acids that, other than being required by all cells and tissues of the body, aid brain function, lower blood sugar, improve mineral metabolism, and reduce inflammation. Plus, your body can’t produce these EFAs
so you have to eat them. Each bar also packs a pretty heavy sodium and potassium punch. Not to mention, that if you’re the type to read ingredients, you’ll see “organic” almost obnoxiously placed before most every ingredient. Which is a good thing.

Personally, since I’ve found out whey protein doesn’t sit well with me, I’ve missed my sweet, rich, post-workout chocolate smoothie. So, the “Builder’s Bars” soy protein-packed flavors have been a welcome addition to my daily nutrition! Do you crave a bowl of vanilla ice cream?    Vanilla Almond “Builder’s Bars” are for you! Peanut butter by the spoonful type of gal? Peanut Butter “Builder’s Bars” do the trick! Like to grind Oreos into milk and make Oreo cereal? Try Cookies N’ Cream “Builder’s Bars”. Personally, I love the Lemon “Builder’s Bars” that way I don’t have to buy four bags of Starburst to make an entirely yellow bag of Lemon Starburst to undo my perfectly good run! Come pick some up from Salt Lake Running Co. for after your next long run! After all, won’t the pancake house breakfast being even sweeter when kept for race day?

Until next time:

Run long, Eat well, Be kind!

Sir Adam Pritchard

Extreme Endurance Benefits
- Improve Aerobic Threshold
- Speeds up Recovery
- Reduces Muscle Soreness
- Replaces Electrolytes
- Reduces Lactic Acid Build up During Exercise and Competition

Dose
If you work out 5-7 times a week take 3 in the morning and 3 in the evening for a total of 6

If you work out less than 5 times a week, use the dosage chart on the back of the bottle (by weight)

For more information go to http://xendurance.com/

As liberating as running can be, many have been burdened by some of the common joint injures specific to running.  Over the years I’ve discovered three proactive steps of prevention and rehabilitation. Enlist the services of a really great sports massage therapist, use a leg stabilizing strength program and be diligent with a flexibility routine.  However, sometimes that is not enough. With busy lives, it is really hard to keep up with all the nutritional demands of running.  Too much stress and not enough nutrients to keep up with all of life’s draining and taxing demands cause a destructive imbalance. As a result, some of the lingering inflammation and pain are indicative of a gap in required materials needed by the body to heal.  The good news is that science has given us ways to provide the body with some of critical nutrients that may be lacking to help you repair, recover and get back to running!

The main issues a runner needs to address when attempting to mend or keep joints healthy are reducing inflammation, providing more joint material, and reducing oxidation. Inflammation is considered a partner in crime when people begin to run. It’s not a stranger to any of us on the move even if it lurks “silently” in the hidden corridors o

f our cells and tissues. This inflammation doesn’t have to swell up like a huge balloon in order to wreak havoc in the joint capsules, cause the dull pain felt by some or the never healing “itis” that haunts others. Reducing inflammation on a nutritional level is not just a matter of eliminating the toxic refined foods that perpetuate the

problem. Replace the poison with high quality whole foods and add in a lot of clean essential fats that have some omega 6’s and emphasize omega 3’s.  The essential fats go immediately to work in the war on inflammation reduction. The best way to get the fats is by adding fish oils, plant based oils and some other forms of food based fats like guacamole, olives, and nuts. Taking 4-6 fish oil capsules everyday is a must! And fish oil isn’t enough so taking 2-6 Tablespoons of a plant-based oil like flax seed oil every day can make a big difference. That can be easily added to a protein shake, mixed into yogurt, salad dressings or taken plain. Both fish and plant forms are vital and essential.

Providing more joint material for repair is the next crucial piece to joint health. Runners put themselves through a lot of wear and tear to knees and hips so it becomes a priority to give your body enough material to rebuild what is getting worn down.  Many studies have shown the amazing reconstructive and healing properties of Glucosamine Sulfate, Chondroitin Sulfate and MSM and SAMe. Patients taking these supplements have been able to provide enough materials to help their body rebuild cartilage, repair connective tissues, reduce pain and swelling (even outperforming NSAIDS for many patients), lubricate joints and increase collagen formation. These are essential rebuilding, anti-inflammatory and pain management nutrients. As a preventative measure, take these supplements according to the instructions on the label. When in pain, the dose are often doubled or tripled temporarily.

Lastly, the never ending nemesis entitled oxidation, just won’t retreat as long as you breathe oxygen. Not only are you “rusting” from the inside out, but oxidation slams on your joints like a meat hammer causing joint deterioration. The most effective way to reduce the destruction is to take a wide spectrum of antioxidant that not only come from fresh colorful produce, but can be easily consumed in more effective quantities as supplements. The most important ones to add in first are 2-4 grams Vit C, 400-800 mg Vit E, 200-400 mg Selenium and 60-120 mg CoQ 10.

While the effort many seem overwhelming at first, you will reap the benefits of many years of injury free running if you commit to taking care of your joints. Keep your body strong, balanced, flexible and full of the all the necessary nutrients needed to stop any joint issue from becoming a serious problem. Remember to eat smarter and harder than you train so you can continue on the tracks full speed ahead!

In January my wife sent me to Costco to buy a paper shredder to protect ourselves from the growing problem of identity theft. While walking through Costco I noticed a crowd gathered at a demonstration, where a clean cut young man was serving everything from frozen ice cream to piping hot tortilla soup all prepared from the same miracle appliance the Vitamix blender. I sampled the food and watched the demonstration with interest, he asked questions like, “Are you tired of processed foods?…Do you want your family to eat the healthiest options available… Do you want to control your weight” I answered in my mind “yes, yes and yes“. (I think we all know where this is going) rather than coming home with a $50 paper shredder I came home with a $400 blender. My wife was completely unimpressed and asked if I could shred documents in the blender. I smiled as I replied “yes we can!” Over the next few days I blended with passion, morning smoothies, lunch soups, marinara’s for our pasta dinners and each day my wife grew to enjoy the blender as much as I did.  I have to say I really found very little to be critical about, this blender really did do everything the salesman said and I was eating more fruits and veggies throughout my week than I had previously.

In February I went to Costco to buy a 40 lb bag of dog food. I walked down the center of the store and again noticed a group gathered around a live demonstration. Blendtec was represented.  If you are familiar with the blending world then you know that Vitamix and Blendtec are the two premier blenders on the market and the only two that can realistically compete with each other.  I had a problem, I had been using the Vitamix for a few weeks now and now was presented with the possibility of a face off. I had to do it.  I went to the customer service desk and told them I had purchased one and now possibly wanted the other, to Costco’s credit they girl behind the counter said, “you want to buy them both and keep the one you like?” I replied, “Does a one legged duck swim in circles?” I walked into my kitchen an hour later with another blender and my wife gave me a look of disbelief “Dog food” she said, “Not another $400 blender.” In my mind I was already blending.

That evening I tried my favorite recipes in both blenders and they both performed wonderfully. Both will blend pretty much whatever wet items you throw at them, frozen fruit, ice, all sorts of veggies even peanut butter. Blendtec has an advantage in that it will also blend nuts and grains into fine powder, Vitamix requires purchase of a separate container and blade to process dry products.  Blendtec has preset buttons that you push and the blender works through  variable speeds all on its own for the perfect soup or smoothie or whole juice. Vitamix requires manual adjustment and no automatic turn off which can sometimes result in over blending and your food can end up a little foamy rather than creamy and smooth.  The Blendtec also fits nicely on top of the counter but under the cabinets. The Vitamix is a little tall and I really didn’t like leaving it out on my counter. It was a close contest and had I never tried the Blendtec I’m sure I would have enjoyed the Vitamix for many years, however  Blendtec wins!

The next afternoon I returned to Costco. The girl behind the counter said  “It must have been an exhausting night” Indeed it was, exhausting and wonderful.

If you have one of these blenders then I congratulate you, if you don’t then seriously consider one. I love my morning smoothie and the fresh sauces for pasta, at night a few pieces of  frozen mango, a squirt of honey and a handful of ice makes the best ice cream imaginable. I am eating more fruits and veggies than ever before and I feel great.

My wife won’t let me go to Costco alone anymore.

As Published in Rocky Mountain Running.

Being a mom is exhausting!   So many hats to wear, work to do, children to look after, places to drive, service to give and sleep to give up.  The very nature of rearing children is a physical and emotional drain, but ever wonder why you may feel unusually tired? And I am not talking workout tired, but loss of motivation, dragging yourself around, barely getting out of bed kind of tired.  There is a chance that you are suffering, in part, from what some people call childbearing fatigue. This does not apply to new moms or young moms only either, but can begin during those earlier motherhood years and not really go away.  The cause of this kind of fatigue is due to the nutritional sacrifices a woman makes to bear and nurse children.  Too many mothers give large amounts of their own physical building blocks of protein, fat, vitamins and minerals without realizing they need to be replaced. With each child, the hole just gets bigger until mom falls into the darkness of barely surviving.

In order to dig your way out of this pit, you need to know that you are probably missing protein.  Women’s bodies start struggling and becoming fatigued when they don’t have enough protein to meet the demand of their own cell replication.  You replace every cell in your body in a one year period, so after a year you are a whole new person.  But, what if each year, your cells get weaker? What if with each replication they reach out for new cell material and it is not there? NOT GOOD!  The body just starts to fall apart from the inside out. What starts as a protein deficiency ends up not just as fatigue, but can lead to more serious degenerative illnesses like fibromyalgia.  Dr. Cory Holly has witnessed about a 90% recovery rate as he has prescribed protein (and some oil and supplements) to hundreds of women.

Unfortunately, the number one macronutrient ALL women are generally missing and that is also essential to healing is protein.  To make matters worse, you did give up a bunch of it during pregnancy and nursing. But, did you ever put them back? Think about it for a moment, how many times did you eat protein yesterday? Most women will answer once or twice.  And that is not enough, not even half! Especially for exercising women, the daily protein requirement is 1 gram of protein for about 80% of your bodyweight. So, if you are 140 pounds, then you need about 110 grams of protein a day. If you eat 5 times a day, that is 20-25 grams of protein each time!  That doesn’t mean you have to eat the side of a horse everyday, but you do need small doses of protein EVERY DAY throughout the day to keep those amino acids in your blood stream ready to repair, rebuild and grow a better body. Every meal should be planned around what protein source you will be eating. The word “pro”, by the way, means “of first rank” because it the most abundant material in your body after water. So, make it the priority at each meal.

The easiest way to add 2 servings of protein a day is to make protein shakes (morn and eve) with whey protein, flax oil and fruit. Take some good supplements at the same time. Doing this one thing has dropped a ladder of hope for many chronically tired women.  Then, focus on making sure to have high quality protein at your 3 main meals of the day like omega 3 eggs, cottage cheese, fish, poultry and wild game. As a bonus, partner that protein with lots of produce.  This somewhat small and simple solution of adding protein, with some oil, to your daily nutrition can bring about dramatic changes for the better. So put the mop down and give it a go for 8 weeks. I am sure you will notice a difference in how you feel.

Your post run, bike or swim recovery habit is the first and most important nutrition habit to establish! After a typical hour run you have drained about 100-175 grams of carbohydrate from your muscle tissue, crushed red blood cells from the force of impact, torn muscle fibers and connective tissues, caused inflammation, lost key minerals from sweating and started a chain reaction of unstable atoms called free radicals (because you are breathing in 20 times more oxygen than the normal sedentary person.*   Whew! That’s a lot to get recovered from.

The two most important macronutrients at this point are carbohydrate and protein. The carbohydrate will help resupply the muscle tissue with fuel, while the protein will help repair the torn tissues and blood cells. There are also a whole spectrum of antioxidant vitamins that have got to be replaced to fight of excessive oxidation and electrolyte minerals to replace what has been lost in sweat. So, how are you going to get all these needs met? There are two easy stages of recovery eating to understand and do.

STAGE 1

This stage only lasts about 30 minutes. It is when your muscle tissues are wide open and ready to receive a lot of carbohydrate. In order to reach the muscle tissue as quickly as possible it is best eat your carbs as a drink at this point. You will also need protein (at a ratio of 1/3  or ¼ of the amount of carbs), and vitamins and minerals so some drinks work much better than others at getting the job done. The first goal with the drink is to take in half of your bodyweight in grams of carbohydrate. So if you are 150 pounds, then you need 75 grams of carbs at that point. Read those labels! Drink as much as you need.  Purchasing a drink like Ultragen, Recoverite or Endurox is the easiest and best option at this point. Making a homemade recovery shake works well too.  Or, you can use 16-20 oz of real juices, 32 oz bottle of Gatorade or a higher grade drink mix like Cytomax. However, all of these 3 choices will require some protein added and more vitamins and/or minerals.

STAGE 2

This stage lasts about as long as the workout was. So an hour workout has an hour-long stage 2.  The point of this part of the recovery process is to eat real, whole food.  You need protein, carbs and fats. Lots of lean protein and produce at this time is a great idea. You will need to eat ANOTHER serving of half your bodyweight in carbohydrate and even more after long workouts. That will be a bit easier if you eat, not only fruit, dense veges or potatoes, but whole grains as well. Well, I guess the grain depends on if you can tolerate them okay. So a big hearty meal, no matter what time of day is best during this stage of recovery.

Just remember that while it might be a little difficult to eat after some workouts, it is very necessary to plan ahead, have what you need on hand and eat it. Even if you don’t feel like eating, you still need to eat. Actually, not feeling up to eating can be a symptom that your body is under too much stress. But, if you just commit to the habit of feeding yourself during your body’s greatest time of need to recover, refuel and repair, you will feel much better the next day and in the long run.

*Although oxygen is necessary for survival, breathing in oxygen also produces ‘oxidative stress’ in our bodies which leads to the to formation of free radicals and lipid peroxidation. Sadly, exercise just makes this worse since you are breathing in more air. These free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms that are short one electron.  Being short one electron causes the atom to be unstable, so it seeks out and steals another electron from another atom, usually oxygen. This then causes a chain reaction as the victim of the stealing then needs to be stabilized and steals from yet another atom.  The problem here is that once an atom has lost the original electron, the new one gained does not provide as strong or stable of an atom as the original.  The problem that free radicals cause is system wide. They can attack the walls of your muscle cells and mitochondria and are at least partially to blame for muscle inflammation and soreness, which contributes to reduced endurance.24 Internal oxidation is also a cause of other serious problems including cancers, diseases and heart problems.25

25 Colgan ,M Phd The New Nutrition Vancouver BC apple publishing company LTD 1995 CH 20

By Debbie Perry

There are alot of runners and triathletes out there who are learning how to take in some fuel during events and workouts over an hour and that is great news! The not so good news is that as some of those athletes start going longer than 2-3 hours problems start occurring that didn’t happen before.  So what is going on here? Isn’t 1-2 gel packs an hour enough? Do I absolutely have to have an electrolyte supplement? More water? What?  Well, the deal is that for events shorter than 3 hours, you can almost fake it on not doing enough. You may feel kind of lousy by the end, by you will survive even though you are running very low on energy, fluid and electrolytes. That is because you should have enough stores of all of those things to make through by doing only minimal amounts of eating and drinking. But…especially after the 3 hour mark…EVERYTHING CHANGES! You just can’t keep up with how much you are losing unless you make a SERIOUS effort to eat and drink more.

While it is true that you are hopefully getting about 50%-60% of your fuel from fat during longer,slower events, you are still blowing through quite a bit of carbohydrate. Most any runner or triathlete will still be using a MINIMUM of 125 grams of carbohydrate an hour. Then, in the case of  a Half-Ironman triathlon, the fastest athletes can burn over 200 grams.per.hour! And since we only have about 400-500 grams of carb stored in our muscle tissue and liver, it is easy to see how quickly you will start running out even if you are eating some fuel.  Yeah, do that math for a second.  ”Let’s see…I take 2 gels an hour or one pack of Clif blocks so that is about 50 grams of carbs I eat in a hour. Okay, well if I am blowing through at least 125 grams, but probably more like 150-175, then I am running an hourly deficit of about 100-125 grams. So by the 3 hour mark, I will have used 300-375 grams of carb and running very very low in fuel and by the 4 hour mark, I will be done!”  Yep, all those feelings of being light-headed, sick to the stomach, heavy legged, cranky, crampy, slowing down and feeling like you have been hit by a bus  somewhere between the 2 and 3 hour mark does not always have to be the case. Does this ring true to anyone? Is it worth trying more? (Notice here the picture of Mirinda Carfree holding 2 gel flasks full of 100 grams carb each while on her way to running a 2:56 marathon at the end of Ironman Hawaii 2009)

What To Try in Workout Before Racing

The easiest thing to do is think of your nutrition solely on an hourly basis. What do you need per hour? That will take some experimenting, but the following will help get you started on learning what to do without causing GI stress.

• Do not worry about eating for the first 30-45 minutes. All you need during that time is some water.
• After that first 45 minutes, start eating and drinking every 15 minutes.
• Even with women as light as 135 pounds, start teaching your body to eat AT LEAST 75-100 grams of carb per hour. Try the lower end if you are running/biking in Zone 2 conversation pace. Make sure to increase immediately to 100 if you are capable of racing in Zone 3 during an elite level 3 hour marathon or half-Ironman.
• For Men, start with 100 grams and consider trying to work up to 150 grams especially for events over 4 hours like a full Ironman where the bike leg will allow you to easily take that much.
• Keep 95% of carb intake in the form of a gels,blocks or liquids. Remember to wash all gels and blocks down with 6-8 oz of water.
• Pieces of solids like grapes, bananas, pretzels and etc do help some athletes.
• Some heavily flavored or syrupy drinks cause some people problems, but that does not mean you still can’t eat. Just switch to something more lightly flavored.
• Make sure to read all labels so you know how much you are getting. This is especially true with electrolytes. Some products have a pretty good amount while some NOT.AT. ALL!
• You need to consume at least 500 mg of sodium (+other electrolytes) an hour. In extreme condition or for heavy sweaters, that may increase to 1000 mg. Read those labels and take electrolyte caps, tabs or drop if necessary.
• If you are taking in the right amount of food every hour, then the water consumption(24-32 oz/hour) usually works itself out since you will be drinking every time you eat or you are using a carb drink as your fuel anyway. But double check yourself anyway.

Putting It All Together

In order to get it right on the day of your race, you have to be disciplined enough to get all the math worked out in your head and then executing and experimenting with the plan during workouts. There are so many different possibilities of how to get it all in that it would be a pain to list all the choices. Reality is that between running, triathlon and ultra-running, each events has different restrictions on what you will be able to take with you, what will be available on the race course, how hard you will be able to go and what your stomach will be able to handle given the activity. It is easy to say that you will be able to take in more on a bike, than during a run. That is why it will be up to you to nail down what works. Make sure to use the highest quality products that you can and feed your body well. Your body and mind will thank you for it come race day.

Related Articles

Gels

Electrolytes

Hydration

Basic long run nutrition

Long runs can be quite daunting.  Not just the mileage all at once, but the logistics that go into to making it a successful, stress free run.  With a little planning, your long runs can become a positive experience that you will no longer dread.

The first thing you need to do is tell someone how long you will be gone and your general route.  That way if anything happens, they know when and where to look.  Also in case of an emergency you should carry a phone.  Some people do not want to be contacted when on a run, if that’s the case just turn the phone off.  On more than one occasion I have sprained my ankle quite severely, miles from my car or house, and had to walk back in misery. A simple phone call would have saved me from this situation.

Before you take one step out of the house you need to have a nutrition plan.  You will need to figure out how much water and food/gels you need for you run.

Generally you need 16-20oz of water and approximately 2 gels for every hour of running.

If you don’t use gels, then make sure you get close to 150-200 calories in some other form.   If you need more specific info on gels, check out our blog post on “To Gel or not to Gel”. Also we have a hydration article with some useful information.

Based on these guidelines, if your long run is going to take three hours you will need 48-60oz of water and around 5-6 gels.  This applies to both summer and winter months.

Holy cow!  That’s a lot of stuff.  But, you do not need carry it all at once and you should not.  There are a few things you can do to help lighten the load and ensure you are drinking and eating enough on your long runs.

This first tip for carrying all your nutrition items comfortably is to find a good hydration pack system.  You will probably be overwhelmed at first when you go to pick one up.  Make sure your nutrition plan is based on what works for you and find a system that fits your needs.   You will see 1 bottle, 2 bottle, and 4 bottle systems that all have advantages and disadvantages.  Make sure you try them on for comfort. I would also pick up a few extra water bottles to switch out during your runs. Hand held water bottles with straps are good for those who do not like wearing anything on the waist.  Camel backs tend to be too heavy, clunky or hot.  You can use them, but I think there are better options.

Try running shorter routes and do them several times or in different directions.  Carry just what you need for about an hour’s worth of running.  Start your run from a central point and use your car or house as an aid station and come back several times to re-supply. Go one direction for 30-40 minutes, turn around and come back the same way you came, or run shorter 1 hour loops. This may not sound very exciting, but you will be able drink and eat what you need by doing this on a more consistent basis.

Another reason to run shorter loops and/or out and backs, is sometimes you just have a really bad day and you may have to cut the run short.  It’s never fun to have to walk the last 5 miles of your run because you are in the middle of nowhere.

If you do not want to do shorter routes, then use Gas Stations or water fountains to re-fill your water.  Know where those points are and re-fill every chance you get.  Some people like to stash their water before hand.  The problem with this is it takes time and long run take long enough.  Also, those bottles are hard to carry.  You will not be able to drink it all at once and will waste most of it.  Which means you won’t be drinking enough.

When using my car as an aid station, I have extra water bottles pre-filled and put them in a cooler. During the summer months the cooler keeps the water cool and during the winter it prevents them from freezing.

When using my house, I just leave my extra bottles inside by the door and switch out the bottles, grab a few more gels and continue on with the run.

The best way to drink your water is to sip some every 10-20 minutes; this will prevent any sloshing in the stomach and prevent side aches.  Before you know it, your water will be gone and you will be looking for more.   Your body will let you eat and drink when you run, you just have to get used to it.  Eventually you will feel the benefits and crave your water and food.

If you find yourself having to ration your water or gels  so you do not run out,  you are either not carrying enough or your route is too long without any re-supply.

Just remember, if you only drink 20oz on a 3 hour run, you did not drink enough and you will be dehydrated at the end.  Dehydration affects your run and your recovery.  Keeping your energy and water stores in the body “topped off” will really help you feel better during and at the end of your runs.

So with a good plan and route running techniques, your long runs should not be as daunting or become a frustrating experience.

Tips in summary:

1.   Make sure you tell people where you are going and when to expect you back

2.   Take a phone with you in case of an emergency

3.   Have a good nutrition plan and follow it.  For every hour of running, carry 16-20oz of water and 2 gels, or ingest 150-200 calories of something else

4.   Use a hydration belt system or hand held water bottles to help carry your supplies

5.  Run shorter routes and do them a few times instead of one long route

6.   Use your car or house as aid stations.  Have your water bottles pre-filled so you can grab and go.  Put them in a cooler if you use your car

7.   Gas stations also work to re-fill your water if you do not want to run shorter routes

8.   Sip your water every 10-20 minutes

9.   If you have to ration your water and food to prevent running out, you are not getting enough