Happy Wednesday! Today is another What I Ate Wednesday, and who doesn’t love that? If you are new to WIAW, head over to Peas and Crayons and check it out!
This month is all about loving your veggies, however, only one of my meals includes veggies! That’s because I decided to mix things up this week. I felt like my WIAW posts were getting a biiiiiit repetitive, so I thought it would be fun to do a What I Ate on Long Run Day! So here are all my eats from Saturday, the day I ran my 12 mile PDR long run!
I started off the day by getting up around 6:00am, and had tons of water and a cup of coffee!
Around 6:30, I made myself a small bowl of oats for breakfast. I planned to start my run at 8:00am, so I thought that would be a good amount of time. Note to future self: you were already feeling hungry at 8:00am. And it didn’t help that the manager at the gym was late and you didn’t start running until 8:30am. More fuel next week.
These oats consisted of 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup oats, 1/2 banana and 1/2 T PB.
For fuel during my run, I brought a GU gel with me – Pineapple flavored! Again, not enough fuel, especially since I started the run hungry. I had half at the one hour mark (about 6.5 miles) and then I forced myself to wait another 25 minutes for the second half.
I’m definitely still learning how to fuel during a run. One of these was perfect for my 9 milers, but I guess once I start getting closer to 2 hours of running (my run was about 1 hour and 54 minutes), I just need more fuel! I was really feeling the need for more energy.
When I got home, my stomach was a little queasy, but I managed to eat a small sweet potato with some PB2 and then plain Greek yogurt mixed with a little vanilla and stevia and a bit of protein powder mixed in.
A little later I was over at my brother’s apartment hanging out and I had a peanut butter cookie Larabar! I had never had it before and it was a great flavor! I didn’t, however, think about the fact that I would be torturing poor Molly with the smell of PB… Don’t tell Harrison, but I gave her a teeeeeeeny bit when he left the room. Oh, and let her lick my fingers clean. She is my Valentine after all.
She was half in my lap trying to get some… Too cute.
When I was at Whole Foods that afternoon with my sister-in-law I grabbed a pint of Arctic Zero. If you’ve never heard of this – you should. It’s basically fake frozen yogurt with more protein than most and only 150 calories in the ENTIRE PINT. And you know what that means, right? Yep. I ate the ENTIRE PINT. Half that afternoon, and the other half after dinner.
(source)
For dinner, I went out with my brother and sister in law to a restaurant called The Counter. I’ve been there a couple times before, you can see reviews on my review page. I got the turkey burger in a bowl, meaning it came on a salad. My toppings were pineapple, grilled onions, scallions and grilled peppers with honey mustard dressing. Weird combo… probably wouldn’t choose the peppers next time. But it was delicious. I most definitely cleared my plate.
And although my only veggies came with dinner, I sure loved them!!!
As you can see, long run days tend to be a lot of plain foods, or carbs. I fuel up with carbs, and then afterwards I try and get some protein and carbs in, but I tend to not be super hungry until the next day. Although by dinner I was definitely hungry!
For other long-distance runners: What are your fueling techniques for runs? Any suggestions?
Have you ever heard of or tried Arctic Zero? What’s your favorite store bought ice cream?
My favorite way to fuel is to eat a banana with pb before my run and then munch on some clif shot blocks after about mile 8.
I’ve never heard of arctic zero but for 150 kcals per pint I most definitely want to try it out!
I’m definitely a banana fan! If I wake up and need to go run right away, I always have a half of a banana!
Katie – I’m still trying to figure the fueling issue out too! I tried Gu for the first time last weekend and loved it, but I don’t know if 1 Gu is going to be enough once I get to my half-marathon. We’ll see. I usually do the standard pbtoast+banana and coffee before runs and that’s always worked with my stomach. I usually wait an hour – no more, or else I start getting hungry too. I guess our metabolisms are too fast 😉
I think that’s smart to get started an hour after running, I think part of my problem was eating way too early! And I think I’m going to have to up it to 1.5 GU shots for my 12-13 milers. I’ll try it all out this Friday!
Let me know how it goes — I have a little over 4 weeks to go before my half and my final long run is 11 miles. I feel like I might need 1.5 – 2 GU’s as well. If 1.5 works for you, I might try it.
I’ll definitely let you know how my long run on Friday goes, it’s 12 and hopefully outdoors since it’s supposed to be 47 degrees!!!!
I was pretty rubbish at long run fuelling as I liked to run super early and couldn’t stomach much. I would always swear by dates before and during runs, they are my super fuel!
I’ve heard dates are good, but I want to check on their fiber content, I sure can’t handle any fiber!
I have yet to figure out my fueling strategy once and for all, its definitely a constant working progress! Before my run is toast or half a bagel or a whole bagel for a 18-20 miles. After my run, I eat pretty much whatever it was I was daydreaming about in the last third of my long run. Its usually something with eggs, bacon and cheese. Summer training usually requires a milkshake or smoothie at some point. This is my first winter marathon, so hot coffee and sweat pants are my treats thus far! When I end a run a bit queasy, I go with Rapunzel broth (its vegan boullion cubes…weird, I know, but really good. Also, I bought it on Amazon…) and saltines. Its like magic. Once I have that I’m usually 100% better.
Haha I actually drink broth too after a run to settle my stomach! I forgot to take a picture, so I left it off… lol.
I have tried the cookies & cream Arctic Zero and it honestly didn’t do it for me..I guess I just need real ice cream, or none at all! Haha. That turkey burger bowl looks really yummy!
There are some flavors that I don’t like, I’d try the peanut butter and chocolate or chocolate if I were you. Some of the lighter flavors are odd… Aka avoid the vanilla maple.
Next time they’re on sale at WF I might have to try the pb & chocolate- that’s one of my favorite flavor combos!
You should! Haha my favorite flavor combo too
molly is so cute!!!!! :))
i love the counter – it’s one of my favorite places to go out to eat. i always get a salad with grilled chicken and sharp cheddar, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and mushrooms.
i’ve tried arctic zero but i wasn’t a huge fan (maybe it was the flavor?). my favorite store-bought ice cream is definitely a peanut butter moose tracks flavor.
It’s definitely all about the flavor, try chocolate or chocolate and peanut butter. Some of the others are really odd.
i’ve looked for the artic zero stuff everywhere! next time i’m at whole foods i’m going to see if i can find it!
Definitely look for it – try chocolate or chocolate peanut butter! The lighter flavors tend to be a bit more odd, and less like normal ice cream
That Artic Zero sounds really interesting – I don’t know if I would eat it but my family would probably enjoy it. ^^
I don’t really like gus or gels so I tend to fuel with dates or dried figs. They’re small so I can just pop one in my mouth when I feel low on energy. It works well for me but you do have to carry a couple with you because they are less caloric than a pack of shotblocks or a gu.
I love the arctic zero maple vanilla flavor but the other ones taste a little “off” to me, but I do love that you can eat the entire pint 🙂
I keep hearing that dates are good fuel! Maybe I’ll try them out! Haha see I think the maple vanilla has an “off” taste! Chocolate Peanut butter is my favorite. I also like chocolate and strawberry.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen pineapple gel. The fruity ones are not my fave. I tend to do chocolate or mint chocolate. Two gels would have been better than one for sure on that run. I can get away with two gels for a 2:15:00 run.
I’ve heard really mixed thing on Arctic Zero but I’ve never had it.
I’m the opposite, I love the fruity ones! I can’t stomach the thought of chocolate during a run!
Congrats on getting through your run, despite hunger pangs! I’m not running long distance right now (trying to gain muscle mass), but when I am, I always eat a small meal one hour beforehand. No more, no less. My go-to pre-run breakfast is banana + peanut butter + corn thins/brown rice cakes. Oats always upset my stomach pre-exercise!
I’ve tried most of the Arctic Zero flavors and like the Cookies and Cream the most. However it doesn’t come close to the deliciousness that is regular frozen yogurt/ice cream! And it’s so expensive!
I definitely thing the one hour rule is a good idea, mine ended up being 2 hours which was way too much!
that arctic zero ice cream sounds right up my alley! i have no self control with ice cream, so it’s nice to know the whole pint is only 150 calories! i’m curious though, what’s all in it and how is it so low in calories? is it pricey?
i haven’t done a run over 6.5 miles yet, but i notice that i’m not as hungry the day of my run and then the next day i’m often starving all.day.long. does this happen to you too??
http://www.myarcticzero.com/nutritionfacts.php this is the link to their ingredient and nutritional information. Looks pretty good to me! and plenty of protein in the pint! IT is expensive (about $5 a pint at whole foods) but I figure I would spend that much on froyo, but buying this saves me hundreds of calories! And yes, the day after my long run I am SO HUNGRY!!!
I literally just passed out at the thought of 150 calorie frozen yogurt. It’s my absolute favorite. Must try!
you should! And I’d recommend chocolate or chocolate peanut butter, I think they are most like normal ice cream/fro yo. some of the flavors can taste weird…
I won’t tell that you gave her some PB bar 🙂
I want to try that ice cream!!! Holy yumm!
Haha thanks! Molly will appreciate your silence
Figuring out how to fuel for a long run for me has just been trial and error. I usually eat part of a clif bar or half pbj before and water. I do a few different things during runs; a bottle with G2 and water is good if I’m not really hungry, but need some extra energy. I love the Honey Stinger gels for fuel and I just tried dried plums on my last run which was good.
If you keep trying different things you will figure out what works best for you.
and that green KD cup looks quite familiar – it’s in our cabinet at home! 🙂
Haha we got the cups when we were pledging! It was a problem when I lived with 3 other pledge sisters, we had to put names on our cups!
Yum those all look delicious! I am a big sweet potato fan, but I have never tried PB2 on it before. I’ll have to give that a try!
I mixed the PB2 with a little cinnamon (Forgot to mention that) and it was so good on the sweet potato!
Hmmm, long run fueling. Here’s my secret:
1. Eat a TON the night before. My favorite pre-long-run meal is pasta with roasted broccoli, garlic & walnuts with chicken sausage, butter, and Parmesan cheese. Go to bed stuffed.
2. Eat a plain bagel with peanut butter about 2-3 hours before running
3. Eat half a Clif bar 20-30 minutes before running (if I ate 2-3 hours before. Skip if I ate the bagel less than 1 hour before)
4. I use Clif shot blocks. I eat 2-3 at the one hour mark and then 2 more every 30-40 minutes after that. For a half marathon I actually eat them at the 10K and the 15K mark. I also alternate between water and Gatorade every mile. Just a swig, not a whole cup unless it’s really hot.
Post-long run I usually crave sugary carbs (pancakes, french toast, etc). But I try to eat something with protein later in the day to help stave off muscle soreness.
Thanks for all the ideas! I’m glad to know you eat more fuel as the run goes on, I didn’t expect to need to do that, but I think that’s what will work best for me
I am terrible at prefueling for a long run. I usually have a banana, but am able to have it pretty soon before heading out. I don’t like to wake up earlier than necessary 🙂 during races I’ll have some Gatorade if it’s available. I definitely credit that with a successful first marathon along with gu (chocolate!) every 7 miles. Everyones different though so I think it’s trial and error.
Haha I feel you on the waking up too early! I hate just sitting there waiting for time to pass, I want to get it over with!
It is hard to figure out the best way to fuel… so I would do it by trial and error. When I was running more, I would have a bigger dinner the night before and then get up early to get the run in. Half a banana with a bit of nut butter on top right before helped me out! If I went later int he day, I would make sure to fuel properly but not have anything too fibery or raw.. otherwise my stomach would be way too upset!
Good idea on the no fiber if I do it later in the day. My run Friday is going to have to be in the afternoon because I have a 10am meeting downtown. I could wake up really early and do it, but I think I’ll wait so I have warmer temps, and sunlight! I’ll be sure to avoid fiber! Haha that could go badly.
I’ve always liked sports beans best! There have been times though, when I was out, so I put some honey in a zip lock baggie and then ripped the corner off with my teeth during my run 🙂
I have never heard of using honey! that’s a creative idea!
I do the water and coffee bit too. I also do peanut butter and toast before. During runs (over 10 miles) I eat ever 3miles. But, I usually bring a calorie dense cookie, brownie, or some gummy bears and just have a little bit each time. That way I don’t get cramps. I also keep electrolytes with a little bit of sugar in my water and sip on that as I go.
oooo gummy bears. I’m so tempted to bring gummy candy, but I’m worried the sugar will upset my stomach since it does so normally if I have too much.
Did you do the run on a treadmill?! for almost two hours!! OMG kudos to you, I could NOT do that… or did you just go to the gym before… hmm…
I would have thought that bowl of oats would be enough to fuel you, but I guess like you say it’s figuring out how to fuel properly 🙂
Yep, all on the treadmill, read my recap post on it to see why! And it was a much smaller bowl than I normally eat, and I ended up eating it about 2 hours before I got to start running. Haha even without running I would have started getting hungry.
Banana and peanut butter is the way to go. Great protein and it’s easy on your stomach. At least one GU if im running more than 8 miles. After, I always refuel with protein powder.
Haha banana and PB is the best!
I’ve recently been training for my first half marathon and I’ve been running into a problem with fueling as well! Before a long run (anything over 6 miles) I’ll wake up and eat a small bowl of kashi go lean or oatmeal with a half a banana or maybe a tablespoon of peanut butter. I bring gu energy chews but I don’t really use them…I find they upset my stomach more than they give me energy. Last sunday I ran 12 miles in 1 hour 51 minutes with only one gu chew at mile 6. I’m generally not hungry the rest of the day until really late at night and the next day so I stick to simple foods. My biggest problem is midday runs. I hate to run with much food in me…that’s why I do my 6 miles and under early in the morning and eat breakfast after. But that’s me! It takes lots of experimenting!!! Good luck 🙂