Fueling for the Long Run

A couple of weeks ago, a colleague’s professional triathlete wife, Amanda, came to talk to my cross country team as motivation. Honestly, I think I was more into than the girls were because her words really resonated with me. One of Amanda’s main points was to make sure that you are constantly fueling—especially during a long run or race. Now as an experienced runner I know that it’s important to get enough energy and calories when you’re working hard. But for some reason, this one piece of advice has never stuck with me. When Amanda championed taking GU during her long runs (and she runs long), I finally got it. I went out and bought some Chocolate Outrage GU and was anxious to test it out for my next long run.

I’m gearing up for my 3^rd half marathon this month and going after an abitious 4-minute PR. Last Sunday I headed into Boston to my boyfriend’s place to complete a 12 mile long run on Comm. Ave, which is part of the Boston Marathon course. I stored a GU in my shorts pocket, pulled on my neon yellow compression socks and headed out. It was a sunny day and not too warm; conditions were near perfect. I ran past Boston College and down Heartbreak Hill, knowing that 8 miles later, I’d have to run back up this infamous hill. I hoped the GU would give me the strength to let the miles pass easily and quickly.

3 or so miles in, I ran into a charity walk going on that conveniently had water stations set up. The women running it were nice enough to let me stop and have a drink, and I realized that drinking water might also be a key to a successful run that day. (Amanda did say that you should always take water from the water stops even if you’re not thirsty. I learned a lot from her!) I hit the second water stop and soon got to my turn-around point, 6 miles out. Even at this point, my body had warmed up and my pace had dropped from 9:30s to 8:30s. I was feeling good. I took out my GU and ate it, found a trashcan to dump the packaging and headed back up.

I didn’t realize it right away, but man, the GU works! Slightly caffeinated and with carbohydrates that send sugars to your muscles within minutes, GU provided me with a quick pick-me-up just when my energy stores were starting to get depleted. For the 6 miles back, I felt like I was cruising. My mile splits stayed around 8:30, but I was running uphill this time. At 10 miles, I was stopped at a crosswalk when a serious looking runner came up next to me. I looked at her and told myself that I should try to stay with her, but as we started running I realized that she was going too slowly for me. I passed her and charged up the next hill. With one mile to go, I was feeling great (and running a little late to meet my boyfriend and his family for lunch) so I decided to just go for it. My last mile split was 7:50! I felt absolutely awesome and if I’d had more time, I would have done another mile or two at that pace as well.

I don’t know if this was just a great day for me or if it was really the GU that helped me super negative split my 12 mile long run, but I’m now a believer. I now know that GU works for me, whether it gives me a mental edge or actually helps with fueling. I plan on stashing at least one, maybe two, GU in my shorts or sports bra for my upcoming half marathon. I hope I feel as good as I did during this long run. If I have another good day, I know I’ll get that PR!