Comments on: Snacks to Fuel a Workout

By: WilliamB

WilliamB — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:39:33 +0000

Runner here, but apparently a strange one. Any distance up to half marathon, I don’t need calories. Thank goodness because I don’t want to eat any of the highly processed products sold at the running store. They aren’t food to me.

I have the same problem with exercising during lunch as you do: how to time eating? It’s much harder for me to go run if I’m hungry and I could go eat instead. My solution is to have a snack an hour before I head out. I set my watch alarm to remind me.

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:01:33 +0000

Everything I eat makes me feel queasy when running long distances, which is a big problem. During the Baltimore marathon last year I ate two Skittles and a gummy bear – and they were hard to get down. I drank water and Gatorade at every fluid stop, but after mile 22 I was totally out of gas. I like the idea of the gels though. That would probably be the easiest thing for me to get down.

I also like to eat half a Clif Bar or some Shot Bloks before I run. They digest quickly for me.

Thanks for explaining all the options!

By: Judith Klinger

Judith Klinger — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:12:17 +0000

Gu saved my life on a bike ride in Costa Rica, but the stuff is vile and reminds of my near death experience.
Trail mix works pretty well, and you know what you are eating. Besides I don’t like the M&M’s so I hand them out to fellow skiers and everyone loves me. Bonus.

By: David

David — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:36:18 +0000

Runner here…good post/summary of the different options. When I was marathon training, I preferred the Gu gel pack (Vanilla is my favorite flavor) during the run to refuel. I found them easy to open and found that they were about 1 large mouthful for me. I would chase it with some water (a must) and off I went. The package design might not seem like much, but when you are sweaty, it is hot and you want to just keep going, having an easy open package is key. I didn’t have any issues with the Gu sitting funny in my stomach, but definitely see how that might happen. They are a bit odd texturally until you get used to them.

I have also used the beans pre-race, because I agree with you, they can be a lot of work to chew when you are out there running.