Fuelling On Your Long Runs: A Personal Approach

Fuelling for long runs is a personal thing — what works for one runner might not work for another. In this post, I’m sharing my own approach to fuelling, not as an expert, but simply based on what has worked for me. Hopefully, this gives you some ideas or reassurance if you're figuring out your own strategy.

Digesting food while running can be tricky because exercise directs blood flow to your muscles, limiting circulation to the digestive system. This can cause discomfort, so remember, it can take time to build up and discover which fuel sources suit your body best.

What I Eat on Long Runs:

Dried Fruit

My personal preference is mango - I bulk buy organic dried mango, to keep the cost down without skimping on the quality, as you want it to be fairly soft and easy to chew.

Peanut Butter Sandwiches (quartered)

Again, a personal preference of mine - I enjoy this combination, I eat them regularly and mot importantly, I find that my gut digests them well whilst on the move.

Flapjack Bars

Usually these are fairly random snack bars bought from health food stores - although I avoid "high-protein" or "high-fibre" snack bars as the artificial protein can be tougher for the gut to digest when running.

Sweets

I opt for fruit pastels or jelly babies normally - however, sweets are never my only source of fuel. I think it is important to also have something slightly more substantial, like the foods listed above.

How Much and How Often?

• 30 - 40 grams of carbohydrates per hour of running

  
  

  This is the most generally recommended amount of carbohydrates for runners - this amount works for me but it is an individual thing. To work it out, I simply look at the nutritional value on the packaging, to see how much of each fuel source I will need (e.g., 2 hours or running equates to around 60 - 80 grams worth of carbohydrates).

  
  

• Fuelling roughly every 30 minutes or 3 miles

  
  

  Again, this is the most generally recommended frequency for fuelling - I tend to stick to these timings but it can vary depending on how I'm feeling. I like to alternate my snacks every 30 minutes, so I'll have something heavier and then something lighter and so forth. This works well if you have a sensitive stomach when running, or if you are working on building up your fuelling.