Friday, June 17, 2011

Nitty Gritty of a Long Run

The brownies are plaguing me; I know they can be really good. I had them in my breakfast this morning, which was quite good. The taste that came through the most from them was the protein powder, which says to me that is a key part of making them taste good. I am preparing for a 6.5 mile run tonight, and that starts with a good breakfast:

2 black bean brownies
1 banana
1 packet instant, plain oatmeal (not cooked, just dumped into the bowl)
2 (ok more like 3) tablespoons of maple syrup
1/2 cup of Fage yogurt (I use nonfat)

What's that get you? 650 calories (this is double the amount I usually have in the morning). 4.5 grams of fat. 130 grams of carbs. 12 grams of fiber. 75.9 grams of sugar (ok, ok, I didn't really need that extra maple syrup). 31 grams of protein. A fair amount of vitamins A and C along with calcium and iron (10 grams).

To be ready for that many miles at 6pm is going to mean a lot of water throughout the day and a lot of lean protein. I'll report back on what else I eat today and how it preps me for tonight. I'm going to take a quick look at 'Performance Nutrition for Runners' to see what they say explicitly about prepping for long miles.

Here's a questions for everyone: Is it all relative? By that I mean, if 6.5 miles is a long way for me then I need to prep for that more as a long distance than a short one right? I know that in the grand scheme of things it's not a long distance, but at this moment it is for me. So, prep that way, right?

Happy Friday!

4 comments:

  1. I have to say, this whole eating a lot and drinking ahead of your run makes me not want to do long distances. Too much work. :) I just want to run for fun, and to burn calories. I'm having second thoughts about a half. That's what I get for posting my New Years Resolution for the whole world to see.

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  2. I have no expertise on running (though I did subscribe to Runners World for two years if that counts for anything), but I don't do much different for long runs than I do for short runs. I drink more water before a long run, but I don't change what I eat. But I should also point out I haven't run more than 9.25 miles yet so I may be singing a different tune as my miles creep toward 13.1
    Good luck tonight!

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  3. I pretty much suck at fueling for runs. Lately if I'm running anything less than 5 I just go. I'm totally a slacker though. I've pretty much run under-fueled in every race I've ever done .... which is probably why at the last 2 half marathons I was the girl throwing up at the finish?

    6 for me is also still long, and I do prepare more for it. I'm BAD about hydrating, and I always regret it on those longer runs. And I've learned the hard way that running long without eating does not work for me. So without any expertise knowledge at all, I'd say prepping for it is totally a good idea! I mean you could do it without, but would you do your best and enjoy it as much?

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  4. I'm no expert either, but I try to get long runs done in the morning so I don't have to worry about what I've eaten all day. I do try to hydrate more the day before. I don't worry so much about the food except to make sure it's balanced and nutrient dense. 6.5 is still a long run in my book. I'm totally making those brownies. Yum!

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