I’m starting to train for longer runs and i’m wondering at what point is food and water required on a training run. I’m at 19km for my long run and hope to slowly increase this to 50km over the next four months. Do people carry water and gels for a 20km run? 25km? 30km?
I live in a cool climate so heat is not an issue.
I understand this may be individual in many ways but all the same it would be nice to have some guidelines.
Thanks!
BlueQuintana
If I’m just running easy in cool weather I use nothing up to 20 miles.
If I’m running some harder I might have some kind of sports drink if it’s over 15.
95% of my runs I take a small handheld water bottle with me. Took a couple of runs to get used to it but now I don’t even think about it. I feel like dehydration always has an effect on performance, hence a constant intake of liquid will be beneficial. However, to answer your question when it’s required to have: completely depends on temperature, humidity, effort, experience etc. I would say anything over an hour at least some water and some kind of gel/compact food which is easy on the stomach.
In non-summer, I can go 20km easily without nutrition or hydration. I think I would carry both starting around 30km, and I would consume the whole way through (I would not save it for the last 10km).
Summer with heat north of 22°C and humidity well north of 50%, I will carry hydration for anything above 15 km.
Needs tend to vary quite a bit for me depending on the goal of the long run and the weather. Winter time I can do ~12 miles without, and in the summer I’ll bring water over 10. When I’m straight run training I tend to eat a little bit less (150ish kCal an hour for runs over 90 mins), as that matches more closely what I would do in an open marathon. I’ll also occasionally bring a bit of nutrition on longer tempo runs (30 secs faster than marathon pace), to stress test the gut a bit. For tri training, I’ve recently started eating much more on long runs (250 kCal an hour), as I’m focusing on my first IM and I’m making a conscious effort to do my long runs a bit slower and more of “go all day pace”. Something more akin to what ultra runners do than pure open marathon training. I have noticed I finish long runs now much less beat up and recover quicker, despite doing similar mileage to other training cycles and equivalent bike time and TSS (albeit the distribution of bike TSS looks a little different).
My guidelines:
Under an hour - nothing.
60-90 minutes - take a route with a water fountain stop
90+ minutes - take my running vest with 1-2 gels and a water bladder.
Note: I typically do my long runs in the afternoon under the sun. I’d rather have water and/or a gel and not need them than be stranded without them.
I used to do 18 to 21 mile runs when it was around 95 degrees F, with nothing.
Normally, over an hour I take fluid with me. At 1.5 hours I bring a gel.
Like others have said 90 minutes or over I will usually bring water. If it has any work besides z2 I bring some calories after 90 minutes as well. Just depends on the workout and what type of demand it is going to have.
Anything over an hour take some water at least. A hand held works well after getting used to it.
Anything over 90 mins take water and a gel. Even if you fee like you don’t need it, it is good to practice eating on the run as you would be doing this in the race/event. It is also much better to have a gel and not need it than to need one and not have it!
I’ve never needed calories for anything less than 15 miles/25k. If close to a race I’ll take in fuel purely to practice for the race, or if running that long OTB, at 200-300/hr.
I stop at the drinking fountain once per hour for runs longer than 10 miles/16k. I never bring water with me and make sure to always have drinking fountains available.
Up to about 8 miles, I never take or need fuel or hydration. From 8 to 10 or so, it’s helpful, but I can push through. Anything over that, and performance really starts to suffer.
Longest I did was a little over 16 with no fuel or hydration, but I paid for it afterward. Was shivering for a good 2 hours trying to get my blood sugar back to normal.
Really you need to work this out for yourself because you might respond differently from others, but for another data point I wouldn’t take any food or water on a run shorter than 32km. If it’s warm I’ll aim to go past somewhere with a tap at about halfway so I can get a drink if I need it.
Most of the stuff you hear about hydration is bullsh*t. Drink when you’re thirsty.
For my 20k runs, I could do them with nothing but opt for both water and gels. I drink 14oz of water and 2-3 isotonic gels.
This is both for race prep (I’ll be taking things during a race), and I find that I’m less beat up and recover quicker if I eat/drink during the run.
Anything longer than 60 minutes I bring water. Anything longer than 90 minutes I bring electrolytes and gels.
I used to do 18 to 21 mile runs when it was around 95 degrees F, with nothing.In retrospect, do you think that was that a good thing?
Nope.
It is a good exercise to consider how you will be fuelling during your target race when planning long training runs. This often means eating and drinking more than what is necessary for the workout itself because you stay on top of your needs rather than deplete them recover afterword’s. It is especially critical if you have never trained your body to take energy on board during really long efforts. Stomach issues will ruin a race super quick and learning what will and won’t screw up your stomach is an individual learning experience. So I always advise people to play around with nutrition on their long runs and learn what works for them rather than taking on the minimum required to get through the individual session. This will reap benefits on race day.
If you are training for a self supported race like a trail ultra it is also critical you do some training will the full race day kit so hydration pack, bottles etc. For supported races I would only carry what you will have on race day and try and plan a stop like you would an aid station.
My guidelines:
Under an hour - nothing.
60-90 minutes - take a route with a water fountain stop
90+ minutes - take my running vest with 1-2 gels and a water bladder. .
This is similar to my formula, but I wear a solomn vest. 60 - 90 I will add one of the water bottles. North of 90 I will add both. Then I just throw gels in.
If it is crazy hot/humid I will bring water on shorter runs. I am in michigan so crazy is anything over 90 degrees =)
I remember training for my first marathon in 1985 - before the invention of performance clothing, gels or quality electrolytes. I’d do 3 hour runs on a military base with no nutrition or hydration and just be falling apart for the 2nd half with my cotton T and shorts chafing all the way. Definitely NOT the way to go.
FWIW, I’m also in the ‘drink over an hour, eat over 90’ camp today.