This morning, I ran my first double-digit run for marathon training. It took me a while to get going this morning (alright – it took forever), but once I hit the pavement, it was all good. I’m seeing my commitment to do a session of speedwork each week really pay off – my times are way better than they were this time last year.
My stomach felt a little empty before I left, so I wolfed down a slice of bread on my way out the door.
And I grabbed a packet of Gu. I really like the citrus Gu flavors the most. The Hammer gels seem to be so much bigger than the Gu, but they have the same amount of calories. I appreciate how compact Gu is!
I ended up taking the Gu at mile 3.25 and 3.75 (I ate half, folded over the top, and put in back in my pocket).
I plan on doing a lot of my long runs with new Charlotte friends, but I also want to make sure I do as few of them alone, too. After all, I’ll be running the marathon alone! 
Group runs will likely be a little slower due to talking, so I’m going to push myself on the solo days.
A few big, rolling hills squashed my splits, but I felt good and strong the entire time.
Around Mile 7.0, I knew I needed to stop by the house and grab more fuel or I’d never make it. I quickly sliced a peach, inhaled half, and headed back out.
Honestly, the fruit was just what I needed! It gave me the energy to push through the last three miles and pick it WAY up in the last few moments.
- Distance: 10.0 miles
- Duration:1:36:39
- Mile 1: 9:30
- Mile 2: 9:17
- Mile 3: 9:14
- Mile 4: 10:02
- Mile 5: 9:26
- Mile 6: 10:19 <—Hills!
- Mile 7: 10:12
- Mile 8: 9:48
- Mile 9: 9:57
- Mile 10: 9:00
Came home and made a Chocolate Cherry Bomb Green Monster.
Looks icky, tastes amazing! My smoothie contained:
- 1/2 banana
- 2 cups spinach
- Chocolate Recoverite from Hammer <—never had this before but it was great!
- 1 cup rice milk
- 15 organic cherries
And an almond butter and strawberry jam sandwich.
Time to get some work done – next week I’ll be in NYC for publicity for the book and have so much prep work to do before!
If you do long workouts, how do you prefer to fuel during workouts? Gatorade, coconut water, fruit, Gu, jelly beans, gummi bears? Oh my!
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Awesome job on the 10 miler. I drink water with Nuun tablets and eat Gu gels (blackberry is my favorite flavor) every 5 or 6 miles.
Are your ears burning? Pea D and I were talking about you and how excited we are for you over lunch! Have a great evening!
I usually take a GU when I’m running more than 8 miles. Other than that, just water. I like Gatorade, but it hurts my stomach if I drink it while I run.
Gu or just a camelbak with some vitamin water!
Since a nutritionist came and spoke to us about fuel, I only run with OJ/water mixed. I find I don’t like the texture/flavours of a lot of the goo’s out there, but I seem to be fine with 50/50 OJ & water to keep me going. And to make sure I’m getting sodium, etc, I add about a half a teaspoon of sea salt to the mix (3 c water, 3 c pulp-free OJ) and some drops of trace minerals (found this at a natural food store). I used this when I ran 10 miles last weekend, and I didn’t need to fuel up at all. Just grabbed plain water at the stations, to make sure I was really hydrated (it was HOT!). I find this really keeps my sugars and energy level up for the whole run, although during my last marathon I did take a goo (eLoad energy gel) at about the halfway mark. I like this brand, as there’s only 6 things listed on the ingredients and I can pronounce most of them! They also have an eMend recovery powder that you add to water for after the run. Not sure if they’re available in the States or not though.
Keep up the good work…I’m working on my 3rd marathon (darn things are addictive!) in October, although I would love one year to come down and run the Goofy! Maybe 2012…
Great first double digit run! Especially with hills, those are great times.
I like to use sport beans when I am running 7+ miles — I’ll eat a few every other mile or so. I never really liked the Gu’s — it was a texture thing for me. I also drink G2 gatorade and lots of water. I also like to take a mini clif bar with me and take a few bites here and there if my stomach is feeling extra empty.
congratulations on your run! no matter how many runs you’ve done, 10 miles is always awesome, so i hope you are feeling proud!
i just wanted to share an incident i had today because you always share awesome inspirational stories on your blog and it inspired me to tell you my own! i was having a MAJOR pity party for myself last night and was feeling completely awful and ridiculous about my life. i just graduated college and am working at an awesome paid internship for three months, but im living in a really expensive area and was super stressed about paying for rent, etc. i was being totally dramatic and miserable and then decided to go out and take a walk, and i stopped in at a store to buy a small gift for my mom, thinking that doing something nice for her would get me out of my funk. it only cost a few dollars and i had a twenty in my purse and as i was paying i said “oh sorry about that, unfortunately all i have is a 20″ and the girl said to me “honey there is nothing unfortunate about having a bill!” and it TOTALLY changed my mood. it reminded me that one simple comment can really open your eyes!
Congrats on the run! I don’t think I could do that! I am so excited for you on the publicity! That is going to be so much fun! Have a great afternoon!
Congrats on the first double digit run of your training!
I’ve been using PowerBar Endurance drink mix because I prefer the flavor to gatorade. It’s less sweet/sugary tasting. I’ve never tried any of the Gu or gels but I think I’m going to have to get some!
Awesome job on your run! I’ll be hitting 10 miles in the next couple of weeks. I’m nervous and excited all at the same time. This post came at the perfect time, because I was just trying to figure out what to do for fuel.
Good luck on your upcoming double digiter!
GUs are my favorite; they are on the thick side, but they do taste good, especially the Espresso, Chocolate Outrage, Mint Chocolate, and Jet Blackberry. I have yet to try Lemon Sublime.
Good job on the run!
I’ve always been a water girl, with extra food (like raisins) after about 9miles. BUT, I had some bad experiences recently, so I’ve mixed it up. On my run last week, I had lucozade sport, and I think it really helped – electrolytes etc
I love lucozade! We don’t have that in America.
Congrats on the epic run!!
When marathon training, I stuck to coconut water while running and cliff shot bloks . During the marathon I got to a “too much sweetness” point and could only drink water, but normally coco water keeps me going! It’s just soo refreshing.
Did 9 miles without walking or stopping today (except for a few sips at a fountain) in 1:15 plus a mile walking for warm-up and cool down. have been desperately searching fuel and hydration info as well since this is my first time training for a half, and then if I’m successful a full. Picked up some Stingerz energy gummies as I liked their all-natural ingredients and the fact that they had no HFCS. Other than that, I found I cannot eat things like peanut butter as my stomach is used to a lower fat diet – so I went back to Power bars and was feeling great on today’s run. Thanks for your advice and updates!
Awesome pace! You’re going to crush your races.
I never fuel during long workouts. I’ve done 14 miles in the morning before breakfast. My stomach just can’t handle eating just before or during a workout, although that is probably because I try to maintain a somewhat fast pace (8 minutes per mile). Just curious, what brand of jam do you prefer?
I think this was a Trader Joe’s in-store jam. I guess I don’t have a favorite
I’m still trying to figure out the proper fuel for my runs. I’d like to do it as naturally as possible. So far, Larabars or just plain dates and water have been working well. Haven’t hit double digits yet, so we’ll see!
You sure are increasing your mileage fast! I’ve been dying to get back to 10 but feel that I have to do 7,8,9, first. But I guess you have been doing that!?
I did a 7 then 8. And then I jumped to 10.
Follow the 10% rule – you want to do a 10% mileage increase each week. Two weeks ago, I did 20, last week, I did 17 (step back week built into my overall plan), and this week I went up 10% for 22.
Yeah for getting out the door and doing it!
I can’t have tradition fuel for runs (no sugar for me :0( )so I take raisins or make the stuff on No Meat Athlete.
This post was perfect timing – I look forward to reading the comments.
I am just getting into my half marathon training and trying to figure out the best way to fuel. For the one I ran last year, I used Luna Moons, which had pro’s and con’s. I liked that there were 6 in a pack so you could take 1-2 at a time throughout the run and they tasted great, but it was really hard to run and chew them, lol! I got some GU packets to try and will be using one for the first time tomorrow when I head out for 8 miles!
good luck on 8!
I’m a raisins and water gal.
And a fruit cup right afterward because only long runs make those taste like the best thing in the world.
I haven’t done a long run since last year, but when I start to pick up the mileage again, I really need to investigate how best to fuel my body. (Never really thought about it before, eek!) Gummy Bears sounds pretty darn good
Congratulations on your 10 miles–that’s awesome! I love the JellyBean brand SportsBeans. They’re very easy to digest, they come in a resealing pack, and they taste great! They’re 100 calories/pack, which is usually the perfect amount for me for a long run. I highly recommend them!
Gu chomps are yummy, especially the Strawberry flavored ones. I also really like Honey Bites brand. They’re organic and use more natural ingredients. Taste great too!
I do the gu chumps…I like the orange
Great job on your run!
I actually don’t like consuming anything during my workouts (so far… once I get into longer runs I might need to!) but if I did it’d probably be one of those Clif Shot Bloks. They’re small but have fast energy, so I might give those a try.
I’m the same. My stomach feels all kinda funny on runs if I eat first. But I working towards a half marathon so know I’ll need to suck it up eventually.
I joined a training group when I was preparing for my 1st half marathon. Our coaches invited had some vendors give us free samples of their products and out of all the products we tested, we loved having Coconut water during and after runs. I would fill my hydration belt with water and coconut and have a diluted mix. It made a difference during the long runs. Anytime we ran 7+ miles, we either had gels or the gummie chews (they weren’t gummie bears), I think it had caffeine in them.
Coconut water is really good for hydration. I even brought some with me to Vegas to help hydrate after a night of drinking and to get rid of the “hangover symptoms” lol!
Honestly, I can’t run far enough yet to need a refuel!
sad, but I’ll get there eventually! Congrats on your distance and keep pounding the pavement!
not sad
just a beginning!
dcwright02 – I’m with you. Not long enough yet to need fuel!
We’ll get there soon enough!
It’s great to see so many people using Hammer Nutrition these days, they’re great products! It bugs me that I can’t get them here without ordering online.
When I was distance running, I did best with a mix of sports fuel (usually sports drink mixed with water, and hammer gels) and packaged ‘food’ (fig newtons, trail mix, pretzels late in the game when your sodium stores are depleted)
Glad to see training going well, despite being a North Carolinian I never ran Thunder Road but heard its great.
that sandwich looks delicious!
Also, I work at Barnes and Noble and while I was shelving at 7am, I ran into your book! I shuffled some things around and gave your book optimal real estate in the aisle
Looks like an amazing book!
Hahah YAY thanks!!!
When I did my first marathon, I had 2 Gu’s and ate them around the 14 and 21 mile marks I think. I started using them in training to make sure my stomach would ‘cooperate’ with them inside me (and to practice ripping the top off without haivng it squirt all over my fingers!) but I also trained with dried apricots because they’re easy to carry and contain simple sugars that the body can break down easily. I’d recommend both!
You are so inspirational! My SIL invited me to do a half-marathon just before Thanksgiving and I have never done that distance before. I’ve done 5K’s in the past but when my knees started bothering me, I backed off a bit from running. Now I am starting to get back into it. I might have to check out your training regimen. Thanks!
You can do it! Check out my knee pain post: http://www.healthytippingpoint.dreamhosters.com/2009/09/knee-pain.html
Awesome job on the run! My longest run yet has been 4.5 miles, so not really enough to need a refuel. Hopefully I’ll work my way there though!
way to go on the double-digit run! i usually like to have some sort of yogurt and fruit combo, or almond butter and carrots. if i work out in the morning i just don’t eat til after though. trust me, it’s better that way
Sounds like a great run!
I can’t eat on runs unless it is over 15 or so miles. When I ran my marathon, I took a Gu at mile 12 and… 20 I want to say…
Awesome run! I love the pic of you with the peach. I think that if I stopped to eat something during a run, I’d have stomach pains. Maybe it’s because I’m a newbie? Would love yo know what’s ok to eat before/during runs that doesn’t hurt your stomach.
I’m so happy for you that you’re getting speedier! Speedwork works. And yay for your first double-digit run! Here’s to many more in the next few months
I like gu! I really feels like it gives me a good boost. Especially the caffeinated ones
I also like REAL food (pb&j, dried fruit) if I’m going on a super long run (think close to 3 hours) because I do get hungry!!
Congrats on your double digit-er!
It sounds crazy, but when I ran my half-marathon, I didn’t eat anything except some sort of breakfast (can’t recall what it was, exactly). Only water during…then afterward I ate Subway. I didn’t know much about running or fueling at the time. I didn’t even train – think the longest I ran before 13.1 was 6!
Dang girl! You are a tiger. I can’t imagine what you could do with dedicated training!!
My husband is doing a half ironman tomorrow morning, and he was really unsure of what to bring for fuel. I hope he brings enough!!
I don’t think he can bring nearly enough!! LOL
Pretzels and regular Coke are my fav, salty and easy for my stomach to digest, Coke-because i crave it after long runs. My new favorite during a long run/ride are fig newtons. Sweet, salty and easy to digest.
You are an inspiration! I doing my first triathlon in september, and I am scared out of my mind! I have no idea on how to fuel to keep going! I have been reading your blog for about 6 months, and when my sister in law said she was doing a baby triathlon, I thought I can do that too! I just usually drink water but I know I need more! I am not nervous about the swimming, but the biking and racing are scary!
You’re going to do great
Just practice everything and it will be fine. It’s only scary because it’s unfamiliar!
I use Perpetuem and it works really well for me. For my last marathon, I used it for all of my long training runs and on race day. I did a half iron distance tri today and used Perpetuem on the bike to fuel me for the run. I also had two GUs…one at the start and one at mile 9, some Sport Beans, gatorade and some orange wedges. For my next marathon, I will probably use a similar combo.
Gu! I love the name. I’ve never been on any long lengths of exercise before, so I wouldn’t know. Once I had to refuel in the middle of a ballet class though, and I had this energy-bar-like thing. Very small at 50 calories, but it did the trick
Wei-Wei
Good job on the run. I love that you sometimes stop during your runs for water, fuel etc. I used to think it didn’t count unless you ran the whole distance from start to finish with no breaks, so I’m glad that you changed my opinion! Now when I have to stop I don’t feel like a failure!
Walk breaks are for winners!
I love fruit strips. Tasty, easy to eat on the go, and I love the simple, natural ingredients.
Congrats on your first 10 miler!
Double digits are definitely and exciting milestone.
I tried Gu and Cliff gu, but I find them sticky and difficult for my tummy to handle. HEED tastes terrible and doesn’t sit well in my stomach either! So I stick with Clif Shot Bloks and Gu Chomps, and some Nuun.
That’s so awesome that you rocked your first 10-miler! I was always under the impression that I really needed to be doing quite a few 6-8 mile runs before I would be ok to up it to 10 and more. But it seems like you just kept up a good base with several shorter runs each week and were more than ready for 10. That’s really great and it gives me hope that while I’ve dropped the lengths of my longest runs back to 5 and 6 miles, it won’t take long to get back in 10+ mile shape!
One of the reasons I so love this blog – INSPIRATION!!!
Great job with the 10-miler. I love shot blocks. Yummy, yummy!
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