Happy Healthy RD

Living a happy healthy life

Nutrition for a Half Marathon + Running Playlist

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This weekend I’m running the Borgess Run for the Health of It Half Marathon.  I’ve been training since early February with run camp and I’m really excited for the race.  This will be my 3rd time running the Borgess half so I hope to at least beat my previous times and maybe get under the 2:00 hr mark.

A big part of running is good nutrition!  Not just before and after but during for longer races (I would say any race over 1 hr requires some sort of fuel).  Fueling during running is a very individual thing.  It takes some major trial and error to see what works for you.  I’m going to share what works for me but know that everyone is different with what their stomach’s can handle while running.  Practice your fueling strategy during your training runs!

I remember before my first half when I was a running newbie I carbo loaded the morning of (rookie mistake!).  I think I ate oatmeal and a bagel??  Such a bad idea and I had some major GI distress during that race.  Nowadays I stick to my typical breakfast of a smoothie.  I’ve been drinking smoothies before all my long runs with no problems so I know I should be safe.  I might also have a handful of pretzels for some extra salt since it looks like it is going to be warm.  The night before I like to eat a sweet potato and some lean protein (probably chicken or fish) and lots of water!

During the race, I am going with Gu.  I’ve used Gu frequently in the past and it works for me.  Some people are not a fan of the texture but I don’t mind it.  My favorite flavor is Salted Caramel (dessert while running – win-win!).  My plan is to carry 3 Gu with me for the race.  I may take one about 10 minutes before the race starts if I’m feeling hungry and then two during.  If I don’t take one before, it’s good to have an extra since I have dropped them without realizing it before.  I also know that this race typically hands out Gu so I also have that backup.  The typical recommendation is to take in some nutrition every 40-45 minutes or so.

GU-SEASONAL-NCL-FRONT

So my tentative plan is:

1 Gu at mile 4, 2nd Gu at mile 8

I will also try to drink water at every stop for the first half and then switch to a sports drink for the 2nd half of the race.  If it is super hot, I might drink sports drink a little earlier.

After the race, I’ll eat whatever they give out, usually chocolate milk and fruit, plus I’ll bring along some Gatorade.  I find that if I don’t drink Gatorade after a long run I get the worst running hangover with a pounding headache so that’s a must for me.

I’m going to old school and plan on using my iPod during the run so I don’t have to carry my phone.   I only have about 1.5 hours worth of music since I usually like to wait until at least 5-6 miles into the race before turning it on.  The first couple songs are sort of slow so I might skip those or they are useful if I think I’m going out too fast.

playlist

Good luck to all those fellow runners out there!  It looks like it is going to be a great day for a run!

Be Happy, Be Healthy!

 

 

Winter Running – 10 degree Wind Chill

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winterrun2

Man, this past weekend’s run was tough.

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It was a 10 degree wind chill which sounds awful but I actually wasn’t too cold during the run. The hard part was running through slushy snow on top of ice.  It seemed like every step I took my foot would slide back half a step.  Kinda like running in sand – physically hard and mentally hard.  I had many thoughts of why the heck am I doing this???  At least I wasn’t alone!

At one point it also started snowing and blowing and I felt like I was inside a snowglobe.  Thank goodness that was only for about the last 1/2 mile of the run.

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So I was pretty happy with what I wore.  I decided on four layers on top: very thin breathable long sleeve base layer, thicker long sleeve shirt with slight turtleneck, hooded thick layer, and a wind proof outer layer.  Plus gloves, hat, and neck gaiter.   On the bottom I wore fleece lined tights and smart wool socks.  The one thing I would have changed was my socks – I should have gone with tall socks since my ankles kept getting exposed.

Here’s hoping next week Mother Nature will be a little kinder!

Last week’s outfit: 20 degree wind chill

 

 

Be Happy, Be Healthy!

Winter Running – 20 degree wind chill

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This weekend was my first week attending Borgess Run Camp which is a 13-week training program for a half marathon. (It started last week but I had to miss due to work)   I’ve done Run Camp for the past 3 years and I keep going back for more.  It’s a great way to force myself to get outside in run during the winter and it’s always fun to meet fellow runners.  The way it works is you sign up for a pace group and are matched up with two coaches and a team of runners of similar pace.

The biggest struggle I find is figuring out what to wear on winter runs.  It seems like I’m either overdressed or underdressed so I thought I would start to keep track of the conditions, what I wore, and how it worked to hopefully get a better handle on what to wear each week.

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It was in the 20’s with not a lot of wind or precipitation.

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What I wore:

I ended up being on the warm side.  Mostly just my head was overheating.  Next time I think I’ll either go for a lighter hat, headband, or I could just wear a jacket with a hood.  I was pretty sweaty after the 5 mile run and wonder if I could get away with just one long sleeve layer with this jacket at this temp.

Next weekend looks even colder and snowy so I might add another layer on the bottom and stay the same on top.

Be Happy, Be Healthy!