Question for endurance athletes

[maddbovine]

I am currently training for my 3rd marathon and 20th half marathon. I am planning to do a half iron triathlon at the end of September. My husband is doing an Ironman in June. I am doing fine with food on training runs but for an event like a half iron, or ironman, or even possibly a marathon (will take me over 5 hours) what do you eat. My original thinking was that I would bring something and eat gu that the race provides and not worry about it being raw. But I really don't want my body to have digestive issues with something I eat on race day. I have a half marathon in 2 1/2 weeks and I am sure I will be fine for that but the longer distances have me concerned. I can't possibly bring all the food needed for an ironman with me on the bike!!

Would love some tips on how to make it through race day.
Thanks
Lindy
100% raw for 18 days and counting
sw: 185
cw: 177
gw: 145

[spicyfull]

I have Never done anything like that, My limit is 10k. So first of all........YOU RAWk.

I would take plenty of Fat as Nuts, Avocados, Seed Crackers and Seed/nut Cheeze. You can carry it all on your Body. Eat the Avocado first. I am also sure they will have Bananas.

Ask about having your Food waiting for you at different Mile Stations. Have a RAWonderful Run and again YOU RAWK.

[gs4life]

hi lindy,
raisin soak water is also popular among raw endurance athletes. just throw a couple of handfuls of raisins in your water bottle...way better than gatorade! then, you can eat the raisins at the end and they will be easier to digest since they will have been soaking. fortunately, raisins provide a solid amount of calories and are a great fuel source for athletes.

i would caution you against Gu--i assume you're referring to Gu energy gel? the first ingredient is maltodextrin and while a product like that might not have effected you before, after being raw awhile you might not react so well to it.

bananas are a great fruit to fuel you through long races. hopefully they would have some at the fuel stations. i'm not sure how much fat you usually eat, but many people (myself included) find that fat slows them down...i personally wouldn't suggest eating lots of nuts or avocados on race day. you want the perfect fuel---fruit!

[maddbovine]

Unfortunately I HATE bananas!! I know what kind of raw foodist am i? But I did eat two during a marathon in Florida and they were the best for my stomach. I did not chew them well though, as I just wanted them in my system. I can probably choke them down in a race. I know for Ironman they have a "special needs bag" that you pack for the race and they give you your own food about halfway through the bike. It isn't quite like that for a half iron distance but the race I am doing is September is small so hopefully I can get some people to cheer for me with food!!

I am still curious to hear how other endurance athletes do it for over 6 hours of racing.

I will avoid energy gel. I was thinking of putting raw honey in a bag. I don't want anything bad, digestionally, to happen on race day!
Thanks

[gs4life]

good idea with the raw honey in a bag. you know, when i used to run xc in high school i would have honey before the races when everyone else was sucking down their expensive energy gels!

[les]

Hi Madd Bovine-
I think I told you that I am an Ironman distance racer. Never have done one raw though. I'm just scrolling thru this right now, so I send a lengthier idea later. I am racing an OLY next weekend and plan to use coconut water and honey. I think I should be fine. I have also been enjoying dates lately. Big, soft Medjool ones.

Plan on 250-300 calories per hour after you get out of the swim and take it from there. I am doing a half IM in early May and I plan to go all raw, so i'll keep you posted

Les

[G. Sera]

Hi,
Im a marathon runner. Most of my adult life Ive been vegan, but not raw. Lately (the last few weeks) I've been MOSTLY raw, but have been doing the Gu during long runs. I may do Cleaveland in May, but mostly Im training for my second 50K in September, so I'm just trying to log in miles. I also want to try a tri this summer, but my swimming is coming along slowly and I dont have a bike yet. Im up to 63-65 miles this week, all raw except for some brown rice last night and for breakfast this morning in preparation for my 16 miler which should have felt easy but wasnt.

As far as race fuel, I love the idea of medjool dates. Also, Im considering bringing along some fudge balls (dates, almond butter, cocoa) next time. Or you could just bring the dates or even date coconut logs. Lack of portability make fresh fruit pretty cumbersome. Other dried fruit would work too, I guess, especially if you soften them a bit beforehand. Or fruit leather, or home made sport bars. My friend has a recipie for one that she wont share, but when I get around to trying them, Ill try to guess.

I drink Ultima on the run becasue it is provided by my training people-- I havent worried about a substitute for that yet! I love the idea of raisins in water though-- or diced apricots or apples.... I also thought about just bringing fresh juice diluted with water, especially carrot apple beet-- higher sugar things. as far as fats, or different things in your belly, just try them out on practice runs and see how you feel.

Today after my run I juiced the following anf am still sipping on it: one lemon, one lime, one grapefruit, 6 carrots, 5 stalks celery, 1inch chunk of ginger, 8 or so dino kale leaves, hndful of parsley, some redleaf lettuce. It has to be good for me! Ill blend some sprouts later and drink that for some protein.

Good luck with the training!

G.

[Blazin'Jane]

I don't run any more, but I do ride the MS 150 every year. I drink a big ole' green smoothie before I start, carry green powder water with me and eat bananas at the food stations. I felt great after this last one---nothing hurt. I was just tired. I did try to eat some orange slices along the way---my gut didnt' like them, but tolerated the bananas well. I was mighty tired of bananas after the 2 day bike ride, but they sure did get me through it well. Good luck. I'm sure you'll work it out in your training events, so by the time you race, you'll know what to pack. Have fun!

[alicemagooey]

I think i have a source of answers for you.. This lady is one of my raw heros.
she is in her 70's and still going strong..
Her name is Dr Ruth Heidrich
In her late 60's she was running ultra marathons and marathons and ironman tris
all year long almost every weekend.
This lady is an astounding athlete.
http://www.ruthheidrich.com/
do a google search and you will see some videos of her also.

best wishes
alice

anyway, here is here website and i think you can ask questions of here in person