Racing:
Gear: I love On Running for running shoes and New Balance. For clothing I am big on Lululemon, Athleta, Rabbit, New Balance, and Senita clothing.
- I used to use a fuel belt for my long runs. It carries my water bottle and has room for gels or my honey stingers, as well as enough room for carrying a cell phone and keys. It’s great in the winter. Check out Running Warehouse or Altrec for name brand, discounted fuel belts. Now clothing has more pockets to stash things like gels and chews.
- Another great belt for carrying essentials is the spibelt. Or a flipbelt is awesome. I use this in races. It’s slender, but stretches, so it can carry lots. On race day my honey stingers go in it.
- Handheld water bottle for when I do longer runs in the summer and don’t want to use the fuel belt. It works great. It may take some getting used to, and I suggest switching between hands throughout the run, as it can change running gait.
- Hydration pack for my ultra marathon trail runs. It has more room for water and more room to store clothing, food, toilet paper etc. These are essentials on long trail runs.
- Garmin Watch: Or any GPS watch is great for tracking mileage, splits, and calories. I love my Garmin.
Fuel: I use Honey Stingers. They are organic and work great for fueling on those long training runs and during races. Also, GU Shots and Cliff Shots are great). I love dates and peanut butter as well. I am not a fan of the gels. I can’t do them. I usually take a gel before the race not during.
Of course I bring water on my long runs and/or Nuun for added electrolytes. Nuun is great as it doesn’t have processed ingredients nor is it laden with sugar.
- Find what works for you. Everyone is different. Some people prefer the gels over the shots, while others don’t. I have heard of individuals eating bacon, peanut butter, and jelly beans. NEVER try anything new on race day!! Try different fuel’s on your training runs, so you know what works best for you and know your preferences.
It’s good to refuel after 1 hour of running, and every 30 minutes after that. I go by mileage instead, but it’s best to do so after an hour. After an hour of running try one of the above fueling options, and drink some water with it. Staying hydrated is VERY important. Remember your glycogen stores begin to deplete after an hour ofstrenuous exercise, so they need to be refueled or you’ll hit the dreaded WALL!!
- Practice different hydration and fueling options in preparation for your race.
- Use body glide!! It will be a savior for long runs and on race day. I always use it on race day to prevent chafing.
- Don’t try new shoes on race day: This is a dumb idea. Anyone will tell you that. If you’re traveling to a race, keep you shoes in your carry on so there isn’t a chance for them to get lost.
- Figure out what works best for food pre-run: I eat oatmeal before my races and a slice of whole grain toast with peanut butter. Some do bananas and PB with a bagel, others pancakes. Figure out what works best for you, by trying different foods before your training runs. You might find that some cause gastrointestinal problems (it’s not fun experiencing this on your runs, but better than in a race).
- Get lots of sleep: Training takes a lot of time, depending on what you’re training for and what plan you’re using, so you need sleep. If you’re training for a marathon, try getting an extra hour of sleep every now and then. If you normally do 8 hours, do 9. Believe me you’ll feel much better and it’ll help with your training and recovery.
