Long Run: What I Wore, Ate & Drank

You can’t just step outside your door in shorts and a tank and run 17 miles (or I can’t anyways), you need to be prepared. I put extra thought into my outfit to ensure I’m as comfortable as possible (or rather, as comfortable as one can be while running for 2+ hours).

I’m a huge fan of Lululemon running shorts, this particular pair is the Track Attack Short which has a wide waste band (comfy and doesn’t dig into your sides) and a zippered pocket on the side for ID, money, etc.

I recently picked up a fuel belt for longer runs which holds 20 ounces of water. I got this one at Jack Rabbit Sports (Fuelbelt R2Outdoor Revenge Hydration Belt) and for the most part I like it. Considering it’s strapped around your waist, adding extra weight, it’s actually quite comfortable and supportive. If you wear it at the thinnest part of your waist it stays in place and doesn’t feel too heavy. It has two zippered pockets in the back that are big enough to fit my keys, a Gu gel, some chomp gummies and my cell phone. There is also a bungee cord if you are wearing layers and want to take one off and not have to hold it. The only real con about this belt is it’s velcro so when the velcro rubbed against my shirt it messed it up a bit. Because of this, I’m going to try to wear the same 2-3 shirts for all my long runs (the free ones I’ve gotten from past races) so I don’t mess up any of my fancy running tops.

As for the two bottles, I filled one with water and one with Nuun infused water. I am a huge fan of the Nuun electrolyte tabs. They taste great and give you an extra burst of energy. I ended up refilling these bottles twice along the run but had I needed to get by without refills, I’m sure I could have.

Pre-run I had a PowerBar (had to eat on the go since my run started so early), around mile 6 I had 4 Gu Chomps (watermelon flavored) and around mile 9 I had a Gu Gel (chocolate flavor).

One important part of marathon training is nutrition prep. You don’t want to try new nutrition plans during the actual race so as you are training, make sure to test out different gels, gu, gummies, water enhancement tabs and so on so you know what works best for you when race day finally rolls around.