Half Marathon Nutritional Milestones

Don't relegate your half marathon nutrition to race day! Practice fuelling early in training. If you pay attention to nutrition during training you'll be energised, recover well and also prevent injuries.Today we are going to talk about the key nutritional milestones to support half marathon training.Milestone 1 – up to 90 minutes easy runningMilestone 2 - Beyond 90 minutes – pre/during and post fuellingMilestone 3 – What to eat on a day when you have a long training run when you are getting up to half marathon distance<br/>A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (04:58)Milestone 1- up to 90 minutes easy runningThe guidelines are simple … running distances up to 90 minutes in duration for most runners there is no need to add in sports nutrition by that I mean pre/during/post nutrition to support your running and recovery. However good foundational everyday nutrition for easy running is important.(05:54)A reminder of the key things to consider for foundational nutrition (07:59)A reminder of foundational hydration. (10:21)Running in a FASTED STATE. This means going out for your run following an overnight fast, so no food after your evening meal and before eating breakfast.The benefit of running in a fasted state allows for higher levels of fat oxidation (so using fat as fuel) BUT this is only beneficial during exercise performed at low-to-moderate intensity … and should only be done 2-3 times a week. So, it’s for easy run days.Also, overtime, exercising in the fasted state can help increase the relative intensity at which maximal fat oxidation occurs and as we know, efficient use of fat as fuel could help support optimal body composition, but could also help preserve glycogen stores, which is especially important in endurance running.(12:52)Tips for planning food around running at different times of day.Schedule your pre run meal, whether that is breakfast, lunch, or evening meal to be 2 hours before your run to allow plenty of time for digestion. If you are planning to eat your meal/snack 2 hours before your run your food should be a combination of protein and complex/slow-release carbohydrates. Some runners choose to split their meal around running so eating half before their run and half after their run.Examples of protein/carbohydrate snacks are:·      Protein smoothie – I like to mix a scoop of protein powder with almond milk and frozen mango·      Whole meal toast with nut butter and banana slices OR an egg·      Porridge or overnight oats with seeds and berries·      Homemade flapjack with nuts and dried fruitIf you are eating less than 1hr before starting your run have a quick release carbohydrate (CHO) food to ensure speedy digestion/absorption.Examples of quick release carbohydrate snacks are:·      Fresh Fruit – Banana/Pineapple/Mango·      Dried Fruit – 2 medjool dates (or 40g raisins will provide 30g CHO)·      Bars and Gels – the brands we like are the most natural ones available on the market e.g. Honey Stinger, Veloforte, Huma, Tribe and we also like Ella Kitchen Fruit Pouches, they also do savoury ones too so you may wish to try them out.(20:34)Milestone Two - Beyond 90 minutes – pre/during and post fuelling. Why it’s vital to focus on pre/during and post fuelling and the benefits of practising in training. (22:5