My go to meal for longer runs...

I’m finding that a half cup of oatmeal, a couple tablespoons of chia seeds, a small banana sliced in, and a tablespoon (or two) of peanut butter about an hour before I run is easily sustaining me for 3-4 hours- no sense of fatigue, no crashing, no muscle soreness. This is running trails with a lot of terrain and elevation changes, I just take a CamelBack with a couple of litres of water to stay hydrated.

Not bonking during a run is a good feeling and having energy to do stuff afterwards is great too.

I don’t really want to get into the gel thing so I’m going to try my wife’s homemade energy balls for longer runs.
 
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Thanks for sharing. I will try it out. I don't run that long distance yet, but hopefully will get there eventually. I also don't want the gels and I (try to) eat only whole food planed based. I usually eat a good muesli, consisting of oats, nuts and a lot a dried fruits with some almond milk. And I bring some peanuts, other nuts and raisins to eat during the run. Plus also a CamelBack with water, roughly about 1 liter per hour.
 
Um, I'm guessing Canadian slang is very different from English slang... :eek:
LMAO...Canadian and English slang are definitely on a parallel track. I think I was referring to American long distance runner slang (recently read a Scott Jurek book)...’our’ bonking is much more desirable than ‘their’ bonking.
 
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I had to look up what "bonking" meant in the UK because of this thread. Sounds similar to the US/Can word at least for the effects: you hit this point where all of a sudden you just run out of energy and collapse ... but, uh ... I guess the causes are very different. :)

As for meals I've been really trying to figure that out. I do as many long runs in training in a fasted state as possible to help make sure my body is burning fat for long-distance energy as much as it can. 3-4 hours on an empty stomach is very achievable even if that's on a trail.

It's when you get up to hour 5 ... 7 ... 10 and beyond that I'm now trying to figure out. For the 50 mile in September I didn't pack anything with me and all they had at aid stations was a bunch of high-sugar stuff. Gluten tends to mess with my GI tract while running so I couldn't eat the PB&J sandwiches they had but that shot of fat and protein from the peanut butter might have done a lot of good.

I've been working on becoming and stayng fat adapted over the last few years because I just didn't like trying to choke down those stupid gels, either. Interestingly, one of the things I've learned about myself in doing that is I was also guzzling way, way too much water! I was mistaking a lack of muscle glycogen for hyponatremia. It turns out that, sure, dehydration should be avoided but these days you usually have way more access to water than you need. And drinking too much can be far more dangerous in that situation if you're diluting your electrolytes.

The insidious thing about hyponatremia is one of the symptoms can be increased thirst. That's what I felt. My problem was taking in too much water and my body was so confused due to the electrolyte imbalance that it was prompting me to drink even more. I was probably lucky the last time this happened was in the middle of the North Dakota Badlands and I ran out of water a good 3 miles before the next checkpoint so I was prevented from drinking more than I should. I also promptly dropped out of the race at that checkpoint.

So, word of caution: only drink when you're truly thirsty! Don't follow advice like "drink before you're thirsty" or any advice that suggests you should just mindlessly slam liquids. Too much of anything is too much.
 
That is the way rumours start! I'd like to point out to anyone reading this that we're just good friends, honest...

And now I'm wondering just how on earth the logistics would work. Is it even possible?
Ooookaaaay, brain, put it down, leave it... LEAVE IT!!!
Noodles, you’re way...
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I had to look up what "bonking" meant in the UK because of this thread. Sounds similar to the US/Can word at least for the effects: you hit this point where all of a sudden you just run out of energy and collapse ... but, uh ... I guess the causes are very different. :)

Yup :)
 
...Gluten tends to mess with my GI tract while running so I couldn't eat the PB&J sandwiches they had but that shot of fat and protein from the peanut butter might have done a lot of good...

My Significant Other was diagnosed Celiac a few years ago. We cleansed our domicile of gluten products (wow, there’s gluten in soooo much...) and I adapted cooking to suit. The health benefits I’ve reaped from minimizing gluten in my diet have been pretty impressive- the odd time I indulge (such as a pizza, slice of cake, bread, etc.) I really notice it (feel heavy, a bit lethargic...just feel ‘off’). I’m much better off without it as well.
 
Her recipe is pretty simple- honey, peanut butter, oats, sometimes a bit of chocolate. It keeps well in the freezer but tends to get gooeyish when warm. Absolutely addictive and energy to burn! I’ve been looking at some recipes to bake them so I can pack them along on longer days.
 
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My Significant Other was diagnosed Celiac a few years ago. We cleansed our domicile of gluten products (wow, there’s gluten in soooo much...) and I adapted cooking to suit. The health benefits I’ve reaped from minimizing gluten in my diet have been pretty impressive- the odd time I indulge (such as a pizza, slice of cake, bread, etc.) I really notice it (feel heavy, a bit lethargic...just feel ‘off’). I’m much better off without it as well.

I get pretty gassy when I cheat like that myself. I've started to re-think the typical foods I used to associate with being gassy. I'm now convinced that the spices and beans in Mexican/SW food is really just along for the ride and gets all the undeserved blame when it's the flour tortilla that's the root cause! Use corn-based tortillas or chips and I'm just fine.
 
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I get pretty gassy when I cheat like that myself. I've started to re-think the typical foods I used to associate with being gassy. I'm now convinced that the spices and beans in Mexican/SW food is really just along for the ride and gets all the undeserved blame when it's the flour tortilla that's the root cause! Use corn-based tortillas or chips and I'm just fine.

I’d have to agree with your observation, lots of beans and spices in our diet and flatulence (such an exotic word for not exotic bodily function...) is not an issue.

Failing to deliver the goods on ‘Taco Tuesday’ in my home is a sinful act :)