My gear and nutrition

I figured now is a good time to share how I'm getting through my long workouts.

First off, the nutrition side of it. I'm talking in-run nutrition here. A few nutrition basics here:

• in general, somewhere between 90-120 minutes of exercise is when your glycogen levels get depleted enough that they need to be replenished. We do this by taking in carbohydrates during the run. You don't want to wait until glycogen levels drop significantly to take in carbohydrates. Start taking them early, and take them in consistently throughout your workout.
• Aim to take in around 50g of carbohydrates per hour. If you're having stomach issues, drop that down and see how you react. If you're stomach is fine, try taking in some more. Something is better than nothing, but more can be better. 30g-70g is a typical range for most endurance athletes. 
• PRACTICE your nutrition on shorter runs. You don't want to be 20k into a long run with horrible cramping. Take something in at the start of an hour run, and see how you react. If you haven't taken anything in while running before, your body will need to adapt, so practice on shorter and longer runs for a few weeks.
• Different products work for different people. Try drinks like Eload or Powerbar Perform, gels like Gu or Honey Stinger, or chews like the Gu Chomps or Clif Bloks. It might take a few trys to figure out what works well for you. 
• Consume drinks to thirst. Sweat rates vary depending on the person, weather, or day. If you want really specific data on sweat rates and how they can impact your performance, staff member Mark Linseman does sweat tests up at Dr. Lawrence Spriet's lab. 
• Electrolytes are a necessary tool, too, depending on the day, and how heavy you sweat. If you drink a sports drink for your carbs, you should be covered for electrolytes. If you take gels or chews, you may need to add an electrolyte top up, like an Eload X5 electrolyte capsule. 600-1000mg per hour of sodium (the main electrolyte) is necessary. It's a wide range, but it varies significantly from person to person. 
• Big thanks to Dr. Trent Stellingwerff for sharing most of these insights with me a few years ago, and to Mark for keeping me up to date on new info.

There is a lot of info there, but I think in run nutrition is the most under-valued part of training out there. Most of the athletes that come through here don't take in enough of any of the stuff I talked about above. If they did, we'd have a lot more strong runs through the finish line!

Now, here is what I'm doing on my runs.

All this nutrition stuff applies to my runs 2 hours or longer.

I carry 2 Nathan Quickdraw 600ml handheld bottles with water. I moved to 2 bottles last year for two reasons. First, more often than not, I need over 1 bottle worth of water on a long run, and second, it keeps me even. When running with 1 handheld, I noticed I was swinging the arm with the bottle out wider than I normally would. Awkward. With 2 bottles, I can run nice and even, with my arms tighter to my body.

I take a Gu Roctaine or Gu gel every 25 minutes. That might sound like a lot, but it ends up being about 60g of carbs per hour. My body seems to handle that well. The Roctaine has an extra amino acid blend that is supposed to help buffer lactic acid and improve clarity on longer runs. I like the flavours of that better, which is most important to me.

If it's really hot, I'll take 1-2 Eload Zone Cap X5 capsules. I've had muscle cramping issues in the past, and I think these guys help.

I carry my gels in a Flip Belt. It's basically a tube with a few slots for pockets. I can carry my phone in there, too, if I need. I bring enough gels to make my whole run, plus one extra in case I lose one, or if I'm out longer than expected for some reason. Good habit, I suppose.

I'm wearing New Balance 1080v3 for most of my long runs. I also wear them on days when I'm a bit more tired or sore. If I'm heading out on the trails, I'll put on my Saucony Peregrine 3. For workouts (including long ones), I wear the New Balance 1400. I plan on racing in those shoes. While they're light enough to be a racing shoe, I think they're solid enough to be a training shoe for a lot of people.

I could go on and on about the apparel I have, but won't detail everything in my drawer. I have pieces from Sugoi, New Balance , Icebreaker Merino Wool (short, really), Saucony, and Brooks.
For long runs, I've been wearing my Sugoi Piston 200 compression shorts. While the science isn't conclusive on the in-run benefits of compression gear, I think I feel better doing 30+ km in compression shorts than not. Gentlemen, I wear a pair of Saxx Kinetic boxers under the shorts. Best. Underwear. Ever.
I will wear my CEP compression sleeves or socks after my long runs, or on off days when I'm feeling a little rough. The science on compression gear does show benefits for recovery, so I know they're worthwhile.

There you have it. The biggest takeaway here is the nutrition info. Take a look at what you've been taking in on runs, and see if it's enough. It's a fine balance with what your body can handle, but crossing the line upright fresh versus crawling is like day and night.