foods and drinks

eating tips, from my decades of experience:

eat simple. think about what you're putting in your body before you ask so much from it. pretty easy when you think about how your body uses what you eat. carbs go quickly and easily; fats and proteins last longer in your gut and contain more nutrients. to absord food, blood pools around your guts, which means it's not circulating in your burning, wobbly legs... or your dizzy head.

definitely start taking a multivitamin if you don't already. i can always tell the difference when i run out. your body needs these things to heal the damage you're doing, and it makes things more efficient. this includes iron, in my case. my legs always feel empty when i'm not taking iron. you need this stuff in your blood to carry out everything in your run.

i read that a good pre-run snack, 45min to an hour before you go, is a peanut butter and banana sandwich. good balance of carbs, proteins, fats, and the glorious potassium in the banana. of course, the potassium helps with cramping. clif bars are a favorite energy bar, powerbars are kind of not delicious.

HYDRATE as well. stick with water; i try and drink an entire nalgene bottle (a liter) before i go. gatorade is for recharging during and afterwards. although if you buy some of that gatorade powder, a small spoonful of that will make the water more palatable, and kind of perk up your blood sugar without canceling its hydrating properties.

liters before you go, sips while you're running if you can. and plenty afterward. listen to your thirst, and definitely make sure you are peeing clear. that's tell-tale for me.

after running, listen to what your body tells you. watch the calories, but definitely eat something to repair your body tissue. whole grains and protein are great. my fav is yogurt and granola. yogurt has some really good shit in there. bagels are great, too. think simple foods, whole foods, etc. think about what you're burning up, what your body needs to fix itself, and what it needs to continue to function normally. get elemental. whole wheat bagel, an orange, a banana, etc.