guides

Jonny Mellor Talks Fuelling Your Long Run

We’ve team up with coaches Jonny Mellor & Adam Craig from JM Run Coaching to give you their expert advice as your prepare for your marathon. Boasting a PB of 2:09:06, Jonny is one of the UK’s most consistent marathon runners and continues to get better year on year. Equally as experienced, Adam impressed byt running a 2:13 on his debut over the distance. In fact both have a vast amount of experience across a whole host of distances; and therefore couldn’t be better placed to advise on preparing for a marathon.

We start by asking the guys how to fuel a long run. These longer endurance runs will make up a big part of any marathon training block and understading how best to tackle nutrition around these runs is key.

Before You Run

Fuelling for a long run should always start the day before. Having a high carbohydrate evening meal the night before is a great way to set yourself up for what’s to come the next day. You don’t necessarily need to eat more in total, but making sure that carbohydrates make up 50-60% of your plate is the aim. This helps to makes sure your carbohydrate stores in your muscle are loaded ready for the long run.

Equally your pre-run meal needs to be high in carbohydrates too, and eaten around 3 hours out from your planned run time. This just allows it to digest and settle in your stomach. This meal provides another opportunity to make sure those energy stores are full and ready for the session ahead. Anytime Bars are a great snacking option to top up your carbohydrate stores if a big meal isn’t an option.

 

Jonny Mellor Talks Fuelling Your Long Run — OTE Sports

And don’t forget hydration! Sipping on an OTE Hydro Tab is a must before any session. As little as 2% dehydration can negatively affect your running performance. Staying hydrated with fluid containing added electrolytes can also help keep cramp at bay and help maintain concentration through your run.

Did you know? We can only store a limited amount of carbohydrates in our body, so that’s why it’s important to keep topping up those stores little and often throughout your run.

During Your Run

On the run itself you are looking to take onboard 60-80g of carbohydrates per hour. How you do this is completely down to personal preference but many runners opt for Energy Gels due to the ease of consuming them whilst on the move and how easy they are to carry. The OTE Super Gel contains a massive 40g of carbohydrates, so aiming for one of these every 30 minutes is a great way to keep on top of those energy stores.

If you’re able to use hydration, either with a hydration pack or placing bottles along your route; the OTE Super Carbs is a great product. Each 500ml bottle supplies 80g of carbohydrates and electrolytes and it’s a great addition or alternative to energy gels.

SHOP MARATHON BUNDLE
Jonny Mellor Talks Fuelling Your Long Run — OTE Sports

Pro tip from Jonny Mellor:

If you can get some one to shadow your long run on a bike then they can hand you up your nutrition so you don’t need to carry it. This allows you to focus on keeping on top of the carbohydrate intake, which will be a huge help, especially in those final few miles.

Jonny Mellor Talks Fuelling Your Long Run — OTE Sports

– Check out our

Long Run Top Product Picks

After Your Run

Immediately after you finish your long run you need to think about recovery nutrition. The first 30 minutes after you finish is known as the ‘window of opportunity’ to kick start your recovery process.

Aim to take on board both protein and carbohydrates as soon as possible. The easiest way to do this is with a recovery protein shake or a protein bar. 

It’s equally as important to replenish any fluids lost through sweating, as dehydrate too can slow down your recovery process. Sipping on an OTE Hydro Tab for the remainder of the day should help you get back on top of your hydration.

Then it’s important to return to your usual meal pattern and continually supply your body with healthy balanced meals. This will in turn keep providing your body with the nutrients it needs to recover, but also importantly, adapt to the training you are doing.

Jonny Mellor Talks Fuelling Your Long Run — OTE Sports

Preparing for a marathon is a big undertaking, but don’t worry we’ve got the products and advice to support you the whole way.

Be sure to check out our other articles in this series:

 

Top Mistakes When Training For A Marathon

Top Tips For Fuelling A Marathon