The Hunger

[colby]

Alright, so I'm many weeks in and ramping up my marathon training, right... I am finding the HUNGER is settling in, especially for DAYS after my long runs. I finish eating a healthy sized meal (not HUGE, but 500-600 calories) and I still admire the sight of other peoples' food. A few hours later, I'm absolutely hungry again. Alternatively, I'll feel full but not satisfied, then a few hours later, THE HUNGER, she is back! On weeks where I don't have a long run, it actually ends up being similar miles in total, and I find myself spacing out at work and easily distracted, or feeling tired. On weeks where I do have long runs, I am hungry that day, the next day, the next day, and so on...

ARGH! This is frustrating. I have a serious mental block about eating too much, but being hungry constantly is killing me (not to mention becoming a space cadet). If I eat, I guarantee I'll feel like a lard butt, because I can see that the calories in are not equaling the calories out -- the miles I'm running during the week aren't THAT huge on a daily basis. Sunday might have been 18 miles and 2500 calories (or whatever), but today was 3 miles and 300 calories... if I eat extra calories, where are they going?

Maybe I need to plan my meals a lot better. During my runs, I have a gel at the beginning and then every 45 minutes following (but, if the distance is 5 or fewer miles, I do not consume a second gel when I am running). After my runs, I have a big glass of choco-milk, which satisifies me for a while. I may or may not eat breakfast aside from this (bad). Lunch is usually out around 3-4 hours after I finish my run, but not greasy food -- deli sandwiches, fresh mex tacos, or something in the office like soup. Anywhere from 200-600 calories, I'd say. Dinner is usually much later, probably 6 hours, and I usually eat massive vegetables, something soy-based as a main dish, and rice/potatoes/pasta in limited fashion. Not sure on the calories. Need to track closer. I drink lots of water during the day, at least 2 liters plus what I drink when I'm running (which sometimes is another 1-1.5 liters).

I have been craving bad things lately, WAY more than I did before. McDonald's fish sandwiches (gross). Krispy Kreme donuts, and donuts in general. Sugary drinks. Eggs (I hate real eggs, usually use substitutes). Cheetos. Brownies. Cookies. Donuts again. Nacho cheese.

I guess I'm not able to convince myself about the whole "you must consume lots of calories when you train for a marathon" thing... mentally, I see the heart monitor telling me what I spend, and I budget that in for what I consume. Today being a short day (3 miles), I consume less... but two days ago, I did 18 miles and there is no way I consumed 2500 calories in TOTAL that day, let alone on top of the normal amount I'd eat. Tomorrow, I do 5 miles, burn a moderate amount of calories and eat moderately.

I guess I'm whining, or maybe looking for suggestions on what I should/could be doing to get past this (I still have two months to go!). I feel like I need to eat more, but then I'd be eating too much. I'd rather be hungry than fat? :P But, I know my performance is what is going to suffer if I don't feed myself properly. ARRRGH. I never had this problem training for shorter distances or just getting regular exercise.

[KnottedYet]

Wait, wait, wait!

Don't forget you are building muscle and reinforcing tendons and ligaments and expanding capillary networks! Not only does that take a lot of raw material to build, it also takes a lot of energy to put it all together!

Plus the whole thing about how muscle takes more calories for its basal metabolism.

All this building goes on for days after you fatigue the system. So I'd say EAT! If you are hungry you need to EAT!

But please eat good food (not that donuts and cheetos are *bad* food ).

[kaybee]

Bear in mind that I'm no expert concerning nutrition or marathon training, but it seems to me that you are not consuming enough calories, nor are you eating often enough. If you're running in the morning, then having only chocolate milk after, then waiting 3-4 hours to eat, it's no wonder you're spacing out. The same thing happens to me if I don't get enough protein after a run. After your run, try eating some carbs plus protein (a peanut butter sandwich is my favorite), then have a small snack a couple of hours later (fruit maybe?). Also, if there are six hours between lunch and dinner, have a snack about three hours after lunch, even if you don't think you're hungry.

I've read that when you're training for a marathon is not the time to try to lose weight, and it makes sense; your body is expending tremendous amounts of energy and needs fuel. Don't worry about trying to "only" consume the amount of calories you burn during any particular day; it will all average out, and you need to be sure you have enough energy to get through your runs as they get longer. One more thing: You may find that as your runs do get longer, your appetite actually diminishes. Three to four miles just makes me hungry, but eight or nine cuts my appetite in half. Hope this helps.

KB

[colby]

Thanks Knotted and KB. I guess I should just listen to my body, instead of listening to my head.

Eating more often sounds like a good idea. I just don't want to get burnt out on foods like PB&J, so I'll have to find some variety. I really like fruits, but they aren't very filling. I suppose I could do a luna/clif/lara bar in the morning or afternoon when I'm super hungry.

If I don't eat, I will either end up driving myself crazy (as I am), or I will snack on crap, which is bad bad bad!

[KnottedYet]

What about yogurt? There are so many ways to get yogurt, and most of them are pretty portable.

[Lise]

Hi, Colby, I can relate. Last year, when I was training for the marathon was the only time in my life I felt annoyed about "having" to eat. Seemed like it was constant. Craving sugar is often (IMHO) a sign of needing more protein. I know it's true in pregnant women, so why not in a woman who's breaking down/building muscle on a weekly basis? I agree with the advice to eat more often. Eat about every 2-3 hr. Walnuts and almonds are protein + good fat, and easy to carry, along with some raisins if you like. Those yogurt drinks they sell in the grocery store are easy, too, no spoon needed. Definitely make your midday meal a decent sized one. 200 calories is nowhere near enough for lunch when you're marathon training. L.