don’t be like me. Fuel before mile 8.

My first half marathon took me 2 hours and 45 minutes. I brought one pack of Honey Stinger chews, and I didn't touch them until mile 7 or 8, when I started to feel tired. That was a big mistake. I thought I'd eat when I needed it. I didn't realize that by the time you feel like you need it, you're already behind.

In mile 8, I hit the wall. I had no energy to pick up my feet. My legs felt like lead. I kept having to stop and stretch, and I limped through the last 3 miles. I did finish, but it was awful, and I wouldn't wish that on one of my athletes. It's exactly why I harp on this with the women I coach: take your carbs before you feel like you need them. On a schedule, even if you don't think you need them. Your body can't use what you haven't eaten yet, and fuel takes time to digest.

The same thing happens on regular days, too. If your workday swallows your lunch and you head out for a run at 5:30 on nothing, your run pays for it. That's why I keep the boring stuff boring. Oats before an early run, almost every time. Something easy to grab when the day gets away from me. A plan for fueling on the run that doesn't depend on how I feel at mile 8. When the day is unpredictable, the fix is deciding ahead of time, not trying harder.

If you've been undereating around your training and wondering why you feel flat, you're not weak and you're not lazy. You might just need to eat more, earlier, on purpose. If that sounds like you, my free guide, Add, Don't Subtract, is a good place to start, and it's linked in my bio.

-bk