A (late) intro and a question

[jnibean]

So I realized I've been asking a lot of questions lately (thanks for putting up with me!) but I don't think I've ever introduced myself.  I'm Jeni.  I'm a 29 year old Kindergarten teacher.  DH and I will be married 6 years in September, and we have a fur baby Keykey, a mackerel tabby cat.  I started my weight loss journey on Jan 1, 2010 after the cashier at Target asked when I was due, and since then I've lost 50 lbs.  I started running in the summer of 2010, and am currently pseudo-training for a HM.  I was going to run Chicago on September 8, but I realized it's the fifth day of school the next day, the first month of school is EXHAUSTING, and I've never run a half before, so it may not be the best time to run one.  I've decided to run the Cellcom Half in May in Green Bay.

My question for you ladies is, at what mileage do you bring fuel with you on your long runs?  Is it even necessary for half training?  

[trigal]

Welcome! Congrats on the weight loss.

I bring fuel on runs an hour or longer, unless its hot.

[MrsE]

Welcome! Congrats on your weight loss and yay for your running goals!

When I trained for previous half marathons I would bring shot blocks with me for runs of 6+ miles. I trained during the brutal summer heat and humidity so I got into a long run rhythm with my running partner of taking a mini water break/ shot block (or occasionally gu) eating break/ mini walking break at the 4.5 miles mark. FWIW, I walk through water stations at races so i figure it's about the same amount of time. Then again at 9 miles.

I know some ladies on the board go much longer before fueling, but this is what worked for me. Good luck with your training and finding what works well for you!

[jene]

I can usually go 9 miles without fuel, unless it is super hot, then I will usually fuel at mile 7 or 8.

[katietornado]

This is a super personal thing. I don't use that stuff, and I've done 13-mile runs without it just fine. Just start experimenting and see what works best for you.

[gt7301b]

When I'm not training for a half marathon I fuel like I would fuel during a race. So I fuel around miles 5 and 10, or 4, 8, and 12 depending on how I feel.

When I'm not training for anything I don't fuel unless I am running more than 8 miles. Today I ran 10 miles and had one vanilla gu at mile 5. I also ran with water and gatorade, I used the water when I took the gu.

[enfuego23]

When I race a HM, I fuel at mile 7 or 8 with Gu. When I'm training, I usually don't fuel until my runs are 12+. Most HM training plans only have you top out at 10 miles but I race better when my long runs are more than 10.