Holiday Half Marathon Training: Week 2 + Managing “Runger”

If you’ve ever trained for a race you’ve probably experienced a little something called “runger”.

What the heck is “runger” you ask? Let’s define it: “runger” = insatiable hunger you feel after running. And boyyyyyy did I have a serious case of runger this entire past week.

When you start running or heck doing any type of exercise after not doing it for awhile it sends your body into shock. You’re extra sore, tired and yep…HUNGRY!

After experiencing this crazed sense of hunger last week it really got me thinking how important it is to not let it get the best of you. Running depletes your body of its glycogen stores which can cause you to crave carbs/sugar post run. This makes it really easy to fall into that mindset of “ohhhh I had an awesome run I deserve an doughnut/pizza/giant bowl of pasta”.

NOPE!

Instead try to adopt the mindset of “eating to run, not running to eat” and refuel your body with healthy complex carbs like sweet potatoes, whole wheat toast with avocado, quinoa, apples…etc. The more you fuel your body with healthy nutritious foods the better it will perform running, you’ll recover faster and if weight loss/toning up is your goal staying away from sugary junk will absolutely help you drop some pounds.

Preventing and satisfying “runger”

I have good news, “runger” can be somewhat preventable if you properly fuel your body and hydrate on your running days. The key is really taking care of your body and not being lazy with hydrating/fueling like me last week…ooops.

Here’s a few tips on preventing runger:

Properly fuel BEFORE your run. Check out my post on what to eat before a run HERE.
Properly fuel DURING your run. Check out my post on how I personally fuel myself during runs HERE.
Stay hydrated before, during and after your run. A lot of the time our bodies confuse hunger and thirst making us feel like we’re STARVING when in reality we just need to calm down and drink some water and maybe add in some electrolytes like a Nuun tab.
After a run try to eat some combination of protein and carbohydrates. Ideally it should be a 4:1 carb to protein ratio meaning for every 4g of carbs you should have 1g of protein. Here’s some ideas: apple/banana with nut butter, tuna/chicken salad or egg on whole wheat toast, greek yogurt, hummus and carrots, avocado toast, a Perfect Bar, chocolate milk…etc.

And if/when “runger” does occur here’s some healthy, filling snacks that I love munching on:

Perfect Bars
hard boiled eggs
baby carrots + Bitchin’ Sauce or hummus
1 can tuna, 1/2 avocado and lemon + Mary’s Crackers
1 slice Ezekiel bread, 1/2 avocado + a ton of black pepper
celery and almond or peanut butter
greek yogurt with nuts and fruit
edamame
sweet potato + almond butter and cinnamon
green apples and almond or peanut butter

How to prevent “runger” and what to eat when/if it strikes.
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Weekly Workouts

Despite my intense “runger” last week I had an awesome week of training. I completed all my runs, was 100% pain free and ended up running 19 total miles.

For this coming week I have a couple easy runs, a long run and a speed workout where I will be running 3 miles at my goal half pace + 10-20 seconds. So, guess that means I need to figure out my goal half pace doesn’t it.

Ideally, I’d love to set a new PR at the Holiday Half and get a sub 1:50:00 half marathon time. This would require me to run about a 8:20 min/mile pace AHHHHHHHH!

Achievable, yes. But, it’s going to required a ton of hard work.

Monday: yoga + foam roll + stretching
Tuesday: 3 mile easy run + yoga sculpt
Wednesday: 3 mile easy run + yoga sculpt
Thursday: rest + foam roll + stretch
Friday: speed workout- 3x mile at goal half pace plus 10 sec-20 sec, with 1-2 min rest in between + 1/2 mile warm up and cool down
Saturday: yoga + foam roll + stretch
Sunday: long run- 7-8 easy miles