How to Run Through "the Wall:" 5 Portable Foods for Long-distance Running

Anyone who's attempted to run a marathon, or even a long training run in preparation, knows the feeling of "hitting the wall." Your legs suddenly feel heavy and uncoordinated, tired from pounding out 20 miles on the asphalt. You can feel your pace slowing, and the remaining energy you have seems to drain from your body all at once. In the space of a few minutes you have gone from a steady, strong pace to a crawl, maybe even a walk. The fresh feeling you had at the beginning of your run is a distant memory.

Some experts speculate that the effect known as "the wall" is physiologically based. Our bodies can only store so much energy in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscles-about 1600 to 1800 calories worth, and at slightly less than 100 calories per mile, in appears that around mile 20 we are just plain out of gas. Fortunately for us marathon runners, there are a number of products on the market that are designed for easy consumption and digestion on the run, which help push the wall a few more miles back. These products include sport gel-a pasty goo in a squeezable, disposable container--and "Sport Beans," Jelly Belly's new line of candies that contain various vitamins as well as good old fashioned sugar.

Unfortunately, however, these products are not at all inexpensive. Sports gel, for example, goes for about a dollar or more per package. At roughly 100 calories per pouch, this works out to be one cent per calorie-which doesn't seem like a lot, but compare the cost of a candy bar at about 50 cents for 250 calories, which makes sports gel 5 times more expensive.

Unfortunately, marathon runners can't be chowing down on Snickers bars 6 miles before the finish. However, there are low cost alternatives to the more expensive products that do just as good of a job. Here are 5 that I have experimented with successfully:

1) Hard candy-While not quite as calorie dense as sports gels, the candy slowly dissolves in your mouth and releases the sweet sugar that you crave and need.

2) Gummi Bears-these little guys are easy to bring along in any quantity, and are calorie dense enough to give you a little boost when you need it.

3) Dried Fruit-A natural alternative for candy, dried apricot works very well.

4) Pretzels-even better for runs longer than marathon distance, contains necessary salt.

5) Honey-a bit difficult to carry, but if you can find a small plastic container, works just as good or better than gu.

Try these suggestions or experiment with your own. Who knows, M&M's may be the thing to get you through that last tough 10k!