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I am not a nutrition professional, this is based on my experimenting on myself and what I have learned from others. I have no affiliation with any of the products mentioned here.

The reports of what nutrition works for different individuals is all over the map. It almost seems that nutrition may be unique to each individual. This may stem from the ability of the human body to adapt to almost any situation. Some people can run taking in gels, others cheeseburgers or marshmallows and pretzels, and still others nothing at all. You will have to experiment on yourself to see what works best for you. But understand that what you can eat during a run may change based on the duration of the event, how fast you are trying to run it, how hot and humid it is,…

Eat before you get hungry because it takes at least 30 minutes to digest food where your body can use it for energy. If you wait too long you may Hit the Wall or Bonk.

It takes longer for your body to digest solid foods than it does liquid ones.

Your body will try to adapt to whatever you do to it, but there comes a point when it can’t cope and then it starts shutting down or causing Digestive Issues – and that’s where the danger comes in. Learn to listen to your body and respond early to prevent big problems.

The slower you run the better your body is able to tolerate eating some real foods. But when running at race pace or in hot weather they may cause digestive distress. I always like to add some race pace miles to the long runs later in a training cycle just to experiment.

Long, slow, and easy runs are designed to teach your body to burn fat for energy. Having a source of quick energy just before does not help this and will have a negative effect on your performance that day and in the long run because on long runs or endurance races your body has to derive most of its energy from fat. Your body cannot process, nor will it let you process (digestive issues, vomiting …) enough calories to get through a long event. You need about 100 calories to run a mile. Your body can only process or will only let you process about 300 calories per hour. So unless you are going slower than 20 minutes per mile (3 miles per hour), you are going to have to burn some fat.

One thing to consider is volume. A friend suggested graham crackers to me. But you only get 130 calories from 8 of them - that's 18 to get 300 calories per hour. That would be a LOT of eating!

Be sure to drink enough water. Your body needs water to digest food and keep you properly Hydrated. Also, don't neglect your Electrolytes.

I frequently use PayDay™ candy bars. They are not that sweet and a little salty and they don't melt! I unwrap them, cut them in half to make them bite size, and put them in a baggie in my pocket. Another item I use are trail mixes. You can purchase them in large bags and put as much as you want in a baggie in your pocket and munch on it. I like ones with some dried fruit, pretzels, nuts, and some candy. But experiment to find out what combination you like. This is a great way to get a different taste especially if you are also eating sweet gels. Salty things taste good. I think it is your body telling you it needs electrolytes.