Eat or Not to Eat...

Are you an eater? I mean do you eat before or during a long run? From the buddies I've talked to in my running group and from other runners I've talked to at races, seems like there's two camps of thought—Eat or Don't Eat. Guess I'm a hybrid. I have to eat something before I run (about 1 hr before) or I'll get really bad hunger pangs, especially if it's a morning run, but I've never been much of an eater during the run, other than the ocassional gel. Some running friends (Lucy and her brother Ben) recently ran a 40-mile trail run (they're awesome). Lucy said she had to eat during the run and was ravenous, but Ben said he could eat very little. I guess everybody's different and what works for one may not work for another. Before I run I usually eat an English muffin with peanut butter and jam. I've found that if I have a little protein while I run it helps with the endurance and recovery. Accelerade® makes a really good gel (Accel Gel®) that contains protein and their Accelerade drinks also contain protein. It has a different consistency than Gatorade®, but it's good. I don't care for the bottled version of Accelerade, but the powder that you mix up, tastes good. Check them out at http://www.accelerade.com/. If you're an eater, what kinds of foods do you eat before, during, or after your run?