Trail training plan

One of the main things I need to get straight is nutrition. I still have about six kilos to lose, so I want to maintain a deficit of at least 1000 calories/day. I also intend to keep consuming a significant dose of protein right after my strength training sessions.

As to running nutrition specifically, I think there are a few basic rules I can settle on:

1. Always be carrying water, and drink whenever thirsty.

2. At the end of a run, drink at least half a liter of water immediately.

3. Eat 100-200 calories of carbs 30-60 minutes before each run.

4. During a run that's more than an hour long, eat about 200 calories of carbs per hour past the first hour.

5. For runs longer than 3 hours, add in about 100 calories per hour of fats and/or proteins past the first 3 hours.

6. At the end of a run, eat within an hour, including at least 300 calories of carbs and 200 of protein.

That seems to sum things up. I intend to go grocery shopping tomorrow, and stock up heavily on fruit. I also need to nail down my training plan. I should be getting myself to the point that I can run 80km a week at least, and I should do one run of at least 35 before I attempt a full marathon on the trail. And this has to incorporate more than just easy road miles; hill repeats, back-to-back long runs, that sort of thing.

I'm also interested in having another attempt at getting into more minimalist footwear. Perhaps not huaraches, but at least something with no drop so I can take advantage of the running shoes being made in the US. To that end, today I started running 100 steps out of every kilometer that I run on my toes. I'm allowing myself to distributed those in 100-step chunks however I wish; for example, I can run 300 steps on my toes at the start of one kilometer and do none during the following 2. I also intend to include some foot muscle exercises in my routine; 3 sets of 10 calf raises, holding my toes contracted and curled as tight as possible for 10 seconds 3 times, and arching each foot for 10 seconds 3 times. I'm not sure if I should add these to my strength training, to my stretches, or something else. Anyway, I'll do them tomorrow, and see how they feel.