April 2017 Running Challenge

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Replies

  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    So, I've been thinking about putting on my hydration belt, grabbing 6 gels (enough for 1 gel every 4 miles) and suing this weekend's run as a practice for fueling. Part of me wants to, but part of me is thinking that it might be better to just get the mileage PR this week and bring the fuel on my ruin next week, since they will be the same distance....The things I never thought I'd think about a year ago.....What do you guys think? Or is this another case of me over thinking and being a nervous first time marathoner?
  • tina26pt2
    tina26pt2 Posts: 20 Member
    edited April 2017


    4/3: 4 mi
    4/4: 4 mi
    4/5: 4 mi
    4/6: 4 mi


    exercise.png
  • hanlonsk
    hanlonsk Posts: 762 Member
    2 miles paying it forward. Ran with a coworker, who is just starting, doing week one c25k.

    16.5/100
  • ddmom0811
    ddmom0811 Posts: 1,881 Member
    @pjcfrancis - That's great! Couch potato to runner! Me too.

    @MobyCarp - I agree standing around in the cold is much worse than running! Hopefully it is cool for you in Boston this year. Awesome bling too!

    @MNLittleFinn - I think you should definitely practice fueling. Although I love sports beans when cycling, running with them doesn't seem to agree with my stomach.

    This morning the weather would have been perfect to run. But since I'm going to miss strength training for 2 weeks I wanted to get that in today and didn't want to double up since tomorrow's cycling will probably be hard. I'm not taking any rest days until I leave for vacation on Wednesday because I know I probably won't get to exercise Wed/Thur. :wink:

    4/1 - 44 miles biking
    4/2 - 40 miles biking
    4/3 - 3.7 miles
    4/4 - 4.2 miles
    4/5 - strength training
    4/6 - 3.4 miles
    4/7 - strength training


    exercise.png
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    MobyCarp wrote: »
    You'll need in-race fuel. You practice your fueling strategy in training runs. This has several benefits:

    a) You can eliminate fuel sources that your digestive system doesn't tolerate before they cause you a problem on race day.
    b) You train your body to actually digest the fuel on the run, rather than doing the natural thing of shifting all the blood flow to support running.
    c) You develop the habit of fueling, so you're less likely to simply forget on race day. (We're all stupider in the middle of a long race than we are before or after. That's why we plan and practice, so we don't have to do creative thinking when we're not at our best in that department.)

    I understand the theory of running fasted to train the body to burn fat. I suspect this is a very important thing for elite athletes, and a fairly minor effect for amateurs running a first marathon. I'd go with practicing to develop habits and race day behaviors because I think that will have a bigger positive impact on your performance than fine-tuning physical training for optimal use of nutrient sources.

    But that's just my opinion, and I have no scientific studies to support it.

    Thanks for that excellent rundown on your thoughts on it. Instinctively, I tend to agree with you. Sometimes I just get caught up with all the information out there.

    Plan is to bring along 4 gels and try fueling at 3,7,11,15 miles, since that would line up with water stops at the marathon. I'll be using my Hydration belt for the run, but it's still 50/50 whether or not I'll take it for the marathon, but that's what these training runs are for!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    edited April 2017
    Date Miles today - Miles for April
    4/1 20 miles - 20
    4/2 10 miles - 30
    4/3 REST DAY
    4/4 10 miles - 40
    4/4 4 miles - 44 << Daily Double
    4/5 6.2 miles - 50.2
    4/6 6.2 miles - 56.4
    4/6 4 miles - 60.4 << Daily Double
    4/7 REST DAY


    exercise.png

    Upcoming races:
    UAH 8K - 3/6 <<< 34:33 3 in AG
    Oak Barrel HM - 4/2 <<<< 1:38:00 3 in AG
    Bridge Street HM - 4/10 <<< 1:36:33 3 in AG
    PEO-AVN Team Day 5K - 5/4 <<< 19:10 (2.9 mi) 1 in AG 5 OA
    Cotton Row Run 10K - 5/30 << 44:57 PR
    Firecracker Chase 10.2 miler 6/25 << 1:20:22 1 in AG & 15 OA
    Huntsville Half Marathon - 11/12 << 1:35:55 2 in AG & 25 OA
    Rocket City Marathon - 12/10 << 2:44:41
    Elkmont Hound Dog Half (unofficial) - 1/21 << 1:46:48 2 OA
    Elkmont Hound Dog Half (rescheduled) - 2/18 << 1:41:04 1 in AG & 24 OA
    Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon - 4/29



    Taking a rest day today. I want to make sure I have a good long run tomorrow morning since it will be my last peak long run before KDFM. Plus I fly back home tonight.
  • BeeerRunner
    BeeerRunner Posts: 728 Member
    @MNLittleFinn I would also practice fueling, but right now, I cannot fathom running 18 miles without fuel. My head would be spinning and I'd look like that girl that needed help across the finish line in that half marathon we all saw a few weeks ago. I'm working on that, but taking it slow.

    @MobyCarp Awesome bling!!

    @Elise4270 Good luck with your shot tomorrow! What the heck are "fitness pizzas??" Fitness whole pizza in my mouth?? Lol!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    MNLittleFinn wrote: »
    @Stoshew71 You're really getting some miles in for so early in the month! I have a feeling the end of the month is going to be spectacular for you!

    Lies! lol I start tapering next week. This is the last big week for the month.
    Thanks for noticing tho.

  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    MNLittleFinn wrote: »
    So, I've been thinking about putting on my hydration belt, grabbing 6 gels (enough for 1 gel every 4 miles) and suing this weekend's run as a practice for fueling. Part of me wants to, but part of me is thinking that it might be better to just get the mileage PR this week and bring the fuel on my ruin next week, since they will be the same distance....The things I never thought I'd think about a year ago.....What do you guys think? Or is this another case of me over thinking and being a nervous first time marathoner?

    If you do decide to use gels, use it as an opportunity to try something different that you haven't tried before.

    The opposing thought, it's a new PR distance. You should take it slow. If you're taking it slow, then do it in a fasted state. And save the gels and fully fueled long runs when you need performance.

  • garygse
    garygse Posts: 896 Member
    This morning's run was uneventful, besides the usual spider webs and avoiding skunks. Now I get to take it easy all next week as I cut back the mileage in the run up to the HM race next weekend.

    03 - 13.37
    04 - 9.59
    05 - 13.39
    06 - 10.75
    07 - 13.36

    Total: 60.46 / 175 miles
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    MNLittleFinn wrote: »
    @Stoshew71 You're really getting some miles in for so early in the month! I have a feeling the end of the month is going to be spectacular for you!

    Lies! lol I start tapering next week. This is the last big week for the month.
    Thanks for noticing tho.
    Hey, this is one of the few months where I might actually log more miles than you! Good luck with taper. The work you've been putting looks to be paying off, when I check out your runs on Strava.
    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    If you do decide to use gels, use it as an opportunity to try something different that you haven't tried before.

    The opposing thought, it's a new PR distance. You should take it slow. If you're taking it slow, then do it in a fasted state. And save the gels and fully fueled long runs when you need performance.

    I just love that you give me both answers....LOL..... I may wait until next week for bringing fuel along, since I have the same LR distance planned 2 weeks in a row. Since I've been pushing past HM distance, I haven't ever gone FULLY fasted, I normally have something to eat, like 100-150 cals with carbs and fat, before my runs, but that's it. I've found I get really bonky if I don't have anything before these longer runs.

    I need to get some different gels, I have a full box of honey stingers, because I really like them, but I think I might need to try some experimenting too.
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    MobyCarp wrote: »
    MNLittleFinn wrote: »
    So, I've been thinking about putting on my hydration belt, grabbing 6 gels (enough for 1 gel every 4 miles) and suing this weekend's run as a practice for fueling. Part of me wants to, but part of me is thinking that it might be better to just get the mileage PR this week and bring the fuel on my ruin next week, since they will be the same distance....The things I never thought I'd think about a year ago.....What do you guys think? Or is this another case of me over thinking and being a nervous first time marathoner?

    You'll need in-race fuel. You practice your fueling strategy in training runs. This has several benefits:

    a) You can eliminate fuel sources that your digestive system doesn't tolerate before they cause you a problem on race day.
    b) You train your body to actually digest the fuel on the run, rather than doing the natural thing of shifting all the blood flow to support running.
    c) You develop the habit of fueling, so you're less likely to simply forget on race day. (We're all stupider in the middle of a long race than we are before or after. That's why we plan and practice, so we don't have to do creative thinking when we're not at our best in that department.)

    I understand the theory of running fasted to train the body to burn fat. I suspect this is a very important thing for elite athletes, and a fairly minor effect for amateurs running a first marathon. I'd go with practicing to develop habits and race day behaviors because I think that will have a bigger positive impact on your performance than fine-tuning physical training for optimal use of nutrient sources.

    But that's just my opinion, and I have no scientific studies to support it.

    I am going to go on a rare case where I actually disagree with @MobyCarp

    I think it's even more important for an amateur marathoner to train fasted. Your body is in worse shape to use fat for fuel than an elite. You absolutely need to teach your body to use fat for fuel if it takes you 4 or 5 hours to run a marathon. An elite can run a marathon just a little over 2 hours and knows exactly what his/her fastest pace at an aerobic level is. Newbies don't. So they will more likely to prematurely exhaust their glycogen supplies. In fact, in my opinion, gels (and other forms of mid race fuel) help an amateur less than an elite.

    You cannot in any way possible run a decent or even half decent 4-5 hour run on carbs alone, whether glycogen stored or mid race fueling. There is absolutely no way 5 or 6 or even 8 100 calorie gels packs can in any way make a significant impact when you're burning over 4000, 5000, even 6000 calories in a marathon. You have to teach your body to burn fat for fuel for a long period of time.

    As an added bonus, when you go do a long training run where you exhaust your glycogen supplies (or make a serious impact) not only does it teach your body to rely more on fat, but it teaches your body that it needs to store even more glycogen.

    In a real marathon race, you will be passing aid stations that will remind you to, "Oh I need to take this gel I am carrying". It's not like a training run where you don't pass any of that and you actually get caught up in the run itself.

    I agree that you need to practice your strategy in some of your training runs, you do need to weed out the types of fuel that bothers your digestive system, you need to learn to rip open a gel pack while running and practice holding a little cup of water and drink it while running. Your body needs to learn to adjust to digest a gel pack while running. That I do agree. But again, what we are talking about is a single 100 calorie gel pack every 45 minutes when you probably can burn that in less than 10 minutes of marathon running.

  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    BeeerRunner wrote: »
    @MNLittleFinn I would also practice fueling, but right now, I cannot fathom running 18 miles without fuel. My head would be spinning and I'd look like that girl that needed help across the finish line in that half marathon we all saw a few weeks ago.



    If the thought of running 18 miles without fuel is daunting, imagine running 26.2 miles relying only on 8x 100 gel packs. In my opinion it's better to get used to the idea of struggling in a very long training run without relying on that than realize when you get to mile 20 on race day, there is nothing you got in your spy belt that is going to really help you run that last 6.2. Doing these long runs without fuel also gives you the mental strength and confidence that you will need on race day.

    Again, not all training long runs will be like this. Some are fasted, some are fully fueled.
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    If the thought of running 18 miles without fuel is daunting, imagine running 26.2 miles relying only on 8x 100 gel packs. In my opinion it's better to get used to the idea of struggling in a very long training run without relying on that than realize when you get to mile 20 on race day, there is nothing you got in your spy belt that is going to really help you run that last 6.2. Doing these long runs without fuel also gives you the mental strength and confidence that you will need on race day.

    Again, not all training long runs will be like this. Some are fasted, some are fully fueled.
    That's why I'm thinking about running tomorrow's run without bringing fuel. I might still ave something to eat ahead of time, because it's become part of my ritual, but I think I can go the full distance with just the 150 or so from breakfast, and that's partially because I actually have less heartburn when I have something to eat than when I'm fully fasted. Does that make sense?
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    It makes perfect sense.
  • mustb60
    mustb60 Posts: 1,090 Member
    ddmom0811 wrote: »
    @pjcfrancis - That's great! Couch potato to runner! Me too.

    @MobyCarp - I agree standing around in the cold is much worse than running! Hopefully it is cool for you in Boston this year. Awesome bling too!

    @MNLittleFinn - I think you should definitely practice fueling. Although I love sports beans when cycling, running with them doesn't seem to agree with my stomach.

    This morning the weather would have been perfect to run. But since I'm going to miss strength training for 2 weeks I wanted to get that in today and didn't want to double up since tomorrow's cycling will probably be hard. I'm not taking any rest days until I leave for vacation on Wednesday because I know I probably won't get to exercise Wed/Thur. :wink:

    4/1 - 44 miles biking
    4/2 - 40 miles biking
    4/3 - 3.7 miles
    4/4 - 4.2 miles
    4/5 - strength training
    4/6 - 3.4 miles
    4/7 - strength training


    exercise.png

    Biking,strength training and running! You are one awesome lady! I hope I would also learn how to imbibe my favourite activities and avoid strain.
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