April 2016 Running Challenge

Stoshew71 wrote: »

MNLittleFinn wrote: »

@Stoshew71 Thanks for all the info. I think you addressed this in your post, I am looking to try stuff now is not so much because I need the fuel, but because I want to try it in a "controlled" setting, where I'm not on a big run and farther from home, in case I have a not so happy reaction to the food, and log how things go in my training log.

OK! Good to hear! Well, then that was for anyone else new that may have been reading along in the discussion.

yup. Just wanted to clarify. I've been running on an empty stomach for my runs out to 6-7 miles 60-75 minutes and not needed the food, it's also a way to mix things up with the run, and keep me entertained and not bored.

@WhatMeRunning 3am. Way to up the bar.. Craziness.

managed to squeeze in a 5k before starting another 14hr work day....

Elise4270 wrote: »

@WhatMeRunning 3am. Way to up the bar.. Craziness.

Just when I think I'm totally bada$$ for running at 5 a.m., someone comes along and squishes my fabulousness. jk - wtg for getting it in!

@5BeautifulDays: I really hope your son gets better, soon, and I am 100% thinking of your friend. I hope she is able to treat it and pulls through the cancer with flying colors - it is such an awful, terrible, horrible disease.

4leighbee wrote: »

Elise4270 wrote: »

@WhatMeRunning 3am. Way to up the bar.. Craziness.

Just when I think I'm totally bada$$ for running at 5 a.m., someone comes along and squishes my fabulousness. jk - wtg for getting it in!

Nothing competitive here. I'm just trying to fit my mid-week long run in with the kids school, work, etc.

But...

I wonder who will be first to run at 2am???

lporter229 wrote: »

MobyCarp wrote: »

juliet3455 wrote: »

MobyCarp wrote: »

Fast Jeff, Young Jeff, and me.

@MobyCarp I think this is a universal way of tagging people in what ever event you / we are doing. In my local group we have Biker Steve ( $10,000.00 Carbon Fiber Tri-Bike & kit and a $5,000.00 Car ), Old Steve ( he's 18 ), Young Steve ( he's 55 ) and Steve.

Actually, it's just a way to describe them on semi-anonymous message boards without using their surnames. They're both named Jeff, so I need to distinguish them. Fast Jeff is 5 years younger than me, and faster than Young Jeff who is 10 years younger than me. But we're all close enough to the same speed to do our long runs together.

Do you wear inserts in your shoes? I have extremely high arches and they tend to "collapse' on long runs. My foot doctor recommended OTC inserts as a substitute for custom orthotics (I like PowerStep brand or SuperFeet). You can buy them at any running store or online.

Yes, I wear Superfeet Blue as directed by my podiatrist. But I suspect you meant to address @MNLittleFinn instead of me.

WhatMeRunning wrote: »

4leighbee wrote: »

Elise4270 wrote: »

@WhatMeRunning 3am. Way to up the bar.. Craziness.

Just when I think I'm totally bada$$ for running at 5 a.m., someone comes along and squishes my fabulousness. jk - wtg for getting it in!

Nothing competitive here. I'm just trying to fit my mid-week long run in with the kids school, work, etc.

But...

I wonder who will be first to run at 2am???

It won't be me. I don't want to get up before 9.

Stoshew71 wrote: »

Don't feel compelled that you need to take something just to make it for 90 minutes. In my experience, if you are eating a normal healthy diet, you are relatively healthy, your long runs are at a nice easy pace, and you are not running more than 90 minutes, eating something on the run may actually delay progress as opposed to helping you. You should have enough energy to make it through the run as long as you are running that longer run at an easy conversational pace. The idea is that you want to begin exhausting your stored carbs and forcing your body to tap into your stored fat for energy.

You can certainly train to run 90 minutes while not taking anything. You can also train to run 90 minutes with no water. But that doesn't help your performance on longer runs when you absolutely need to refuel and have more water.

I am persuaded by a buddy who does Iron Man Tris when he says much of the point of refueling on training runs is to teach your body to digest on the run instead of totally shutting down the digestive system in favor of supporting the running effort. No, I don't need to take a gel every 5 miles on an easy run; but I have experienced degrading quality of run if I don't take the gel timely. How much is the calories and how much is the electrolytes, I can't say; I can say that the body's scream for a gel is lessened since I started carrying Nuun in addition to water for the electrolytes.

This winter, the rules for the indoor track prohibited food and drink. I ended up with some 9 to 12 mile workouts with no fuel, some at speed. Yes, I can do it. I also needed to take some of the recovery interval to hit the drinking fountain, before I gave up and wore my hydration belt on the track. Hydration is another training thing. Yes, I can run 10 miles with no water. But if I train to take fluids, my body will be used to it and I will be psychologically prepared to take small quantities of fluid throughout the run. That will be important when I'm running a marathon, and sometimes important in a half or even shorter races in adverse weather conditions.

I can't believe how many runners I saw at Shoreline Half, 98% humidity and 85°, carrying no water. There weren't enough water stops to support a half marathon under those condition.

*Can* and *should* are two different things. I can run quite a ways without fuel and water. But I will be in better shape physically if I have them. What works for fuel? Right now, I use GU, Clif Shot gels, and Sport Beans. I suspect I could use a wide variety of products, and I might even be okay with real food. But for now, I'm using what I have used because it has worked for me.

THBS, GU might well be a waste of time and money for someone who isn't going to run a race longer than a 10K. This, notwithstanding my observation that I've improved a couple of 10Ks by taking a GU between 4 and 5 miles.

skippygirlsmom wrote: »

What @stoshew71 said. I only use something for HM. I run 10 - 12 mile long runs with nothing, usually not even water if it's not hot out. That being said, I'm a fruit snack or tootsie roll girl on long races (like HM). Almost everything "running" I have tried I don't care for the texture of or they make me really thirsty. Fruit snacks seem to work the best and are a perfect size to pop in my mouth while running. Second would be Honey Stinger gels. Our local Academy sells running food. That being said, I have a friend who will give her daughter honey stingers or something similiar 15 mins before her races whether it's 1, 2 or 3 miles. I don't see the point to that, is there a point to that?

Tootsie rolls!? I didn't know that was option! I'm all in for that! I remember that fabnine said she ran with peanut M&Ms which sounded fun to me, but in Florida they would be a mess. Now I want tootsie rolls!

I hate carrying water - tried all kinds of options. I like to plant the water somewhere in advance and then find it... and pray it's there and not been tampered with. But if I'm on a long run in the heat I will carry it.