Marathon Weekend 2016

[cavepig]

So I'm training for my first marathon. This past weekend put a little wrench in my plans and I thought I'd ask for some advice here. I ran a 7.1 mile race this weekend up here in MA and like others have said the heat has been brutal. I had hydrated well but due to the heat, humidity and lack of shade I still ended up mildly dehydrated. I run this race every year and I've never been this wiped out the day after. Looking at the Galloway plan I'm following it had called for 4 miles this past weekend and 9 this coming weekend. If I'm not read for 9 by this weekend could I dial it back to about 4 miles and just pick up with the plan the following weekend? I'm assuming this won't set me back too much.

Also I'm dealing with two things post race today that I've never really had to... dehydration and chaffing. I am drinking plenty of water as always but any other tips to get your body back to normal after this? As for the chaffing, I was sweating so much my own shorts rubbed the inside of my legs pretty bad, how do you deal with chaffing post race? Honestly never had this happen.

Thanks for the advice! Happy Monday everyone.

For dehydration I drink Gatorade/powerade or something else to help replace electrolytes. Plain water isn't enough for me. I drink chocolate milk within an hour after too. Also, within an hour I eat something substantial with protein to help recovery too even if my stomach isn't wanting too. Then I kind of snack the rest of the day after a long run & drink a mixture of water, juice, sports drinks.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I wouldn't put too much emphasis on one bad run, especially if conditions were that bad. Try for the 9 miles this weekend. If you just raced 7.1 miles, you can run 9.

As for dealing with your problems from this past weekend - eat more carbs to get your body to retain more water. To avoid chafing I run in compression shorts, but when I have had this problem in the past Vaseline has been my go to solution.

 

[SarahDisney]

You guys...
I did my first 6 miler today! (6.04 technically)
Despite the exclamation point, I'm not really excited so much as exhausted. This was 6 minutes & 0.3 miles longer than my last long run, and in not-great conditions. It took a lot out of me.
If this is how I feel after 6 miles ... I'm glad the 10K is 5 months away. I don't think I could have made it another 0.2 miles. Thankfully, I've got plenty of time to work on that.
This is just the exhaustion speaking and I'll be happy about it in a few hours, right?

 

[poppinspal]

For dehydration I drink Gatorade/powerade or something else to help replace electrolytes. Plain water isn't enough for me. I drink chocolate milk within an hour after too. Also, within an hour I eat something substantial with protein to help recovery too even if my stomach isn't wanting too. Then I kind of snack the rest of the day after a long run & drink a mixture of water, juice, sports drinks.

I drank water and gatorade after the race. Had lots of protein yesterday. I did my normal post race routine but this was not normal dehydration for me. My throat is literally raw today from dehydration yesterday. I'm going to continue with gatorade today because maybe I need a little more then water.

I wouldn't put too much emphasis on one bad run, especially if conditions were that bad. Try for the 9 miles this weekend. If you just raced 7.1 miles, you can run 9.

As for dealing with your problems from this past weekend - eat more carbs to get your body to retain more water. To avoid chafing I run in compression shorts, but when I have had this problem in the past Vaseline has been my go to solution.

I won't make a decision about this weekends run till this weekend. I'm only concerned right now because my legs are so tight(again probably from dehydration) and walking is an effort. But this is unusual for me and will probably be better by this weekends long run.

This is the worst part... I was wearing compression shorts, ones I've worn before! I don't know if it was the gross amount I was sweating or if they were a little loose but they were rubbing my legs the whole race, I couldn't get them to stay where they normally are. I'll throw some vaseline on them for the next few days and see if that gives them a little relief.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[poppinspal]

You guys...
I did my first 6 miler today! (6.04 technically)
Despite the exclamation point, I'm not really excited so much as exhausted. This was 6 minutes & 0.3 miles longer than my last long run, and in not-great conditions. It took a lot out of me.
If this is how I feel after 6 miles ... I'm glad the 10K is 5 months away. I don't think I could have made it another 0.2 miles. Thankfully, I've got plenty of time to work on that.
This is just the exhaustion speaking and I'll be happy about it in a few hours, right?

Congrats! That's awesome!!!

And if you did 6 today you'll totally be ready to do the .2 miles when race day comes! First you have plenty of time and second once you have that crowd and atmosphere you can push yourself to do more. You probably could have done it today had you been at Disney with all that excitement going on.

You'll do great!!!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

This is the worst part... I was wearing compression shorts, ones I've worn before! I don't know if it was the gross amount I was sweating or if they were a little loose but they were rubbing my legs the whole race, I couldn't get them to stay where they normally are.

I have 4 pair that I rotate and you are right - they must settle properly or I chafe in weird places. Each pair "wears" a little differently and I have learned to stop and make adjustments if things don't feel right. Also, for me it depends on where the seams are. I have tossed compression shorts that had seams in places that became problematic. You never really know until you have to wear them on a long run in the heat. My advice - be prepared to try different shorts if this happens again with this pair.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

You guys...
I did my first 6 miler today! (6.04 technically)
Despite the exclamation point, I'm not really excited so much as exhausted. This was 6 minutes & 0.3 miles longer than my last long run, and in not-great conditions. It took a lot out of me.
If this is how I feel after 6 miles ... I'm glad the 10K is 5 months away. I don't think I could have made it another 0.2 miles. Thankfully, I've got plenty of time to work on that.
This is just the exhaustion speaking and I'll be happy about it in a few hours, right?

I say this a lot to new runners, and it is important for even experienced runners to remember - never take too much away from a single run experience. Every once in a while, for reasons beyond your comprehension, you are either going to have an amazing run or a horrible run. Either can really mess with your head if you let it - so don't.

When we have great runs, we are disappointed by runs that seem more difficult. When we have a terrible run, we worry that something is wrong and that our training or bodies are failing us.

Relax and move on to your next training run. Trust your plan.

 

[kevdad]

You guys...
I did my first 6 miler today! (6.04 technically)
Despite the exclamation point, I'm not really excited so much as exhausted. This was 6 minutes & 0.3 miles longer than my last long run, and in not-great conditions. It took a lot out of me.
If this is how I feel after 6 miles ... I'm glad the 10K is 5 months away. I don't think I could have made it another 0.2 miles. Thankfully, I've got plenty of time to work on that.
This is just the exhaustion speaking and I'll be happy about it in a few hours, right?

If you're already running the race distance you'll do in 5 months, you're in great position to do well. And I'm willing to bet by Wednesday/Thursday you'll have forgotten about the negatives of today's run and be ready for more!

 

[cavepig]

I drank water and gatorade after the race. Had lots of protein yesterday. I did my normal post race routine but this was not normal dehydration for me. My throat is literally raw today from dehydration yesterday. I'm going to continue with gatorade today because maybe I need a little more then water.

Maybe you are coming down with a bug or where I'm at my allergies are really bad, and they can drain me and mess with my overall well being easily. Hopefully, you'll feel better soon.

 

[AThrillingChase]

Awesome! I just had a feeling it was the same event...Sam Adams really got around that night.

So I'm training for my first marathon. This past weekend put a little wrench in my plans and I thought I'd ask for some advice here. I ran a 7.1 mile race this weekend up here in MA and like others have said the heat has been brutal. I had hydrated well but due to the heat, humidity and lack of shade I still ended up mildly dehydrated. I run this race every year and I've never been this wiped out the day after. Looking at the Galloway plan I'm following it had called for 4 miles this past weekend and 9 this coming weekend. If I'm not read for 9 by this weekend could I dial it back to about 4 miles and just pick up with the plan the following weekend? I'm assuming this won't set me back too much.

Also I'm dealing with two things post race today that I've never really had to... dehydration and chaffing. I am drinking plenty of water as always but any other tips to get your body back to normal after this? As for the chaffing, I was sweating so much my own shorts rubbed the inside of my legs pretty bad, how do you deal with chaffing post race? Honestly never had this happen.

Thanks for the advice! Happy Monday everyone.

Vaseline is probably your best bet. Or Bacitracin if you can find it. It's an antibiotic, but it is for everything from cuts to burns. On a trip to Martha's Vineyard last month I jumped off the bridge where they filmed Jaws. All was well until I tried to climb out on the rocks lining the canal. My leg slid between the rocks and actually looked like Jaws tried to eat me, slashes all down it, bleeding on the beach, the whole 9. Bacitracin healed it right up and in about a week I was able to shave my legs! Also, FWIW, I sometimes put plain, secret solid deodorant under my shorts. It keeps them in place a tiny bit more, isn't as gooey as vaseline and some body glide type products, and frankly, my legs don't sweat

 

[Ariel484]

So I'm training for my first marathon. This past weekend put a little wrench in my plans and I thought I'd ask for some advice here. I ran a 7.1 mile race this weekend up here in MA and like others have said the heat has been brutal. I had hydrated well but due to the heat, humidity and lack of shade I still ended up mildly dehydrated. I run this race every year and I've never been this wiped out the day after. Looking at the Galloway plan I'm following it had called for 4 miles this past weekend and 9 this coming weekend. If I'm not read for 9 by this weekend could I dial it back to about 4 miles and just pick up with the plan the following weekend? I'm assuming this won't set me back too much.

Also I'm dealing with two things post race today that I've never really had to... dehydration and chaffing. I am drinking plenty of water as always but any other tips to get your body back to normal after this? As for the chaffing, I was sweating so much my own shorts rubbed the inside of my legs pretty bad, how do you deal with chaffing post race? Honestly never had this happen.

Thanks for the advice! Happy Monday everyone.

Make sure you're well-hydrated at all times - are you drinking lots of water during the week? As others have said, I wouldn't freak out over one bad run.

Neosporine is what I use after I chafe. Seems to help me better than anything else.

 

[poppinspal]

Thanks for the advice everyone. As far as my hydration that's not a problem for me normally. I keep a nalgene bottle with me at all times. I just got off the phone with my sister who lives where the race was run has said there's a lot of talk about how this was some of the worst heat this race has had in a long time. The race was delayed starting by 10 minutes because they needed an ambulance for someone at the starting line. I probably should have carried extra water on me but I'm not sure that would have helped either.

I have 4 pair that I rotate and you are right - they must settle properly or I chafe in weird places. Each pair "wears" a little differently and I have learned to stop and make adjustments if things don't feel right. Also, for me it depends on where the seams are. I have tossed compression shorts that had seams in places that became problematic. You never really know until you have to wear them on a long run in the heat. My advice - be prepared to try different shorts if this happens again with this pair.

This made something click for me, I've never worn these more then a 5k or in this type of heat. So maybe they'll have to be for short runs or other types of exercise. Its also worse on one leg then the other and is right where the seam was. I also normally wear under armor or reebok shorts which work well for me at long distances so maybe I'll have to stick with those.


I'm also going to try the deodorant trick in the future even if I don't wear these shorts. I also pretty much have stock in bacatracin given how I tend to bang up my body a lot in physical activities so I'll try that to help heal this up quicker.


I guess I should also share with all these issues and how aggravated I felt at the finish line I beat my time in this race last year by 3 minutes so I really shouldn't be complaining about anything. That's some great improvement for less then stellar conditions.

 

[DOOM1001]

.

Also I'm dealing with two things post race today that I've never really had to... dehydration and chaffing. I am drinking plenty of water as always but any other tips to get your body back to normal after this? As for the chaffing, I was sweating so much my own shorts rubbed the inside of my legs pretty bad, how do you deal with chaffing post race? Honestly never had this happen.

Thanks for the advice! Happy Monday everyone.

It's better to not have to deal with the chafing post race,its better to keep it from happening,its seriously very painful.Just buy some bodyglide or gold bond friction defense and apply liberally where you know you will chafe.I bring the small travel sized one on half and full marathons and apply during the race as well.Bodyglide is like a miracle solution when running or going to a water park or beach where I'll be walking with wet shorts,in these two situations that little stick is priceless.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I bought them at Dicks, but did a lot of research on line to narrow down my list before heading out. Dicks does not have many different types of Newton shoes in stock, but fortunately they had the Fate.

What the heck. I was just at Dick's. I bought more Asics. I didn't see anything besides the normal brand names. I will give the new ones a run in the morning to see how they feel on the foot. I have been sticking to my bike since last week. I did 24 miles on the bike today, it was tough because of the humidity. I have about 3 weeks to my proof of time race, I REALLY want to run it. I will try another Dick's, or maybe a running store, this week and see what I can find.

So I'm training for my first marathon. This past weekend put a little wrench in my plans and I thought I'd ask for some advice here. I ran a 7.1 mile race this weekend up here in MA and like others have said the heat has been brutal. I had hydrated well but due to the heat, humidity and lack of shade I still ended up mildly dehydrated. I run this race every year and I've never been this wiped out the day after. Looking at the Galloway plan I'm following it had called for 4 miles this past weekend and 9 this coming weekend. If I'm not read for 9 by this weekend could I dial it back to about 4 miles and just pick up with the plan the following weekend? I'm assuming this won't set me back too much.

Also I'm dealing with two things post race today that I've never really had to... dehydration and chaffing. I am drinking plenty of water as always but any other tips to get your body back to normal after this? As for the chaffing, I was sweating so much my own shorts rubbed the inside of my legs pretty bad, how do you deal with chaffing post race? Honestly never had this happen.

Thanks for the advice! Happy Monday everyone.

The best way to deal with chaffing is to avoid it. I would personally put some Vaseline on it to just keep the friction to a minimum but this is not my area of expertise, I am lucky to not have had this issue much.

As for the training. I would say to go out with the intention of doing the 9 and if your not feeling good get as much as you can. You can always slow down your pace to get the 9 miles in. As for recovering from hydration, eat some salty foods. This helps you retain more water. Banana's are good too. Foods with a lot of water in them, like watermelon, strawberries, etc....

Hopefully other people will have additional advice.

 

[Z-Knight]

What the heck. I was just at ****'s.

sheesh, what's with all the swearing?!!?!

 

[SarahDisney]

Thanks for all the positive thoughts, kind words, and good advice! 12 hours post-run I'm already feeling a lot better about it ... I still know it wasn't my best run, but I've gone from being too exhausted to care to being happy I hit the 6 mile mark, even if I probably pushed myself too hard. Which is certainly a step in the right direction. I'm sure that with time (and experience) these 6 milers will get easier for me.

Congrats! That's awesome!!!

And if you did 6 today you'll totally be ready to do the .2 miles when race day comes! First you have plenty of time and second once you have that crowd and atmosphere you can push yourself to do more. You probably could have done it today had you been at Disney with all that excitement going on.

You'll do great!!!

Thanks! I've got a few months to get the extra 0.2 down, but in case it's still hard in January ... I think the race adrenaline will get me across that finish line.

I say this a lot to new runners, and it is important for even experienced runners to remember - never take too much away from a single run experience. Every once in a while, for reasons beyond your comprehension, you are either going to have an amazing run or a horrible run. Either can really mess with your head if you let it - so don't.

When we have great runs, we are disappointed by runs that seem more difficult. When we have a terrible run, we worry that something is wrong and that our training or bodies are failing us.

Relax and move on to your next training run. Trust your plan.

Thanks for the advice. I'm definitely someone who can easily beat myself up after a rough run, and sometimes I do need the reminder that one difficult run doesn't mean much.
The funny part about it is that I was entirely prepared to end the run at 4 miles (which is what I have planned for later in the week), try for the 6 miler again in a few days, and forget about the run. Then, as I got close to 4 miles, I realized I was feeling much better and decided to go for 6. The last mile was what got me.
I just have to remember that 6 hard miles is better than no easy miles, and as long as I'm willing to go out there and try it again, I'm in a good place. Who knows, maybe next week I'll have a really amazing 6 miles. I won't know unless I go out there and try again.

If you're already running the race distance you'll do in 5 months, you're in great position to do well. And I'm willing to bet by Wednesday/Thursday you'll have forgotten about the negatives of today's run and be ready for more!

Thanks! I'm hoping to be at 7-8 miles by race day (I'm training for a half in September 2016 and I like to take things very slow), so I'm really glad that I hit close enough to race distance this far in advance - it means I don't have to worry about finishing (all I have to worry about is not collapsing from exhaustion after I finish ... but 5 months is plenty of time to work on that).
And I'm already feeling a little better about the run - all it took was some coffee, berry smoothie, and an afternoon of taking it easy!

 

[FFigawi]

As the heat increases, I would recommend taking salt tabs during your long runs. One tab each hour will help prevent dehydration and cramping as long as you're taking in moderate amounts of fluids too. I use Salt Stick but there are other good brands too.

 

[Spruce Moose]

Logistics question: Anyone have insight as to when to arrive for bib pickup, etc.? More specifically, I'm trying to gauge if I need to plan to try and get there Tuesday (flying in from New Mexico) because of the high volume of people coming in all at once. Not sure if there's any particularly bad travel effects like delayed planes, etc. to be banking on because of the incoming crowd, or if just getting there and heading straight for the Expo on Wednesday is (probably) fine.

 

[FFigawi]

Getting there Wednesday should be fine.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Logistics question: Anyone have insight as to when to arrive for bib pickup, etc.? More specifically, I'm trying to gauge if I need to plan to try and get there Tuesday (flying in from New Mexico) because of the high volume of people coming in all at once. Not sure if there's any particularly bad travel effects like delayed planes, etc. to be banking on because of the incoming crowd, or if just getting there and heading straight for the Expo on Wednesday is (probably) fine.

My group has arrived Wednesday afternoon for each of the Dopey Challenges so far and have had no difficulty getting to the expo and getting our race materials. Haven't seen any issues with delays on the Disney end of things (Magic Express, expo buses, etc.) so assuming you are in Orlando by mid-afternoon it shouldn't be a problem to get to the expo and back. Expo is kind of crowded at all times, as you'd probably expect with this many runners, but if you are just looking to pick up race materials you can usually get it done quite quickly.