PrincessV
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
I am by no means any kind of expert, but I’ve done a few Dopeys with similar pacing, so I’ll throw a couple thoughts your way!My training has been so inconsistent building base miles that I’m running into longer recovery time on these long runs than I’d like - I’m also extremely sensitive to heat, so I’m hoping to avoid putting myself in a situation that is potentially dangerous. I am leaning towards going for it and walking a large portion, but any last minute advice is welcome!
Y’all are honestly making me tear up a little bit with the support and encouragement. I am already goin pretty slow on the 15 and 18 mile runs I’ve completed, however 14mm is my average, so I definitely have some buffer to slow it down. When I’m doing my 45 min sessions or short runs I average 12-13mm. I’m a back of the packer who does run/walk intervals, but even then my weekly mileage has been ALL over the place. I’ve been pretty on it through November and I’ve still got three weeks to maintain, and one last Dopey sim weekend…It’s really going to come down to how I feel after my 20 miles next weekend (this weekend is a break with only 7 miles).
I do think my nutrition is where I’m failing. I usually just use a few caffeinated GU gels during my halves so I was just doubling, but with the way I’m crashing and cramping after mile 16 I’m going to invest in some salt caps, as well as lower my caffeine intake since I heard it can hurt performance if you take too much. Definitely digging through previous nutrition talk on this thread and taking notes!
First, if you’re able to complete 18-20 miles in training, you really are in good shape for this. I assume you’re planning a taper, and I swear to you that you will feel very, very different doing the b2b2b2b races after that taper than you do now in training! It’s supposed to feel hard now because you’re training your body to deal with it when it counts.
2nd, fueling: a very general rule of thumb is 100cals per hour-ish. My blood sugar runs chronically low, so I do a gel every 45 minutes, and I sip my fluids every 1/2 mile, going through 12oz in about 5-6 miles. I add electrolytes via Nuun in my water in warm weather, and in the marathon I’ll add some Tailwind (or Powerade from the course). YMMV, but I find fueling from the very beginning and keeping up with it is critical, especially for those of us like you (and me!) who are out there a long time.
3rd: one thing I’ve done to reduce effort on the 5K and 10K is more walking, less running. So instead of :30/:30 intervals, I’ll do 1:00walk/:30run, for example. And a ridiculous amount of time taking pics and having fun. Makes for a longer time, but a lot less wear and tear on my body.
4th: after the half, I take the rest of that day as a rest day - no parks, minimal walking/standing. I like doing “recovery“ laundry to make sure I get up and move regularly, and if the weather’s nice I might do some very easy swimming, but mostly I read, watch a movie, nap if my body says it wants to… my sole focus is recovery.
Lastly, I find easing into both the half and full feels good. Like, I’ve often walked the first 1/4 mile of each, starting from the very back of my corral, enjoying a few minutes mostly on my own before the next corral/wave starts. I think that‘s mostly mental, but I feel like it gives me space to clear my head, tune in to my body, and prepare to get into a groove, vs. the frenetic vibe of starting out running in the thick of a big group of bodies.