Marathon Weekend 2024

[Let's Get Kronk]

SAFD: I don't typically need anything before a 5K or a 10K, although I will probably eat a banana or something if my tummy is growling. I don't need any fuel on the course for a 5K or 10K, just water about halfway through the 10K.

For the half, I do half of a bagel with PB on it and maybe a banana when I wake up. I will start doing GU gels about 45 minutes in and end up doing 3 for a half. For the full I do the entire bagel with PB and a banana when I wake up and during the race I do my GU gels like the half which usually ends up being 6 during the race. Last year I ate a banana that was offered on the course and will probably do that again.

After the longer races, I just eat whatever sounds good. And my body is so used to running hungover (Friday is martini night at my house) that I don't worry too much about my alcohol intake. I think I skipped it on Saturday last MW to make sure I was ready for the full, but when I'm at WDW I'm on vacation and I can't help myself with the drinks. Lol.

For carb-loading, I start eating carb-heavy, low-fat meals a few days before the full. Last year, I did Teppan Edo for lunch on Thursday, which I highly recommend. Lots of rice and chicken and veggies. I also did Via Napoli on Saturday for lunch to carb-load for the full and I will definitely be doing that again. My favorite part of distance running is the carb-loading. Mmmmmm.

 

[Naomeri]

I can walk and chew gum at the same time, but run and chew? I think I would last 10 secs before it really annoyed me!

I mostly hold it in one side of my mouth or the other, and chew it a bit on the walk breaks (I’m a mouth-breathing runner, so the chance of the gum falling out of my mouth is more than zero )

 

[DopeyBadger]

SAFD:
Carb Loading:
Glycogen Supercompensation (AKA Carb Loading)
I generally follow the above for carb loading, although I've made some tweaks over the years. Essentially the goal is ~12.0 grams carbs per kilogram body weight. That's about 1000 g carbs based on my body weight. I use liquid Maurten 320 to reduce the bulk from consuming that many calories/carbs.



I generally only carb load before a marathon, but my HM PR in 2021 I carb loaded prior to that as well. But given the duration (1:28) it was unlikely to mean much of anything.

Morning of:
Regardless of race distance, my morning of breakfast is much the same. I wake up and drink a concentrated Liquid IV and additionally about 16oz of water. I eat a toasted bagel with peanut butter and honey as well as a banana. This meal should be no closer than 2 hours before the last time I realistically can use the bathroom. No more food or liquid inside that time period until right before race start.

In-Race:
-For a 5k/10k, I don't consume anything outside of water.
-For a HM, I'll drink a Maurten 320 about 15 min prior to the start of the race. I'll also consume a Maurten caffeinated gel about 45-60 min from finishing the race. Based on my perception of effort and HR, the caffeine has the biggest effect between 10-45 min after consumption.
-For a M, I follow the following:

minus 15 min - Maurten 320
45 min - Tailwind Concentrate
60 min - Maurten Caff gel
75 min - Egel
105 min - Tailwind Concentrate
120 min - Maurten Caff gel
135 min - Egel
165 min - Tailwind Concentrate

This provides me the following totals and on a per hour basis:



Maurten 320 and Maurten gels are isotonic and don't require any additional water intake for absorption. My intake of Tailwind and Egels is 149 g carbs or requires about 75oz of water. That's about 23oz of water per hour. During training I usually consume about 35-40oz of water per hour, so I'm generally above and beyond. A normal cup of water at an aid station as 3oz of water, so I need to grab about 1.5-2 cups per aid station minimally.

During my current training cycle, I plan to test out the new Maurten 160 gel, Maurten Solid 225, and Nutri-Grain Peanut Butter biscuit to see how I tolerate them. My goal is to see if I can take my consumption over 100g carb/hr.

Post-race:
I drink a chocolate milk, and many times have a giant apple fritter or doughnut.

 

[RuntheMouse]

Years ago, I read that Fig Newtons are basically the perfect race nutrition, so I loaded a handful into a baggie and tested it… they are, indeed, excellent! BUT. They are also very, VERY messy. And crumbly. And let me tell you, I was not aware prior that crumbs + a bra’s elastic band = extreme chafing. I know now.

I use Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars. They’re softer than Fig Newtons and not as crumbly. They also come two in a pack which is perfect for me. We get them at Costco but I’ve seen them at Target in smaller boxes too!
https://www.naturesbakery.com/shop-snacks/whole-wheat-fig-bars

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I've enjoyed reading all the fueling comments.
It became super clear to me recently that I was way behind the curve on pre-race and during-race fueling, which is something I have been doing a lot of research on of late. Very appreciative of @DopeyBadger 's many comments and his research and documentation on the matter.

For instance, I had a buddy who mentioned fig newtons recently, and now I'm seeing it again on this thread.
I've never even heard them mentioned until in the last couple of months.

I'm now thinking back to my prior races and wondering how this didn't bite me badly in the backside? (Or did it and I didn't realize it?) I took the offered fuel during the 2022 marathon, but other than that just the water and gatorade and maybe some of the jelly belly beans.

I've now bought different fuels and have been experimenting with them during my long runs as dress rehearsal and in an effort to simulate race conditions. The results are positive so far.

FWIW, gotta love seeing training pay off. Earlier this year my neighborhood runs were 2.5-3 miles with times closer to 11 min/mile. Of late, 4, 4.5, and 5 miles have more the norm, with a avg pace dropping below 10.5 min/mile.

Again, thanks for everyone's responses on the fueling.

 

[pluto377]

SAFD- chiming in on the fueling. I take a salt chew every mile and a chocolate GU every three miles. I thought this was working for me, but during this weeks 7 miler I had some serious intestinal distress. It was the first time I used a gel flask and mixed my gels with water. Not sure if that affected it? I would think more water would be a good thing, but now I'm questioning everything. I've used chocolate GU for 10+ years and I feel like there are so many new products I could try, but not sure how much I want to experiment.

I'm intrigued by the Fig Newton idea. I love me some Newtons!

 

[sandam1]

I feel like there are so many new products I could try, but not sure how much I want to experiment.

I got a credit for the online store "The Feed" (thefeed.com) and yes, there seemed to be a million different products. The one suggestion that I found useful was to only try new things when I was going to be near a known bathroom. I haven't had any serious problems yet (knock wood), but that sounded like good advice to me.

 

[matt and beth]

SAFD- chiming in on the fueling. I take a salt chew every mile and a chocolate GU every three miles. I thought this was working for me, but during this weeks 7 miler I had some serious intestinal distress. It was the first time I used a gel flask and mixed my gels with water. Not sure if that affected it? I would think more water would be a good thing, but now I'm questioning everything. I've used chocolate GU for 10+ years and I feel like there are so many new products I could try, but not sure how much I want to experiment.

I'm intrigued by the Fig Newton idea. I love me some

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I got a credit for the online store "The Feed" (thefeed.com) and yes, there seemed to be a million different products. The one suggestion that I found useful was to only try new things when I was going to be near a known bathroom. I haven't had any serious problems yet (knock wood), but that sounded like good advice to me.

Very sound advice.

FWIW, I found the Nature's Bakery fig bars at Publix. But not with the other fig newtons. Instead they were in the breakfast aisle near the pop tarts. I can now see why they are a good pick: lots of carbs and not too much fat.

 

[pluto377]

So I've never had someone come and watch me at the races, but my parents have recently moved to Florida and asked me about how feasible it is for them to come to the half. I'm thinking I would tell them to park at Epcot and take the monorail over to MK to see me on or near Main St and then have them monorail back to see me at the finish. I've never paid much attention at the finish, is it crazy crowded there that it would be hard for them to find a spot to watch if they're getting there kind of late? Last year I didn't finish until about 9am. And then they can come through and meet me in the reunion area after right?

I'm inclined to tell them just to come later in the day and meet me for dinner or something as this all seems like a lot to navigate for them (they're 78 & 80) and they live about 1.5 hrs away.

 

[fatmanatee]

So I've never had someone come and watch me at the races, but my parents have recently moved to Florida and asked me about how feasible it is for them to come to the half. I'm thinking I would tell them to park at Epcot and take the monorail over to MK to see me on or near Main St and then have them monorail back to see me at the finish. I've never paid much attention at the finish, is it crazy crowded there that it would be hard for them to find a spot to watch if they're getting there kind of late? Last year I didn't finish until about 9am. And then they can come through and meet me in the reunion area after right?

I'm inclined to tell them just to come later in the day and meet me for dinner or something as this all seems like a lot to navigate for them (they're 78 & 80) and they live about 1.5 hrs away.

I was actually in the same position for 2022, my parents wanted to watch me run the half and full. I told them that THE spot to watch was on Main Street, they could then take the monorail and watch near the finish and they seemed sort of agreeable to this until they realized how early they needed to wake up to make it work. So they parked in the same spot near the finish for both races . It was just as you round the corner for the final stretch. Decent amount of space, although they had to stand.

 

[Bree]

So I've never had someone come and watch me at the races, but my parents have recently moved to Florida and asked me about how feasible it is for them to come to the half. I'm thinking I would tell them to park at Epcot and take the monorail over to MK to see me on or near Main St and then have them monorail back to see me at the finish. I've never paid much attention at the finish, is it crazy crowded there that it would be hard for them to find a spot to watch if they're getting there kind of late? Last year I didn't finish until about 9am. And then they can come through and meet me in the reunion area after right?

I'm inclined to tell them just to come later in the day and meet me for dinner or something as this all seems like a lot to navigate for them (they're 78 & 80) and they live about 1.5 hrs away.

If the course remains the same, they would need to be there super early (like before 4-4:30am) in order to park at Epcot and take the monorail to see you on Main Street. They shut the road down because we are running on it and it doesn’t open back up until around 6am. If they arrive during road closure, they have to go park at HS and be shuttled over to Epcot and then make it back over there to get their car. Also, they have to pay for parking if they arrive after 6am. That’s new starting this season. It used to be 7am. After parking they would need to go through regular security at the front of Epcot and make their way over to the race area. There’s some bleacher seating, and a lot of spectators stand along the fencing too. Not sure how mobile your parents are, but it’s something to take into consideration.

 

[matt and beth]

So I've never had someone come and watch me at the races, but my parents have recently moved to Florida and asked me about how feasible it is for them to come to the half. I'm thinking I would tell them to park at Epcot and take the monorail over to MK to see me on or near Main St and then have them monorail back to see me at the finish. I've never paid much attention at the finish, is it crazy crowded there that it would be hard for them to find a spot to watch if they're getting there kind of late? Last year I didn't finish until about 9am. And then they can come through and meet me in the reunion area after right?

I'm inclined to tell them just to come later in the day and meet me for dinner or something as this all seems like a lot to navigate for them (they're 78 & 80) and they live about 1.5 hrs away.

My mid 76 year old parents did the monorail to MK and then back to Epcot like you shared to watch the family run. It’s doable. They did get a room the night before the race

 

[Baloo in MI]

SAFD:
Good morning runDisney All-Stars! I hope training is going well for you all as we are now in the thick of it! For today’s question: Pretend you have just enough time to go to one park and enjoy one ride and a meal; what park, what ride and what restaurant are you going to?

My Answer: I am headed to Epcot, in general I go to Disney more for the attractions that the meals so I am being motivated most by the ride. So once at Epcot I am headed to Guardians of the Galaxy, Cosmic Rewind and then I am off to a favorite quick service La Cantina de San Angel for Tacos de Barbacoa and a classic margarita on the rocks. A couple hours well spent!

 

[camaker]

SAFD: This is an easy one! I'm on my way to the Magic Kingdom to ride Haunted Mansion and then stop in at Columbia Harbour House for a lobster roll and clam chowder. Definitely my must do sequence on any trip to Disney.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

SAFD: I'd go right now to EPCOT to do Soarin' Over California since it is infinitely better than World. Then I'd go to the quick service crepe place and get a nutella crepe. The meal can be dessert right?

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: this is hard, because Cosmic Rewind would be my ride choice, but none of the sit-down restaurants in Epcot are really for me. So I guess I’ll pick Tower of Terror and Sci-Fi

 

[GADisneyDad14]

SAFD: DAK, Flight of Passage, Nomad Lounge (if it has to be a full restaurant, Tiffins).

 

[RuntheMouse]

SAFD: I’m heading to AK to hop on the Safari and eat at Satu’li Canteen.

 

[azrivest]

SAFD: It has to be Cosmic Rewind then hop over to Garden Grill for breakfast