The Running Thread - 2016

[alexce]

ATTQOTD: For any morning run over 5 miles, I usually do a PB&J. Post-run, I really can't eat for awhile - my stomach gets super tight. But I can do chocolate milk.

During long runs, lately I've been eating the Gatorade fruit punch gummies at the 45-minute mark. Easier to eat than sport beans because they are softer. But holy crap does the packaging suck. After eating a bunch of the plastic during my last half, I've started using tiny baggies for them.

 

[BikeFan]

I just made it through some of the older posts I'd missed about people's running goals, why they started, and the tough times some of you all have endured and come through strong. Just . . . wow. Very, VERY inspiring. Keep it up, folks. There are amazing things still ahead!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Didn't make the NYC Marathon - again.

 

[SunDial]

QOTD: What are your go to vitamins, dietary supplements, protein powders/liquids, and/or nutrition bars/energy gels do you use during training/events? What benefits do you look for and get from them? Any other go to recovery items besides the standard beer and chocolate milk?
For those that run ultra's, duathlon's, triathlon's does your nutrition intake change by events and distance?

I have been doing a multi-vitamin almost everyday for the past 20 some years. Vitamin D for the past several years too. Try to eat healthier but not always. For training I really do not eat before the run. I would say that I do 98% of my training after work at 8 to 9pm. Between 3 to 5 miles I take nothing. Longer than that I will do a gel in the middle. All training runs I will drink a serving of Premier Protein with water or fat free milk. I also have tried the GNC protein extreme 60. I have not tried muscle milk. I am only trying to rebuild but not bulk up.

I also wrap knees with the Dr Cool wraps. Not that I really need them but at 57 I want to do everything possible to help keep the knees feeling good. Same after the finish of any Disney run. Straight to the med tent for ice.

For my Disney events on the way from the resort I will do a banana and either an English muffin or bagel with peanut butter along with some Gatorade. About 15 minutes before I will do a gel. I only gels that I like the GU Chocolate Outrage or the Clif Shot chocolate. Several years age GU had a chocolate mint but discontinued it. See a pattern developing here. For my tastes it is like eating chocolate frosting. If I go further that every 45 minutes the cramping will develop later in the run. The first marathon at Disney I forgot to take gels between mile 3 and 13. Boy did I pay for that mistake at 18.

This past Disney marathon I started trying a salt tab at mile 3. At mile 6 I noticed that the salt tabs were no longer in my running belt. Oh well, I did fuel and hydrate properly but the training well....lesson learned.

I have not gotten into eating the protein bars or the PB&J's during a run. The first sprint I did it was just a couple of gels. I am aiming for an Olympic distance in July and back to a sprint in the beginning of August before I venture into a half tri in November. Thanks @FFigawi for listing what your nutritional intake has been. I hope you let me know what type of plan you go with for IMFL. I am also looking forward to hearing from @CheapRunnerMike to see what his nutritional intake has been the for the IM. This will give me a good baseline to start testing what would work for good for me when I do an IM.

 

[derekleigh]

QOTD: What are your go to vitamins, dietary supplements, protein powders/liquids, and/or nutrition bars/energy gels do you use during training/events? What benefits do you look for and get from them? Any other go to recovery items besides the standard beer and chocolate milk?
For those that run ultra's, duathlon's, triathlon's does your nutrition intake change by events and distance?

ATTQOTD: During training I drink skim milk with muscle milk for recovery/extra calories.

Thanks to the poster who suggested this topic!

Most of my training runs are done at 4:30/5:00 in the morning so aside from coffee and water for pre-run, I run on an empty stomach. If such a run is 10 miles or longer, I usually have a combination of Stinger chews, GUs, Gatorade, and/or NUUN electrolyte drink mixed up. In the morning of a race, generally just chocolate shakeology and maybe a cliff bar(depending on the distance).

Post-run/race, shakeology, milk, water, cereal or fruit. I'm not too hungry immediately after a run. Later on in the day is a different story.

 

[LSUlakes]

After 72 hours of our house being on the market, we have a purchase agreement on our home and made an offer on the house we would like to buy. They have until 5PM tomorrow to respond. Fingers crossed for a good outcome!

 

[SunDial]

After 72 hours of our house being on the market, we have a purchase agreement on our home and made an offer on the house we would like to buy. They have until 5PM tomorrow to respond. Fingers crossed for a good outcome!

Hope it all goes very smooth for you!!!

 

[Keels]

@Keels is not going to like all of this math

I was told there would be no math!

 

[FFigawi]

I have not gotten into eating the protein bars or the PB&J's during a run. The first sprint I did it was just a couple of gels. I am aiming for an Olympic distance in July and back to a sprint in the beginning of August before I venture into a half tri in November. Thanks @FFigawi for listing what your nutritional intake has been. I hope you let me know what type of plan you go with for IMFL. I am also looking forward to hearing from @CheapRunnerMike to see what his nutritional intake has been the for the IM. This will give me a good baseline to start testing what would work for good for me when I do an IM.

You're welcome. I'll keep you posted on the IMFL plans as we develop them. In case you're interested for your Oly this summer, here's what I did for my recent one. This gave me plenty of energy during the race. It was the heat that wore me down, not the lack of fuel.

Day before the race: big pancake breakfast, lots of water during the day, simple protein and light pasta for dinner
Race day: Clif bar before heading to the race; bike - one bottle of Powerade and half a bottle of water, half a Clif bar; run - two salt tabs (since I missed one on the bike), one gel, water at every aid station (no sports drink, unfortunately. They only offered water and Red Bull).

In general, for a big race, the most important fueling happens at breakfast the day before the race. That's when you can really load up on and store some carbs for the next day. Big carb loading the night before the race doesn't work as well and often leaves you feeling bloated by a bunch of pasta in your stomach. The second most important fueling is to slowly top up your fluids over the 3-4 days before the race. Trying to do this the night before the race or on race morning usually leads to a higher number of bathroom stops on race day.

 

[Slogger]

I am the worst person to give "fueling" advice because I'm pretty sure what I am doing doesn't work.
Here is my public service announcement for what NOT to do:

Training runs=Last year I did 95% of my runs early in the morning. Most of the limited amount of running I have done this year has been at 6 pm or later.
I typically don't fuel at all for runs of 90 minutes or less but keep a water bottle handy if needed or after about 30 minutes. For the 14 miler I did 2 1/2 weeks ago I had a small protein bar and a BOOM. Stopped for water after 30 minutes and went in a different direction and never made it back for fuel or water the rest of the run.
Bad idea. It was cold and windy and I was very dehydrated.

Race day runs-I no longer eat pasta the night before. Might work for most people but makes me feel bloated with grumpy stomach in the morning.
I will eat a banana or protein bar or half of a PB sandwich. Short runs (10k or less) I just stick with water on the course. Longer runs I bring Cliff shots or Gu and try to take one every 45 minutes. I also bring peanut M &Ms because it's a nice pick me up and they don't melt. Also try to take in water or Gatorade/powerade at all stops. I still have "bonked" pretty good at most of my marathons which is probably a combination of not fueling well the day before and during the run. Like I said, learn from my mistakes and don't do it this way.

The only tip that I feel good about and you've heard it many times before=drink water all day, every day if you can. I bring a bottle to work and constantly fill it up.

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: For how many years have you been running? Any long periods of time off and then have to start all over? Was the comeback just as hard as when you started or a little easier?

ATTQOTD: In total I have 7 years under my belt. I ran for 3 years for our cross country team. I started again because my weight was out of control and have been going at it again for 4 years. The comeback was very difficult because I was over weight, but the experience from HS helped me get through the getting back into shape part.

 

[girliea]

After 72 hours of our house being on the market, we have a purchase agreement on our home and made an offer on the house we would like to buy. They have until 5PM tomorrow to respond. Fingers crossed for a good outcome!

Good luck!! So do ya'll have a place to live if your house sells?

 

[Anisum]

QOTD: For how many years have you been running? Any long periods of time off and then have to start all over? Was the comeback just as hard as when you started or a little easier?

I've been running for about a year now. I started because my friends did runDisney and it looked fun but also because I was (and still am though to a lesser degree) overweight and needed to exercise because diet alone wasn't enough.

 

[rteetz]

For how many years have you been running? Any long periods of time off and then have to start all over? Was the comeback just as hard as when you started or a little easier

About a year and a halfish. The 2015 WDW 10K is what got me started and now of course I'm hooked into RunDisney. I took time off after my first run but still excersized on a regular basis so the comeback was not very difficult at all.

 

[girliea]

About a year and a halfish. The 2015 WDW 10K is what got me started and now of course I'm hooked into RunDisney. I took time off after my first run but still excersized on a regular basis so the comeback was not very difficult at all.

Great article rteetz! You are quite the author!

 

[FFigawi]

QOTD: For how many years have you been running? Any long periods of time off and then have to start all over? Was the comeback just as hard as when you started or a little easier?

I started running in February 2005 by training for the Monument Ave 10k in Richmond. I've had a few months off here and there after big races, but no really long breaks of a year or anything. Even after two months, though, starting up again was not easy. Physically, it was, but mentally, it always takes a while to make waking up at 530am part of the routine again. It's good to get away every once and a while to help keep you from burning out.

 

[LSUlakes]

Good luck!! So do ya'll have a place to live if your house sells?

It all really depends on how things go on the home we are trying to buy. The plan is to close on the same day. If we have a few days, we have a place to go for a short time. If the offer we made isn't accepted and we cant find anything soon, then we are SOL and will probably have to rent for a short duration. I hate moving and I hope the last scenario isn't the one we have to take. Moving is one of the few activities in which if you add beer, the situation doesn't improve.

 

[rteetz]

Great article rteetz! You are quite the author!

Thanks!

 

[DVCFan1994]

QOTD: For how many years have you been running? Any long periods of time off and then have to start all over? Was the comeback just as hard as when you started or a little easier?

ATTQOTD: In total I have 7 years under my belt. I ran for 3 years for our cross country team. I started again because my weight was out of control and have been going at it again for 4 years. The comeback was very difficult because I was over weight, but the experience from HS helped me get through the getting back into shape part.

Almost three years since I started running regularly, it was sometime in the spring of 2013. After the 2013 PHM my sister said "We should do that" when she saw posts on Facebook. I had run here and there prior, but never more than a couple times a month. I hated running so much so that I didn't really train for the run part of my sprint triathlon in 2012. I was only doing it to finish, and figured I was in decent shape, and would walk/run it to get it done. Oddly enough I ran my fastest 5k to that point at the end of that tri.

I've had a few blocks of time off. I tore the plantar fascia tendon in my right foot in 2014, and had to take about 8 weeks of, 4 in a boot. Then last spring I had a surgery that required no impact exercise for 6 weeks. Those 6 weeks are when I realized I had become "a runner". I was so down. I missed running more than I would have ever thought. Now whenever I lack motivation to get out there on a particular day, I remember that time and how much I wished I could run. My comebacks both were frustrating the first 2 weeks or so, then I started to feel like I was making progress and by a month, while maybe not back to full speed (which is slow anyway) I was able to complete runs not feeling wiped out, more feeling strong and ready for the next run.

 

[Barca33Runner]

QOTD: For how many years have you been running? Any long periods of time off and then have to start all over? Was the comeback just as hard as when you started or a little easier?

I have been running since the summer of 2011. Actually, probably more accurate to say January 2012. I finished my first WDW Half Marathon in January 2012 and while I started training after signing up in the summer of 2011 I didn't really start running until after I finished that half and realized that recumbent bike, elliptical and a few scattered run/walk sessions here and there had not created a runner. I had avoided running like the plague up to that point in my life (because I'm an idiot).

I've had one prolonged layoff since starting. In September of 2014 I suffered a duodenal ulcer and internal bleeding after it affected a blood vessel. It was the first time in my life I had ever lost consciousness. I lost a tremendous amount of blood, underwent three surgeries to fix the ulcer, and had multiple iron and blood transfusions. Over the course of a week I had blood taken approximately 50 times to check my hemoglobin levels. I was able to go home after about a week but was unable to run for another month.

I was able to run a Half Marathon in early November 2014 (still my PR) but I am just now starting to get my levels back to where they were before the ulcer. I realized after finishing this year's Dopey that I had just become complacent after my injury and I needed to get things headed back in the right direction.