The Running Thread - 2019

[Bree]

ATTQOTD: When I was training for the 2017 Princess Half I was reading so many running blogs and nutrition was constantly mentioned. I used pretzels and swedish fish for that race. It was just too bulky to carry so I tried Gu and gagged. Sports beans left a foul taste in my mouth. Honey Stinger gummies got stuck in my teeth. Tailwind still left me feeling hungry during the run. Now I use Huma gels and take one every three miles if I'll be approaching the 90 minute mark. I still use Tailwind for hydration since I paid so much for it, but once it gets warm it makes my mouth feel weird. I prefer watered down Organic Gatorade. Nuun is too fizzy for me. I added in fun size PayDay bars when I was training for Dopey. It was so good to have solid salty food after all those sweet gels. I'll usually eat a Honey Stinger waffle in the corral before a Disney race because so much time passes from when I've eaten breakfast to when I cross the starting line.

Sometimes I'm so hungry during a long distance run. I will get hunger pains and my stomach literally growls LOL!!! I always make sure to eat something substantial before I run (eggs, oatmeal & veggies) so I don't know what's going on.

 

[FFigawi]

Have you considered playing with the solubility a bit? Instead of 1 scoop per 8oz or 12oz as directed, trying something more concentrated (thus an ability to carry more carb content without the extra water weight)? I did 1oz : 1 scoop, but it's not completely in solution at that point. I didn't play with anything in between (like 4oz per scoop), but it should be somewhat easy to find that solubility point. The key would be making sure that you then still drink at aid stations since the necessary liquid volume for bodily absorption would be unchanged (still roughly 2g carb: 1 oz water). But then you wouldn't have to re-mix any of the solution in your large drinking vessel. Not sure how well it would work though since I haven't personally tried it.

This is what I do. I mix super concentrated bottles to sip from and drink water at aid stations when needed. Works on the bike and the run.

 

[Kazrak]

I don't think you can really definitively say "6.4 is awfully short"... it all depends on your running speed, not the distance. For me, the shape I am in right now? That is for sure near the 90 min mark. I am normally an every 45 min fueler, but don't do it unless the run is going to be ~90 or longer.

I tend toward every 30-40, largely due to being a large guy who burns calories faster than most. (And, well, sugar is positive motivation.) But I don't generally fuel below about 10k level.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I added in fun size PayDay bars when I was training for Dopey. It was so good to have solid salty food after all those sweet gels.

I may have to incorporate those into training. I like the taste of them and sometimes during longer races, it's nice to taste anything that is not water/powerade/banana/gu, et all.

I tend toward every 30-40, largely due to being a large guy who burns calories faster than most.

I remember coach telling me to try every 45 minutes and not base it off of miles since a Disney mile may not line up neatly with my predicted pace come race day.

 

[CDKG]

July Miles: 92.4
2019 Miles: 582.9

During July I continued to train for my next half, which is now just over two weeks out. I also ran my first double digit run since my last half in March! I am happy to say, it was uneventful.

You may recall last month I planned a last minute trip to AZ to meet the family’s newest pup. I just got home last night and he is adorable! He is just over 3 months old and going through that bitey teething phase. But, he is so sweet and smart and will be an amazing dog! (Enjoy the photos!)




Despite the summer temps, I “mostly” stuck to my training schedule while in the desert. I did cut my 15k a little short, but managed to get in three full laps totaling 7.16 miles despite the 93 degree temps before sunrise! ☀



As I mentioned, mid-August brings half marathon #19 followed by a short break before marathon training begins!

 

[rteetz]

So for today's QOTD: How did you figure out you needed some nutrition on longer runs? Advice from others, self-learning from bonking, etc? Did you do much testing of different types of nutrition? Gu/other Gels/sports bean/liquid?

Honestly I have no idea. I use some of the things people say on here. I also figure it out on my own. Pretty much anything over 10 miles I have some nutrition. In terms of types I have used runDisney as my guide since that is the majority of my racing. In the past I used Gu but ended up not being a fan of those and switched to Sports Beans which then Disney also switched too and I love those for my runs. I also may use cliff bars at times for really long runs and bananas. Also will mix in some gatorade with water.

 

[Professor_Cookie]

My first race in October 2012 was a marathon. I had read on the internet to train with what the course was providing. So I went out and bought some tubs of Powerbar powder. Trained with it for the few weeks leading up to the race, and then used it on the course. They diluted it far more on the course then I was in training, so I got far less from it. So then I moved to finding my own sources to carry.

I tried carrying Powerbar powder in conicals and mixing my own liquid nutrition on course. I was wearing a running belt with 4 10oz bottles. But mixing while running ended up not being that easy and super messy.

Then I tried to do just water in the bottles and use gels instead. I tried a few varieties and based on a suggestion from McFlurry John I went with E-gel. That product seemed to check all the boxes for me. Multiple carb source. High carb content per packet. Included a sufficient amount of electrolytes.

Over the years I've tweaked the nutrition based on the research I've read. And later based on several sources of research developed a calculator that helps determine carb consumption rates both for loading and in-race. The calculator uses gender, weight, current estimated VO2max, goal pace, and normal caloric intake to calculate some recommendations. The data on men's vs women's needs for pre-race carb loading was fascinating. The calculator is certainly not a one size fits all, but more of a general idea recommendation. It's a good starting place to work from and then test in training whether you need more or less.

Right now, I use the Western Australia Carb loading procedure in the days prior to the marathon. I've used E-Fuel and Maurten for that. Maurten's dilution was 4.7 g carb/oz whereas E-Fuel was 2.0 g carb/oz which put the liquid burden of Maurten far less for the same carb content. But after completing the protocol several times over the years, my newest concern is whether the sheer volume of liquid consumed is diluting out my electrolyte balance in the day prior. So I'm testing out SIS Beta Fuel this time around as my carb loading product. Also a 4.7g carb/oz like Maurten, but SIS Beta Fuel contains Na, K, Mg, and Ca (where Maurten only has Na). Then I'm planning on drinking liquid IV in the days proceeding/morning of the races to make sure my electrolyte balance stays in tact. Then, I'll take 17oz of SIS Beta Fuel about 10-15 min prior to the race start. Then, I've been playing around with a super concentrated form of Tailwind at 1 scoop per 1 oz to dramatically increase my electrolyte intake while racing but minimizing the bulk of carrying something. I'll balance the Tailwind with my tried and true E-gels. I haven't actually followed through with this strategy yet, but I plan to start practicing it on all my long runs over 110 minutes.

Mixed stuff on course is never full strength. We followed the directions on the bags of nuun for the marathon i volunteered at and i remember tasting it and thinking there was gonna be a lot of pissed people and sure enough, they were pissed. I noticed it as well on my first race of my trail race series and fixed the problem by topping of with a scoop in each bottle refill for the next one.

Im totes def eating more potato chips, sour gummy worms and chips ahoy cookies on my next long run, since they are available at aid stations for my trail . Quesadillas, pickles, and bacon on the ultra, so i have that to look forward to.

 

[flav]

ATTQOTD: I had a coach when I started racing and was reading about it a lot, including on these boards. My first run was a 10k so I did not fuel. My second and third were the Wine and Dine Two Course Challenge so I knew that I needed a strategy for nutrition. I met with a sport nutritionist and arrived super prepared with a schedule of the (park touring) days leading to the races (sleeping, walking, sitting and running time). I got a carb loading, race fueling and recovery nutrition plan. I wanted to enjoy those races and eating properly helped a lot.

In training, I typically take a gel or chews if I plan on going over 90 minutes or if the last meal was far away. For those long runs, I do not hesitate to stop at a convenience store to buy a Gatorade if I feel like I am running out of steam.

In race, I alternate water and Electrolyse stations and plan for three to four gels or chews portions, half of them with caffeine. I have preferences (Gu Expresso Love and Smores, Louis Garneau Peach Moonshine, Cherry Cliff Blocks and Tutti Frutti Honey Stinger) but can stomach pretty much anything (including wine apparently) except for bananas (which I like any other time).

I noticed recently that fuelling and drinking during shorter races helps too, so I am packing chews for this weekend 5k+3k.

As for my first Marathon, I am still wondering how I will do with hydration and nutrition. For sure, Cliff Blocks are the easiest to carry but, five packs?! Or I stop to shop along the way for more food like items? Thinking about it, I do think that I bonked (hope that that is the correct term) at the end of some of my Half: Those when I came back with my pockets full of unused fuel. Food for thoughts...

 

[AntimonyER]

ATTQOTD: This is my biggest task ahead of my marathon this winter. I bought some GU, and have tried SIS, and neither did good things for my stomach on my training runs, I think gels just arent for me. For my halfs, I make sure I carb load the night before (pizza and beer seems to work really well). Eat a light breakfast, and drink gatorade on the course for energy, and that gets me to the finish. But I know I am going to need more than that for the marathon. Going to give chews/beans a try next.

 

[steph0808]

I always do sport beans or fruit snacks. I eat a whole pack every five miles (45-60 minutes depending on my pace). I like being able to chew something.

However, I have been having issues chewing and running this year for some reason (half choking. Getting pieces stuck, etc.), so I might try out Gu.

 

[Professor_Cookie]

ATTQOTD: I had a coach when I started racing and was reading about it a lot, including on these boards. My first run was a 10k so I did not fuel. My second and third were the Wine and Dine Two Course Challenge so I knew that I needed a strategy for nutrition. I met with a sport nutritionist and arrived super prepared with a schedule of the (park touring) days leading to the races (sleeping, walking, sitting and running time). I got a carb loading, race fueling and recovery nutrition plan. I wanted to enjoy those races and eating properly helped a lot.

In training, I typically take a gel or chews if I plan on going over 90 minutes or if the last meal was far away. For those long runs, I do not hesitate to stop at a convenience store to buy a Gatorade if I feel like I am running out of steam.

In race, I alternate water and Electrolyse stations and plan for three to four gels or chews portions, half of them with caffeine. I have preferences (Gu Expresso Love and Smores, Louis Garneau Peach Moonshine, Cherry Cliff Blocks and Tutti Frutti Honey Stinger) but can stomach pretty much anything (including wine apparently) except for bananas (which I like any other time).

I noticed recently that fuelling and drinking during shorter races helps too, so I am packing chews for this weekend 5k+3k.

As for my first Marathon, I am still wondering how I will do with hydration and nutrition. For sure, Cliff Blocks are the easiest to carry but, five packs?! Or I stop to shop along the way for more food like items? Thinking about it, I do think that I bonked (hope that that is the correct term) at the end of some of my Half: Those when I came back with my pockets full of unused fuel. Food for thoughts...

I carry everything with me in a pack, but i am running in the woods by myself for hours on end like the introvert weirdo i am.

 

[IamTrike]

When I first started running longer I basically bought some Gu and followed the instructions roughly. I'd usually take a gu in the car driving to the greenway and then take another one about every hour. I typically ran with water. As over the years I've gradually cut back on the amount of gu I use. Most runs under 2 hours I'll now just take diluted Gatorade. I only take a gu if it's race or I'm running particularly hard.

I think the issue I see with my running buds is that if they wait until they feel like they need a gu, it's too late. Particularly late into a marathon bodies don't seem to break down the sugars as effectively. During races I try and make sure I hit my early fueling even if I don't feel like I need it, to try and prevent bonking around mile 20.

My wife and I used to have a pretty regular New Years Eve Party with a lot of our running friends. We'd usually have gu/cliff shot/ other gel tastings. We'd also ask people to bring a couple of their favorite flavors and something fun/strange to try. We'd get a bunch of little tasting spoons and every one would get to try 20-30 flavors of gel. it was interesting to see how people's opinions varied. This by far was the strangest thing we tried.

 

[Chaitali]

I started running with a beginning running training group for a 5k. We didn't actually use fuel for 5k training but they talked about it for longer distances. So I knew that was something to look into when I started training for a 10k. And yeah, I do need it for a 10k since I'm slow. I generally use 90 minutes as a rule of thumb and use fuel if I'm going to be running longer than that. When I started out, I just bought a bunch of stuff from the running store to test which one I liked the best. Now, I use nuun and clif shot blocks. I take a serving over the span of an hour, so that's generally a piece every 20 minutes or so.

During marathon training, I definitely got tired of that sweet taste so I mixed it up and added in gold fish crackers for long runs and the race.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

How about a Fun Friday QOTD??
On the DisUnplugged podcast last week, Pete asked the group, "Why are you a Disney fan?" I enjoyed hearing everyone's responses and thought it'd be fun to hear everyone's reasons.
So...

Fun Friday QOTD: Why are you a Disney Fan?
Did Disney fuel your runDisney love or do you like Disney or WDW because of runDisney? Or maybe you're really not a huge Disney fan and stay for the running?

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Fun Friday QOTD: Why are you a Disney Fan?
Did Disney fuel your runDisney love or do you like Disney or WDW because of runDisney?

I grew up in the Disney Renaissance (early 90's) and loved the movies as a kid. We went to Denver several times per year as a kid and absolutely LOVED the Disney Store- a must visit and seemed like such a treat.
We visited WDW during my "tween" years and had the best time. To sound so cliche, it was nothing short of magical and that feeling will always stick with me.
As an adult, it took a little convincing to get my DH to WDW. He never went as a kid and doesn't like amusement parks (he now knows the difference of a theme park!). RunDisney has been a great reason for us to add a few more trips and will likely be a motivating factor for future trips (with or without our little one!). We love to travel, so WDW is not our only destination, but one we will consistently return to.

In short, I'm a fan because of the feeling of fantasy and wonder Disney gives me!

 

[tigger536]

ATTQOTD: I'm a lifelong Disney fan. I started running trail races (5kish distances and then gradually longer) in spring of 2015. At some point that Fall, I heard about runDisney races. I was instantly excited. I registered for Princess challenge (through a charity) and the inaugural Darkside challenge before ever having run a road race. That October I ran a 10 mile trail race (my longest run to date), finished 2nd to last, and then ran the JG half marathon in December as my first road race. I knew after that that I was hooked. RunDisney fueled my love of distance running but its now taken a life of its own.

 

[sky13]

ATTQOTD yesterday: to be honest I've not really figured out fueling for longer runs yet. My furthest "regular" distance is a 10k, and I've never found the need to fuel for a 10k. And for the few longer runs (3 half marathons in 2017 and a couple other shorter distances) I've done the isotonic drinks seem to be enough to keep me going.

Have to say though that I am wondering if I should try to figure out nutrition on longer runs as I build up towards W&D half. The problem is that I currently have Invisalign, and can't eat while wearing my aligners! Taking them out and putting them back in during a run seems too messy... And taking them off for the time I'll need to do a half marathon would be too long to keep them out! Isotonic drinks might still be OK (if they are sugary I'd have to brush my teeth as soon as I can after the run, but still better than trying to eat anything with my aligners on)...

ATTQOTD: I grew up loving Disney and never passed up an opportunity to go to a Disney park. The Disney addiction intensified when I realised that I enjoyed solo Disney trips as an adult, which made it far easier for me to go to Disney (no need to coordinate timings, leave from work, etc with other people).

In terms of running - I hated running when I was in school. We used to have to run a mile and a half in PE, and I could never run the entire distance (always had to run, walk, run, walk). Then I took up running in university when I was trying to lose weight and discovered that I rather enjoyed it. Ran on and off for the next few years but rarely went above a 5k distance and never did a race.

In 2016 I did my first ever race (a 10k) and survived it. In 2017 I realised I might be able to do my first runDisney race (DLP half marathon), so that was one big motivator for building up to doing my first half marathon that year!

I kind of wonder if I would have gone up to a half marathon distance if not for runDisney...

 

[IamTrike]

ATTQOTD: Was never really a huge disney fan. I went a couple times when I was younger and enjoyed it. We took our kids for a 1 and done 1 day trip when they were about 3 and 7. It was a good day but I thought that was it. In about 2006 DW decided that she wanted to go to Disney to celebrate completing breast cancer treatment. (it was in the by 3 days get 4 days free time period). We spent may hours while she was going through treatment planning that trip. During that time I started researching a lot about the history of the parks and the Disney company. It was that planning phase that really kicked of my Disney fandom. It's become a happy place for my kids and family, even when we aren't at the parks just being on that side of Orlando kind of feels like a second home.

When I heard about RunDisney it seemed like a good reason for an adults only trip. I hated running, but that was outweighed by my desire to visit Disney. After the first race I was hooked on RunDisney.

 

[IamTrike]

In short, I'm a fan because of the feeling of fantasy and wonder Disney gives me!

I am a fan of the Magic and the Dream too..

 

[rteetz]

Fun Friday QOTD: Why are you a Disney Fan?
Did Disney fuel your runDisney love or do you like Disney or WDW because of runDisney? Or maybe you're really not a huge Disney fan and stay for the running?

Disney fueled it. I have been going to WDW since I was 8 months old and my mom has been going since 1974. I discovered runDisney through a distant relative who ran runDisney races and then I was like I want to try that. I then ventured to the old runDisney subforum. 2015 was my first runDisney 10K and I have been doing (several) runDisney races every year since then. I enjoy doing Disney both with and without runDisney involved.