May 2014

[Charliecat5]

It’s so depressing

It’s been a tough week at work – I left home first thing on Monday morning and arrived back at 8pm last night following a week full of meetings, hotels, beer and very little in the way of healthy nutrition – so it is no wonder when I arrived home last night that I took to the grape juice like it was water to try and claw back the ‘five a day’ that I had been missing all week.

I also set off this week with the hope that I would get at least a couple of runs under my belt – but the reality was that I only managed a single 3 miler.

So I had great plans for this morning’s run and had been looking forward to it… thus I was up before the alarm strapping on my Mizunos and stepping out into the glorious sunshine. The plan was to run over Juggs road and up onto the top of Kingston Ridge and then from there down into the valley of death and back up Castle Nature Reserve hill to head home back down via Kingston again.

The first mile was ok… pretty much all up hill (well it’s all up hill until you get to the top of Kingston Ridge) and in the second mile I was starting to find my pace… but just before I got to the gate which takes you to the bottom of the two ridge tracks I was overtaken by another runner. Not an overtake that you hear coming and which takes a while to execute… I only knew about this guy when I felt his jet stream wash over me and then for the few seconds it took him to disappear into the distance – a distance that involved a very steep incline to the top of the ridge. I didn’t see him again.

Well this really knocked the stuffing out of me this morning, just when I thought I was getting the hang of this running lark. How soddin' depressing…

Mind you, when I did make it to the top of the ridge the views were awesome, the sun was shining and even though my legs ached and my heart was trying to escape my chest and my sweat was almost pure Malbec, I made it round my route in reasonable time – 7.34 miles at a 9.30 min/mile pace. Although, I would have to say that these stats represent the time spent actually moving and don’t include the periods when I had to switch off the Garmin so as not to interfere with the air ambulance’s navigational systems as it swept in to reinsert my ailing heart back into my chest.

THEN… when free falling back down the hill from the top of Kingston Ridge I passed this guy coming up the hill… now I don’t know how old he was but he was significantly older than me and he even looked older than Sweder (I know it wasn’t Sweder because he’s currently in Geneva) and he was no slouch in terms of the speed he was moving up that hill… again, how sodding depressing… by the time I was on the final home stretch my body was really starting to feel drained… putting the alcohol to one side, I am starting to conclude that I need to do something about my running nutrition – any ideas/advice over what to eat pre, during and post a run to keep up my energy levels would be very welcome particularly as I am now starting to push my distances.

Obviously, it would help if I cut back on the drinking, but perhaps after the bank holiday … you know, next week… or even the week after… it doesn’t pay to rush these things.

Onwards and upwards

       

[marathondan]

Everyone has their personal favourite running food, but for me on the long runs it's a handful of rasins or jelly babies every 5 miles or so (or maybe 2 jelly babies every mile). They seem to keep the energy levels up a bit. As an endurance cyclist you probably know a bit about the science of glycogen depletion already. Oh, and I always run with a water bottle, and get through around half a litre every 5 miles. I'm not sure whether that makes any difference though or if it's just a security blanket. I've heard good reports around here about replacing the water with weak squash, with a little salt added.

Personally I wouldn't eat much for 2 hours before a long run - hence I never do long runs in the morning. If I do have two hours to hand, I'll go for a mixture of complex and simple carbs, like muesli. Afterwards... carb-a-rooney. Although I understand that post-run is the right time to eat protein, as well.

Anyway, great effort on the run. Don't worry about those whippets, we all have people streets ahead of us and streets (well, small lanes perhaps) behind us. It's all about you vs you.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

That's not a bad run Charlie, I really wouldn't be too concerned about being overtaken by some demi-God. Do your own thing and forget the heroes! Speed doesn't matter - it's getting out there and just doing the thing that counts.

As for nutrition, unfortunately that's something everyone has to work out for themselves. Dan and I are about as different as it gets with nutrition, and what works for him fills me with horror! For example, I prefer to do my routine runs on empty, and drink very little (if conditions are cool, I won't even drink during a half marathon). I for one no longer eat anything glucose-based like jelly beans during a run, as it's quickly depleted and leads to me hitting the wall, and constantly re-loading with glucose gives me stomach problems. Gels, bananas, or anything else low-GI/slow-release and easily digestible I find more tolerable and effective.

So just experiment and see what works for you - there's no one solution that works for everyone. Just remember the stomach needs training as well - it takes time and practice to stop your stomach from shutting down during a long run.

Have fun with it - that's the thing.

[Charliecat5]

Thanks both for your words of wisdom. It is interesting the differences between you. From a biking perspective I am at my best first thing in the morning before I eat anything but I take a lot of water with me and also a cereal bar or a banana – I wear a backpack when biking as I have to carry spares, etc., so I have plenty of room for a water bladder and snacks.

Part of the attraction of running is the purity of it… travelling light with as little as I can decently get away with. Therefore I run in shorts and a t-shirt, obviously socks and my Mizunos, a Garmin strapped to my wrist and more recently a small bum pack that I can fit a small (8 fl.oz) water bottle into and a couple of snacks.

The amount of water I carry has so far been ample for my needs, although no doubt I will need to reassess this as summer emerges, but I have struggled with snacks as I find them very dry and difficult to swallow when running, whereas they are no problem when biking. I think this is because running gives me a far more intense workout than biking.

So my plan for the next time I run over 6 miles is to have a slice of toast and peanut butter before I leave and to fill my water bottle with weak squash and a dash of salt – as I have also heard good reports about this. Any run under 60 minutes, which until recently has been the norm, doesn’t give me any issues re water or nutrition – hence the 6 mile trigger point.

I would love to take a banana but it will be impossible to insert this into my pack

[marathondan]

Yep I recall when I ditched gels and was trying out various fresh foods on the run (before I settled on raisins). A banana in a bum bag seemed a good idea, but when I unzipped it after an hour it wasn't a pretty sight...

[Sweder]

A banana in a bum bag seemed a good idea, but when I unzipped it after an hour it wasn't a pretty sight...

I sometimes wonder what interlopers who stray here unprepared make of all this?

Anyway ... bananas in backpacks in summer weather make for bad bed-fellows. I took four during the Connemarathon (along with peanut butter and jam bagels wrapped, ill-advisedly as it turned out - in tissue paper). The last one, reached for at around 40ks, had transformed into a foul, black liquid coating the insides of my rucksack.

Peanut butter and honey on toast work a treat for me, sometimes topped with sliced banana, as a pre-run (around an hour before) snack. I carry a half-litre water bottle on a bottle-belt, usually water with a hint of lemon and ginger cordial. It tastes like it's doing me good. Of course for the longer runs (+15 miles or so) Chia Fresca is the pre-run drink of choice. You'll need to read Chris McDougall's wonderful 'Born To Run' to learn all about that.

As for the running, I'm rather worried that I'll hold you back as and when we finally get to run together. I'll have to get my big wobbly arse in gear.

[Charliecat5]

I have a somewhat obsessive personality, so since I have found myself enjoying this running lark the love of my life has been somewhat neglected. So this morning, realising I couldn’t stand the sobbing coming from the garage any longer, I saddled her up for a beautiful ride over the Downs.

Juggs Road to Kingston, up onto the ridge top and then along the SDW to Southease heading back along the river. All in all it was 11 miles in just over an hour. This has given me a great route idea for my next running target – a 10 miler. I was sorely tempted at Southease to carry on over Firle and back through Glynde but had been “told” before I left this morning that I had to be home in good time, only to return to find “her who told me” still lounging about in bed!

I did try peanut butter on toast this morning as a pre-ride snack, but it didn’t sit very comfortably, probably because I was still eating it as I set off. On my return I cooked up scrambled eggs on toast – I only mention this as I was persuaded by a very nice guy at the Brighton food fest this avo to purchase a jar of salsita de chiles ahumados – a rare chilli paste hand made in Mexico using the pasilla Oaxaca chilli which is, apparently, twice as smoky as a chipotle and goes brilliantly with scrambled eggs – I am told.

Hacia adelante y hacia arriba

[marathondan]

Anyway ... bananas in backpacks in summer weather

Sounds like a lyric from "these are a few of my least favourite things"...

Anyway, I have yet to find a better article on running nutrition than this one.

[Charliecat5]

Up at 6am, an hour’s work, woke up the kids, delivered them to breakfast club and completed a 3 mile run… all before 8:15 this morning.

My aim was to do my 3 mile circuit (3.13 to be precise) in under a 9min/mile pace. Scuppered by having to stop to let a couple of horses go past… twice… I came in at 9.02. Doh!

Next time…

[Charliecat5]

Anyway ... bananas in backpacks in summer weather

Sounds like a lyric from "these are a few of my least favourite things"...

Anyway, I have yet to find a better article on running nutrition than this one.

I quote: "Stress increases intestinal motility as well as mucus secretion in the distal colon. This prevents normal absorption of water from feces - leading to diarrhea. Some runners even have bleeding. This can mean an injury to the intestines"

NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT THIS...

[marathondan]

Yep it's a real glamour sport...

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Some things are just best not shared.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I have yet to find a better article on running nutrition than this one.

Yes, some good stuff in there (although I do hardly any of it), and in light of your previous post, Charlie, and the fact that the NYCRRC article mentions them, I would issue this warning ... in bold ... highlighted ... in flashing text ...

If you've never eaten a PowerBar before, do NOT experiment with them during a run. The "Power" aspect of these things for some people (such as ahem, myself) refers to the force of the diarrhoea they cause!

Can we change the subject now?

[Charliecat5]

I have yet to find a better article on running nutrition than this one.

Yes, some good stuff in there (although I do hardly any of it), and in light of your previous post, Charlie, and the fact that the NYCRRC article mentions them, I would issue this warning ... in bold ... highlighted ... in flashing text ...

If you've never eaten a PowerBar before, do NOT experiment with them during a run. The "Power" aspect of these things for some people (such as ahem, myself) refers to the force of the diarrhoea they cause!

Can we change the subject now?

Jet propulsion has to be good thing, doesn't it?

Alright, I'm moving on now...

[Charliecat5]

I have spent the last two days away from home... but a reasonably early finish and an M25 that only held me up for 30 minutes meant I was home at 6.30 this evening.

So let's try an experiment I thought... Let's go for a evening run (I usually run in the morning) and see if I can break my 3 mile, 9 min/mi target.

Suit off, running stuff on, and I was out the door. The first mile was quick... as I knew every second counted - but it was perhaps too quick as I didn't really give my legs a fair crack at warming up... then as the first mile turned into the second, it was up 'Sweder's new found hill'.

Interestingly, the first part, which is also the steepest part, was ok, but half way up my legs really started to howl in protest and once at the top it took every ounce of my resolve not to stop for a breather - although I did walk quite slowly through the funny barrier as I turned south. Then it was off again down a gentle but fast slope back across the main road, along the railway and home.

And the result... da, da, da, da, da, da, daaaaa...

8.47 min/miles

A groovy end to the day

[marathondan]

Nice work Charlie! I'm a big fan of evening running - after the kids have gone to bed (which gets later and later...). It's a good way to work off the day's stresses, and if you run just before bed you immediately follow it with several hours elevation, which is good for recovery. The only problem comes if you're on an endorphin high and can't get to sleep till 2 am. Also trail running might not be so convenient in the dark.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Ah, jet propulsion after all. Good work, Charlie.

[Sweder]

I'm hoping last night's dive into l'Hotel de France's magnificent cheeseboard will have a positive effect ...

   

[marathondan]

Bon fromage, as I believe they say. Starter, main and dessert, all on one plate.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Have we a contender for the holder of the title El Gordo?