Desperate in December

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

The whole business of sustenance is a major nuisance for me. I can't do a long run on an empty stomach, but I can't run on a fullish stomach either - to do so gives me terrible cramps. But if I wait a couple of hours until after breakfast to run, it's too hot, or I'm too busy etc etc. A constant hassle, which is perhaps the biggest reason I fail to find a routine that suits me.

The beauty of the early start short run is that I can easily run them on an empty stomach. 3 - 5km is no problem. For something like Christmas morning's 8km, I'll probably have half a banana to get me round and just take it easy. For a long slowie (90 mins+) I have no choice but to get up at say 4a.m., eat some toast and a banana and then go back to bed for a couple of hours. Not ideal, but it's the only way I can manage, especially at this time of year when it's often too hot to run by about 8am, so an early start for those long 'uns is essential.

I am deeply envious of people who can eat anything they like and then head straight out for a run. Grrr.