Long run drinking and fueling experiments

I've been trying some new things out for fuel lately and thought I'd share!

Most of my runs I don't really need to worry about fueling, just water. This summer was exceptionally hot and dry, so I brought water on almost every run. And that's OK with me; my pack gives extra room for carrying my phone and camera, keys, etc..

However, with all the longer runs I have been doing recently, fueling has been essential. 

It's just not going to be pretty if you are running all day on the trails and don't have anything to keep you going. 

I believe sugar is essential (carb), though some might prefer to add fats or protein to fuel with. The bottom line is that you need SOMETHING out there.. Figuring what the right combination of "something" is- that part can be tricky.

My personal observation is that in a race where you expect to run the whole thing without using the restroom (big potty, here!), it's best done on strictly non-fiber carbs (gels, sports drinks, beans, chews, etc..). This is best for races under 5-6 hours. 

Fiber and protein (i.e. bars, meat sticks, trail butter, real food), these things are known to cause "big potty". They also redirect your blood from elsewhere in the body to your stomach for digestion, and will lead to a stop or two in many people's races. They also, however, provide energy to keep a runner going longer and that is why ultra runners must have them if they are running for hours on end. (Only going on research here, since my longest run ever was not quite 6 hours).

After running out of some prepackaged bars, I decided that my 5 hour runs would need some alternative fuel, and I went to the kitchen to see what I could whip up. 

This is what I came up with:

Random Favorites

What might you find if you ate breakfast at my house? 

Sometimes I make puff pancakes, or sausage and potatoes, but recently this has been on my menu. 

Egg whites, served over fresh spinach with feta, balsamic vinegar, pepper and salt. 

Served with coffee and a blueberry smoothie (no sugar). 

What? You don't like vinegar on eggs? What's wrong with you? ...

I could eat this three meals a day- or egg whites with fresh salsa. (My kids will eat this too- but not everything together on the same plate)

Poor kids. 

I keep them happy with McD's apple pie pockets once a week. (Shh..!)

On the culinary / nutrition topic...

This year I canned my own tuna! 

Several ladies I know got together last month and packed jars with fresh caught tuna. We all brought our pressure canners so we could get this done as soon as possible. No one wants fish canning to be an overnight process.. It starts to make you do silly things.

Canning tuna at home might seem odd to you too, but if you have never had fresh canned tuna, it is a totally different experience than the Chicken of the Sea. I am very glad to have this on my shelf for as long as it will last. 

OK.. 

I know I have said this before; but, it is worth repeating:   

 

I ♥ FALL RUNNING. 

Really loving these cozy arm warmers. *

They are inexpensive and make your summer tops work for winter. 

Added bonus: No muffin-top on the biceps. :D  

*super gift idea!

Laugh lines.. 

Worth every laugh!

***

How about you, runners? 
Have any random favorites? 
Interested in coming over for a little breakfast?-- Or tuna sandwiches? 

Performance FUEL: Part 2. Re-thinking my strategy

In the last few weeks, there have been a few things that have caused me to reconsider my training as far as fueling is concerned. And, if you didn't have a chance to catch my December 28th post,  I asked two questions:

• Do you fuel while you train? Why or why not? 
• Do you count calories in regards to training?

It is worth going back just to read through the outstanding comments left by readers. Thank you for all the detailed responses there!

Before I explain why I am considering making major changes,  I should explain my background with training nutrition (in bullet form)

• Up until now, nutrition has been the one factor in racing that I have been the LEAST concerned about. I am NOT a nutrition expert.  And, for the most part, the way I have been training has been working for me.
• I am in the very low end of the BMI scale for my height (normal, not underweight) . Happy with my body, NOT trying to lose.
• I know I have a cushion of about 5 pounds that I can go down and still be at a "safe" weight for my body to still be functioning properly. This could be an advantage in racing- (possibly up to 3 minutes in the 10k), but not at the cost of my health, muscle mass, body cycles, immune system.
•  I have spent a couple of years running figuring that I could afford extra sweets with more miles, and have turned myself into a sugar addict, in which I consume candy and sweets all other times of the day. (I don't think this is really healthy, but may not be totally unhealthy if it were in moderation.). It makes sense that my sugar cravings are my body's way of looking for fast calorie replacement.
• I have had no problem running 3 hours+ with no fuel (McMillan style), leaving on a stomach of just coffee and milk, and have done so in both of my previous marathon cycles.  On these runs, the weather has been so cool here that I have left a bottle of water at a drop point and stopped (up to) 3 times on a 20 miler. These were slow, easy long runs.  It's just they way our climate is, and it has worked OK for me. 
• I have only experienced a training "bonk" once, but managed to make it home jogging. I have only bonked once in a race (Boston, 2011- probably due to dehydration), still finished, though dazed and only jogging, and for that I thank God.
• On a few of my long runs (20+ miles), I have always tested out a gel or Gatorade, just to make sure it didn't cause problems...and nothing I eat while running ever does, (while I am running, anyway).
• My interests in nutrition are primarily to:  recover better, train better (while I maintain weight), and race faster.

I didn't really see a problem with training this way, until I heard a podcast  (just looking for anything I hadn't heard yet), that really made me reconsider the importance of fuel to training and recovery.

The podcast (episode 75 of Marathon Talk) featured Matt Dixon, whom Ryan Hall credits with helping him earn an American Record at Boston in April, 2011. If you listen to the podcast you will have to skip to the interview -toward the end of the show, (the interview is about 28 minutes). But, the key points that Dixon made were:

• Proper fueling is ESSENTIAL to recovery.
• Recovery is ESSENTIAL to good workouts and good racing.
• Dixon has never met an athlete (I assume elite) that was fueling properly. Ryan Hall, who has received his nutrition advice from Dixon, says that he fuels (while training, I assume) probably, "Ten times more than any other American. The only people fueling more are the Kenyans."
• The benefits of good recovery (Which proper fueling is part of) includes your entire well-being, including your IMMUNE system. (I have had some dealings with suppressed immune system. Towards the end of my first marathon training cycle, every lymph node in my body was swollen at one point. This part really hit home).

So, how should one fuel?

• Dixon recommends that you refuel as you are running. 
• If you do not like to train and fuel at the same time, and like to hit the road on an empty stomach, then his suggestion is to make up the deficit of calories within 60-90 minutes after the workout. He says you don't have to count every calorie, but to have an idea that you are trying to refill your body with this fuel as soon as you can. He suggests a combination of carbohydrates and some protein.
• By refueling and resting right away (or during the workout), your body will start repairing faster for that next workout.

***
So...what am I going to do with this information? Do some experimenting.

Calories spent are easily counted for me. I burn an average of 100 calories for each mile ran. (You can use an online calculator to find out your own caloric burn).

• If I am running 8 miles as a short run, I need to make up approximately 800 calories within 60-90 minutes to properly refuel. If I run 20 miles, that means 2,000 calories. That's a LOT of calories to make up.

What's the best way to make up the caloric deficit of running?


After doing a google search on Matt Dixon (I know this is starting to sound like and advertisement, but I am not connected in any way), I was surprised to see that pro triathlete, James Cotter, is coached by him. In an odd coincidence, I read his wife's blog Cotter Crunch. Lindsay put me in contact with him and this was his advice regarding fueling while running:

"For fueling now I take taking on calories during and right after workouts much more serious. I use to be in the thought that not eating during would be great to lose weight. Turns out if you don't fuel correctly, ( it) results in the big sugar cravings later that evening because you were not able to replenish the glycogen stores in the muscle.

For the run, since you don't burn as many calories and real food isn't practical, I just use liquid calories. I normally mix a fuel belt with x2 gels diluted in water and aim for 100-150  calories an hour. I also will use carbo pro with a few pinches of salt.

Post activity is normally a glass of chocolate milk/recovery solution straight away. 40 minutes later it will be a carbohydrate focused meal. The longer the run, the more calories the meal. This will help replenish all your glycogen stores, put your body in a better state to workout the next day, and prevent all your carb craving in the evening. Basically you fuel with cabs so you don't crave carbs later in the day since carbs are absorbed by the body much better when working out compared to when not."

• I, like James, (and so many of you), am going to start fueling while I run so I have less of a deficit to make up, and so that my body will have all the salts it needs to prevent cramping (which can lead to strains or tears).*
• I am wearing a fuel belt on almost all runs, so I will be used to it for a race. I hope to be better hydrated in my next marathon, and I don't want to take chances.

Who knows if this experimentation will lead to anything great, but I am willing to give it a shot- if anything, for my immune system.

If I find it doesn't suit me, I can always go back to my old system. And, now I will be used to wearing the fuel belt I couldn't stand before.
***

Since I can't embed the podcast, here is a video featuring Dixon that is related to recovery.

I am interested in hearing any and all your thoughts on this. I am just beginning to start exploring training with fuel- so any recommendations are welcome!

 * late edit:  electrolyte/salt imbalances do not cause cramping ( Lore of Running,  Noakes MD. 4th edition, pg 822-823). Thanks for the tip, AM

Training: Knocking the "RUST" loose, Christmas wrap-up, and a Nutrition question for YOU.

My family appreciated my little blog break, but I am ready to dive back into reading and writing again!

Training updates:
The Eugene marathon is quickly approaching. I have been increasing my mileage without much speed work, but am now entering into the next phase. This will include 2 quality days/week for the duration of this cycle, (Unless I completely change my mind!). I managed to get back to back weeks at around 70 miles, just running easy with some strides and about 20 minutes total T pace.

Yesterday I did my first workout of "hard" repeats: 5 minutes "hard" followed by  3 minutes of aerobic recovery (AR). The recipe called for "sets" of 4 minutes of hard with 3 minutes AR, but as usual, I read my plan the night before and went out the door in the morning with something different in my mind. So, YES...I need to print this out and look at it more closely. (Nothing new there!)
Side note: I am considering posting my "plan", maybe even just a "hypothetical plan" here so that readers can more closely see it. Maybe that would be useful to me as well... :)

What is "Hard"?
HARD seems rather subjective. Perhaps the author of the plan left it that way knowing there would be a loss of speed after not racing or doing speed work for over a month. I aimed for my Interval pace for the 5 minutes hard, but hit lower than where the Vdot calculator has me (about 6:15-6:30 for 6 repeats). It felt "hard" though, so that must count for something! As I see it, I am "knocking the rust loose" and it will take time for my legs and lungs to remember. Perhaps I need to do to short race to find out where my real Vdot is, but I hate to waste money and not get a PR. So maybe I will do a little time trial instead.


Nutrition/hydration

Due to the mileage increase, I have been experimenting a bit with nutrition.On today's run I wore a hydration belt. This was while on the TM, because I fully expected to ditch it within the first mile, like every other belt I have ever worn....

photo by google

But, it stayed on! I really need to get used to one, because I believe I could take minutes off of my marathon PR simply by hydrating better.


 Nutrition Questions for you*:

Do you fuel while you train? Why or why not? 

Do you count calories in regards to training?

*I plan to follow this up with a "rare" performance-related nutrition post.

***
We had a wonderful Christmas, there are so many things I have to be thankful for. We are truly blessed to serve a Living God who showed us His mercy by sending Jesus- His son- as a ransom for us!

A few things I especially found Joy in this Christmas:

• Having both my parents and Jon's  parents to our home on Christmas Day.
• Spending Christmas Eve with our church family singing, worshiping and eating treats.
• Finding out a friend of ours is breast cancer-free, for the second time!
• Finding out that I don't have skin cancer...Thank you for the push there, Mom.
• Seeing a sunrise on Christmas Eve morning run (while out of town), that took my breath away. Deep plum, dark gray streaks, fading to bright salmon pink and silver.
• Keeping things SIMPLE

Some photos from our Christmas:

We never taught our children about Santa....but they find him irresistible.

Writing his own letter ...He asked for snow. :)

Oh boy!  Cabela's fun...

What I run, What I burn, What I eat

Random post warning!

Also included, (but not limited to) : tuna, protein powder (plain & bulk), elk meat, venison, ham, cucumbers, apples (by the box), hummus, lots and lots of bread, peaches & pears.

I REALLY don't know why I made this post.

I am NOT a foodie. I do like to eat, though. I am an omnivore...

Milk is probably 20% of my diet. It would be interesting to see for sure. 

But I have no desire to keep track =D . 

We have two refrigerators -one is mostly for milk so we don't run out. 

(This never used to be a problem, but we have kiddos who drink it- then I started to about 2 years ago)

Oh....and I forgot popcorn!

I go into food jags (for breakfast, lunch & snacks), until I get bored or the kids start to complain. Dinner is where I serve most of the vegetables..except for the smoothies with spinach.

When I am baaaaad, and there are no more chocolate chips, I mix up cocoa powder with sugar and butter and eat it plain. Yep. 

But I put stevia in my coffee, because I don't want to run on straight sugar first thing in the morning. :)

Making Vows, Other "Stuff" - and 9 weeks left!

Running stuff:
Well, I survived the week!!! Another 20 miler done I am really looking forward to a "restful" cutback before the "monster month" of training that lies ahead.

Somehow I have managed to get through 7 weeks of  this training plan without injury *insert HAPPY DANCE here*.

At this point I am higher in MPW (miles/week)  than my peak for my first marathon (last May) was.
Yet, with Eugene training, I was icing Achilles tendons and the fronts of my ankles, etc...and wondering if I should be cutting back mileage.  I am a hard-head and went on through it. I know its a big blessing  not to be injured, and I am so grateful for it.
I am really glad that I slowly starting building my mileage after Eugene last year- so I have already hit the 70 MPW mark back in October. That has to help with the injuries. We shall see how it goes as I continue to increase over the next 5 weeks.

Short race?
I'd really like to do a "formal" speed check sometime soon and might throw in to a short race, if I can find one that doesn't mess up my training too much.

Hill stuff: (addressing some comments)
First off- I love downhills, but can understand not loving downhills. I love MY downhills. I don't know that I will love steep or long downhills on a course that I have never ran.
I hope the hill running and weights will build both my strength and my confidence. I  am still new to the distance and my habits have been to err toward holding back too much. My strategies are starting to change, though.

Here are some VOWS I will make publicly (to hold my bad-self accountable).

I vow to:

• get two more hours of sleep each week
• get intimate with my foam roller at least twice a day, 4 times if I can!!
• keep up on the weights through the first week of April.
• NOT MAKE PIZZA for dinner the night before a long run. It just ain't workin'!!! I will spare you the details, but will just say that I don't want to be inventing a portable TP dispenser for running with. How do people carb load the night before a race? I'll never know!!...It must be without fiber.
• No fiber after 7 PM. I don't care how bad that banana or chocolate roll is calling my name. I am saying NO!
• Carefully consider my training plan each week and make changes as necessary. (I am already considering redesigning the monster month to have a few runs broken into doubles. I will probably do this on interval days, since I don't want to break up any long tempos or medium long/ long runs.)
• Get to my race weight- but not really sure what the bottom line is. I know I am close now and have a lot of miles to put in.  I think things will balance out, as my appetite is really picking up. I made a REAL PIG out of myself Saturday and Sunday. I was famished Saturday night and made cinnamon rolls, without cinnamon- instead I slathered chocolate inside before rolling up and cutting. I ate so much chocolate in the process that I didn't feel like eating the rolls when they were done.
• Try to be nice to those around me who are not training for a marathon and have no idea how much I want to take a nap. =D

Also, special thanks to Jenn and Meg and Jill who continue to give me VERY VALUABLE advice regarding Boston. THANKS, Ladies!!! Any other tips are greatly appreciated.
I am currently wondering about corrals, since I have never been in one.  It will be a whole new concept for me- and I am not sure if I am going to be in the right one. I have a little research to do there.

OM Goodness! 9 weeks left!!!

Other stuff:
You might have noticed a few changes on my blog, like the header.  Nathan, my oldest son (6) took it on a road a few miles from home. Thanks to Tina and Slugo for the comments last post- I have had the hardest time settling on a header I like since I want to be pictured, but not necessarily IN YOUR FACE all the time. I think I am going to stick with the new header for a while. Maybe =D...


Also- I found a new blogger, or rather she found me...Niz at Run, Niz, Run! - Go check her blog out. Great stuff there =D.

For Believers
I also added a Christian blogs section. It's my goal to use my running (and blogging) to glorify God. In time I hope to get my "steps of faith" tab going again, once I can reestablish all the links to the proper places. There is also something else faith-related that I hope I can post soon.

Recently I was listening to a podcast from http://www.marathontalk.com/ where Ryan Hall was interviewed. Listening to him really inspired me to use my gifts more. He talked about all sorts of things marathon related on that episode, but the part where he discussed how he became a runner, and what he hopes to accomplish with his Hall Steps Foundation, was really interesting. In my opinion, here is a man who is humble about his gifts and wants to serve others. He understands that life isn't about running, but about relationships. It was worth listening to during my LR, even if with the "Click and Clack" of the marathoners talking before and after =D

For the ladies: the True Woman blog just started a 30 day husband encouragement challenge. I SO need this. If you are interested in joining me in this challenge, I would be thrilled. I am sure your husband would be too. ;)

And yes...it is VALENTINE'S DAY today! So happy Valentine's Day to you.

 I bought myself chocolate =D ...

Really, I have the best hubby in the world for ME- he fixed the sink and cleaned the garage yesterday (That's way better than candy or flowers) and he gave me three of the most beautiful boys in the world...and he watches them while I spend hours of running each week. Man after my own heart!

1600 Repeats and Time to Tighten the Belt (more)

The training part
It was cold (for here) this morning- right around 34F. Today's workout plan was for 10 miles with 3 x 1600 at 6:26.  Usually it takes me a while to warm up and sometimes I'll go 5 miles before doing intervals or tempo runs.

After 2.5 warm up, I turned around and started looking for the milepost. About a half a mile later I was there and beeped my watch for the first 1600.

Normally, the first is my slowest.  Today I kept that in mind and tried to put forth a bit more effort going out of the gate. I had a lot of recovery running time between intervals (would have liked a bit less, I wanted 800, but got more like 1200 or even 1600 one time) due to my pre-mapped routes and using the mileposts. This isn't rocket science (though sometimes I like to pretend it is) and sometimes we just have to adapt to our training scenarios. 

My splits were 6:05, 6:26 (opposite direction on same stretch, but on the money!) and 6:20.

Tightening the belt
Like so many others right now, my family is faced with some economic struggles. (I say this and realize we are doing so much better than 90% of the world (Praise God)...but it's harder than we are used to). My husband is in the middle of a huge work slowdown and has also had customers who were either slow to pay or just say they can't pay (yet).

One thing we both have agreed to do is to try to become more efficient and less wasteful of what we have- including groceries. Our goal is to spend less in this area, but still maintain healthy nutrition guidelines (and feed a marathon training mom!).

Jon asked me to write a dinner menu  calendar that we could use to make our shopping lists with. I was happy to oblige! When I did this in the past, I found it made meal prep easier, as I had the ingredients I needed on hand and I wasn't scratching my head for ideas at the last minute.



Have you ever used a meal calendar?

If so, what's your experience been with it?

What meals are winners at your house? I recycle a lot of meal ideas and my big problems is keeping things interesting and simple at the same time, while using food the kids will still eat.