Runners Lounge is hosting its normal Take It and Run Thursday today. The topic is fuel for the long run. If I'm running 10+ miles, here's what I usually do:
* about 1 hour prior to running, I eat half of a whole grain bagel, toasted and either plain or a bit of peanut butter. I also eat a banana
* about 15 minutes before running, I eat a Gu (I love the Chocolate Outrage) and drink 10-15 ounces of water
* every couple of miles while running, I drink Gatoraid
* at about mile 6-6.5, I eat another Gu
Why? Because it helps me get to the end. Even so, in the heat and humidity of this summer, I still feel pretty wiped out at the end, but I don't tolerate heat well at all (my running group has put me in an elite category of one of the top 3 perspirers in the group).
Summer -- go away ... NOW! Aihhh! This morning summer descended. OK, I realize that 67° is tolerable ... when you've had the chance to acclimate and when it wasn't 48° two days ago and 40° yesterday. Drew and I headed out at 6:00am to do 13.1. We wimped out and cut just under 2 miles out. I ended up doing 11.4 miles at an 8:36 mpm pace. It was tough but doable but I oh, so prefer 35°-55° for running.
This weekend, our church is celebrating its 20th anniversary. They decided to do a Gayton Gives Back event and do community service from 9-12. So, I finished my run, took a (relatively) quick shower, wolfed down breakfast and then pulled wire grass out of flower beds at an assisted living center for about 2.5 hours. Then, home for lunch and out to cut our yard full of weeds grass. Now I'm drinking a mug of chai, reading blogs, talking with my wife and daughter, and watching the Food Network. Heading back to the church in about 30 minutes for a BBQ dinner.
This has nothing to do with either running or Easter (although, if you do say these things, the ability to run fast and faaaaaar would be very useful), but it's hilarious (thanks to Yoni Freedhoff at the blog, Weighty Matters):
Running? This morning I did a Good Friday 12.8 miles in 1:48:07. It was hard, but, then, 12.8 miles is a long way.
The question as to whether running on grass or trails is easier on one's joints than running on hard surfaces (i.e., roads) has perplexed me. On the one hand, it seems to make some intuitive sense that the softer surface of grass or trails would absorb some of the stress of the pounding. On the other hand, it would also seem to be only a very slight advantage and any advantage might well be offset by the greater stress on those same joints caused by running on a less stable (more uneven) surface.
Well, an Australian study that will published in Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise and that has been reported in Runner's World's Peak Performance and on PubMed, indicates that there may not be any significant difference in the actual effects of running on grass or roads. Inflammation and chemical indicators of stress were higher after running than before running and were higher after high-intensity workouts than after lower-intensity workouts. However, there were no differences between doing the same workout on grass or on a bitumen (asphalt or tarmac) road surface.
Since road surfaces are much more convenient to me for running it's nice to know that I'm probably not doing any additional damage to my knees and other joints by taking the more convenient route. I do enjoy running on trails because of the change and the scenery.
I'm planning a long (12 mile) run tomorrow morning. If the rain holds off or isn't too bad, I'll do another 4-6 miles on Saturday morning before heading to the airport to fly to South Africa. While in South Africa, I hope to get in at least a few higher altitude (5700') runs.
Run well, y'all, Bob
The message of Easter: He is not here; he has risen just as he said. (Matthew 28:6)
It's been a long time since I posted anything about running. Mostly, it's because I've been really bummed about running lately. I've felt like I was regressing -- every run, even the short ones, seemed hard. Well, today was different -- a total of 14.4 miles (3 segments of 0.67, 8.13, and 5.6 miles) at an average pace of 8:07 mpm. I was with a group of 4 for the 8.13 miles segment and we did the 8th mile at about 7:12 -- the one with the Garmin said we hit <6:45 at one point. YES!!
Next Saturday, I'm running the Maymont X-Terra Half Marathon and today's run was a real mental boost for me.
Of course, the weather probably had something to do with the run. It was 50° when we headed out and had hit a blazing 58° when I finished. What a relief after the summer weather. Predictions are a mid-50's start for next Saturday.
Today was the last longish run before the Patrick Henry Half Marathon next weekend. It wasn't too bad -- 8.2 miles at 8:22 mpm. The weather has been better the last few days and is predicted to be just as moderate for the next week. I wouldn't mind a 65° temperature at start time on Saturday. :)
Also, at some point in the last week, the Move a Million Miles for Ryan Hall project passed the 1 million mile mark. As of 8:35 this morning, 3258 people had recorded 1,398,833 miles (433 of those were mine).
Ryan Hall and Michael Phelps were topics of discussion on our run this morning.
If you didn't see Phelps' 7th gold medal 100 m butterfly race last night, you missed one dramatic finish! [Washington Post article or NBC's video -- if you can watch the video, the reactions of Phelps' mother of the man in front of her are priceless] The commentators called it a fingernail finish -- .01 seconds separated Phelps from Cavic. I went to bed right after that but learned, after my run this morning, that Serbia had disputed the ruling. But, the officials watched their very high definition video and ruled that Phelps had won. Amazingly, Phelps was in 7th place when he turned at the halfway point. Frankly, it did seem impossible that Phelps had won because Cavic had his arms stretched to the wall while Phelps' arms were still moving forward above the water. But, Cavic 'coasted' in while Phelps took a final half-stroke and that push was the difference.
Do you think Ryan Hall will win the marathon next Saturday? That was the question we started our run with this morning. I am a big Ryan Hall fan both for his incredible running and for his genuine faith in Christ. I would love to see him win, but I'm predicting a bronze medal for him in this Olympics. (Maybe I'll get to eat my words!) I think he has a real shot at gold in 2012 but I think the Kenyans will take gold and silver in 2008. Having lived in Kenya for 18.5 years, I'll be almost as happy about that outcome as I will be if Hall wins. Who do you think will win the men's marathon?
After my awful 13.1 mile run last week and then reading all the posts on the Runners' Lounge blog on the Tough Stuff, I made up my mind that I was going to do whatever it took to have a better run today -- scheduled 14.1 miler. So, I tried to hydrate well on Friday, get a decent night's sleep Friday night, focus on having a positive mental outlook, get a mantra, and run smart. It worked:
Hydration on Friday: at least 86 oz of liquids plus fruit Sleep: 7 hours Mental:I'm looking forward to this run. Mantra:Uwe hodari na moyo wa ushujaa (Swahili from Joshua 1:6-9, Be strong and courageous) Target pace was 8:47 and I ran at 8:49 and stayed with a group of 3 others
I felt very good through 11 miles -- in fact, I was surprised when we hit the 10 mile point. At mile 12, I was having to tell myself more often to be strong and courageous -- I really wanted to walk but decided that I had to run through the half marathon distance. Then, when we got to mile 13, there was only 1 mile remaining and I couldn't quit. I ran the full distance with the exception of the water stops. While I was as physically tired as last week, I felt so much better having gotten through the mental stuff that I don't feel nearly as badly.
So, out of the last 3 longer runs of 11, 13, and 14 miles, my mind has prevailed on the 11 and 14 mile runs. YES!!!
I actually ran 14.92 miles because I ran 0.75 miles to the start of the group run.
I hope your run today is just as good -- mind over body.
I had a one-week reprieve from the humidity and heat of Richmond. Spent a great vacation week in Highlands, NC. The temperature when I ran in the mornings was 49-54° and the humidity was around 54%. It was wonderful. The mountain roads were not conducive to running as they were narrow, had many blind curves, and no verges on which to escape the traffic, so I drove into town and ran Highlands' sidewalks -- still was able to do a 6-miler and two 5-milers, one of which included hill repeats. It was great!
In addition, we took in the waterfalls that are in the area. The best were Glen Falls -- the elevation change was 700'+/-. The literature said it was a 1.4 mile trail, each way, but I think it had to be farther. Whitewater Falls were also awesome -- with a 411' drop, they are the highest falls in the US east of the Mississippi River. Anyway, 3 hikes and 3 runs was pretty good.
I don't want to bore you with home slides, but here are a few from the hikes:
Whitewater Falls
Glen Falls, 3rd falls -- Bob and Linda
Glen Falls, 4th falls
Crocodile in the Water! :)
Glen Falls Trail
Today was my long run -- 11.2 miles @ 8:28 mpm. The run itself was hard but the soreness (OK, pain) afterwards is worse. I'm experimenting with Gu's, Shot Bloks, and Gatorade. I had a Gu before running, ate a Shot Blok every 3 miles, and drank 20 oz of Gatorade over the 11 miles. I think it helped but I'm going to try a Shot Blok every 2 miles to see if it's better.
Now, the part you've been waiting for -- Deux chats sur un tapis roulant (Cats on a Treadmill -- at least I think that's what the French says). Merry, who wrote Thursday's post at Cranky Fitness, found this one. Being the good blogger that I am, I stole, ah, referenced her find. This is pretty funny -- much more fun than actually running on a treadmill!
I am impressed with Ryan Hall both as a runner and as a person. When I came across the Move a Million Miles project, I knew I had to publicize it here.
Support Ryan Hall’s quest for Olympic Marathon Gold. Join me in supporting Big Bear Lake running hero Ryan Hall's quest for 2008 Olympic Marathon gold. The Lighthouse Project challenges you to help Move a Million Miles before Ryan’s Olympic Marathon this summer in Beijing, China. Through shared pride and support for Ryan, this spirit initiative encourages an engaged and active lifestyle, as well as demonstrates the benefits of integrity, commitment and involvement to our youth.
It's simple to participate. Go to the site, click the "Report Your Miles" tab, and enter your information. Use the same identifying information each week so that your miles accumulate.
I had the best long run in over a month. I ran 11.5 today in 1:34.06.8 (8:08 mpm). Then, we spent the rest of the day at Colonial Williamsburg. Good day.
How is it possible, when I've been running regularly for 5 years and have run 25-40 miles per week for the last 2-3 months, that I can be so sore after a long run today? It makes no sense. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my age. :)
Today was the last long run before the Richmond 10K next Saturday. Next week is taper week with only 17 miles plus the race. My plan is to run the race, hopefully sub-45:00, then head back to the start to run/walk the race again with my wife.
Today's long run was again in 3 parts, with a 3-5 minute break between each:
8.0643 mi -- 65:39.02 -- 8:08.45 mpm -- by myself 5.0000 mi -- 38:52.25 -- 7:46.45 mpm -- with the training group 0.7844 mi -- 06:20.83 -- 8:05.50 mpm -- home by myself 13.8487 mi - 110:52.10 - 8:00.34 mpm -- TOTAL
Can you see yourself using this chair? Yoni Freedhoff, author of the Weighty Matters blog, posted this yesterday. Watching it makes me a little ill. I believe it would throw my back out like nobody's business. And, how in the world would you talk on the phone or type coherently on a computer while this thing is tossing you around? Would you buy one?
I think I'll stick to running! :) Speaking of running, it's the end of the 2nd week of training for the Richmond 10K. I was traveling so did some switching of workouts -- 4 easier runs Sun-Wed of 4.5-6.5 miles, half-mile repeats yesterday, and a long run today. Today's run started with a warm-up jog (0.4 mi) to the local YMCA to join up with the intermediate group run (4 miles), and then finished with 8.5 miles by myself. That's a total run of 12.9 miles in 1:48 or an average pace of 8:22 mpm (all numbers rounded and the map does not include the initial warm-up jog). Except for the half-marathon in September, that's my longest run ever. It was a good run in many ways.
One of my problems in the half-marathon was that I had not done enough longer runs and just didn't have the leg strength and endurance I wanted. So, I'm modifying my RW training plan and have made my Saturday runs longer. I'm hoping that will give me the endurance that I want.
