How I Fuel For Those Really Long Runs

If you’ve actually been reading this drivel that I click ‘post’ on every week, you might remember I had a particularly bad 15 mile long run. For those that saved themselves from that and my other posts, I’ll summarize:

I considered many things about that run, and the following weeks seem to confirm that I was under-fueled. Since then, I think I figured out a system that works. Mind you, this isn’t backed up by solid science, but I don’t think I’m breaking new ground here, either.

Proper Dinner

Every great long run begins the night before. I’ve been eating spaghetti with meatballs and a beer (and after the last spaghetti and meatball dinner I ate before writing this, I think one of the best pairings for this is a Flander’s Red, which is not what is shown in the image).

Proper Breakfast

There are times when running in a fasted state is fine (and I truthfully do it all the time), but not before races and really long runs. I start the day with a few slices of toast with peanut butter and honey if I’m in the mood. I also sip coffee on my way to wherever I’m running unless I’m running just around the corner.

Breakfast of champions right here – peanut butter toast with honey.

During the Run

I do two things during the run. One is Gu, generally following the package suggestion except I don’t take one 15 minutes before unless it’s a race. The other is a sports drink (especially if it’s warm out!). Most of my long runs use Gatorade Endurance because it’s available on the Flying Pig course, although I have used Nuun Hydration a little, too.

During half marathon races, I tend to take Gu 15 before and at 0:45 and 1:30 unless I’ve hit mile 12. During the Marathon, my plan is 15 minutes before and at 0:45, 1:30, 2:15, and 3:00 unless I’ve hit mile 25 (that’s really unlikely for my current fitness level, but maybe some day). For the longest of runs, I’ve been using cherry-lime Roctane Gu for the 0:45 and chocolate outrage for the rest.

During races longer than 10k, I tend to drink around every 2 miles, but that is weather dependent – hotter weather will mean that I might drink more often. I stuck with water for a long time, only occasionally using Gatorade, but now for everything 14 miles and longer and anything in the heat, I’ve been using a sports drink to help replace electrolytes.

It’s pretty important to fuel and drink BEFORE you need it – once you’ve hit the wall (either by glycogen depletion or dehydration), you’re past the point at which fuel/drink will help soon enough to get you back into a run or race.

I’m pretty sure that above statement is backed by science, too.

Gu. 15 before races only, every 45 during long runs and races

That’s how I do it.

September 11, 2015

Running Reboot

Disclaimer: I’m an engineer, not a doctor!

The Return From Injury Plan

I’m back to running! I have a race on September 19 – the Hudepohl 14k – that I registered for last year (I paid for all three of the Beer Series races and got a nice shirt outta the deal). I wrote this early and figured I might make edits and adjustments as necessary, but I wanted this as a plan-in-progress just in case.

There is a lot of advice out there regarding getting back, but a lot of it is for shorter off-times with less ‘fitness maintenance’ while injured. And that’s not a bad thing – many of the posts I’ve seen are for getting back from stress fractures in legs or feet or IT Band Syndrome. You cannot run while suffering from any of those. My injury was different because I could and did some running while injured.

Prior to being given the release to go back to full time running, I was doing walk/running that went like this:

5 minute walk warm up
Alternate 2.5 minute run/2.5 minute walk for 40 minutes
Finish with a 7.5 minute run that later increased to 10 minutes.

This ended up with 36 total minutes of running.

In starting back, I did the following, all at an easy pace and on not-terribly-hilly routes:

Week 1 (8/30/2015): 15 minute run Su*, 20 minute run M, 30 minute runs T-Th, 45 minute run Friday
Week 2: 40 minute runs M-Th, 60 minute run Friday
Week 3: 50 minute runs M-Th, 20 minute run Friday, 14k race Saturday (which could take me as long as 90 minutes)
Week 4: up to 20 minute run M (as determined by feel), 45 minute runs T-Th, 60 minute run Friday
Week 5 and 6: 60 minute runs M and W, 45 minute runs T and Th, 75 minute run Friday
Week 7 and 8: 7 mile runs M and W, 4.5 mile runs T and Th, 75 minute run Fridays
Week 9 and after: begin transitioning back to my standard weeks prior to hurting my back in February (which started the downward spiral)
- Start with moving Mondays to hills
- 2 weeks later, add in speed work
- 2 weeks after that, move Fridays from 75 minutes to mileage and ultimately increase to 10 miles (75 minutes should be around 8 miles).

.* = This was an “ease in” run that was really to test sustained running. Very easy pace. This was based on the day I got a spinal injection.

The “standard” week for me:

Monday: 7 miles hills (from my office across from Sawyer Point, go up Eggleston, the FP Half Marathon course through Eden Park)
Tuesday: 4.5 miles easy + 5 strides
Wednesday: Speedwork
Thursday: 4.5 miles easy + 5 strides
Friday: 10 miles long slow distance

I rotate speedwork through the following:

1 mile warmup, 12*1/4 mile intervals with 1/4 mile easy run between, 1/2 mile cool down
1 mile warmup, 8*1/2 mile intervals with 1/4 mile easy run between, 1/2 mile cool down
1 mile warmup, 4*1 mile intervals with 1/2 mile easy run between, 1/2 mile cool down
Tempo run TBD

Note that the tempo run is TBD. The last speedwork I did before injury was a very long tempo run. I believe this very long tempo run is what set me up for injury, so I may do something like 32 mile tempo runs or 23 mile tempo runs, each with a 1/2 mile (roughly 5 minutes) easy run between.

Things to Look Forward To

My running year is generally the following:

Bockfest 5k
Little Kings Mile
Flying Pig *something* (the last two years it was a half marathon, I’m considering changing it up this next time)
Brian Rohne Memorial Run (5k up until 2015, when it was a 3200m actual cross country run and part of a series)
Hudepohl 14k

Beyond these “bare bones”, I will do at least one, maybe two half marathons this coming year. I might do a full marathon in fall of 2016. And I want to add in a few 10ks, because I’ve run ONE. In 2013. Since then I’ve run thousands of practice miles and I KNOW I can run faster and better than that 1:08:37!

Cheers!

August 28, 2015

The 5 Stages Of Running Injury Recovery

Like the 5 Stages Of Grief, there’s 5 Stages Of Running Injury Recovery.

Note: foul language throughout. This is not well researched, either, so if you’re a runner and skipped any of these stages, I sincerely hope it was the first one. If not that, then the 3rd one is a good stage to skip too, since it didn’t work for me and doesn’t work in the 5 Stages of Grief either.

1. Pain

Let’s face it, if you have time to go through 5 stages and remember them, the injury fucking hurt. If it was like my injury, you were limping and the pain got worse.

2. Despair

Runners run. Injured runners do not. And it sucks ass. During this stage, my wife complained about me being in a stupor. Really, it was just that I wasn’t getting that occasional runner’s high. Worse, I get Runner’s World, so I was unable to run but getting a magazine centered around (guess what?) running. And of course the cover pic: a runner running. And if not running, they’re at least dressed in the proper attire.

3. Bargaining

Many runners, myself included, shy away from races that require you to raise money (via sponsorships, as opposed to just paying an entry fee and being done with it) . I have a family, a full time job, I ran ~34 miles a week when not injured, I brew beer, and I run multiple web sites. I don’t need to be a whore for some organization that can’t make it’s own money.

Dear Lord,

If I can run pain free by the middle of next week, I’ll do one of those sponsorship runs, and I’ll even try to raise a metric shit ton of money.

Amen.

No, it didn’t work. I’m lucky. The jury’s still out on whether God gives two shits about sponsorship runs. I think they feel dirty unless it’s like the Boston Marathon, where there is still an option to pay… If you’re fast enough. And that’s not a complaint – Boston is one of many runners’ ulimate goals, including mine (and preferably before I’m so old the race director says “at your age, if you can run a marathon, you’re in!”).

4. Relapse

Physical therapy only goes so far, and it doesn’t replace the runner’s high. When the physical therapist says “maybe you can start working in some running, but WE HAVE TO TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR”, you conveniently ignore the part they yelled at you. And you run. A 5k is like a joint to a jittery pot smoker that hasn’t had a smoke in a month or more (I’m not sure if that makes sense, I’ve never smoked pot, but that’s what I THINK it is like).

But at PT, that elliptical (something I’ve only seen, never used) becomes a way to go fast… well, treadmill fast, which still feels like a hamster in a wheel. But I’d rather be healthy running in a hamster wheel than injured.

5. Reloading

Treatment plans have an end, which is one treatment after the insurance deductible is met (for me, anyway). In the past week, I’ve been reading more: You (Only Faster) (affiliate link) and thinking more about post-injury training and nutrition. I’ve viewed more YouTube videos on training topics as well. And I’ve lost 0.6 lbs last week! Next up is Racing Weight (another affiliate link) , and then Born To Run (yeah, that one’s an affiliate link too).

Next Race: The Hudepohl 14k. Depending on the outcome of what I hope is the last part of my treatment plan, I hope to run the 14k and not drop to the 7k. This is going to the blog a day after a shot that now has my back all achy. SUPPOSEDLY, I’ll be able to run full time (none of this run/walk shit) Monday.

🍻

February 1, 2015

Oatmeal Recipe: Blueberry-Cinnamon-Brown Sugar

Wow, a rare running post on RunningOnBeer.net!

I’m trying to get off my kick of eating cherry Pop-Tarts, a wonderfully tasting processed food. So I had my wife buy me some plain oatmeal. Plain. No flavor. She also bought some blueberries for me. So I decided to make it edible.

Blueberry-Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Oatmeal

1/8 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Brown Sugar

A few sprinkles of salt

Small handful of frozen blueberries

1 pack Quaker Instant Oats – plain. No flavor.

Mix oatmeal according to package directions, add sugar, spices, and blueberries. Microwave for the highest time on the package. Stir. Eat. Enjoy. Feel free to adjust anything above to taste.

2015-01-20 06.17.51 — Spice and sugar mix.

2015-01-20 06.18.11 — The amount of blueberries I used.

2015-01-21 07.15.42 — Finished product. It’s good.

This will do well to pull me off the processed jelly-filled goodness of cherry poptarts.

Cheers!

November 3, 2014

Running: 888 Miles In, 112 To Go…

I’ve been doing a lot on the beer side, but not much worth writing about. On the running side, there’s not much worth writing about mostly because you have to be pretty damn funny of a writer to get people interested in running blog posts. Since it’s Monday morning and there is no such thing as funny on a Monday morning, I figured I’d at least update this blog with a nice milestone.

I guess I could go to Memegenerator and grab the “ain’t nobody got time for that” meme pic and add “Jokes on a Monday Morning? ANGTFT!”, but it’s Monday morning and I don’t have time for that.

Since starting on my crazy-assed goal of running 1,000 miles this year last June (when I had somewhere around 420-450 miles in), I’ve run an additional 420-450 miles to make it up to 888. I figure I should break 1,000 around Thanksgiving. I’ll break 900 this week. Because I’m crazy.

Cheers!

August 30, 2014

620 Miles…

…is how many miles I’ve logged this year. 620.56 to be exact. I love that I have Endomondo to track that for me.

Today was a 9 mile run in preparation for the Hudepohl 14k (this is “Running on Beer”, after all!). The H14k is probably my favorite run. One reason is because it is meant to be fun.

Another two reasons why it is my favorite are that the wimps all run the 7k, and the real runners run the 14k (we lose the 7k runners about 2 miles into the course where they turn back) and the route. The route has many breweries marked (many in places that are no longer breweries or even buildings at this point) and that we get to go through the Dalton Street Tunnel under Union Terminal. Also, there are only two decent hills that are not killers – Brighton Bridge and Liberty Street. These are easy compared to going up Gilbert in the Flying Pig Marathon!

This year I might be prepared a little early, but I’m ramping up mileage because I want to break 1,000 miles this year. I decided on this in June or so, when I only had 418 miles in. With recent increases, I expect I’ll likely break 1,000 miles around Thanksgiving. Also, having a good long run (which will probably be around 10 miles) will put me in a very good position for whatever half marathon I run next year, whether it be the Pig (where my 2:17 is unfinished business because I KNOW I can do better) or something else.

Anyway, below are some pics from last year.