Fluids

      The summer months are great for talking about fluids and you can find tons of articles on the subject. What amazes me is that I drink a lot in the winter too. The subject of fluids and dehydration is one that should be talked about year round. I remember a time when coaches discouraged drinking anything during practice. I am still amazed that in sports today this still happens and yet the research and my own experiences tell me that anyone who does not get enough fluids and electrolytes will not be able to sustain a high level of activity.

      I was in one distance race 12 years ago and there was no electrolytes given out at the water stops. I was begging anyone along the course with a sports drink for a sip but no one would help. I bonked badly and I have since carried 12 to 16 ounces of Gatorade in every race over 10 miles even if they have an electrolyte drink on the course. I don’t like to take any chances on what the race organizers will hand out because it may not even be drinkable.  I like to drink when my body needs it and not when it is available every two to five miles. I don’t think this slows me down even with the added weight and I feel it helps me better hydrate because I can regulate when I drink and how much. I use the aid stations for water either to drink (if palatable) or toss on my head. The carriers with four small 4 ounce bottles I find are the most convenient and have little bounce while running. Be sure to get the ones with the little elastic straps on top of each bottle to hold them in place. There is nothing worse then bending over to tie your shoe and having the bottles fall out just as the gun goes off. This happened to me at Big Sur in 2004 – what a mess.

      Fluids and electrolytes in the summer months, no matter where you live, are absolutely critical to your running. It is my recommendation that you consume an electrolyte solution and/or capsule (I prefer Hammer Endurolytes) while doing a long run. I know this sounds elementary but sometimes during the summer I forget to take in enough electrolytes during and after my workouts — on hot days too. The next day I can’t figure out why I am so wiped out. If I look back, I can see that I did not replace my electrolytes in a timely manner. So I suggest that you make a bottle or put a bottle of you favorite “sport” drink in the refrigerator for after your run. I recommend watered down Gatorade but you should use what you like. You should also consider taking an electrolyte capsule as an additional supplement for afterwards. One thing I like about Gatorade is it is available everywhere and is also found in powder form which is good for traveling.  I have tried many other sport drinks but none of them seem to work any better and generally taste worse.

      Consuming fluids in the winter time is just as important as in summer. For the past four years in a row I have trained and competed in spring marathons. Big Sur in 2004 and 2006, and The Avenue of the Giants in 2005 and 2007. During my winter training which was cold and sometimes very nasty I had to keep reminding myself that I still need to drink and consume electrolytes during my long runs. My clothing keeps me warm and I sweat – so I needed to drink on the run. I have had problems when temperatures became cold enough to freeze my bottles. I realized that I had to use a sports drink with sodium in it to lower the freezing point of the liquid so I could consume it during my run. Otherwise, all I would get was a big snow cone in my bottle and no liquid. Sometimes the mixture had to be less watered down then I would like in order to increase the sodium content. I like to use only 50% to 60% of the recommended mixture. This is usually the point where any less it tastes terrible.

      Water alone can be problem for many people when consumed in great quantities during and after a long race. There is a lot of concern today about hydrotoxicity and the electrolyte imbalance created by consuming too much water too fast. I have not seen anyone in serious trouble during a long race from hydrotoxicity but water can be hard on the stomach by itself both during a run and after. I generally can’t keep water in my stomach after a long hard race. I can’t keep down beer or much of anything else either but that is another discussion. I am very cautious when I drink during a race and afterwards – I only take small sips. However, a friend of mine who is a veteran of 20+ marathons does not carry any fluids during the race and drinks a lot at aid stations or makes round trips to his house during long training runs — this works for him. Drinking too much during a long run or race does me no good and I think it has even proven to be detrimental. This can be observed by the “unloading” my stomach does after many a long race.

      I found that three good sips of any fluid when I need to drink during a long run or race works best to keep my stomach from rebelling. I don’t recommend drinking on a set schedule of so much every so many minutes. Fluid and electrolyte consumption is a very personal thing and everyone has different physical needs. Internal and external conditions play a major role in hydration so no rule of thumb is going to work best for you all the time. Common cense dictates that you are going to need to drink more the hotter and more humid the weather conditions. Listen to your body and it will tell you what you need. Try it out in a long run of 18+ miles to see if it works for you. I recommend you test several different fluid/electrolyte combinations in training before using them in a race.

      Drink-up and enjoy your next run.

      See you in the pack.

Build Up

      The art of running long distance is not as mysterious as many people think. I know many of you have run marathons in the past or are currently training for your next marathon or long distance race — maybe even an Ultra. But I think we can all agree that many times we don’t take the time to properly build-up our endurance for the race ahead. As a group, we often seek the “short cut” to getting prepared for race day. I will contend from experience that this is not a good idea.

      In 1998 while running in the Atlantic City, NJ Marathon I felt so horrible, due to lack of conditioning, that a little old lady sitting on a bench along the Boardwalk exclaimed “why would anyone want to run a marathon, just look at that man”  as I went by. The reason I felt so bad and looked even worse was a serious lack of conditioning, due in part, to a case of Plantar Fasciitis that kept me from doing a proper build-up to the race. I also puked in the trash can behind the race director after I received my medal and proceeded to lie on the boardwalk under a trailer for about 2 hours. While I felt the effort just to complete this race was great, my time was slow and I know I just was not prepared. There are no short cuts — I just was not ready to race and it showed.

      I know runners who look for plans to get ready for a marathon in an amazing 12 weeks. While they may complete the race, I don’t see how they will feel good about the effort. Most of us are only racing ourselves and our past times. We run not to just finish but to see if we can improve upon our last race at the same distance. I like to be prepared and then if the wheels come off, so be it. I can live with the results and try to do better next time.

      The following schedule is one I follow most of the year:

Monday – Off (usually after a long run)

Tuesday – Easy 5-6 miles

Wednesday – 3 to 12 hills (Hill is a good angle and takes around 3 minutes to climb to the top  - I then jog back down for rest) Increase 1 more hill every two weeks to a maximum of 12 around 8 weeks prior to the Marathon then back down by one each week to the race. I will do around 4-5 average when not getting ready for a race just for conditioning purposes.

Thursday – Easy 5-6 miles

Friday – 4-10 x800 yard repeats on the road. Increase 1×800 every two weeks for a maximum of 10 and around 8 weeks prior to the Marathon then back down by one each week to the race. I will do around 4 with a few easy miles thrown in when not getting ready for a race again for conditioning purposes.

Saturday – Easy 5-6 miles

Sunday – Long run minimum of 12 miles with a maximum of 22 miles. I alternate with 12 miles after the week I did 22 and 17 miles comes in between. I chose these distances because they are complete loops from my house and give me the distance year round that I need. 12 -17 miles are my favorite distances to run and so I like to do at least 12 miles a week when not training for a marathon just to keep my conditioning.

      I know this workout seems simple but it has worked for me for me since 1991 for racing distances from a 5k to a marathon. I have tried many other variations from this workout but have found that most of them are no better and in some cases less adaptable then this one. The key is to keep your running schedule flexible because we runners have to bend around other priorities and sometimes Mother Nature has a say in whether (or weather) or not we run.  Ice, snow, rain and thunder storms not to mention colds and God forbid injuries make keeping on schedule all the time almost impossible. I even take a couple of days off sometimes just because I feel like it.

      Once you build-up your endurance, it’s a good idea to maintain at least a healthy measure of your conditioning all the time. I know many runners who stop working out for a long time after a marathon and then pick-up the workouts 3 to 4 months before the next one. This strategy is tough on the body and painful to boot.  I have always believed its better just to stay in shape and avoid starting from ground zero. Also, you get all the benefits of being shape. I know that most of you will agree and for those who don’t well do what works for you but don’t complain about the pain of getting back in shape.

      Build-up to a better race and enjoy your next run.

      See you in the pack.