RunningAHEAD - Topic: Why do I always bonk between miles 12 and 14? (page 3)

chimera

50 halfs by age 50

posted: 1/17/2008 at 7:42 AM

Quote from nonoruns on 1/16/2008 at 10:37 PM:

Mel, Just wanted to wave and say HI! Knew you from other boards for other interests...I'm simply nono there. Good luck squeezing more running into your schedule!

Hey nono! How ya been? Great to see you around here! As far as the Gu question, I don't think that's my issue. I do eat before I go out (half bagel with cream cheese). I am a heavy sweater (no girly glistening for me, baby) and live in high humidity so I take a Gu every 3 to 4 miles. I carry water and take one sip at every walk break. On the really LR, I'll eat peanut butter crackers around mile 15. I usually get to the half marathon point around 2:45. The longest I've made it maintaining my R/W is 3 hours which was roughly 14 miles, then all downhill after that. I'm going to start working on adding mileage with a 4th running day per week. Thanks to everyone for their advice!

*Mel* // "A lot of people run a race to see who's the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts." - Steve Prefontaine

slowgino

posted: 1/18/2008 at 3:04 PM

Quote from chimera on 1/14/2008 at 8:13 PM:

No matter what, no matter how well I'm doing, I seem to implode between miles 12 and 14 EVERY time! ... What am I doing wrong? ... I'm not fast and I never will be. I would just like to be able to continue improving my endurance. ... TIA for any thoughts/help!

Wow, you are doing great with such a low mileage base. Most likely the main thing you need to do to improve your endurance is just run easy and build up your mpw. You already know that hydration and electrolyte replacement are necessary. Consuming any more than a minimal amount of carbs during a run will retard your training effect - so try to avoid that. A minimal amount of carbs would be, e.g., what you might get in a sport drink diluted half and half with water. Definitely avoid carbs during the first 40 to 45 minutes of a run, so that your fat metabolism can get fully into gear. To improve your endurance you need to put in more miles and train the body's fat metabolism. I do my 20+ mile training runs with zero carbs, just water and Endurolyte (electrolyte replacement) capsules. For a long race, feel free to ingest some carbs with sport drink or whatever, just not too much or water will not empty from the stomach and you feel bloated (while getting dehydrated.) A 30 mpw base maintained over a few months should allow you to feel pretty good in a 1/2 marathon - at least you shouldn't run out of gas and crash. Just my $.02, from the personal experience of a guy who started running 37 years ago at age 33. I hope this helps. Good luck with your training. Gino

runknerd

posted: 1/31/2008 at 4:21 PM

I run with a group of experienced ultrarunners... many years experience in this group and several of them have done multiple 100-milers. I'd say they run 3-4 days per week on average. You can easily build a base running every other day. If you're in your 40s or older, you'll likely progress better by allowing extra recovery time over the training plans you find in Runner's World, etc. You won't be constantly recovering from injury.

Why do I always bonk between miles 12 and 14? (Read 2030 times)