Akalei: I will admit I have started carrying TP in my Camelbak for most runs....just in case!   How terrible is that?

Bago:  Thank you for the gi input...I am still experimenting and it helps to know what issues others have had.

Nick:  GL with the start of your Hanson plan!

Cbus:  Thanks!  Do your wife have gi issues all the time or just related to running?  I think where I am having trouble figuring out what to do is that I have problems at least twice a week and it doesn't seem to be related at all to food, drink, gels, type of run!  Some days, I have trouble on morning runs where I am running on an empty stomach and just water.  Some days, I have trouble on long runs where I have eaten oatmeal and used a couple Honey Stinger gels (they seem to be what works best for me).  I have zero gi issues unrelated to running so I am not sure if I just need to completely change my diet or what (cut out wheat or gluten or go paleo or what!)

Sprinkles:  Thanks!  Glad you got your Flows cheaper at least.  I have never had an item from there excluded from my 15% off code but it could just be that I have been lucky.

Josh:  Good luck with your first day back after LV.

Bel:  Thanks!  So did you just cut wheat completely out of your diet for a while?  Where  you having issues in everyday life or just with running?  Thanks for the info on Kinvara....I guess if they have a narrow toe box, though, they are probably out for me.  I was getting pinky toes blisters on the outside of my feet when I ran in Ravenna's and they aren't all that narrow.  I have been told I pronate slightly, but I am a forefoot striker and I would like to transition to at least a neutral shoe is not one of the "semi-minimalist" shoes like the Pure Flow or Kinvara.  I am going to one of my LRS this weekend and I think I will have them reassess my gait because I haven't been assessed in over a year.  I seem to be having lots of shoe problems so am hoping to clear those up.

Damaris:  Glad you got in six easy miles.

I did 4.5 this morning on legs that felt like lead, so had no trouble slowing down.  Average was right around 10/mile.  We have a 5-mile trail race tomorrow so am looking forward to that.  I need to add another 5ish miles somehow so will hopefully get in a couple warm-up and then a couple cool-down miles.  Have a great day Donuts and again, thanks for all the suggestions re:  gi issues!  It is becoming a very frustrating problem.

AmiK:  I feel for you.  GI issues only seem to affect me in the warmer weather...which we have plenty of down south.  I haven't been able to pinpoint what that's attributed to yet.  This summer was the first time I remember having them more than a couple of times.  My solution was to pre-plan...i.e., pick routes with restrooms, TP in the hydration belt, etc.  Once I did those things, I didn't worry about it anymore and just stopped if I needed to.  I wouldn't take Immodium every time either.  Maybe carry it with you like Sra suggests.

cbus:  I'd really like to try bikram (hot) yoga, but haven't found a studio offering it that's within a decent drive.

Upper body weights and 4 easy TM miles for me this morning at the gym.  May do some Xmas baking this weekend so I can fill co-worker requests that are piling up!  I only bake this time of year as we're a non dessert/sugar household for the most part.

Mornin', donuts! 

Ami and Bago: HA! We've all been there! Leaves are easier to deal with in the summer than in the fall (dry and dead), no? 

(Just realized while I was making the face that the "joker" emoticon is incredibly creepy.  Just sayin'.)

Where are you guys getting this runningwarehouse code?!  I need to order compression socks for my momma for Christmas--I get their emails but I don't have that!

Morning all! I'm running behind so no personals at the moment! Have to get tempo fast tempo before work. Looking at 30-ish minutes at the faster end of tempo pace so probably 4 miles plus warm up and cool down? Not sure how well it will go after yesterday's squats. 

When I bought the Pfitz book "Advanced Marathoning" I must have thought the plans were advanced. (I have delusions of mediocrity- not of being an advanced runner.)

I do not think the book is aimed at people like me (us?) who aspire to run a 4 hour marathon.

There are several indications of this through the book:

1) Reference to a typical 140lb male- I am not that typical.

2) On vo2max- "For example, if you are running 1,000M repeats in 3:20"- well, you try it!

3) Page 9- "If Stacey and Christine are racing at 5:55 per mile".....in a marathon?

So my conclusion is some of these programs are pretty tough because the book is intended primarily for much better runners than me.

I can't comment on Hansons or Higden as I have not tried them.

Ami and Bago: HA! We've all been there! Leaves are easier to deal with in the summer than in the fall (dry and dead), no? 

 

One time on a snowmobiling trip I had to use snow... 

Hey all, 

Got in 4 easy today, around 9:52ish. Ran in the rain, and came home soaked. Fun! Did the yoga hip sequence last night, and DANG, I am not flexible. Either that or the human body is not designed to bend in those ways. Think old school Star Wars action figure versus Stretch Armstrong (was Stretch on EPO like his cousin?). I was doing a pigeon pose, and my butt couldn't even touch the floor--I looked real classy. 

You guys are all cracking me up with the emergency potty strategies! But Nick, you are the big winner today! 

Ami, DW's GI problems are ongoing. She runs a tiny bit, but the GI problems have nothing to do with them. I would highly recommend consulting a doctor. From what I understand, GI is caused by a bacteria. And so it can be treated with an antibiotic. Unfortunately for DW, she is allergic to most antibiotics, so she couldn't finish the course. But running on an empty stomach makes sense too because you've got nothing in your stomach to mitigate all those stomach acids. Basically, DW tries to manage the acid levels of in GI tract, whether by eating something "basic" like rice or bread, or staying away from things like pasta sauce (or eating something before she eats pasta sauce). 

Simon, good catch on the Advanced Marathoning. However, Pfitz says in the beginning that the book is aimed at anyone who is striving to do more than just finish the marathon. So, I took his examples as stuff that he is used to, and not an indication of who he thinks can use his plans.

But still, I would like more explanation on why he chooses the workouts he does and prescribes them when he does. 

Dreamn, the Half plan can be a little low. But there are a few things to keep in mind. All Speed, Strength, and Tempo workouts assume a 1-2 mile warm up and cool down. When you add in the rest between intervals, most of those workouts end up around the 8 mile mark. The beginning part of the plan is "base building," and they say in the book you can just continue doing what you normally do. What's in the plan is for someone who wants some direction. And in the book, they say you can easily add miles if you want by adding more warm up and cool down or running on the off day or increasing one of the easy runs. They don't suggest fiddling with the LR. 

Nick, that's one of the things I like about their plans. You can easily go from one to the next. You can start off on Advanced, and if it's too much, you can go to the Beginners, etc. Because they are all basically the same plan with varying levels of mileage. If you want to keep your options open for a marathon, then your plan makes sense. 

Josh, if I do a fall marathon, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do the Beginners plan. I might, however, add the Speed days where they are missing in the Beginners plan. 

Akalei, 

Interesting discussion about Pfitz.  I like Pfitz but I agree on the points that have been raised here.

I love that his website allows us to include something about ourselves in our screen profile.  Reading yours is fun.  Like the Ball of Fury AmiK.