Forums >Running 101>Marathon fueling
The M8 sign, when viewed from a prone position, is infinity.
...I agree that you need to get used to some level of glycogen depletion - what i meant is, in trying to do that, its possible that you may bonk or to put it in a better way, find your tipping point. So that serves as a yardstick for your next run to avoid system shutdown by making some subtle changes to your run ... perhaps have some carb intake a couple of miles earlier, reduce effort etc etc.
I'm not saying that I taught Greg this but this was something we started talking maybe at around 2004 or 2005. We are both from Old School; we believe in long runs, we believe in blocks, we believe in doing those long runs without GU and other energy gel.
As you said, "you (may) need to get used to some level of glycogen depletion..."; what's better than NOT constantly refueling during the long runs? I mean, what is the purpose of long run? Isn't it to get used to go LONG? You do that, yet you don't want to get used to using up muscle glycogen? Sure, go take as much as you want during the race (well, within reason) because that's when you need it. What's the point of keep pampering your body not to face it in training by constantly refueling? If that's not the influence of marketing scheme, I don't know what is.
Why is it sideways?
Perhaps i should have called out "...bonking (or something short of that)..." a little more. As you say, I agree that you need to get used to some level of glycogen depletion - what i meant is, in trying to do that, its possible that you may bonk or to put it in a better way, find your tipping point. So that serves as a yardstick for your next run to avoid system shutdown by making some subtle changes to your run ... perhaps have some carb intake a couple of miles earlier, reduce effort etc etc.
Yes, this makes sense. I agree with Nobby that much of "fueling" is marketing.
Actually most (all?) advice on this thread has been on the same lines: don't worry about it too much, run long, practice every now and then what you are going to try in the race. "Fueling" on the run is probably a lot less necessary than most people think--and it's my suspicion that when most people "bonk" in a marathon, it usually has a lot to do with their general conditioning and pretty little to do with their "fueling strategy."
askance!
From what i have read, i believe bonking (or something just short of that) once in a while during training is necessary to get a good fix on your limits so that you can work around that the next time you run. Repeatedly bonking of course is of no use whatsoever.
It's a fine line. A true bonk is a scary thing.
Each of us has to figure out where that line is on our own. Practice it on the long run. Come race day any fuel is like a turbo boost.
Get off my porch
"Fueling" on the run is probably a lot less necessary than most people think--and it's my suspicion that when most people "bonk" in a marathon, it usually has a lot to do with their general conditioning and pretty little to do with their "fueling strategy."
General conditioning, pacing, then fueling strategy in that order. With the first 2 being 90% of the equation and the last one being maybe 10%. I'm fairly certain I couldn't race a marathon without taking in any carbs on the run, and I'm almost as certain that the 4 Gu's that I've taken in my successful marathons was about the minimum (and maximum for that matter) I could take and still run a max effort for 26.2 miles.
Runners run
General conditioning, pacing, then fueling strategy in that order. With the first 2 being 90% of the equation and the last one being maybe 10%.
but only that 10% can be bought in a store.
Good Bad & The Monkey
the 4 Gu's that I've taken in my successful marathons
Mikey, do you think that the marathons would have been sucessful without the Gus?
I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.
Poor baby
Trent, finish reading the sentence you quoted. I answered that question.
got it
not bad for mile 25
It is unpredictable. Especially for a body in extremis.
My interest was not for a body in extremis. You're still going to say it's unpredictable, aren't you?
Are you saying I am predictable?
If he doesn't I will.
I'm pretty certain I could do the ultra shuffle, with no gels/gu/fueling and just water and succeed caps and finish a marathon. But for me to run at my potential and race a marathon, I'd need 4/5 gels, in addition to the water and suceeds caps.
Granted my marathon time isn't anywhere close to Mikey or Spaniel, but semi-respectable for an old man.
My interest was not for a body in extremis.
I would call what a body goes through beyond mile 20 when racing a marathon to be fairly grave and extreme. But maybe that's just me.
this