StacyI make no apologies for my liberal use of smiley icons. http://www.BlakeHillHouse.com
On my long runs, as long as I am under MAF, I don't drink water or take GU or shot bloks (which are my preference). After I've been running above MAF for around an hour, I take shot bloks and water, and tend to do so every 45 minutes or so. Any tips for this? I am thinking of trying the GU Roctane prior to the race, but with the idea that I will use it that day. Should I not be using these at all over MAF or is it common to follow their usage guidelines during a hard run? I have so much to learn.
Max McMaffelow Esq.
Shiksa, Thank you, thank you. "Eyerything I wanted to know about GU, but was afraid to ask" Keep asking great questions, and i'll tag along, and try to learn something!
You'll notice I'm getting more confident about asking questions I wonder about. Stick with me. I'll make an ass out myself for both of us.
I drank more earlier thanks to your suggestion Jimmy. I do think I felt better farther into the mileage. I'm not sure if it is my conditioning or my hydration. I struggle with increased liquid meaning increased bathroom stop. On race day, at least I know there will be porta-potties. My training runs leave me a bit too exposed at times to just pull over when needed.
I suggest that you always hydrate on your runs, whether you are under MAF or not. It will lessen stress on the body, keep the HR down, and help performance. I drink 14-18 oz of water or plain Pedialyte (on medium and long runs) per hour. --Jimmy
run-easy-race-hard
Along the lines of a few of the posts here, one thing you should avoid, whether in training or racing, is taking in the carbs in the short time prior to the race. This will put your body into carb-burning mode right away and that's not what you want. If you've been doing MAF training for a while, you will be an efficient fat burner, even up at the higher heart rates. I will conjecture that disciplined MAF training really works to skew the RQ vs HR curve so that you're burning higher and higher percentages of fat (compared to before MAF training) even at HRs right up close to the anaerobic threshold. At least this is the only explanation I have as to why I can run full marathons just below AT without taking in any calories and without hitting the wall, whereas just a few years ago, I couldn't finish a 20 mile training run without gels and sports drink.
hmmmm...I can't tell if I'm enlightened or more confused. I don't take any calories at all in a long run until nearing the 2 hour point typically. Then, I tend to take a packet of something every 30-45 minutes. On my over MAF report on sunday, I reported gastrointestinal distress with shot blok and sports bean use. After ducking behind some bushes, I did take another GU roctane about 15 minutes later, and it worked very well even pepping up my legs a bit. Now, I'm not sure if I'm dependent on them or not. I have two more 20's left. I'll have to play around during them.