Today’s run: 6.5 miles, 1:14 minutes. YT: 34.1. OK run, although I probably should have eaten something before because I lost energy on the second half. Running without breakfast works better at 7 a.m. than 11 a.m. There was a sanitation problem at the RV park near the power plant on the beach. For some reason, after catching wind of it the first time, I took another sniff. It made me feel like a dumb animal.
Good run. I’m just wondering if you had my time in mind for the whole run, or it’s just a coincidence that you came in 1 minute faster than me… :)
Ha – total coincidence. Although I did check my watch like 30 seconds before the finish line and saw that I was at 1:14 and thought, I hope it’s still at 1:14, not 1:15, when I get there… :-) It was, but in reality I probably beat you by mere seconds.
Sara,
I usually run first thing in the morning, so I don’t eat breakfast first, because it will make me feel sluggish. I’m usually OK for 60 to 90 minutes, but if I’m running longer, I may eat something light, like a banana, and drink a Gatorade. If you don’t eat first, try downing a sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade, etc.) about an hour before you run. The carbs that you previously consumed are stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver. Glycogen supplies the fuel that you burn when running. The sports drink will put extra sugar in your system and will delay the demand on your glycogen stores.
As you run longer and longer distances, your body will adapt and store more glycogen, and you’ll be able to run longer before fatigue comes. Here’s another training tip, if you haven’t come across it yet. Immediately (less than an hour) after a strenuous run, the leg muscles will be depleted of glycogen, and will absorb it rapidly. Consuming one gram of carb per two pounds body weight immediately after running maximizes absorption and builds your available reserves. For example, someone weighing 120 pounds should get 60 grams of carbs down as quickly as possible. The quicker you do it, the more you’ll absorb. I think 60 grams is just about what a 32-oz Gatorade provides. Over cycles of depletion and reabsorption, your storage capacity will increase.
No matter how much carb a runner gets ahead of time, and how much extra a runner adapts through training to store, the body will run completely out between 18-20 miles, or sooner at lower training levels. That’s why distance runners carry gels or drink sports drinks while running. Without supplements, a runner just reaches a point where he or she can’t continue. That’s what runners are talking about when they refer to “hitting the wall.” It takes about 45 grams of carbs per hour while running to avoid this.
So, it’s probably better to eat breakfast first, if you’re not going to run for several hours. If you’re going to run sooner, go for a quick carb supplement.
Sara, have you heard of Pearl Izumi’s slogan ‘run like an animal’? That’s what I thought of when I read your post. :) You didn’t do that intentionally, did you?
NB: Warning for you or any other runner googling PI’s running ads, prepare to be insulted or inspired.
HAHA. No, but I like it. Actually, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t even know who that is, but I’m about to google her (him?).