Relay with my first longer distance -need advice -UPDATED

[shoeaholic]

I usually run 5k and my times are between 27-31 minutes depending on the course. They are generally very hilly when I do local ones. 

My company is sponsoring a few teams for a 50 mile relay this weekend. We had a team that lost two runners last Friday so they asked if I would be willing to run.   There are 8 legs and I have leg 6.  It is 6.5 miles and described as hilly. 

This past weekend I did a practice run and actually was able to do really well. I finished the 6.5 in 1:06:51.  3/4 of it was the actual course I will be running on Sunday.  Today I tried the run and died at about 5 miles.  Mostly it was lower back and left hip pain that bothered me. 

So my questions are the following:

Have any of you used those Solonpas pads on your back or other achy areas during a run?  Does that help?  I am thinking it might help keep my back loose.  I also will need to make sure I really stretch a lot as I didn't do that this morning and will take Advil beforehand. 

Also, nutrition wise, my leg will be at about 1 PM but it is a team relay so I will be starting out early in the support vehicle at 7 am.  How would you plan food around that?  I generally don't eat before I run in the morning but 1 is too late.  I am thinking of protein bars and fruit like bananas in the morning but stop food by 11:00 am.  I'll hydrate starting the day before but also stop early as I always have to pee if I drink to much. 

Any other advice???   Thank you !

UPDATE!!!!

So I ran my leg and did really well. The tiger balm was great. No back aches at all. They did change the route a little so my leg had the distance shortened to 5.5 miles. I finished in 57:03 which I was really happy with. I wanted to be under 1 :00:00 It was a really tough route with lots of rolling hills and three steep climbs. I was exhausted after climbing the last hill but got my second wind for the finale mile and was really happy overall with my results. Thanks for all the advice. It was perfect!!!

[runaways]

I know nothing about those pads but I wouldn't mess with it. If you covered the distance this weekend, I think you're good to go, just rest a day or two beforehand. Also, DON'T take Advil right before you run. It can cause some major kidney issues.

Nutrition-wise, I personally would eat a big breakfast and a reasonably sized early lunch a couple hours before you run. It kind of depends on how sensitive your stomach is.

[blndsnbrdr]

Have you ever used tiger balm (I think thats the name) - its freaking awesome. I don't own any but my back was bothering me during a recent relay (lots of car sleeping/sitting) and one of the guys had it. Oh. My. Goodness. Sweet relief. No experience with Solonpas though it wouldn't hurt to try it.

As for food - it was a huge concern of mine when I did my relay but I faired very well. I'd say eat breakfast at a normal time, a lighter lunch around 11am, drink a ton of water and see how you feel. If you're hungry, eat but keep it light.

Mostly...have fun with the relay. Cheer on every darn team/runner you come across and don't take anything too seriously! I did my first (and only) relay last month and loved every second of it.

[shoeaholic]

Thanks for the advice on the Advil! I'll skip that part as well as the pads. Just trying to head off any aches. I will also go for the breakfast. Maybe some egg whites with veggies and cheese might be good. Eating close to runtime seems to weigh heavy on me but perhaps eating around 10 or 11 would be a good time.

[blndsnbrdr]

Sept 26, 2013 13:03:33 GMT -5 runaways said:

I know nothing about those pads but I wouldn't mess with it. If you covered the distance this weekend, I think you're good to go, just rest a day or two beforehand. Also, DON'T take Advil right before you run. It can cause some major kidney issues.

Nutrition-wise, I personally would eat a big breakfast and a reasonably sized early lunch a couple hours before you run. It kind of depends on how sensitive your stomach is.

Very true.

NSAIDs are bad, Tylenol is acceptable if needed.

[shoeaholic]

Sept 26, 2013 13:07:23 GMT -5 blndsnbrdr said:

Have you ever used tiger balm (I think thats the name) - its freaking awesome. I don't own any but my back was bothering me during a recent relay (lots of car sleeping/sitting) and one of the guys had it. Oh. My. Goodness. Sweet relief. No experience with Solonpas though it wouldn't hurt to try it.

As for food - it was a huge concern of mine when I did my relay but I faired very well. I'd say eat breakfast at a normal time, a lighter lunch around 11am, drink a ton of water and see how you feel. If you're hungry, eat but keep it light.

Mostly...have fun with the relay. Cheer on every darn team/runner you come across and don't take anything too seriously! I did my first (and only) relay last month and loved every second of it.

Oh, the tiger balm sounds good!! I'll pick some up today and try it. I am both nervous and excited. I am looking forward to cheering everyone on but mostly just hoping I finish well!!!

[blndsnbrdr]

Sept 26, 2013 13:12:21 GMT -5 shoeaholic said:

Sept 26, 2013 13:07:23 GMT -5 blndsnbrdr said:

Have you ever used tiger balm (I think thats the name) - its freaking awesome. I don't own any but my back was bothering me during a recent relay (lots of car sleeping/sitting) and one of the guys had it. Oh. My. Goodness. Sweet relief. No experience with Solonpas though it wouldn't hurt to try it.

As for food - it was a huge concern of mine when I did my relay but I faired very well. I'd say eat breakfast at a normal time, a lighter lunch around 11am, drink a ton of water and see how you feel. If you're hungry, eat but keep it light.

Mostly...have fun with the relay. Cheer on every darn team/runner you come across and don't take anything too seriously! I did my first (and only) relay last month and loved every second of it.

Oh, the tiger balm sounds good!! I'll pick some up today and try it. I am both nervous and excited. I am looking forward to cheering everyone on but mostly just hoping I finish well!!!

My limited experience with relays had shown be that team support will help you do incredible things. Knowing you have a fan of friends/coworkers cheering you on keeps you moving, sometimes faster than you expected!

Good luck and have so much fun with it!

[shoeaholic]

Sept 26, 2013 13:24:52 GMT -5 @vtcupcake said:

Yay relay! I've done two major relays and will be doing my third next weekend.

First, definitely rest for a few days before your run. I'd treat it as a 10k, so looking at some 10k plans I see like 2-3mi today, rest tomorrow, race Saturday (or bump it up a day if it's on Sunday).

Second, fueling. This is always the tricky part. Eat a GOOD and filling breakfast so you've got some time to start digesting it and take advantage of the nutrition. I would then eat something lighter but filling about an hour or so out- banana, pb, toast. You don't want to be hauling a brick around in your stomach when you run. You can always refuel afterwards too, starting light with a piece of fruit or part of a Larabar and work your way to the finish line. Hydration is kind of the same deal. Make sure you are well hydrated and don't start glugging an hour to go before you run. Stop for a potty break like 30-15 minutes before you get the baton- will they have portapotties at the exchange points? Check out that situation beforehand.

Third, pain management- Chances are that you are sore from running your awesome run last weekend, and some rest will go a long way. Don't take advil or pain meds before you go out, that's where topical stuff like arnica gel or biofreeze come in handy. I always run with biofreeze because I have chronic IT bullshit issues, even if I don't need it I have a travel sized packet on me in case of a flareup (and you can carry one in your shorts pocket or have your van support crew have some on the ready during your run).

And of course, have fun! Cheer your butt off, bring a cowbell, honk the horn in the van, etc. Relays are such a unique and fun running experience

Thank you!!! This is some really good advise. I think this will be incorporated into my plan. Good fueling plan. There is a Porto potty stop at the start of my leg so I should be there early enough to make the stop. We have two support vehicles and we will leapfrog to each starting point to get there early enough.

I now have tiger balm and biofreeze on my shopping lists. I'll try them both out beforehand to see what results I get. Since I did a long run today, I'm also going to rest until race day Sunday.

I love the idea of cow bells and horns so I am definitely going to do that to cheer on my team.

Thank you everyone for the great input. I am now a little more excited than nervous. I'll report back on Monday morning and let you know how I did. You guys are great!!!!!

[shorewife]

You'll have a great time!
I think you just may have overdone it a bit last weekend so maybe just do another easy and short run or even some walking and stretching up until race day. Food is an issue for me too so I would probably not eat much. A power bar or something easily digestible around 10am and then maybe a gel or chews right before if I was hungry.

[shoeaholic]

Sept 26, 2013 15:38:05 GMT -5 shorewife said:

You'll have a great time!
I think you just may have overdone it a bit last weekend so maybe just do another easy and short run or even some walking and stretching up until race day. Food is an issue for me too so I would probably not eat much. A power bar or something easily digestible around 10am and then maybe a gel or chews right before if I was hungry.

Thanks!   I think I did push it with going right to 6.5 so I'm going to take it easy the rest of the week.  A nice soak in the tub tonight door sure. :-).  

[blndsnbrdr]

Sept 26, 2013 15:30:25 GMT -5 @mn06 said:

Sept 26, 2013 13:10:24 GMT -5 blndsnbrdr said:

Very true.

NSAIDs are bad, Tylenol is acceptable if needed.

Thank you for sharing this information!  I live under a rock and never thought twice about doing this on occasion.  

I just figured it out a few weeks ago.

I live for ibuprofen and still haven't converted my entire stash over to Tylenol.

Some fun facts I've found since I realized I shouldn't be OD'ing on iburpofen...

Basic "hids the symptoms" Info: runnersconnect.net/running-injury-prevention/ibuprofen-and-running/
Details on Kidney Failure: fellrnr.com/wiki/NSAIDs_and_Running

[runaways]

As the first one to throw out the "no NSAIDS" thing in here, I just feel kind of obligated to clarify. Yes, they can really mess up your kidneys, especially during intense exercise. And I would imagine there is something to the post about inflammation in athletes, though I haven't gone and read the studies. But NSAIDS are really great drugs and they are very effective anti-inflammatories. Tylenol is an analgesic without anti-inflammatory properties and may not be as effective at stemming post-workout soreness, if it's bad enough that you really need something. They should be avoided if you already have renal insufficiency or if you have a history of stomach ulcers or severe gastritis, but there's no reason for most of us to completely avoid them. I take ibuprofen fairly regularly for various reasons, just not right before I run.

[shoeaholic]

Sweats - check! Advil - I'll pass this time. I do use it infrequently for migraines as it's the only thing that works but never more than one every few weeks. I picked up tiger balm and biofreeze today and will just go with Tylenol the day of the run. The pain isn't horrible, but hoping it just gets dulled. I'll report back !!

[shoeaholic]

Thanks for the advice -it worked well. See my update in the original post

[shoeaholic]

I already told them I would do it again next year! I would even do the same leg. We had a really fun team and my husband and I drove one of the support vehicles. We loved the supporting part of each leg, just jumping out every few miles with water, Gatorade and cheers!!! Our team didn't dress up but there were a bunch that did do themes so we are plotting ours for next time.

Now I have another 5k next week and feel like it will be a piece of cake -LOL. Time to try for a new PR on that. :-)

[blndsnbrdr]

Congrats! So glad you had fun and that the Tiger Balm helped - that stuff is freaking amazing!

Supporting/cheering for events like that is so much fun. You see so many emotions in people and its a blast to see and help everyone have fun!