Fall Marathon Training Randoms

[scm1011]

Hi all, since the last weekly check-in I posted got zero responses maybe this is a better way for us to chat about our training informally Feel free to post whatever is on your mind!

I'm busy both weekend mornings this week so I did my long run today (11 miles). The weather was so much more agreeable (70s! no humidity!) and I felt strong through about 9 miles and then slogged a bit through the final two. Glad to have it done!

One issue I'm having that I've never experienced before is chaffing. I'm guessing the culprit is that my sports bras are ~10 years old and were bought when I was 25lbs lighter. I used Body Glide this morning, but it didn't help much. My post-run shower was painful lol. 

[wawa]

Having just gone through the same thing last year, yes, that's exactly the curlprit and you should treat yourself to some new bras that actually fit and aren't dying.

Though I haven't yet stopped being mad that they stopped making my favorite bra from 10 years ago (Moving Comfort Rebound Racer) It took me almost a year of trial and error bras before I 1. figured out my new size and 2. found a new bra style I truly loved, not just was kinda good enough.

I'm still fiddling around with matching training plans to my fall/winter calendar and picking an approach. Was looking at a plan with a 3 week taper, but that idea kinda gives me the yips. LIke I know it's not as if i'll forget how to run in 3 weeks. And it's also not as if I even HAVE a time goal so fine tuning my taper is not a concern, but 3 weeks feels long.

[Susie]

I've been searching for a half marathon that will fit into my training plan >2 weeks out from MCM, but I can't find anything that's a reasonable drive from my house, wouldn't be a huge inconvenience to my family, and doesn't conflict with an existing commitment.  Bummer.  There are a few I could do, including an 18 miler in the Finger Lakes that falls on a weekend I'm supposed to run exactly 18, but I am doubting my ability to drive out there, do it, and drive home (~3 hours) safely afterward by myself.  I don't want to drag my family out for it.  So I think I'm just going to do a lot of local long runs.

This weekend I have 9 miles on the calendar, and I'm trying to figure out how to navigate it.  I have shingles, with the rash predominantly in the area between waist and hips on my right side.  I have a few blisters that will be in the free space between shorts and bra, but most of it will be under shorts.  I'm debating... do it tomorrow before it gets worse?  (I haven't turned a corner yet, each day is still getting worse). Push it to Monday or so, when maybe some might start breaking on their own and I start to improve?  Bail?  Long runs have gone 6 - 7 - 5 - 9 (this week) - 10 (next week) ... so bailing seems bad at this juncture.  If I run, do I just go all in on a normal 9 mile loop, or do I do like a 1 mi loop in my hood 9 times in case I wanna bail?  Will that increase the likelihood of bailing without finishing?  (100% yes).  If I run, how do I cover, lube, etc. the rash that will stay put?  

ETA: I did it! Not entirely planned, but I did all 9 miles. I felt like total hot garbage from Friday night to Sunday morning and basically stayed in bed for 36 hours. Chills, nerve pain, fatigue, etc. Woke up Sunday feeling fairly human again. First day in a week that I woke up better than the day before. Planned a 3 mile shakeout run for the evening when the sun got low, because temp regulation is still a struggle for my nervous system. 3 felt unexpectedly good so kept adding little loops and it came in at 5. Still felt good. Stopped home for bathroom, water, and head lamp, and went back out for 4 more. There’s 9! It’s the most calm my central and peripheral nervous systems have felt in days. Bless.

(Yes, my doctor is supportive of training through this if I'm up for it.)

I did all three shorter runs this week, but the blisters are getting bigger, and the long run is intimidating.  

scm1011, I have a favorite bra style (from Brooks) and I didn't realize how much mine were stretched out until I bought a couple more during a sale this year and was like whoa they're so much tighter! (in a good way)  So definitely treat yo self.

[scm1011]

I went for a 4 mile run this morning and accidentally pressed “discard” on my garmin at the end. This made me sadder than it should lol.

[Susie]

scm1011, nooooooooooooooo!

[scm1011]

Jul 23, 2024 14:20:03 GMT -5 Susie said:

scm1011, nooooooooooooooo!

Literally what I yelled on the sidewalk when it happened. Thanks for the commiseration lol.

I hope you’re feeling better!!

[laterz]

Not training for a fall marathon, but trying to do a fall half-marathon. My achilles is (knock on wood) doing better - but we'll see this weekend, as i have a 6mi long run. I haven't been able to do 6 since last October, so I'm cautiously optimistic that this will go well.

Also, I'm very mad at LLL for discontinuing my favorite sports bra. Us large chested girls shouldn't have to contort or squeeze ourselves into sports bras. I don't need pretty. I need functional.

[brooke77]

I am in panic mode. I feel like I haven’t trained at all and Chicago is in like 2 months! I have had such a busy summer with travel - both work and personal. I was really hoping to beat my time from last year (4:25), but I’m thinking that won’t happen. One of my friends is doing Houston, so I may sign up to give myself a bit more time to properly train.

Why do I always do this to myself? 🤣

[mrshandy]

Hello everyone! scm1011 , I hate to be the one to tell you, but sports bras wear out. 10+ years is too long. You need to replace. They are supposed to only last a year which I think is crazy. But I usually pull them out of the rotation after 5 years or so. They can work for shorter runs like 5-6 miles, but longer runs I use my newer bras. Also, I find Aquafor works better for bra chafing than Body Glide.

I'm currently training for my first 100-miler at the end of September. It hasn't been too bad except for the long, long runs. I did one 8-hour one (that translated to 40.5 miles). I have a 12-hour run coming up in a few weeks. I'm honestly excited to be done with this. The idea of running 100-miles is kind of stressful to me more stressful than other races since this it will require running all night. I said I was going to be one and done after my 50-miler, spoiler I wasn't. But I really think I will be one and done with this.

[brooke77]

Wow mrshandy ! That is amazing! Keep us updated on your training!

[wawa]

mrshandy, so cool! I love the idea of an ultra, in part because I'm just not very fast, but I am pretty good at the "just keep going" part of the running equation.

the long long runs are such a commitment though. I'm excited to see how it goes for you!

[wawa]

I officially have my long runs in a spreadsheet training plan! Only eeeehhhhh part of it is that my 18 miler hits on a weekend I'm camping with my kids scout pack and will NOT be able to slip out for a long run (and even if I could, there's nowhere nearby that's workable) so I get to do that one on a friday morning. yay 3 AM wakeup!

Maybe some day I'll hire a coach to do this part for me. It'd be nice. But also i like making spreadsheets.

scm1011, that's the WORST.

[mrshandy]

wawa, I hired a coach for my 100-miler. It's been good because some of the 100-mile plans that I googled have so many more miles. But I have confidence in my coach. I do get terrified every two weeks when he sends me the plans because of the craziness that is coming. LOL.

[Susie]

I'm starting to think about flights and hotel for MCM in October and what kind of deadline I should give myself for booking.  I'm committed to running it as long as I make it through training without a significant injury, but my confidence in that is less than 100%.  So far so good as of week 6.

Any advice from MCM veterans is appreciated!  Flights are currently pretty reasonable!  I still have no idea if any of my fam will come.

[wawa]

Aug 1, 2024 14:40:13 GMT -5 Susie said:

I'm starting to think about flights and hotel for MCM in October and what kind of deadline I should give myself for booking.  I'm committed to running it as long as I make it through training without a significant injury, but my confidence in that is less than 100%.  So far so good as of week 6.

Any advice from MCM veterans is appreciated!  Flights are currently pretty reasonable!  I still have no idea if any of my fam will come.

I already booked my flights and hotel for a race in February that requires I get through marathon training, race in Dec, recover, and THEN do this Feb race (a half), so my dumbass YOLO approach is screw it, book the flights.  If it all goes sideways just make a weekend getaway out of it.  Mine is a girls trip, so the backup plan involves me making funny race signs.

What's your race weekend approach?  are you here to just run and get out, or do you want to see things/eat things/have experiences?  That woudl be a big factor for me in hotel plans.

National Harbor is annoying to get to (race expo, packet) if you're in town without a car, so if you're not looking for a whole DC experience staying at the Gaylord and taking the shuttle might be a good idea. (assuming the shuttles run smoothly?)  

If it were me I'd actually stay in Old Town Alexandria, take the water taxi to packet pickup/expo and metro to/from the race.  I love Old Town Alexandria.  It's so pretty and there's so much good food.  But that's my personal Alexandria obsession, combined with the fact that I can see DC stuff anytime talking.  I've ended two long bike trips there so it's like...a tradition now for me to roll into lovely hotels in Old Town dirty and sweaty and tired and then get clean and eat a LOT of delicious food. Can't mess with tradition.

[Susie]

Aug 1, 2024 15:58:22 GMT -5 wawa said:

Aug 1, 2024 14:40:13 GMT -5 Susie said:

I'm starting to think about flights and hotel for MCM in October and what kind of deadline I should give myself for booking.  I'm committed to running it as long as I make it through training without a significant injury, but my confidence in that is less than 100%.  So far so good as of week 6.

Any advice from MCM veterans is appreciated!  Flights are currently pretty reasonable!  I still have no idea if any of my fam will come.

I already booked my flights and hotel for a race in February that requires I get through marathon training, race in Dec, recover, and THEN do this Feb race (a half), so my dumbass YOLO approach is screw it, book the flights.  If it all goes sideways just make a weekend getaway out of it.  Mine is a girls trip, so the backup plan involves me making funny race signs.

What's your race weekend approach?  are you here to just run and get out, or do you want to see things/eat things/have experiences?  That woudl be a big factor for me in hotel plans.

National Harbor is annoying to get to (race expo, packet) if you're in town without a car, so if you're not looking for a whole DC experience staying at the Gaylord and taking the shuttle might be a good idea. (assuming the shuttles run smoothly?)  

If it were me I'd actually stay in Old Town Alexandria, take the water taxi to packet pickup/expo and metro to/from the race.  I love Old Town Alexandria.  It's so pretty and there's so much good food.  But that's my personal Alexandria obsession, combined with the fact that I can see DC stuff anytime talking.  I've ended two long bike trips there so it's like...a tradition now for me to roll into lovely hotels in Old Town dirty and sweaty and tired and then get clean and eat a LOT of delicious food. Can't mess with tradition.

All good points!

I am in DC (Foggy Bottom) four times a year for quarterly meetings at a client I've been working with for like 15+ years, so I have no shortage of opportunities to piggy back off a trip to see anything in DC.  I'm not planning to sightsee on this trip, this is a targeted mission, lol (mission = marathon survival!). If my fam comes it would prob be Sat-Sun only.  The kiddos' school does a Halloween Ball the Fri night before Halloween so they won't want to miss that... and I don't want them to miss Monday at school.

I'm planning to fly down Fri PM by myself, so that I have cushion for any travel snafus, can leisurely get bib/etc. on Sat., etc.  Marathon is Sun, then fly home Mon.  I haven't decided whether to offer to my client that I can stop in on Monday AM for a freebie in person meeting, or whether I want to just go home.  Minor detail.  Flights are a smidge cheaper into IAD, but DCA is so nice and convenient I'll probably do that (it's not that much more $).  

Given my objectives, I was thinking maybe staying right by the race might be wisest, but if there's somewhere that's not TOO inconvenient and nicer I'm game for that too.  I use the metro all the time when I am in DC so that was my main transit plan while I'm there.

[laterz]

+1 for Old Town Alexandria. We've always stayed there for any DC trips - such a fun town. And easy to get around on the metro.

[brooke77]

Susie - I booked my flight and hotel for Chicago last year about halfway through training. Flights were still reasonable and at that point, I still had good hotel availability. It was a bit of a sweet spot. A lot of people book early and then have to drop out due to injury and hotel spots open up. It also is easier to get a single than the larger rooms.

My question - I have been STRUGGLING during my long runs. I almost quit this weekend before I started. I’m sooooo nauseous. What are you all eating for breakfast? I had PB toast and coffee. I have tried a banana and PB toast. I have tried protein shake (wooooorst). I normally do not eat breakfast and am a PM runner. Advice? I’m dying.

[scm1011]

brooke77, I'm struggling with fueling/nutrition too so no advice but solidarity. I remember this being a learning experience my first marathon cycle too, but what worked for me then (coffee + everything bagel with cream cheese + Gu every 5 miles) isn't working as well this go around. I also really bonked on my 9 miler this weekend because it was SO hot and I drank too much water I think. My belly was bloated and sloshy from drinking too much, but I don't know what the alternative is. Smaller more frequent sips?

Susie, I booked an airbnb for Friday - Monday in Capital Hill but I might reevaluate and try to find some place in Old Town Alexandria. The whole family is coming, so its important to me that we're not all in one big hotel room. I haven't booked flights yet, but there are frequent and cheap commuter flights between Boston and DC so I'm not super worried.

[Susie]

brooke77, I usually eat PB toast, no coffee before long runs. Are you getting enough electrolytes? That is often the culprit when I get nauseous on runs, especially in the heat.

[brooke77]

Aug 5, 2024 9:19:42 GMT -5 Susie said:

brooke77, I usually eat PB toast, no coffee before long runs. Are you getting enough electrolytes? That is often the culprit when I get nauseous on runs, especially in the heat.

I probably need more. I had a Gatorade/water mix in my vest for the first hour, but re-filled with just water. I should probably skip the coffee too.

[Susie]

What gels do you all prefer?  I bought (err the Easter Bunny brought me) a variety to try this spring, and I'm starting to work through it as mileage builds, but I'm not sure I have any real findings yet.  I'm trying different products (Honey Stinger, Gu, Gu Roctane, etc.) as well as different flavors.

In my triathlon era (a decade ago) I used Hammer products, but their gels are pretty low Na+ and no K+.  I think for summer at least I do better with higher Na+ and K+.  I can't remember what I did for extra electrolytes during HIMs.

There are a lot of brands that are around now that weren't 10 years ago when I was training at higher volumes.  SIS, Maurten, etc.

What do you like?

[mrshandy]

Yay for MCMers!

I've run MCM twice and spectated many times. Old Town is definitely convenient to most of what you would want. Lots of good restaurants there. DCA is so much more convenient. The metro to IUD is so long.

Logistically it's just a long morning before you even start. It's a long walk from where you enter in the secure zone until the start line. It's very crowded in the first few miles.

Spectating is pretty easy. There are so many different places to go and easy for people to get around via metro. You can go on the mall and see people and then definitely Crystal City is a fun place to go. Just recommend spectators wear something recognizable, funny hat, costume, etc. Very easy to lose runners in the crowd so it's best if runners try to see you.

[laterz]

Aug 5, 2024 9:09:21 GMT -5 brooke77 said:

My question - I have been STRUGGLING during my long runs. I almost quit this weekend before I started. I’m sooooo nauseous. What are you all eating for breakfast? I had PB toast and coffee. I have tried a banana and PB toast. I have tried protein shake (wooooorst). I normally do not eat breakfast and am a PM runner. Advice? I’m dying.

Kodiak waffles and a banana have treated me well in the mornings before long runs.

[laterz]

Aug 5, 2024 13:08:17 GMT -5 Susie said:

What gels do you all prefer?  I bought (err the Easter Bunny brought me) a variety to try this spring, and I'm starting to work through it as mileage builds, but I'm not sure I have any real findings yet.  I'm trying different products (Honey Stinger, Gu, Gu Roctane, etc.) as well as different flavors.

In my triathlon era (a decade ago) I used Hammer products, but their gels are pretty low Na+ and no K+.  I think for summer at least I do better with higher Na+ and K+.  I can't remember what I did for extra electrolytes during HIMs.

There are a lot of brands that are around now that weren't 10 years ago when I was training at higher volumes.  SIS, Maurten, etc.

What do you like?

I have hated EVERY. SINGLE. BRAND of gel until I tried Maurten.  It's leans a little more jello than liquid, and that's what i needed to be able to swallow it in "bites".  Very light sweet taste - kinda marshmallow-y.  Easy on my stomach.  And I don't think you need water.   I tried the caffeinated one, and it's got a little bit of a bitter aftertaste (the internet agrees with me.)  They are a little more expensive, but I'd prefer that than chewing something.  

I also added in salt tabs to my long runs.  Haven't run enough to make any conclusions yet.

[laterz]

I only ran 5 miles this morning, but it was 73* and 87% humidity and it wasn't terribly fun for several reasons.

1) oppressive humidity. the place i run has fountains, but i was really wishing i had my vest with ice cold water.
2) TMI but my bowels didn't want to cooperate - just made it uncomfortable.

Thankfully it was cloudy.

So, I hate coffee. But that seems the holy grail to resolve #2. Any suggestions for me? Do I just need to treat it like a colonoscopy prep - hold my nose and suck down coffee? Is there any coffee that is for beginners? (less bitter, etc.)

[mrshandy]

Breakfast for me depends on mileage.
Under 6 miles - half a cup of coffee only
6-10 miles - half a cup of coffee and half of a banana
10-20 miles - half a cup of coffee and whole banana
20+ miles - half a cup of coffee and banana and almond butter and toast with jelly.

Coffee is pretty essential for me. It wakes me up and and it gets the bowels moving. My body pretty much on autopilot in the morning. It knows what to do.

It has been rough lately with this weather. So I wouldn't worry too much. Give it a week or two and this heat will break and many problems will be solved.

As far as gels, I'm boring and do GUs. It gets the job done.

[wawa]

Aug 5, 2024 13:37:32 GMT -5 laterz said:

I only ran 5 miles this morning, but it was 73* and 87% humidity and it wasn't terribly fun for several reasons.

1) oppressive humidity. the place i run has fountains, but i was really wishing i had my vest with ice cold water.
2) TMI but my bowels didn't want to cooperate - just made it uncomfortable.

Thankfully it was cloudy.

So, I hate coffee. But that seems the holy grail to resolve #2. Any suggestions for me? Do I just need to treat it like a colonoscopy prep - hold my nose and suck down coffee? Is there any coffee that is for beginners? (less bitter, etc.)

I've been thinking about trying a pre-run warmup routine with a lot of hip mobility work on the theory that doing little froggy bicycles helps babies poop, so maybe i can loosen my tight hips AND get my pre-run poop going.

I do not know if it would work, just thought on it yesterday after my long run.

[scm1011]

Aug 5, 2024 21:50:23 GMT -5 wawa said:

Aug 5, 2024 13:37:32 GMT -5 laterz said:

I only ran 5 miles this morning, but it was 73* and 87% humidity and it wasn't terribly fun for several reasons.

1) oppressive humidity. the place i run has fountains, but i was really wishing i had my vest with ice cold water.
2) TMI but my bowels didn't want to cooperate - just made it uncomfortable.

Thankfully it was cloudy.

So, I hate coffee. But that seems the holy grail to resolve #2. Any suggestions for me? Do I just need to treat it like a colonoscopy prep - hold my nose and suck down coffee? Is there any coffee that is for beginners? (less bitter, etc.)

I've been thinking about trying a pre-run warmup routine with a lot of hip mobility work on the theory that doing little froggy bicycles helps babies poop, so maybe i can loosen my tight hips AND get my pre-run poop going.

I do not know if it would work, just thought on it yesterday after my long run.

Honestly, in this vain, if I’m having pre-run issues I plan for a pit stop 1-2 miles into my run because once I get going it usually, um, gets things going. There is a particular Whole Foods where I’ve gone #2 on dozens of occasions before continuing on lol.

[brooke77]

Susie - I like Maurten for non-caffeine. For caffeine, I go with Gu. I believe Maurten has less sodium than others, so last marathon training I also had some salt tabs. I usually drink water or watered down Gatorade.