My Fueling Strategy

As regular Hammer Nutrition users, we get a bi-monthly magazine called "Endurance News."  The February/March issue had an article called "Running a Marathon?  Fueling suggestions from Steve Born."  Oh yeah!  That's what I was looking for!  Steve Born is one of the main guys at Hammer, so I trust his advice completely.  I read the article back then, and reread it this week.  Click on the link above to read the entire article if you'd like (go to page 58), but here are some key points to me:

Success starts sooner than you think!  
Proper nutrition and hydration during the weeks of training are key.  Carbo loading and drinking water like a fish the day before are just going to cause your body undue stress.

What to do in the days leading up to the race
1) Avoid the temptation to train too much and/or too close to race day.
2) Don’t let your diet deviate too much from what got you there in the first place.  (I won't be having any fish this weekend!)

How well your body is able to digest a particular fuel. 
Running is a more jarring type of exercise than other sports such as road cycling, and this may make it a bit more challenging for runners to digest a concentrated fuel such as Sustained Energy or Perpetuem as compared to Hammer Gel or HEED. To find out how your body responds to a particular fuel, thorough testing in training is essential.
This is a key point!  I have used Heed and Perpetuem during my long runs (i.e., thorough testing in training).  For some reason, my stomach does not like Heed, but does fine with Perpetuem.  There will not be any Heed in my water bottle on Sunday!

Steve gives a very detailed plan of what he would use if he were running a marathon.  I will be following this because I have trained with Hammer products and I know they work.  There will be free electrolyte drinks and some kind of gel on the route, but I don't plan on using them.  I haven't tried them and won't be deviating from what has worked, even if they are Free!  Les has also used Hammer liquid nutrition only for many endurance events, including finishing Death Ride twice - bike rides of over 11 hours!

My plan is this:

• Have pizza on Saturday night!  This is a must.  It works every time.  Simple, easily digestible carbs. Yes, I could go for the pasta dinner, but pizza has never let me down.
• Start drinking water when I get up Sunday morning.
• Consume one packet of Hammer Gel just before the race starts.
• I will be wearing my hydration belt, carrying one bottle with enough fuel (Perpetuem and Endurolytes) for 4+ hours. 
• I will also have an additional Hammer Gel in my pocket to consume at mile 13 or 14.
• I will supplement my hydration with water only at the water stops.
• Les will have a Recoverite waiting for me at the finish line.
• I'll have some solid food about an hour later, giving my body a little time to calm down before I start stressing it again!

So that's my fueling plan.  I know there are many variables for a race of this length, but I'm sticking with the plan that has gotten me this far and am going to trust my training for the rest.

Don't forget to enter the contest to guess my marathon finishing time!

Knowing The Route

Training Peaks  had this to say about the route:

If possible, do some running on the course before the race. Note the locations of turns, hills, landmarks, and water stations. The familiarity will help you feel confident going into your big event.

I am very familiar with this route.  It is where I ran my first half marathon in 2006!  I think that is part of what gave me the confidence to sign up for the O2O Marathon and to set my eyes on a 4 hour marathon.

As far as feeling confident going into the big event...  well, I've had my moments!  Les is so great since he has done so many endurance events.  He knows it will be hard, but he also knows training really does pay off.  I'll say this, I am SO ready for Sunday!  I will run 5 miles tomorrow and 3 miles on Saturday.  That's all that's left.  No matter my finishing time, I still hope to finish strong and injury free.

Don't forget to enter the contest to guess my finishing time!

It's Marathon Week - Time for a Contest!

Just in case you didn't know, I am running my first marathon on Sunday!  Since none of you signed up to run with me, I thought I'd give you the chance to guess my finishing time and win a prize in the process.  Just leave a comment with your guess and you're automatically entered.  I'm not on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or anywhere else.  Just here, on Blogger.  You don't need to check out another site.  Just leave your comment right here!

You can write your guess anyway you want, for example if you think I'll finish in four hours, five minutes and twenty three seconds, you can write:

• 4:05:23  or
• Four oh five twenty three or
• Four hours, five minutes, and twenty three seconds
• Or any other variation you can come up with.

The winner will be the one who guesses most closely to my finishing time.  The prize is a $25 Amazon gift card.

I really don't know how fast or slow I'll be.  9 minutes a mile will be about 3:55.  10 minutes a mile will be about 4:20.  Here are some helpful hints:

• My training plan is called Break 4:00 Marathon, which means I've been training to finish in under four hours.
• I need to run about 9 minutes a mile to finish in under four hours.
• I ran my fastest long run, 13.1 miles, in 2:05:10.  That's a pace of 9:33, which would put my marathon time at 4:10:20.
• I've run single miles as fast as 8:33, but never maintained anything that fast for more than a mile.
• I ran Yasso 800s, finishing a half mile in 3:58.
• I ran a marathon pace run of 8 miles with an average pace of 9:06.
• All of my running has included hills.  There is no way to avoid it around here.  I run slower going uphill.
• The marathon is flat and downhill, it begins at 700 feet and descends to sea level.  There are no climbs over 2% grade.  I run faster going downhill.
• I currently don't have any injuries.  The past couple weeks of tapering have helped.

So guess away!  Winner will be announced on Monday, June 4th.  No guesses allowed after 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 3rd.

MT W17

This is the final week of training. Your race is this weekend! Take the three days of rest on the schedule and do short, easy runs on two other days.

As you're heading down this final stretch to the race, know that it's natural to start having doubts about your training and anxiety about race day. Try not to worry. Even if your training didn’t go perfectly, if you followed the plan most of the time, chances are that you’re fit to reach your marathon goals. Don’t try to cram in one extra hard workout; it will deplete the energy you need for the race. Just try to get some sleep, eat well, and make sure your plans are set for this weekend. Try to stick to the same routine that's worked for you during training; this is not the time to try out yoga or rock climbing. Whatever you do, don't try anything new.

Sunday:  Rest Day
Monday: 3 Miles Easy (Pace 10:04)
Tuesday:  5 Miles w/3 Miles @ Tempo
Wednesday:  Rest
Thursday: 5 Miles Easy (Pace 10:04)
Friday:  Rest
Saturday: 3 Miles Easy (Pace 10:04)
Sunday:  26.2 miles - this is it!!


Total planned miles:  42.20

MT W16 Results

Week 12 of my marathon training was an off week and so was week 16!  Fortunately, week 13 was a really good week that included my 22 miler, so I'm hopeful that next week will be great.

Sunday:  Rest Day
Result:  Rested

Monday: 5 Miles Easy w/5 Strides (Pace 9:46)
Result:  5 miles in 1:13:18, 14:39 pace.  That is not running!

Tuesday:  5 Miles w/3 Miles @ Tempo
Result:  5.01 miles in 59:44, 11:55 pace
Another slow slog.

Wednesday:  Rest
Result:  I really needed this rest day.

Thursday: 5 Miles Easy (Pace 9:46)
Result:  5.01 miles in 56:30, 11:16 pace

Friday:  5 Miles Easy (Pace 9:46)
Result:  It was our 21st anniversary and I was so tired, I decided to take an extra rest day.

Saturday: 12 Miles LSD (Pace 9:46)
Result:  9.44 miles in 1:44:40, 11:05 pace
I started off feeling really great, had about a 9:50 pace going.  Hit mile 7 and started having stomach issues, had to walk the final 2 1/2 miles.  I should have learned my lesson last month!  We went to Bubba Gump's last night - I had Mahi Mahi and shrimp.  My body does not seem to digest fish very quickly.  I will eat my normal pizza next weekend before the marathon - it never fails me!

Total planned miles:  32
Total miles run:  24.46

Reading My Mail

TrainingPeaks had this to say about tapering:

It's normal to feel "off" during the taper. As you reduce your mileage before a race, you have time to obsess over every stiff joint and unfamiliar sensation. And tapering can make you feel weak, creating anxiety that can lead to an upset stomach. Think of each symptom as a sign that your body is recovering and preparing to race. Fill your new found free time with nonrunning activities that allow you to rest your body while keeping your mind occupied.

So far this week my running has been well below average, I've been really slow.  I'm also trying to not obsess over this ache in my right knee... this is actually a new pain, I've had pain in my left knee, but not the right.  Oh the mind games of marathon training!

Not sure about any new found free time, other than sleeping until 6:30.

Logistics

TrainingPeaks has had great advice throughout my entire training program.  As marathon weekend gets closer, I may share a few more than usual.  Here is a little about the logistics:

Nail down all your race-weekend logistics as soon as possible. This will help stave off race day stress. Ample planning can help stave off stress on race day. Double-check your registration and the start time of the race. Figure out how you'll get to the starting line and where you can park. If your support crew is coming along, reach out to race officials to determine the best place for them to cheer you on, and where you'll meet them afterwards.

Les and I are spending the weekend in Ojai where the race starts.  He is riding the Ojai Valley Double Metric Century (125 miles) on Saturday, then it's my turn to run on Sunday.  Start time - 6:00 a.m.  If it's warm out, I'll be glad for the early start.  If not, I won't mind since that's the time I'm usually out running anyway.

This is our delayed anniversary celebration (21 years on May 25th.)  Last year we were in Rome, this year in Ojai...

These Shoes...

Are in my favorite color - purple.  I wore them yesterday while conducting a 30 minute musicians practice, 75 minute choir practice, and all during our church service.  So is it any wonder that my feet hurt this morning?  They have about a 2" heel, but they always leave my feet a little sore.

As I headed out for my 5 mile run this morning, I knew I had spent too much time in them.  So I traded my heels for hills and got in a mediocre walk/jog of 5 miles.  I really know better, but there's just something about cute shoes...

MT W16

This is week 16 of training. After this week, race day will be one week away!!!

This week you'll really start to feel the effort drop off, as you have three easy, short runs, a tempo run, and two days of rest, and your long run will be just 12 miles. As tough as it may be, resist the temptation to do more--you've done all the hard work of training to get fit. Now's the time to let your body adapt to the training stresses so that you can show up at the starting line strong, energized, and ready to run your best.

Sunday:  Rest Day
Monday: 5 Miles Easy w/5 Strides (Pace 9:46)
Tuesday:  5 Miles w/3 Miles @ Tempo
Wednesday:  Rest
Thursday: 5 Miles Easy (Pace 9:46)
Friday:  5 Miles Easy (Pace 9:46)
Saturday: 12 Miles LSD (Pace 9:46)


Total planned miles:  32

MT W15 Results

Sunday:  Rest Day
Result:  Rested

Monday: 8 Miles Easy w/8 Strides (Pace 9:46)
Result:   8.26 miles in 1:19:54, 9:40 pace
After 3 days of not running, I was ready to GO!

Tuesday:  8 Miles w/4 Miles @ Tempo
Result: 8.1 miles in 1:22:01, 10:07 pace
After 2 miles of warmup, I ran 4 miles at tempo.  8:33, 8:39, 9:02, and 8:54
My speed has definitely improved!

Wednesday:  Rest
Result:  I really enjoy my rest days!

Thursday: 7 Miles Easy (Pace 9:46)
Result:  7.02 miles in 1:20:27, 11:28 pace
I was feeling slow this morning, so I headed for the trail.  I knew I wouldn't be fast there, but would get a great workout.

Friday:  7 Miles Easy (Pace 9:46)
Result:  7.04 miles in 1:24:22, 11:59 pace
I had my eyes on a fast run on Saturday, so purposely slowed my pace today.

Saturday: 15 Miles LSD (Pace 9:46)
Result:  15 miles in 2:30:00, 10:00 pace
I started out really fast, first 6 miles all under 9:25, including mile #4 that was 8:58, but I couldn't sustain that as the road turned upward.
Ave HR 148
Max HR 162
Calories burned 1430

Total planned miles:  45
Total miles run:  45.43

Tapering?

TrainingPeaks says I am now tapering before the marathon:

During the final weeks leading up to the marathon, your weekly mileage will drop off, but the intensity of the workouts will remain high. The idea is to rest, not rust. You'll want to get some time to recover, but stay sharp for race day.

I ran 8 miles on Monday and another 8 on Tuesday.  I'm scheduled to run 7 on Thursday and Friday, then 15 on Saturday for a total of 45 miles this week...  So when does that mileage drop off?

Looking ahead, I do see the miles dropping off next week.  Saturday is my last run over 13 miles before the marathon.  I have one 12 miler, then nothing over 5 miles for the next two weeks. 

Unbelievable, it's just about here!

This Little Piggy

This little piggy ran tempo
This little piggy climbed hills
This little piggy ran marathon pace
This little piggy ran LSDs
This little piggy lost a toenail
and cried, "ow, ow, ow" all the way home!

I guess it was inevitable.  I've run over 500 miles since the first of the year.  Something had to give.  The toenail on my left middle toe appears to be the victim.  I'll spare you any pictures, it's not a pretty sight.  For now, it's still there, but I know from experience it's going to come off.  If I can just keep the other nine for the next 20 days I'll be happy.

MT W15

I really can't believe how close I'm getting to the finish line!  Just 3 weeks to go.

This is week 15 of training. After this week, race day will be two weeks away. Your taper officially begins.

You’ll have three easy runs, two days of rest, and a tempo run, which will be shorter, but faster than the tempo work you did a few weeks ago. Your long run will drop back to 15 miles. If you’d like, you can incorporate a half-marathon into your long run. You can use the race as a dress rehearsal for your big day, or use it as an extended marathon-pace run.

Sunday:  Rest Day
Monday: 8 Miles Easy w/8 Strides (Pace 9:46)
Tuesday:  8 Miles w/4 Miles @ Tempo
Wednesday:  Rest
Thursday: 7 Miles Easy (Pace 9:46)
Friday:  7 Miles Easy (Pace 9:46)
Saturday: 15 Miles LSD (Pace 9:46)


Total planned miles:  45

MT W14 Results

My running for this week was all loaded in the front end.  We have had plans for a couple of months, no guilt for not running this weekend!

Sunday:  Rest Day
Result:  I woke up bright and early, feeling pretty stiff from Saturday's 22 miler.  I decided to go for a walk, hoping to loosen up a bit.  It really did help.  3.06 miles in 50:16, 16:27 pace.

Monday: 7 Miles Easy (Pace 9:52)
Result:  7.07 miles in 1:26:51, 12:17 pace.
I was still a little sore and knew I wouldn't be fast, so I headed for hills.  I was pleasantly surprised to see my pace drop as low as 8:57, even if I couldn't hold it there for long.

Tuesday:  9 Miles w/5 Miles @ Tempo
Result: 8.75 miles in 1:46:01, 12:07 pace
I started off feeling good, picked up the pace, ran mile 3 in 9:48 and mile 4 in 9:28.  At about mile 5 my left knee started hurting.  From then on I did a mix of walking and running. 

Wednesday:  6 Miles Easy (Pace 9:52)
Result:  I realized that I hadn't take a day off in a week.  No wonder I was hurting on Tuesday!  I took the day off, saying No to injuries.

Thursday: 8 Miles Easy (Pace 9:52)
Result:  13.1 miles in 2:05:10, 9:33 pace
I decided to turn this into a my LSD for the week.  Pushed it the entire time!  My fastest long run to date.
Fastest mile #6 - 9:03
Slowest mile #11 - 11:00
Ave HR 150
Max HR 162
Calories burned 1307

Friday:  Rest
Result:  Spent the day at the San Diego Zoo.  I have no idea how far we walked, but 7+ hours on my feet was plenty. We did hill repeats on Monkey Trail... at least it felt that way!

Saturday: Rest
Result:  Another beautiful day in San Diego - I'm not sure what's on the agenda.


Total planned miles: 30
Total miles run:  31.92

I'm SO Hungry!

For the first time since I started training for this marathon, I have been hungry nonstop.  It seems every hour since I ran my 22 miler I have been hungry.  Not just a little hungry 30 minutes before lunch, but HONGRY all day long!

I had written about gaining weight while training for a marathon last September, so I looked it up.  You can read the entire post here, but according to Runner's World, when training for a marathon you will be hungrier!  Here's why:

Marathon training almost always requires more mileage, which boosts the number of calories you burn as well as your appetite. Your body is trying to help fuel your increased activity. One of the ways it does this is by making you hungry. It's worse for women: Researchers at the University of Massachusetts discovered this heightened sense of hunger is stronger in women than men because exercise accelerates the production of appetite-regulating hormones, prompting them to eat more.

 Just what I need - acceleration of my appetite regulating hormones.

What am I doing about it?  I'm just going a little hungry.  I've tried not to overeat, I've eaten an extra yogurt and avoided cookies.  I know that I have consumed enough calories and my body just needs to get use to it.  Since that was my longest training run, I'm hoping my hunger pains will decrease.

MT W14

I think I mentioned a while back that I had put an extra week in my training plan "just in case."  Well two weeks ago didn't go so well, so this week I'll be doing some of those miles again.  I'll only have Monday through Thursday, as we have plans for the weekend.  I'm also suppose to start my taper after my 22 miler, but this is a week too soon, so I'll start tapering next week.


Sunday:  Rest Day
Monday: 7 Miles Easy (Pace 9:52)
Tuesday:  9 Miles w/5 Miles @ Tempo
Wednesday:  6 Miles Easy (Pace 9:52)
Thursday: 8 Miles Easy (Pace 9:52)
Friday:  Rest
Saturday: Rest

Total planned miles: 30

Today's Run = 22 Miles!!!

The day I've been waiting for finally arrived!  My longest training run before the marathon.   22 Miles.  I've only run that distance one other time.  It's a long way to run, let me tell you!  Just 4 miles shy of a full marathon.

I changed my strategy just a little for today's run.  I felt like I've been starting out too fast and not leaving enough for the last miles.  I changed my route slightly and threw in a couple of climbs in the first four miles.  They slowed me down, but they also gave me time to warm up sufficiently.  My friend, Mr. Wind, decided to show up today, too, just to make things a little more fun!

So here we go:

Mile 1:  9:49
Mile 2:  10:18
Mile 3:  11:40
This was where I had my first climb.  I had already decided that I would take more walk breaks early on, so this is where I took my first one.

Here's my total elevation map:

Mile 4:  9:52
This had some up and down hill so I started picking up the pace.

Mile 5: 9:58
Mile 6:  10:00

Miles 7-11 were mostly flat or downhill.  I really got in a groove here.
Mile 7:  9:43
Mile 8:  9:41
Mile 9:  9:28
Mile 10:  9:46
Mile 11:  9:42

Mile 12:  10:00
I was at the 12 mile mark in exactly 2 hours, that's a 10 minute/mile pace at that point.

Mile 13:  9:53
Mile 14:  10:37
Mile 15:  11:20 - another uphill mile
Mile 16:  10:00
Mile 17:  11:39

Just past the 17 mile mark, I had made a loop and was back home.  Clean restroom and fresh water.  Then I was off for a 5 miler.  These 5 miles were the same route as my first 5.  Yes, that included some uphill, but I knew I would get some good downhill as well.

Mile 18:  10:24
I was feeling really stiff for the first 1/2 mile or so.  I probably stopped too long.

Mile 19:  12:41
Mile 20:  14:04
These two miles hurt the most!  If you'll look again, you'll see they were mostly uphill.  I walked most of mile 20, but kept telling myself, "Your last 1/2 mile is downhill."

Mile 21:  10:41
Mile 22:  10:31

I am happy to report that although I feel sore and fatigued, I don't feel any injuries.  My knee and hip bothered me during my 20 miler but they didn't today.

Total distance:  22.01 in 3:52:03, 10:32 pace.  My goal today was to finish in under 4 hours.

Ave HR 147
Max HR 157
Calories burned 2095

MT W13 Results

Sunday:  Rest Day
Result:  Rested

Monday: 5 Miles Easy w/6 Strides (Pace 9:46)
Result:  5 miles in 47:54, 9:35 pace

Tuesday:  Yasso 800s
Result:  10 miles in 1:48:35, 10:51 pace
Fasted 800 repeat:  3:58

Wednesday:  Rest Day
Result:  Rested

I have decided that my definition of "easy" and TrainingPeaks' definition of "easy" are two different things.  With my eye on Saturday's 22 miler, I backed way off my pace on Thursday and Friday.  Slow = easy, to me.

Thursday: 6 Miles Easy (Pace 9:46)
Result:  6.21 miles in 1:06:39, 10:44 pace

Friday:  5 Miles Easy (Pace 9:46)
Result:  5.06 in 54:40, 10:50 pace

Saturday:  22 Miles LSD (Pace 9:46)
Result:  22.01 Miles in 3:52:03, 10:32 pace
I'm going to do a full post about this run shortly.  My longest training run and I feel really good about it!

Total planned miles: 48
Total miles: 48.29

Friend or Foe?

I run by a golf course several times a week.  There is a large pond with ducks and geese.  Without fail, there are always geese hanging out on the sidewalk.  As I get closer, there is one that tucks his head and charges straight at me.  I don't slow down or change my course.  He never gets too close, but he starts honking and pretty soon the whole group is making a bunch of racket!

Yesterday morning I decided they weren't trying to attack me or protect their territory - they were cheering me on!  It's all in how you look at things.

Eeeeeek!!!!

One month from today I will be lining up to run the Ojai to Ocean Marathon!!

Part of the recreation trail I'll be running:

The finisher's medal:

Marathon Time Predictor ~ Yasso 800s

Today my training plan was Yasso 800s.  The Yasso 800s (named for Runner's World's Bart Yasso) are part of a simple speed workout that involves running 800-meter repeats (two laps around the track) with 400 meters of recovery in between. You aim to run the repeats in a time that's "equal" to your marathon time. That is, if you're shooting for a 3:30 marathon, try to run each 800-meter repeat in three minutes and 30 seconds.  In my case, that would be two times around the track (or 1/2 mile) in 4 minutes.

I was suppose to do this workout a couple of weeks ago, but I got rained out.  I got up this morning ready to give it a try.  There is a park close to our house that has a track, so I headed there.  My warmup was 3 miles, then I hit the track.

The track ended up being a half mile hilly, muddy trail. I was dodging puddles and people.  Not the best place to get in a groove and crank out fast repeats.  I ran it once, then just headed out to the streets.  I know the neighborhood well, so I chose half mile stretches of road that were relatively flat, hit my "lap" button and ran all out for half a mile.  I was able to do this a total of six times.  Here are my times:

Yasso #1:  4:38
Yasso #2:  4:23
Yasso #3:  4:12
Yasso #4:  4:06
Yasso #5:  3:59
Yasso #6:  3:58

Those final two laps made me really happy!  Under 4 minutes.  Could it be I'll hit my 4 hour marathon goal?