^entirely depends on your distance and metabolism, it's very dangerous to say you don't need some sort of electrolyte/carb replacement for running, and especially water. (also differs based on running weather conditions)

for me personally i can't run more than 4-5 miles before my body runs out of simple carbs to burn and water, after which running becomes incredibly difficult, upping water & carbs prior to a run doesn't do it for me. i'll cramp up, reduced energy, slow down almost 1min/mile, etc. different for every person, but don't be the fool that collapsed or couldn't make it home because of simple water/nutrition, i've actually had dehydration set in on long bike rides and it's very debilitating. then again i live at altitude with 50% humidity so geography might be important to note too.

but ^ noted the most important thing, listen to your body, if you're out of energy, take something, if you're cramping, drink water, focus on posture and form, etc.

[Edited on November 5, 2012 at 11:18 AM. Reason : .]

11/5/2012 11:15:50 AM

very true. i have a high metabolism, low body fat, and really listened to my body with every run i went on. i found that i could increase my mileage without bringing water/snacks as long as i drank enough water leading up to my run.

but like you said, everyone is different - you just have to kind of figure out what kind of balance you need.

11/5/2012 11:29:18 AM

^ I wish I could figure that out. If I drink nothing my run sucks, and if I drink too much (which is usually any amount of water) I have to pee all the damn time.

City of Oaks was good. I've done almost all my long runs on Tobacco Trail, and the hills on the half were really nothing bad. Just a couple I had to slow down on. Didn't do the course last year so I don't have a comparison.

Had to pee twice, one line took 10 freaking minutes. (Mile 2) I see the 2:15 pace go by and catch him around mile 5. Mile 10.5 I finally see the 2:00 pace guy a half mile ahead on one of those turn arounds. I didn't think I had the time to catch him until then, and pounded out some crazy miles to catch him - right at mile 13!

11/5/2012 2:09:10 PM

Quote :

"Any words of wisdom, advice, and motivation?"

Find a plan and stick to it. I've really liked http://smartcoach.runnersworld.com/smartcoach/ as a starting point; just put in your dates, your recent 5K time (there's plenty of 5Ks going on right now to race one and have a new time to use)

and also have fun!

In regards to eating and drinking during a race, whatever you do, try not to do anything new on the day of the race that you havent done during training. Try new stuff out during training, but don't do anything new during a race. For instance if you don't drink gatorade while running, don't drink it during the race--- that was my problem once

11/5/2012 2:24:04 PM

Quote :

"Had to pee twice, one line took 10 freaking minutes. (Mile 2) I see the 2:15 pace go by and catch him around mile 5. Mile 10.5 I finally see the 2:00 pace guy a half mile ahead on one of those turn arounds. I didn't think I had the time to catch him until then, and pounded out some crazy miles to catch him - right at mile 13!"

we must have been running side by side because i also saw the 2:00 pace guy a half mile ahead of me and i was BOOKING it to catch up to him. were you by chance wearing gray shorts?

11/5/2012 2:43:42 PM

My knees are my biggest concern to be honest and that's what has hindered me from running and really going for it in the past. A few years ago I suffered a knee injury but never went through with the mri/x-ray and instead just laid off any high impact activity but have gradually picked up my intensity in the last year. It's probably wise to get them fully checked out before training gets more in depth, right? Better safe than sorry.

So, I found a training program that I think will work with my schedule and workout style/preferences. It's one of those couch to half ideas and I'm at least above couch level. The runner's world smart coach is another tool I'm going to use. Tomorrow is going to be a brand new day!

Thank you all for the start-up tips! I'll keep you posted as I go along!

11/5/2012 9:20:08 PM

something i found that REALLY helped my running is that i focused mostly on cross training and only really ran maybe 1-2 days a week. i went from about a 10 minute/mile to a 7 minute/mile over the course of a year.

i do boot camp 3 days a week and mix in HIIT in between with a random running day thrown in here or there. i only "trained" 1-2 days a week for this race.

11/5/2012 9:31:16 PM

^^^ blue shorts, hideously green jacket

I guess I'm the opposite, I'm up to 5 runs a week now (different kinds of runs but still runs), and fail at getting motivated to do crosses. I need a routine to break into but have a billion things I switch between; free-weights, p90x yoga, pilates, PT recommended dailies, etc.

Knees are tough. Definitely get them checked, running or not. Different running techniques put impact on different areas of your body - there's a billion things out there. Ground softness helps as well - avoid sidewalks when possible, asphalt is okay, and trails are even softer.

11/5/2012 10:45:52 PM

i wonder if i just wing it for the marathon if i'll survive it

11/7/2012 4:18:50 PM

you'll survive. but your body will hate you.

11/7/2012 4:30:52 PM

haha

yea - it hates me already

11/7/2012 4:32:18 PM

I cannot wait to quit running for a few months after the marathon on Sunday. I'm going to pick up
yoga, weightlifting, and any non-cardio activity, with the exception of spin classes and cyclocross practice, to keep me busy during winter.

11/7/2012 5:14:24 PM

OBX Marathon weekend was really fun! The race was well-organized, as usual, with tons of water stops, bathrooms and crowd support. And the post-race party was awesome!

I did the Rumrunners Challenge (5k on Sat and half-marathon on Sunday) and the medal for that was REALLY cool. It had a bottle opener at the bottom!

Won my age group for the 5k with a very slow 25:00 run ... didn't realize we'd be running part of it through the sandy/dirty/mushy Nags Head Woods.

Was feeling sore from Sat's run and air travel, so Sunday was a few min slower than I wanted. Ran the half in 1:53:00. Was shooting for sub-1:50, but glad it was sub-1:55 at least.

[Edited on November 12, 2012 at 10:44 AM. Reason : d]

11/12/2012 10:43:22 AM

Finished OBX Marathon in 4:46 or 4:47, depending on if you ask the gun or chip time. Whatever. I ran a very
fast half split with my friend (dead on 2 hours!), then slowed down a bit by mile 20. I could not keep up with friend's pace (she was 4:36 overall), so I dialed it back a bit to running/walking. Still, I wanted to go sub 5, and I totally did!

Lessons learned from my first marathon:
1) Body Glide or whatnot under arms is your friend. Mine were bleeding and bruised by the end.
2) Gu's are gross. No. Matter. What.
3) Carb load with Bojangles biscuits.
4) Biofreeze is like crack.
5) My longest run next time will be 22 miles. Thank God I had a cardio base from triathlon to push my butt through the last 6.
6) My 'wall' was mile 24. Not really physical pain, but the mental anguish of "you assholes put the mile marker 1/2 mile early? Seriously?"

Overall, a really fun race with lots of crowd support, and I had fun convalescing in Duck, NC on Sunday night.
I'll try to schedule my next race without being sandwiched between Saturday clinicals and a test on Monday.

I'm really stiff in my calves from the race, but like the endurance crackheads we are, we're already planning another marathon for the spring.

And dear God, what was with the people running with gas masks? SCARY!

11/13/2012 2:04:07 PM

^ Great job!

I think the guys and gals with gas masks were part of the Wounded Warrior Project.

11/13/2012 2:23:32 PM

awesome job ladies! I love hearing these!

I must be the only person who loves GUs! I could eat them all the time for all my nutritional needs if I could

Also Body glide goes on like all of my body if my runs are around 10+miles, from my toes to the valley in between "the ladies" I can't stand distractions like chaffing. Also aquaphor!

You guys are definitely an inspiration. I think sometime in 2014, if I have a good and strong 2013, I will do a marathon. Right now though I have my next half to worry about this Sunday

11/13/2012 2:33:14 PM

^ Where's your half? Good luck!

I've never had to worry about chafing. Not much to worry about with my "ladies".

Also, answer on the gas mask:

http://outerbanksvoice.com/2012/11/12/marathon-draws-more-than-5000-on-a-perfect-day/

Quote :

"Team X-T.R.E.M.E. members run or bike with gas masks. Soles explained the reason. “Every single veteran and military member at one point or another had to wear a gas mask. In training or in combat they know what it’s like. When we say we’re willing to go out and run a half marathon or run a full marathon in honor of their sacrifices, that resonates with them and gives them encouragement and empowers them to be better, to challenge themselves and to never give up.” Lance Cpl. Todd Love thanked everybody for their support, and the veterans before him. He presented a token of appreciation to Outer Banks Sporting Events for its support. John Gilliam fought back tears while accepting a flag signed by Team X-T.R.E.M.E. members and presented by Love, who was sitting in a wheelchair. "

[Edited on November 13, 2012 at 2:47 PM. Reason : g]

11/13/2012 2:46:09 PM

^ Oh ok, got it, Veterans' Day and all. Just not sure why they couldn't have just worn T-shirts and not the gas masks. I kinda felt like Darth Vader was running past me on his way to destroy the world.

Funnily enough, I think it was much harder to go from the 10K distance to the half marathon distance. Y'all are really experiencing the hardest part of it- going past 8, 9 miles into the 10-12 mile range. When you jump up to the marathon, and start doing 15, 18 mile runs, you'll find it's not really that much different mentally. You just need to adjust to the idea of running for 3, 4, 5 hours.

11/13/2012 8:21:42 PM

^ I'm thinking the opposite now. In the 14-18 range the last 2 miles were tough, which was fine, and I got to run my long runs a good deal slower than I did my half marathon training runs. But in the 19-21 range each mile was just severely worse than the last. I go from thinking 'I have the energy to run 2-3 extra' to pure hamstring agony.

I tried Gus last long run every 40 mins and they weren't bad. Tried the Honey Stinger Gu (pretty much honey) around m19 last weekend and that really pissed off my stomach. Still love the little chewables, but I don't think I'm going to carry 50-60 on the marathon

11/14/2012 10:43:14 AM

Make sure and down any of the gels/goos with plenty of water to avoid the stomach problems. Sometimes certain brands still don't agree with your stomach, but that helps for sure.

11/14/2012 11:07:16 AM

Quote :

"Where's your half? "

it's the Philadelphia Half. It goes through a lot more of the city than the Philly Rock n Roll Half, so it should be fun! I'm also kind of under-trained so it should be interesting.... I don't know where the time went!

11/15/2012 11:31:44 AM

holy issues with my IT band/knee

got to about 12 and a half miles yesterday and it really started to cause problems. walked/ran the last 2 and a half to get to my 15 mile goal. just sucked.

my breathing is great, nothing else in my body was struggling at that mileage, just the knee. hopefully i can work that out and be just dandy adding another 11.2 miles to that come january

11/18/2012 5:20:01 PM

IT band issue here too. It is so bad and painful; no amount of rolling and stretching has really helped it. What I need to do is go to the gym and start strengthening those support muscles. It started to kick in during mile 9 of my race this morning going up a hill, I kept plugging along but it really interfered with my plan to speed up the last 3 miles, I just could barely maintain the speed I had. I pulled over to stretch it for about a minute but I don't think it helped. Atleast I didn't give up. What kills me though is that it cost me a good PR! I had no other problems! My calves were great, no cramps there; my cardio was great and I was set on just letting it loose. But all I got was 2 minutes off my time. Which I guess is good but I still wanted something better

I can't wait for my new gym to open, just another week I think!

11/18/2012 10:21:27 PM

G'Luck with that stuff, ladies. I've taken the entire 2012 off from running to get better.

11/19/2012 1:08:38 AM

What gym are you all going to? Do they have a good track?

11/19/2012 10:19:09 AM

Set a new PR...22.09 for a 5k. I'm DETERMINED to get in the 21's next time!

11/19/2012 11:55:57 AM

Anyone doing the Ridgewood Turkey Trot on Thursday? I've always wanted to do a turkey trot, and it will be a nice capstone to a long running and tri season.

I'm feeling back to normal after the marathon- took about 3-4 days to walk normally again, and another few for the IT band to get over it. Haven't ran since, just been bike commuting, walking the dogs, and some yoga.

11/20/2012 1:41:40 PM

Skinny turkey half marathon for me, little more than what I would call a trot.

11/20/2012 6:23:13 PM

Umstead Marathon registration opens next Wednesday November 28th at 8am. The race itself isn't till March 2nd, so there is still time to train if you aren't 100% marathon ready. If you have never run it before make sure you do plenty of hill repeats as part of your training...

http://www.umsteadmarathon.com/

11/22/2012 9:27:44 AM

i did the ridgewood turkey trot this morning

last year my chip time was 47 minutes. this year it looks like my chip time will be about 39 minutes

11/22/2012 10:05:15 AM

Picked up one of these for $99 yesterday:

http://www.amazon.com/MOTOACTV-Fitness-Tracker-Music-Player/dp/B005Q3144W

Comes with $50 headphones and the wrist band. Going to give it a shot. Apparently you can even root it and put Spotify on it (to download playlists).

Hard to beat $99 for a GPS/8GB mp3 player.

11/22/2012 11:20:51 AM

Sub 1:40 half at the skinny turkey today. Faster than I thought I could go, I plan on that PR hanging around a while.

11/22/2012 2:49:26 PM

Nice y'all. My running partner thinks she has a stress fracture in her lateral right foot, so we ended up walking
it in from mile 4. If we had stayed on track, probably would have PR'd around 45 minutes.

Oh well- friendship and safe running > PR.

11/23/2012 12:45:37 PM

Anyone use arm warmers? I bought some for my dad for cycling but wonder how practical they are for running?

11/23/2012 3:53:25 PM

I, too, have wondered about these sleeves.

I've seen arm-warmers in use typically for longer-distance runners. However, the only people I ever see wearing them are at opposite ends of the spectrum from one another: a) elite athletes who are the top finishers in races, and b) beginners who think "better gear = better performance".

But if it's something that makes running better for you, none of that should matter.

11/23/2012 7:20:41 PM

please don't get arm warmers. yes, elites wear them sometimes, but even that is limited. people get too caught up in trying to find an edge, but running is just about putting in the miles, there are no secrets. not to mention, if you live in NC, it never gets cold enough to need them.

11/23/2012 7:57:28 PM

I think for biking they make sense. But yea not for running

11/23/2012 8:05:10 PM

"The only bad thing about running is that it is miserable to do it"

- Someone



or something like that

11/23/2012 8:07:02 PM

My vote on sleeves: Not useful for cycling. Just wear a damn long sleeved tech shirt under your jersey and be done with it. But, useful for running- protects against the underarm chafe on long runs and after swimming in saltwater. I suppose you could also sub in Body Glide.

Now, let's talk about compression socks. Imo, stupid if you aren't running > a few hours, or recovering from said long workout, or on your feet all day as a teacher or nurse or whatnot. You can't tell me the average desk jockey needs them for a short race like a turkey trot.

11/24/2012 12:55:54 AM

IT band compression wrap acquired... desperately hoping this helps with my running.

11/25/2012 3:23:13 PM

What's everyone using as far as jackets/vests now that its hitting 30-40 degrees out?

11/25/2012 6:28:59 PM

I wear a long sleeve tech tee, short tech over it, and a vest (Brooks Men's Essential Run Vest). For me that's barely not enough but I'm really sensitive to cold weather.

Vegas full in 7 days! And thank god it will be warm and not 45 and windy like last year

I'd like to try compression socks but it's a little late to experiment. I still don't understand how they work.

11/25/2012 6:43:44 PM

I'm not running agin until sometime after Xmas. But, for cold weather running, I have this awesome shell jacket I found at Target for 50% off last year for 20 bucks. It's very water resistant, thin-fleece lined, and has pockets and a hood. <3. I wear that over a long sleeved tech tee, and tights or capris. If we're talking about <30, then wool socks, thin gloves and maybe a thin tech beanie. I burn pretty hot so I need to vent a lot.

11/25/2012 6:52:45 PM

Just ordered a vest and new hat. I usually get hot quickly even with just a long sleeve shirt, so we'll see how this setup works for awhile.

11/25/2012 7:49:43 PM

i've got a nice down vest last year for christmas which actually i get overheated in sometimes and then the rest of the time i do really well with the long sleeve nike tops. they keep me pretty warm.

as long as my ears and hands are warm, i'm good.

11/26/2012 8:32:27 AM

my go-to tights have been these awesome fleece lined pair from target, then I wear a pair of shorts over that, more for extra pockets than warmth. Up top: compression top, short sleeve tech (30-40 deg) compression top, long sleeve tech (<30). Gloves and an ear warmer band that is great at wicking sweat.

11/26/2012 9:35:57 AM

Ok fine I won't get any arm warmers. Don't want to be a poser.

Anyone have gloves they recommend?

11/26/2012 10:23:07 AM

Umstead Marathon registration opens in a few days, I believe.

Race takes place March 2nd.

11/26/2012 12:59:07 PM

^ Tomorrow morning at 8am and it usually fills up pretty quickly.

11/27/2012 12:45:59 PM

^ You weren't kidding.

11/28/2012 10:56:06 AM