Take it on the Run

Recycling Shoes

I've been meaning to research methods of recycling shoes for a bit now, but luckily FitSugar did the work for me.  Read their informative post on various recycling/donating options here.

Question: Eating and Morning Runs?

A few days ago I received an email from a reader who was trying to find a balance between eating and running.  I thought that my reply might be of interest to other readers, so I am posting it here.

Food and running don't always mix for me.  I do things differently for the different distances and events that I am running:

Weekly Runs (about 30 minutes)
I usually don't eat anything before I go out.  I just drink a small amount of water.  Sometimes I will bring water with me, but more and more I leave it at home.  I hate the feeling of food and liquid sloshing around in my stomach, and I usually am too tired to eat at the hour I get up anyways.  I do make sure to eat after my run, of course.

Longer Distances (6 miles and up)
I do need something before longer runs to avoid feeling light-headed.  Though, I have found that all I can tolerate well is some Gatorade (usually thinned with some water or made weakly from the powder) and some type of energy food. 

The best choice for me are these Clif shot bloks (I generally eat 2 or 3 before the run).  They don't weigh down my stomach, but they give my body the carbs and salts that I need to do more strenuous distances.  Some people prefer the goos, while others tolerate the heavier bars-- some even just eat a few Lifesavers Gummis and are fine.  If you are often pursuing these distances, I'd suggest going to your local running store and grabbing a few different options to see what works best for you.  Alternatively, a piece of toast with butter would be a fine substitute to try out if you don't want to buy special food. On longer runs, I always recommend bringing some water.

When I was training with the AIDS Marathon program, they recommended eating about 100 calories every 45 minutes or 3 miles -- whichever comes first.  I think this is great advice.  I usually only ate about 60 - 70 calories at each interval, but everyone is a bit different.  For me, this came out to about 2 shot bloks.

Race Days
When I am participating in a race, I go about things a bit differently.  No matter the distance, race day usually means a very early morning to travel to the race site, and then some waiting around for the event to begin. Because so much time elapses (at least an hour and a half in my experience), I try to eat a larger breakfast and drink some coffee and at least 3 cups of water.  I usually plan to have a salty bagel with some peanut butter.  When I get to the race grounds there is usually free food from vendors, so I'll have half a banana if they are available. 

For really long runs (half marathon and up), it is a great idea to keep a few salt packets on you.  After significant mileage your body is often in desperate need of electrolytes because you have lost so much through sweat, and sometimes the shot bloks don't cut it.  Part of a salt packet will do wonders for you and help you find the energy you need to finish the race strong.

Every runner is different, so try out several methods before a race day to find what is best for you.

Cool Weather Running

Last week I replaced my shorts and t-shirt attire with thin running pants and a long sleeve shirt.  It took a block or two to warm up, but the coverage was appropriate by the end of the run.  On Tuesday I noticed that my muscles felt cold and stiff at the end of my run. Today I opted for an additional layer -- my Patagonia  R2 Vest.

I bought this vest a few years ago for a warm layer to use while backpacking through Eastern Europe.  It earned its keep when I found myself sleeping without heat in a rural Hungarian mountain village in November.  (Though, it should be noted that I didn't pay more than $40 for it.  I purchased it through Backcountry Outlet or Sierra Traiding Post.)

It wound up being the perfect layer for my morning run. It isn't super warm on it's own (there is a thicker, warmer version), but it does a great job of keeping body heat in.  When I would get warm, zipping the collar down a few inches was all I needed.

Chicago Half Marathon

Yesterday, in a constant stream of rain, I completed the Chicago Half Marathon.

Before the Race:

I began preparing last week, making sure that I didn't consume any alcohol, staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep.  I laid out all my materials Saturday night, made coffee for the morning, and ordered a cab.  I was up at 5 to eat a salted bagel, drink coffee and water, and out the door at 5:45.  When I arrived it was still dark and still raining.  I had packed a few garbage bags that served as a poncho and shoe coverings. 

I made my way to the AIDS Marathon tent and greeted other runners and coaches.  My parents found me along with our friends Bette & Dave.  They wished me luck and my dad took the bag I was going to check.

Sherry, Jeff and I decided to run separately due to varying interests in whether we wanted to walk parts of the course or not (I ended up running the whole thing). At about 7:10 I made my way over to the start line.  Jackson Park was a wet, muddy mess.  It took me quite a while to work my way through the pace sections.  I finally gave up trying to reach the 2:10 pace section and was content starting in the 2:20 section.  There was no way to advance any further, and my shoes were already soaked.

The Race:

I crossed the start line about 10 minutes after the official start.  Within minutes the rain felt wonderful, as I suspected it would.  It rained for the entire race (or more accurately, it rained constantly from Friday evening to Sunday evening, flooding parts of Chicago and requiring the city to call a "state of emergency" in the metropolitan area).  While the no sun/low humidity combination was the best I could have asked for, there were a few unanticipated consequences:

1) I underestimated how heavy water-logged shoes could feel.  It felt as though I was wearing ankle weights and it took an unanticipated toll on my knees.  I noticed a few people had placed a strip of duck tape over the mesh portion of their shoe (over their toes).  I have no idea if this works, but it seemed like a wise attempt.

2) My running shorts, which have always been very comfortable, surprised me with their behavior.  When soaking wet, they apparently have a tendency to ride-up -- which was not something I really wanted to think about during the race.  While I'd probably look a bit silly, I think I will have to invest in the skin-tight variety next time I do such a long race.

The AIDS Marathon organizers were fabulous; They planted a group to cheer every 2 miles or so, giving high-fives and yelling my name.  It was a nice motivator.  Additionally, my parents, my uncles, Bette & Dave and Nick (though I sadly didn't find him until well after the race) were cheering along the way.

I ate one Shot Blok at the start line, and three others along the way after mile 7 (where I took a quick bathroom break).  I also consumed my water bottle full of water with a bit of Gatorade powder, as well as a bit of water from two water stations.  Though I'd probably look a lot sharper without it, I really like having my water belt with me.  It is great for storing food, and the water stations get so congested that it's nice to be able to largely avoid them (and the resulting bed of crushed cups).

I kept my 10 minute pace well, making sure to start off slow (avoiding a repeat of my 10K experience).  The whole race felt pretty easy, amazingly.  I think the sun is what affects me most when running.  Around mile 10 I started to get nervous that my leg muscles were going to cramp up, but though they felt on the verge, I somehow avoided it.

The Results:

I finished right on schedule with a time of 2:12:26.  (You can see my results here) If you deduct the 2 minutes or so that the bathroom break took, I was almost dead-on the 10 minute/mile pace (the final pace they gave me was 10:07).  I didn't stop to walk once.  I kind of wish I had run a bit faster.  Clearly, the point was simply to finish, but other than being a bit sore when I was done (and very sore later in the day), I felt great when I finished -- and like I could have gone further.  I guess beating my time is a good motivator to run another half marathon.  Overall, I finished basically right in the middle in place 5606 out of 10854.

Walking through the gates past the finish line, I ate an apple and a banana (all the bagels were wet.. ew) and drank some Gatorade.  I also posed for a photo, which I'm sure looks absolutely stunning.  By the time I made my way over to the AIDS tent to meet my parents, I was so cold that I was shivering and my lips were turning blue.  I eventually found Nick and we headed to the bus.  3 methods of public transportation and over an hour later, we made it home.  I took a hot shower. 

My parents came by to pick us up and we met Jack and Dave, Bette and Dave, and an old high school friend, Sara, for brunch at Bin 36.  Sara has been a runner for a long time, and she is quite impressive.  Her time was 1:35:15 (that's a pace of 7:17!). My parents drove us home and Nick and I watched A Fish Called Wanda.  I was in bed by 10. 

While I luckily sustained no lasting injury, my body definitely feels a bit fragile and I looked positively elderly getting on and off the buses this morning. 

The half marathon was a great experience.  The AIDS Marathon training program helped to prepare me and I highly recommend them. Thanks to many generous individuals, I was able to raise $1,640 for AIDS prevention and care. I used to hate running and was barely able to run a mile outside.  5 months later I have transformed into someone who felt quite comfortable running 13.1 and I'm not ready to give it up yet. 

I'll be running the AIDS Run/Walk 5K next weekend with the Chicago AIDS Foundation and I plan to continue with my weekly runs while the weather holds out.  I'll continue to use this website to track my weeks and report on races, etc. 

Thank you to everyone who helped to support me through this process!

Total run: 13.1 miles