Does anybody know what the trail bars were at the turnaround of the Fat Ass 50K from the table run by Gottfried? They were in a blue foil package which I stuffed into my pocket meaning to hang on to so I would know what they were, but I must have thrown it out with my gel wrappers. They were some kind of a mashed fruit product, maybe with seeds and nut mashed in there too. I got a great amount of energy out of one bar and it seemed to sit really well in my stomach.
By the way I have been having a great amount of GI problems, not so much for the long stuff but especially during anything between 10K and 1/2 marathon. If anybody has any solutions - or if anybody who has had the same problem please share your experiences, it would help me sort out my problem.
I first experienced the problem at a trail run in Edmonton called the Moose is Loose 1/2 marathon last summer. Although, it was about 37 degrees out and I had just been at my sisters wedding the night before and was busy polishing off everybody's left over drink tickets until late into the night the night before. That one can pretty much be chalked up to a hangover but I got sick at least 10 times during the course of the race and barely managed to cross the finish line in 1:49.
When I got back to Vancouver I signed up for the Delta 1/2 marathon. I didn't really make any special preparations for that one, but forgot my watch so had to pace based just on how I was feeling. I coasted through the race but not hard enough as I made it in at 1:40 and change, which is quite a few minutes shy of my tempo run pace. I felt fine at that one but also felt like I could have run back to Vancouver after the race.
The next one I did was the 1/2 at the Victoria marathon and instead of drinking in excess of 10 drinks the night before I spent the whole week prior carbo loading and hydrating properly (with water instead of beer this time). I was cruising along until I got to the aid station at about 5K where I had a sip of Gatorade. I had trained with it but found it to be very acidic, the only reason I had some was that my race was going so good up until that point and I felt I needed something to maintain that pace. Within a few minutes I felt the same as in the Moose is Loose and had to slow significantly. By the time I got to about the 15K mark I could no longer keep the contents of my stomach and had to spend a few minutes leaning over the guardrail by the sea. I ran it in after that and was suprised when the announcer said that anybody who wanted to make it in under 1:40 should sprint. So I sneaked in, and had to rudely push through the volunteers as they attempted to remove my shoe tag as I was about to spew and headed straight for the railing between the tents. I was suprised to have achieved a personal best despite spending a good 3+ minutes leaning over the rail, but then I found the clock and announcer were a minute fast.
I then did the James Cunningham Seawall Race where I hit my time for the distance but was on pace to do a little better than expected until the last couple km's and had a similar ending as the Victoria 1/2 except without actually getting sick. I did feel pretty rude as I pushed the volunteer out of my way to head for the railing, but it would not have been words that would have come out of my mouth so it was for their own benefit.
Next I did the Fall Classic 1/2 at UBC where I was headed for my time (1:31) until about the halfway point where I had to slow considerably in order to not get sick. I did manage to make it through and pick it up for the last couple km's but finished in a 1:36 well under my target.
The weird thing is I hit my pace on my tempo runs fairly easily, although I generally do them later in the morning or in the evening. It might be related to the morning (my stomach never feels that great in the morning - I usually have a liquid breakfast in the form of a smoothie because of this) and is definately related to exertion. I do not have a smoothie before a race though. Lately I have a couple of slices of whole wheat toast with honey. I used to have a bagel and banana, but I'm not big on simple carbs and the bananas seemed to not necessarily make me sick but cause cramping. My stomach is not particularly sensitive typically and I don't have these problems when I run intervals at a faster pace on Wednesday evenings. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Ryan
Comments
Hi Ryan!
With regards to your prior food intake...Maybe try to stick with your smoothie even on race mornings. If that's what your system is used to, why upset it with stuff you don't really like. Too bad that bananas don't agree with you. Great running food ;-) Have you tried boiled potatoes in the morning? During the run: If you are well hydrated and it is not scorchingly hot you should be able to run up to a 1/2 marathon without drinks or food. That's not what Gatorade and Powerbar tells you, but you might want to give it a try for the sake of not upsetting your stomach. Overall, food during running is such personal thing. Race with what you train. Experiment. If you continue to be sensitive, you may need to consider to only trink from your personal aid (i.e no drink that has been mixed by a volunteer and you are not sure how concentrated it is).
Good luck in solving this problem.
Sibylle
Training Buddies?
I think we may have talked about this, but do you run alone or with others? Especially with your aggressive goals, it helps to run with others who have "been there, done that, got the t-shirt". Most other runners are only so happy to share their experiences with you.
Personally, I can eat dead squirrels while I run. I'm sure that if you asked a few people in a group run, however, you'd find someone who has experienced the same GI challenges you have. As Carlos pointed out, CFA runs can be a bit less stressful than most races. There are also a lot of free group runs out there that are not only great training, but a great way to meet people and learn. The Dirty Duo clinics that Colin Freedland hosts are great, as are the KneeKnacker training runs later in the spring. (These in the Vancouver area, but I'm sure there are similar clinics elsewhere.)
I'm a sleepy head
Race nerves?
Could be nerves but I generally feel calm
Hi Carlos:
I am 29 - also have not been running very long (less than 2 years.)
People have suggested nerves before, but I do not feel as nervous as most people I talk to say they are. When I did my first couple of races (before any serious training) I went out really fast and slowed through the race but tried to evenly pace myself through all of the recent races I mentioned. I do feel a slight excitement when I start but that passes once I get started. I never feel nervous and do not push myself too hard. While I have a desire to win eventually I definately do not expect to - I am just not there yet. I focus only on bettering my time - or more accurately hitting the pace of my tempo run. In the Victoria 1/2 I did push myself hard to meet that time as it was the race I focused all of my training on since the Vancouver Marathon, but did not feel it was excessively hard even at the time. I did not feel bad when I knew it was not going to happen, just sick. I wouldn't do it if I couldn't have fun while doing it.
My tempo runs for 1/2 Marathon are generally 10-15 km's at race pace depending on what my coach gives for the week.
The GI problems always seem to start around the 6-10K point of the race.
I am not a worrier in any sense of the word when it comes to anything. I let my girlfriend do all of my worrying for me!