"Subba Rao" <[email hidden]> wrote
Quoted message said:I live in the US and I am training for a marathon in the fall. I have a
couple of questions about keeping myself energized during the run.
Truth be told, the best thing you can do to stay energized is to pace
yourself well and not go too fast at first.
After you've got a good pace plan worked out, then think about drinking
strategy and sustenance. At marathon pace, most folks aren't comfortable
consuming more than 200 calories per hour. This includes calories from
energy drinks and goos or other foodstuffs.
Quoted message said:The first advice I got was to drink water (keep hydrated) while running.
Today while running, I stopped to take my first sip after 3.3 miles.
It was not a sip, I drank a lot of water. After drinking lot of water,
my speed slowed down considerably. How often do you have to drink water
and how much, without effecting the running speed? How do the good
runners do in this area?
First you need to find out how much water you lose while running. When you
get ready for a long run (say 2 hours), weigh yourself without clothes
before the start, keep track of everything you drink or eat, and weigh
yourself without your (possibly wet) clothes afterward.
Take that difference and add the number of lbs of water you consumed. Each
16oz (pint) of water weighs a pound.
Figure our your sweat rate per hour, and use that as a reasonable guide to
how much you should drink during your race. If you lose 24 oz / hour, try
to drink 6 oz every 15 minutes, or some other combination.
Obviously, if it's hot and sunny you're going to sweat more than if it's
cool and cloudy, so you might want to track how conditions affect you.
You do not want to weigh more at the finish than at the start, that could
indicate serious problems such as hyponatremia.
I drink from 20 oz transparent running bottles during races, so I know how
much I'm consuming.
In addition, you are advised to take a Salt tablet like a Succeed salt
capsule (look them up on the 'net) every hour and a half or so. (Note that
E-caps have much less salt and are not recommended) You lose salt when you
sweat, and it needs to be replaced, especially if you're going to be out
there 3 hours or more (as almost everyone is).
Finally, practice carrying water (I prefer the bottles so I can meter my
intake, and I have single and double bottle packs) during runs, and learn
how much you can drink without it bogging you down. I can handle 10 - 15
ounces without feeling it, but everyone is different.
Quoted message said:The second question I have is about goo (I don't know what they call
this in the UK, it is kind of a power gel). In UK, there is something
like Glucose-D (something like sugar). Is Glucose-D sugar or is it
something more that sugar(in a good way)? Is this something that
runners would consume during the run?
The thing to do is practice and experiment with some of the many goo-like
substances during your long runs. Just remember that eating too much will
bog you down big-time. I'd see how 1 / hour works as a starting point.
-- Dan
