Running The Road Blog

July 17, 2009

Today is my normal no run day and Saturday is my normal long run day. Tomorrow I’m doing 20 miles and with 16 to 22 mile long runs (22 is my limit) I like to do exactly as I do before marathons. I like to consume the same amount of calories the day before a marathon as I do on any other day (I don’t shy away from a few extra calories either) and eliminate known foods that don’t agree with me in a marathon, so today I’ll do the same. Tonight I’ll have what I always have, rice and either chicken or salmon, both of which always go well with my stomach. In the morning I’ll have my standard foods (PB and toast or bagel, a banana and some water to wash it down) 3 to 4 hrs before then within 1 hr of running I’ll have a 10 oz bottle of Minute Maid OJ (very good stuff btw) and at least 2 cups of strong black coffee and more water.

I always plan my route for long runs so that I go by the house half way through my run so I can refill my fuel belt which is just a matter of grabbing the extra 8 oz bottles I have, (already pre filled with Gator) replace the empty bottles in my fuel belt and in 30 seconds I’m off and running again. I also like to have a gel or 2 along with a couple 8 oz bottles of water for the last few miles.

When I run a marathon I like to carry a 24 oz bottle of Gator (the one with the top you can twist open and close) with me to avoid the heavy traffic I always encounter at the first few aid stations. 24 oz will hold me over for the first 6 to 8 miles then it’s course provided sports drink from there on because I never wear a fuel belt in a race. I do the same on my long runs and carry a 24 oz bottle of Gator for the first 6 miles so I’ll remain used to carrying one in the marathon.

When I do the same on my long runs as in the marathon it makes race day much less stressful because I know what I’m doing works for me. Except for actually pinning on the bib number, the distance shorter and the pace being about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes slower, I keep my long runs the same as race day. Anything below 16 miles I don’t get as carried away.

How about you, are you really particular and put a lot of thought on how you do your long runs or do you just get out and go?

Enjoy every step,

Al