Monday, January 9, 2012

When great runs go bad

Saturday was beautiful here in Chicagoland this past weekend. I was excited to be able to do my final long run outside and enjoy the *spring* like weather for another week.


18 miles avg 9:00/ mile

But it was a *horrible* run. Granted the first 11 miles were glorious. I was cruising at 8:30-8:40 pace and loving life.


Then the GI issues hit me. I had to stop and walk and contemplate whether or not to continue on or find an open restroom (which are hard to find on the lakefront this time of year). I used my Jedi mind tricks to settle my tummy and continued on, albeit at a much slower pace than before to complete my run.


If I could survive this, I'm pretty certain I could survive anything in a race.

So what can contribute to a *horrible* run?

•lack of sleep the night(s) before •dehydration from too much "drinking" or not enough water the day before


•food. I know some people are sensitive to eating certain foods before longer runs. Luckily, I'm not one of them and the tacos Friday night had no claim to my problems.


•emptying out your insides before a race (or long run). Extremely important for long runs where the restrooms are boarded up and in short supply!!


•improper fueling during the run. Not enough water intake, not taking enough gel, chomps, salt tabs etx This can cause muscle cramps and eventually injury.


•wearing proper clothes for the weather. It was low 30's and little wind so I wore, CEP comp sox, shorts, long sleeve shirt and a light jacket. Should have worn gloves, but i felt cool the entire time. (and happy I finally figured out how to dress for the cold)


There seems to be a lot that can make a run go bad, but in reality most of the factors are in your control. This *horrible* run was my fault. It wasn't some new problem that hit me like a train- but it was 100% preventable.

Post long run We checked out Panozzos, an Italian market that we saw on Diners, Drive ins and Dives a few weeks ago.


My porchetta sandwich was amazing and WW got a massive meat ball sandwich. They were delicious!

We also tried out "Waffles" this weekend.


I got waffles Benedict. It was a Liege waffle (very sweet and dense) with pulled pork, egg and hollandaise sauce. Very delicious!

What are some additional causes for crappy runs? What has caused you trouble during a run before? - xaar

6 comments:

  1. Gut problems are among the worst! For awhile I carried toilet paper in my sports bra while running, but I haven't had any issues in a while. Emptying the guts before the run is so key!

    great job with the Jedi mind tricks! and dressing for the weather! I wish this nice weather would stick around.

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  2. You hit all the reasons why I have had bad runs. I always have to be very careful before my long runs or I will have GI issues for sure!

    Mmmmm... the waffles look very yummy!

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  3. My worst run was due to inexperience and having no plan to hydrate at all while running 11 miles in 70 degrees with zero shade. I figured I was able to do 10 miles the weekend before (in cooler temps) without water (also not really smart), so I should be fine. Luckily I had my phone on me and called my husband to bring me water.

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  4. Girl, that is NOT a fail in my book-- you were on course for a wonderful long run up until mile 11 and the bad part is just because of some stuff that you can totally alter in the future. So you'll be totally set come race day. Oh man I would be so upset stranded out there with no bathroom...

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  5. oh my that waffle looks like quite a meal! and the spex, love em.

    i think that there are a lot of controlable factors for the outcome of a run, but i mainly think that its perspective. i have a crap load of terrible runs that often go even further south when my attitude is crappy. but the miles are in the bank, and you are almost there!

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  6. Oh man. GI issues are THE WORST. It can totally ruin a run. So sorry you had to deal with that!

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