Archive | Long Run

Feeling exhausted and drained after long run?

MTA Coach Henry is a professional writer/editor who has finished on the overall podium in various races and completed distances from 5K to 100 miles. Learn more about our coaching services here.

“I am training for my first 50k and am fortunate to be able to train on the actual course. Last week I ran 10 miles on the course and for the next two days I was completely exhausted and drained of all energy. Any suggestions you can offer for my future runs to not be so exhaustive would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for all that you do to encourage and inspire runners of all ages and at all levels.” -Ellie Fitzgerald

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The Importance of Electrolyte Replenishment

Let’s talk about electrolyte replenishment during long runs and races. As runners we all sweat to some degree. Amazingly, each person has around 100 sweat glands on a quarter sized area of your skin for a total of 2.6 million total sweat glands. The amount we sweat depends on our gender, fitness level, weather conditions, altitude, and a few other factors.

Our bodies are designed to effectively keep a stable body temperature which can present a challenge during prolonged running, especially in warm conditions. Continue Reading →

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How to Avoid Bonking and Cramping During Your Marathon

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In this podcast episode and blog post I will zero in on two common difficulties that can make your marathon a lot more challenging —bonking and cramping. I have heard from many runners who have experienced one of these mishaps. It is time to understand why they happen and what you can do about it.

Bonking

Bonking is often referred to as “hitting the wall” and this phenomenon happens during long runs and marathons. Bonking can occur when you don’t take in adequate carbohydrate replenishment during your run.

Because the average runner burns 100 calories per mile the body will have depleted its muscle glycogen fuel store after approximately 90 minutes of running (if you haven’t been replenishing the lost calories). When you bonk, your body has burned through its reserve supply of muscle glycogen and what you’ve put into your body hasn’t kept up with the demand. You may feel a sudden fatigue, loss of energy and start taking long walking breaks. Other symptoms may include nausea, dizziness, feeling faint, shakiness and rubbery legs which may indicate that your blood sugar is low.

Bonking may also have a mental component where you feel hopeless or like you can’t go on. If your brain is low on glycogen it logically will be signaling your body to stop whatever folly you’re engaged in.

Here’s what you need to do to prevent bonking:
Continue Reading →

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What I Need to Run 20 Miles

Fuel for my 20 miler (minus the fruit in the background)

Fuel for my 20 miler (minus the fruit in the background)

Tomorrow Angie and I are going on a 20 mile trail run. I’m totally stoked!

In fact, I’m so excited about this run that I found myself gathering my fueling supplies 17 hours in advance. Usually I throw it all in a bag before heading out the door.

Now that I step back and look at it all . . . THIS IS A LOT OF STUFF!

But every one of these fueling items is necessary when I run for 3+ hours.

Here is a break down of what I’m taking Continue Reading →

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