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So is the idea behind caffeine depletion to go cold turkey the week before the race to maximise the effect of ingesting caffeine during the race? If I only drink green tea (possibly a cup a day but not every day) would this still be of benefit to me?
Might not be a massive benefit but there's caffeine in other things too MsE like chocolate & coke. Personally, I've just cut out loads of coffee and black tea - not sure how of an effect that will have?
Here's a good article on caffeine by Matt Fitzgerald - http://triathlon.competitor.com/2011/08/nutrition/caffeine-and-the-runner_24508
I go cold turkey because I drink a lot of tea, coffee and eat a lot of dark chocolate. I also take a caffeine tablet before every fast or long run. So I'm a pretty heavy user.
So as someone who normally gets through about 6 or 7 double espressos a day I'm bug*ered. I won't be having any alcohol or chocolate for a couple of weeks beforehand though.
Gentle 4 miles this morning, then a local 10K tomorrow morning (Clandon 10K if you fancy it MsE)
No more discussion about beets!
Had not heard about the caffeine purge/binge approach. Will have to read that link.
Nayan, I use the hammer endurolytes now. But only in the summer (warm) months. Last summer as I trained for a fall marathon, I would take 2 tablets before any tempo, run, MP run, or LR and then another 2 every hour during the run itself. No adverse impact on my GI tract and on race day it was the first marathon I didn't start getting calf spasms in the final miles. I'd highly recommend.
Had a good week so far. Since Tuesday it's been 12, 7.5, 6.5, and 10. Shooting for 12-15 Sunday so should be my first 50+ mile week in a long time. Probably need a cutback week next week, then will think about reintroducing a subLT run back in and see how that goes. HR has really stabilized the past 8 days or so.
Nice plan RFJ.
Enjoy the 10k Lorenzo.
VTr - making good progress.
All the best to KR, SJ and Frazer tomorrow.
Anyone else racing?
3 mile recovery run d&d.
I have come to the decision that I run about 300 times a year and I follow pretty much the same pattern for 299 of those runs so I don't feel the need to do much different for the 300th. In training, I get up, have a cup of tea and a slice of toast and run 20+ miles. The days before I will have had just pretty normal days with running and eating much the same as any other day. I understand there are some pre-marathon routines that may help in some areas but for me the mental side is as important as the physical. As an example, I train in Nike Air Pegasus and I run thousands of miles a year in them and have zero issues with blisters etc. I also have a pair of light racing shoes that mean I feel every stone n the road. This time round I just raced the marathon in my training shoes. I felt good beforehand as I had no worries, I felt good during as they were familiar and I felt good afterwards: no blisters or sores.
My new rule is keep it the same. You run fast on marathon day as it is the culmination of 12 to 18 weeks of carefully constructed training and not because of a few grammes of carbs in the 48 hours before. Sure you need a bit of a taper just to rest the legs and ensure that there is no residual damage but that is all.
Work means a couple of tick-along weeks for me. I was in Italy all this week and meetings started early and then went onto pre-dinner and dinner and ended up with no sleep before 11pm. I got up early and ran the Rome marathon over 3 days and did a fourth day of odds and sods along the Tiber so just shy of 40 miles in 4 runs so not too bad on distance but no quality in there at all. Next week is the US so it will be just as bad, if not worse.
Once back, looks a lot better, so a couple of weeks before a 5 miler and then a 10k a week later so can hopefully string together some sort of speed plan and into the summer 5k series: 7 midweek 5ks spread over 2 months.
18:10 parkrun on a glorious morning, not too shabby. 13 tomorrow gets me 40 for the week.Nice to have no pressure to run long tomorrow...
PMJ - " I get up, have a cup of tea and a slice of toast and run 20+ miles. The days before I will have had just pretty normal days with running and eating much the same as any other day".
Same here - except I don't have the toast. Previous day's diet plenty to run 20+ on. I do carb load the couple of days before a marathon (I use PSP to supplement normal diet, rather than stuff bulky solid food|), and will sip Luco during VLM, as it's available, but equally, I've done well in marathons on just water, having paid attention to (as Philip says) a few extra carbs the days prior. Never bothered with gels or beetroot or caffeine shots etc
12 easy this morn, will rest tomorrow, so 36 this week with a week to go.
Good luck to the Mancs racers tomorrow. . . . . . .
x-post - more good work, OO . . . .
& yes, glorious morning here, too . . . .
Remind me which start you are on next week Birch?
Boston this weekend too, don't think we have anyone there? I know Jimbob from the Paris thread is running Boston.
My food strategy is not great, I went for a buffet Chinese on Saturday before the VLM race last year- mainly because I have the family in tow with 3 vegetarians.
I'm on green, OO . . .
Getting close now...
13m this morning with the last 5m at MP. Felt a little tougher than I would like, particularly into the wind but HR was OK. Concerned that I am over tapered. Other than today I have not ran over 8 miles since my last LR (a 22 miler) on 28 march.
Still - nothing that can be done now other than to believe in the consistent training I did through Jan-March (13 weeks in the 41m-52m range with a reasonable amount of quality sessions), look after myself this week and be mentally strong on the day.
PMT has started - I'm checking weather forecasts for 26th about 3 times a day.
OO52 - Excellent Parkrun time!
GE - 13 with 5 MP should feel tough a week before a marathon. Great running!
I ran 13 miles today including my local slow course Parkrun. I was chuffed to finish it 1st and run a course PB for me by 12 seconds of 18:18. I'm definitely in the form of my life and can't wait to London. It's cotton wool time now with nothing more than MP miles and strides within easy runs next week.
I counted up my races today and London will be my 15th marathon and 18th if I include ultra marathons. I've also run 32 half marathons so London will be my 50th race with marathon in it's name!
All but two of these have been in the last 5 years.
PMJ-nothing beats consistency
0052-cracking parkrun.
Birch-nice 12
Ge-nice mara paced 13
Badbark-great parkrun,roll on the next 50 mara's.
My biggest track session of the campaign this morn after nightshift before bed:
4 x 400m+ 4 x 800m+2 x 1mile all in a 10 miler. The miles came out at 5:59 and 5:57
53 miles for the week.
Good luck to all the racers tomorrow!
More great parkrunning from OO and Badbark - looking good for next weekend gents.
GE - you'll be fine on the day. You know what it takes to get a decent time as you've done it before. Hope to catch up with both you and Birch on the Green start.
Speedy interval session from you there Leslie
Local 10K for me this morning - it's part of the club's Grand Prix series so seemed like a good idea to enter and just wanted to do a decent tempo run. A slightly odd course: undulating rather than hilly, but combining a bit of road, a bit of woodland tracks (very dry) and plenty of bumpy stretches of grass and paths across fields so I was a bit anxious about molehills and rabbit holes but survived OK.
Very pleased with my pacing - I overtook loads of people after the first few K and I'm pretty sure I wasn't overtaken at all, and definitely had enough left for a hell-for-leather sprint down the hill towards the end.
Ended up with 41.19 which is well outside my PB but it wasn't a PB course (unless you were Mrs L who smashed her 10K PB!), but was somewhat surprised to finish in 7th place.
All in all, a good confidence booster for next weekend's stroll through the streets of London.
Celebrated by cooking Uruguayan tonight - puchero
Good luck to Fraser and Slokey!
I'm a complete caffeine addict.
Good luck to those racing tomorrow! Don't be sh1t!
Tapir Madness is alive and well I see.
PMJ: good philosophy. At peak I did make a subtle amendment. If I was planning to run in marathon race/trainers, I would ensure that I'd trained in then a couple or 3 times in the weeks ahead of the day. We wouldn't want surprises, would we?
Training? Road run yesterday 8.5 miles.
Bike today. 60 miles.. It'll do.
Ah, the first cup of tea of the week!
The weather looks perfect. That's one excuse off the list.....
Looking good BB and I'm looking forward to seeing your race time next week.
Which race are you aiming for this year Blisters?
PMJ / Birch - same here, except no tea or toast
OO - great parkrun.
Badbark - cracking PB.
Leslie - very impressive track session.
Lorenzo - 7th place - nice one. And congrats to Mrs L.
All the best to SJ, KR and Frazer. "The weather looks perfect" - that's something you don't hear very often in Manchester! Hope I haven't missed anyone else.