Marathon Dreamer

grody to the max! lol!

Great mileage. I woke up last night at 1:30 and felt like I'd had an entire night's sleep. Luckily I was able to fall asleep again right away.

Sasha has talked a lot about neural fatigue. There might be something on the Discussion Forum or you can ask him.

Thanks Burt... I will check that out!! I am having brain issues lately...LOL. So tired but don't sleep well. I hist 14 miles and everything starts falling apart on me... mentally I am having a tough time with these long runs and I don't know what do do with myself.

Are you fueling and hydrating well for these long runs? Fruit or granola bar or gu or something every 45 minutes or so as well as lots of fluids can fight off the crash! Adequate fueling makes all the difference for me! I also make sure I eat a few hours before going on a long run.

Thank you April... I have been wondering about this. I don't think I am taking in enough fluids the day before. I used 3 gels today for this run. I don't always use gels and I've read that it is good to run without fuel at times as it teaches your body to function low on fuel.... what do you think?

I would think 3 gels would be enough during the run, but only if you are fueled enough to start out with--and the day before really does count! Fluids are big, especially if you are sweating a lot--your body cannot efficiently burn carbs when dehydrated. Anyways, I too have read about training in a state of depletion, and there are bloggers who practice it. Personally, I get more out of a run if I run fueled and strong--this way I hit my paces and am well practiced for my fueling strategy during a race. It helps me find out what works and what doesn't. My first half marathon was in the heat and I did not drink enough the day before and it was nauseous misery. My best long runs have been after a big breakfast with lots to drink during the run as well as a solid calorie intake during the run. My body operates best on LOTS of fuel!

Oh and one more thing(sorry to be so lengthy here)--you have really increased your training load--are you eating enough throughout the week? I was struggling with fatigue and weak runs until I quit getting on the scale, quit counting calories, and just ate a lot. I made the rule that I could eat as much as I wanted as long as it was not junk. The difference has been HUGE--I am powering through workouts much better and I feel good. I have reached the conclusion that marathon training and dieting do not mix.

Makes a lot of sense April!! I probably could be eating a bit more although people do tell me that I must have a hollow leg!! LOL!! Thanks for your input. I will try to incorporate some of your suggestions and see if I notice a difference. Any suggestions on the mental fatigue? I get so mentally exhausted once I hit the teens on the miles for my long runs. Don't know what's up with that.

Don't have any suggestions for mental fatigue--sometimes life is just fatiguing--you know the drill--kids, work, housework, blah blah blah. I would venture that feeling better physically will spill over into the mental arena of your runs! This is going to sound stupid but at the end of long runs I pretend I am at the end of a marathon, in the lead, but have a competitor trying to reel me in and I have to keep it going---when the run is over and I finish strong I "win" the race. :)

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