Day 206, 159 To Go

July 25, 2013

As Honey rests her ailing knee, I am on my own.  Actually, she would not normally run on Thursday anyway, so this is normal, but she also is not on her Rollerblades either.  Sometimes, you just need to rest!  Icing Honey's knees was not easy..."It hurts!" or "It's too tight" or "Is that long enough already" were some of the whines and complaints that could be heard coming from our bedroom last night.  And that was before I iced her knee.

!!!!Click Here!!!!

Today is time to discuss rule #3 from The 25 Golden Rules of Running from Runner's World.  So, here goes...

3. The 2-Hour Rule
Wait for about two hours after a meal before running.

"For most people, two hours is enough time for food to empty from the stomach, especially if it's high in carbohydrate," says Colorado sports dietitian and marathoner Cindy Dallow, Ph.D. "If you don't wait long enough, food will not be properly digested, raising the risk of abdominal cramps, bloating, and even vomiting."

The Exception: You can probably run 90 minutes after a light, high-carb meal, while you may need up to three hours after a heavy meal that's high in protein and fat.

I don't know about you, but I can't run on a full stomach.  It is just plain uncomfortable.  Sure, it affects your performance and can cause cramps and all that, but the bloating and discomfort should be more than enough to discourage anyone from running on a full stomach.

Sure, I have had a few running sessions where I ran with a fairly full stomach, and for the most part, they could not be avoided, but it is a rare thing.  On the flip side, I hate running on a completely empty stomach too.  It saps the motivation out of me if my stomach is growling and begging for some sustenance.  I just can't concentrate and it makes what may already be a hard endeavor even harder.  So, I will often eat a piece of bread or a couple of cookies or something else very light before I go out for a run. 

This will often keep me satiated for a short run.  My current running route doesn't take me by any restaurants or anything like that (although the scent from an occasional BBQ will waft my way) so even if I am a little hungry, it doesn't affect me if I had a little bite or two to eat.  I remember when I was living in HI, my normal running route would take me by a few local restaurants.  I believe they were on Monserrat Ave...one was a delicious local burger joint, the other a fish taco restaurant (not normally my type of food, but mmmm...was it yummy) and another restaurant that I never ate at.  All of them smelled so good, that the least bit of hunger was enough to make your mouth water, your stomach knot up, and your legs wobble.  This was also at the beginning of the run, so basically, you were screwed.  I often met up with my training group right after work, so I didn't have time to eat.  Not fun!

Here are my numbers for today:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.91 miles

Pace: 8:35/m

Max Pace: 7:29/m

Calories: 299
Avg HR: 140

Max HR: 153

It was a typical run without any major developments or issues.  Just a nice evening run on a Thursday.  Can't go wrong with that.  Until next time folks...

Run for Life!