Happy Saturday!
Last night I was on my own for dinner last night and hit up the store for what I was craving – a frozen meal (read: not cooking). 
I paired it with a ton of Sabra hummus and carrots. Oh, I put more salt on the frozen meal which probably already has 55% the daily recommendation of sodium. But, I also drank a gallon+ of liquids yesterday so I figure it evens out. 
My blood might actually be salt water. I’m not worried about it.
Long Run Report
I tried something new this morning and had a bowl of cereal before my run. I’ve been eating so much nut butter during the week I did not want toast with PB this morning. It was a risk, but I did not have any stomach issues!
Steve from Sole Runners invited me to run with the group again, but I ended up bailing to get an early start. I meant to get to the beach by 6am, but I didn’t leave my house until close to 6:30.
Since I checked the weather and knew it was going to be HOT today I made the call to just run my usual LR route close by and try to beat some of the heat.
Okay, it wasn’t that hot when I was running – 105 is the current temperature. But it was in the high 80s-90s during my run.
Luckily, Steve emailed me what I should run this weekend. Unluckily, he’s trying to kill me. Yeah, he wanted me to run more than 20 but I was only at 18 last week and just didn’t feel comfortable going past that yet.
But, his nutrition advice saved me! This is what he said:
“Drink every 10 minutes, take electrolytes every 30 and eat every 45. This is the minimum nutrition required. You should consume at least 150 calories an hour after the first hour.
Remember you are just doing time until mile 14 then I need you to drop your miles splits and push through the pain to mile 20.”
I did it and felt a lot better for this 20 than I did on last weekend’s 18.
I ran 20 miles total (forgot to start the garmin again at some point). Even though I felt better than last week, I don’t think I’m in as good of shape as I was last year (I did 20 miles in 3 hours flat last year during training). I’m struggling with setting a realistic goal given the timeline. 
Post run rituals – Watermelon. (eaten on my watermelon placemat)
Whole Foods.
I also got some granola from the bulk bins 
Of possible interest:
Obese Teens eat less than their peers
Mexican runner who couldn’t run London is running Cancun Half Marathon in Dec. I want in on that!
The rest of the day is dedicated to hiding from the heat
Question: What are you doing today? What’s the weather like where you are?!
I am training for the Philly Marathon in November. I have a 20 mile run coming up soon and I would give anything to be able to run it in 3 hours. I could get so much more done the rest of the day! Great job Monica. Thank you so much for mentioning the fueling advice you got from Steve. I will have to give it a try.
You may want to take a trip to New England if you feel like fall. It’s been cool, crisp and sunny all weekend. We stocked up on apples at a local farm and bought some fresh pressed apple cider. Fall is in the air! Hope things cool down in your area soon.
Wowzers! It’s really hot out there right now! We are actually experiencing some cooler temps here in Charlotte, NC so my runs are getting better. Hopefully your heat streak will be gone soon!
I like that nutrition advice for the 20 miler. I am hoping to push past the half marathon distance very soon and I will take that into account when I go to do a longer run. Thanks for sharing!
P.S. What other “foods” would you eat on a run or do you just get the chomps and beans?
Some people eat bars or fruit. I’ve seen donuts at aid stations and cookies too. It depends on what your body likes 🙂
monica, i think you did an awesome job on that 20 miler. way to go!
Maybe frozen meals are the key to a great long run. Good to have a little extra sodium to go with all of the extra liquids you will consume on your run, but that is a lot.
Clif shots mess with my stomach. Have you tried honey stingers?
I love Honeystingers! They used to be my favorite, but now I just eat whatever I have from expos and swag 🙂
Nice job on the 20! I did 17 this morning, which is my longest run ever! I have 3 more long run’s to do before my taper, so I am hoping to get in a couple of 20+ . I would definitely be struggling in those temperatures though, my run was accompanied by heavy rain and strong wind for the majority!
Great job on the 20 miles!!! You rock!
I’m sure the heat slowed you down some, so you shouldnt compare this 20 miler to one from a year ago. If you really want to gauge where you’re at do a timed mile or a 5k race, long runs have way to many variables to be true markers of fitness.
I think I great goal is just to enjoy the heck out of NYC. You dont want to miss out on such an amazing course b/c you’re stressing over mile splits.
I’ve never done a 5k for time, so I wouldn’t be able to compare it!
But yeah, I think NY is going to be an experience so I’m just running it for that 🙂
Awesome job on 20 miles! I ran 3….that sounds sad in comparison 🙂
Not at all! You did great 🙂
Omg I can’t believe you ran 20 miles today!! I couldn’t even stand still outside for 5minutes without feeling like I was melting.
I live in So Cal too and these 100 degree plus days I would like to be over. Ready for winter.
You are amazing to run 20 miles plus with the weather. I can’t even imagine. I did have a question since reading about your thyroid struggles but have you told the doctors how active you are? I am not sure how many miles you log a week but I have noticed even on a rest day you will take a 4 mile walk so add that to your running miles and you are just so extremely active. I can’t even imagine the calorie needs to fuel that. I have heard of people have metabolism issues because of eating and activity issues so I wonder if thyroid could be impacted? I could be way off base but just a thought and sorry if I should of not brought this up on the comments.
I really enjoy your blog and the ask a Monican too
Thanks JG, I do think my activity has impacted my adrenal system at the very least. I’m hoping the specialist can put everything together a bit better.
It rained before the start of today’s race (local event in Klang, Malaysia) but thank goodness, subsided to a drizzle just before flag off and throughout the event up to the prize presentation. But it was good in a way – takes away the hot humid temps.
Sue, You are in Malaysia?!
I think the OC beat the IE today (well, at least Corona)- we only got up to 103. DAMN THIS HEAT WAVE!!!!!!
Wow! That’s quite a run! You rock! I can’t imagine running that far.
8 bucks a day is a good deal?! I eat pretty darn healthy, and if I spent that amount of money on food each day, I would go broke. I just looked up my what I spent on groceries the last 2 months. $400 total, for two people. $3.22/person/day. If writers hope to bring people to the healthy side, maybe they should write about food that is actually reasonably priced. It reminds me of that project of spending $35/week/person on the ‘food stamp budget’. I blow that budget out of the water without even trying! For some reason, this drives me crazy. My rant is over. Way to kick LR’s butt!
I just can’t imagine running that far…I mean I know, I know thousands of people do it and love it…I ran 6 miles this morning in 47 degree weather and sunny ABSOLUTELY perfect if I do say so myself. It felt great…but that was enough for me.
10K is OK…is going to be my new mantra.
10k is more than okay – it’s amazing!!! Good job 🙂
congrats on your 20 miler. I will be running my first 20 mile training run next week. I am doing Hal higons novice 2. it is my last LONG training run before my FIRST marathon. Newport RI Oct 14th.
Whoa new site layout looks good! Is this why I couldn’t get on earlier today? Congrats on completely your long run!
Hey Monica- love your blog! I just had question about Steve’s fueling advice – what’s the difference between drinking, eating, and taking electrolytes? Do you drink just plain water and then drink gatorade every 30 min and then a Gu every 45?
Yes, he was referring to water and a drink with electrolytes and two separate things. I had nuun, so I just used that on the first round until I refilled with water (mainly because of logistics).
The weather has been really hot and dry in KS, but the last 2 days it’s actually been cooler- 60’s and 70’s!
I love how on the weather report it has to say that it is “Very Hot.” No shit sherlock!! lol Super cool that you ran so much. I can barely run a 5k, so you are a goddess to me! 🙂
Did you notice a huge difference in your LR when eating earlier during the run? I have my 3rd and final 20miler tomorrow before Long Beach and I usually take a pack of chomps and Heed in my water bottle (total of about 300 cal). I sip my heed throughout but don’t break out the chomps until closer to mile 13. I am wondering if I should fuel earlier?
I do think there was a difference from eating earlier in the run!
Are those chia seeds on your granola? I did 16 this morning (2.5 pre-race & 13.5 during the half..yes I got lost on the trails). Anyway, I grabbed what I thought was a standard energy gel off the table and went to swallow and found out it was laced with chia seeds. It was not a pleasant surprise in a energy gel….great on granola though!
Yes, I love chia seeds, but yeah that’s rough in a gel.
Congrats on pushing through to 20! I was supposed to do 18 but my feet said no. Weather is disgusting in the Valley. Add in the Getty fire and it’s nearly unbearable.
I honestly can’t even fathom running 20 miles! I’ve done 5, once, with lots of walking breaks. Thanks for the inspiration to kick it up a notch on this weeks runs 🙂
Ran 5 this morning and going to the Dbacks game later. Errands in between.
Weather is starting to cool a bit in Phoenix. Was 96 when we were out on errands and only 82 when I ran at 630 this morning.
The Kidless Kronicles
Hi Monica!
I’m a big fan of your blog but I’ve never dared to post before today, but I think you might be able to help me out. Last year I started running when I quitted smoking (yay!!) but I was/am very inconsistent so it’s a constant struggle to follow a training. In June/July this month I started taking it seriously again and I would run 4-5 times a week (distance between 3,5 and occasionally close to the 8 km). Maybe once I did 12 km. However, in August I stopped running all together and now that I’m trying to get back to it I have huge problems. I tried the walk-run method but I always get horrible cramps (I suffer two kinds, the ones I think are normal and then the worse ones, in which my stomach is rigid and I can’t even walk). Is that hitting the wall? Any advice?
Thank you so much!
X
Hi! Congrats on stopping smoking!
I would suggest making the walk sessions longer and slowly building up running (the key word being slowly) so your stomach can be coaxed into getting used to it. At first if you think you’re going too slow – slow down. Be patient and it’ll come 🙂