how to eat before a mile race?

[mark_galeck_spam_magnet@yahoo.com]

Hello,

on Saturdays I come to an all-comers athletic meet nearby just to
high-jump, but this Saturday, I decided to run a mile and got 5:01. I
placed seventh - there was a lot of good high-school athletes there and
they ran around 4:35-4:50. Until last 300 meters, I was running just
behind the leading two, but then I suddenly felt like "hit a wall" and
basically stopped.

Still my time was good I think and I fancy I want to break 5 minutes
next time. To do that I want to prevent that "wall" from happening
again.

>From hiking in the mountains I know this happens sometimes when you
don't eat before exercise. I generally don't eat unless hungry or to
fill my nutritional needs. So indeed before the run I did not eat in
the morning.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: is such lack of topped-off carb stores a factor in such a
short 5-minute mile race - should I eat a good meal 2-3 hours before
like a marathoner?
------------------------------------------------------------------

Background: I really don't practice running specifically (and I don't
desire to), I just do about 3 hours of aerobics exercise a week at
around 80% max heart rate, including a 5 mile cross-country jog in 31
minutes. I am 39 year old male.
Thank you for any insight,
Mark Galecki

[SwStudio]

<mark_galeck_spam_magnet@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1106558883.114864.83640@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Hello,
>
> on Saturdays I come to an all-comers athletic meet nearby just to
> high-jump, but this Saturday, I decided to run a mile and got 5:01. I
> placed seventh - there was a lot of good high-school athletes there and
> they ran around 4:35-4:50. Until last 300 meters, I was running just
> behind the leading two, but then I suddenly felt like "hit a wall" and
> basically stopped.
>
> Still my time was good I think and I fancy I want to break 5 minutes
> next time. To do that I want to prevent that "wall" from happening
> again.
>
>>From hiking in the mountains I know this happens sometimes when you
> don't eat before exercise. I generally don't eat unless hungry or to
> fill my nutritional needs. So indeed before the run I did not eat in
> the morning.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> QUESTION: is such lack of topped-off carb stores a factor in such a
> short 5-minute mile race - should I eat a good meal 2-3 hours before
> like a marathoner?
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Background: I really don't practice running specifically (and I don't
> desire to), I just do about 3 hours of aerobics exercise a week at
> around 80% max heart rate, including a 5 mile cross-country jog in 31
> minutes. I am 39 year old male.
> Thank you for any insight,
> Mark Galecki
>


Mark - I doubt your problem is food-based. You ran a great
race on no real specific training. At 39, you have some talent.
If the mile is what interests you, I suggest reading about the
type of training milers do and getting a program together with
a goal race or two in mind. There's lots of books and stuff on
the internet. Spend time sifting through it all, because knowing
how to train properly goes a long way.

Remember, shorter distances like the mile involve some fast,
gruelling speedwork. It's necessary to get faster, but it's also
a one-way ticket to injury if overdone and not respected.
Don't ever, ever overdo speedwork in your excitement to
improve.


cheers,
--
David (in Hamilton, ON)
www.allfalldown.org
www.absolutelyaccurate.com

[Donovan Rebbechi]

On 2005-01-24, SwStudio <shhhh_secrets@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Mark - I doubt your problem is food-based. You ran a great
> race on no real specific training. At 39, you have some talent.

I agree with Dave.

A 5:01 without serious running indicates potential to go sub 4:30, maybe even
sub 4:15. Those would be national class masters times.

Mark, if you're happy to settle for sub 5, you could do that (in fact probably
4:45 or so) on a very basic program that includes a few 5 milers a week, with
some form drills or strides at the end of each run.

> Remember, shorter distances like the mile involve some fast,
> gruelling speedwork. It's necessary to get faster, but it's also
> a one-way ticket to injury if overdone and not respected.

Yep. Base first.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

[mark_galeck_spam_magnet@yahoo.com]

OK thank you very very much for your insight - so this means I hit a
wall because, well, at some point it just became too fast :) and my
body hit its current limit. I was actually having fun until the last
300 when it turned into suffering. Good, I will go out and have fun
again. I just want overall aerobics-type fitness, I am not a goal-type
person. Thank you again.

[Miss Anne Thrope]

Please file this in the "Things you should have learned as a baby."
file. Eating is best done through the mouth. Trying to eat through the
other end only leads to bad breath and hurt feelings.

[Sam]

I am guessing it was not glycogen that limited you, but training.


<mark_galeck_spam_magnet@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1106558883.114864.83640@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Hello,
>
> on Saturdays I come to an all-comers athletic meet nearby just to
> high-jump, but this Saturday, I decided to run a mile and got 5:01. I
> placed seventh - there was a lot of good high-school athletes there and
> they ran around 4:35-4:50. Until last 300 meters, I was running just
> behind the leading two, but then I suddenly felt like "hit a wall" and
> basically stopped.
>
> Still my time was good I think and I fancy I want to break 5 minutes
> next time. To do that I want to prevent that "wall" from happening
> again.
>
>>From hiking in the mountains I know this happens sometimes when you
> don't eat before exercise. I generally don't eat unless hungry or to
> fill my nutritional needs. So indeed before the run I did not eat in
> the morning.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> QUESTION: is such lack of topped-off carb stores a factor in such a
> short 5-minute mile race - should I eat a good meal 2-3 hours before
> like a marathoner?
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Background: I really don't practice running specifically (and I don't
> desire to), I just do about 3 hours of aerobics exercise a week at
> around 80% max heart rate, including a 5 mile cross-country jog in 31
> minutes. I am 39 year old male.
> Thank you for any insight,
> Mark Galecki
>

[ahass@dontspamumich.edu]

For a 5 minute mile this has nothing to do with eating and everything
to do with lactic acid buildup and going anaerobic. Eating will only draw
blood to your stomach and likely cause a cramp. Work on your abiity
to run fast efficiently and maintain your speed as you go anaerobic.
This is best done by first running bulk mileage to get your aerobic ability
and strength up (so you can go longer/faster before going anaerobic). Then
do fast mile-specific workouts to get used to clearing lactic acid.
Andy Hass

[Helix]

mark_galeck_spam_magnet@yahoo.com wrote:
> OK thank you very very much for your insight - so this means I hit a
> wall because, well, at some point it just became too fast :) and my
> body hit its current limit. I was actually having fun until the last
> 300 when it turned into suffering. Good, I will go out and have fun
> again. I just want overall aerobics-type fitness, I am not a
goal-type
> person. Thank you again.

I agree with a lot of the training advice already posted. As far as
strategy goes, the mile is a very unforgiving race. Start too fast and
you hit the wall and tie up in the second half. Start too slow and you
run out of yardage before you can make up the time.

My suggestion for your next race is to take your 5:01 time, divide it
by 4 to calculate your 440 split, and stick ruthlessly to that pace for
the first two laps. ("Sticking to that pace" means not even a tenth of
a second faster. Well, OK, maybe round off 75.25 seconds to 75
seconds.) After that, the race as the spirit moves you. You should at
least arrive at the halfway point still able to race.

Don't even THINK of the old "get some mileage under my belt while I'm
still fresh" approach. This is the classic high-school mistake, and is
a guaranteed crash-and-burn.

You almost have to deliberately keep yourself in check during the first
quarter. You can always run this quarter at a pace that feels easy but
is actually too fast. You don't usually know that it was too fast
until sometime in the third quarter -- usually on the back stretch --
when you suddenly get the feeling that the finish line is still a long
way off and you're not having fun anymore. Developing a good feel for
your starting pace helps to counteract this tendency.

Good luck!