Listener Q&A: February 2018

Don’t look now, but February came and went without a Q&A episode!

Obviously, I meant to have this posted and released yesterday. But life clearly had other plans.

But I will not be deterred!

Let’s get cracking, shall we?

The February Qs for Me to A

As a reminder, the best way to get your Qs on the show is to come on over and join our FB group.

We try to have a lot of fun in the group every day, and I think we are fairly successful on that front, but somewhere mid-month I put up a post asking for questions.

You ask. I answer.

Pretty simple.

What is your go-to meal after a big race?

If you’re talking right after, I really don’t have one.

The thought of eating after a race usually isn’t very appealing to me, so I just usually stick with some liquid calories.

Definitely a fan of chocolate milk and/or some fruit juice. And that is about it.

But if we are talking later in the day, after plenty of time to allow the body to relax a bit, it would be hard to go wrong with a couple of good cheeseburgers and maybe some sweet potato fries.

If you had the hammer and no stones in the house, do you throw the draw for a point or intentionally blank the end?

I can’t think of any good reason to go for a lowly point in that scenario.

Do expensive running socks really make a difference?

No.

I like my fancy running socks, but they aren’t any better (or worse) than the Target socks that I’ve bought in the past and still wear on occasion.

If I always fast for my long runs, do I also fast on race day? If not, when should I practice eating breakfast?

Personally, I’m a fan of doing all of my training runs in a fasted state and then eating breakfast on race day so that I’m full of fuel and ready to go.

And when I mean breakfast, I mean breakfast! Eggs. Potatoes. Coffee. More coffee.

I’ve figured out that this combination really works well for me over years of trial and error, so I don’t feel the need to “practice” it leading up to the race.

If you’re a bit wearing about running a race without eating anything beforehand, it would be a good idea to practice your pre-run fueling a few times until you figure out how much you can/need to eat and how much time you need to allow your food to digest before you run.

I’d definitely say to practice eating before a few long runs to see how it goes.

But keep in mind that if you’re feeling good on those training runs when you’re running fasted, you may not really NEED to do much pre-race fueling.

How much impact do you think race weight has on performance, especially on longer races? And how do you calculate your “ideal” race weight?

Tread lightly Diz…

I think it’s pretty safe to say that the heavier you are, the harder you have to work on race day and the more pounding your body receives with every stride.

So it would only make sense that race weight has an impact on your finishing time.

But is it a big impact?

I guess it depends on what we are talking about. A few pounds one way or another is probably not going to make much of a difference.

I mean, my weight (and yours as well) varies by a few pounds either way every single day. Do you notice the difference in your training runs being a bit slower or more difficult when you’re a pound or two heavy for whatever reason?

I know I don’t.

And when it comes to calculating “ideal” race weight, nope.

I’m not touching that because that assumes that there is a one-size-fits-all formula for determining the “ideal” weight.

I think instead of worrying about the scale, if you’re serious about your race performance, you should focus on your training, getting enough sleep, and eating healthy foods.

If you do that, your weight will likely take care of itself.

What is the best way for a runner to get fit?

What kind of fitness are we talking about?

Running fitness? I’m strongly in the “run easy” camp.

Listen to your body, and your heart rate, stay in your aerobic zone, and build your fitness from the ground up.

If we are talking about more general “life” fitness, eat well, run easy most of the time, do regular strength training, and get enough sleep every night.

What is the perfect week of running + all of the little things?

I’m not sure there is any “one-size-fits-all” plan/schedule for an ideal week of training.

There are too many variables at play, especially when you take into account varying levels of fitness, different training goals, and any injuries/weaknesses that must be addressed.

That said, I’ll still try to answer your question!

For me, my perfect week is running either four or five days. I’d also add in two days where I do strength training, two or three days with a yoga practice, additional daily stretching and foam rolling.

Plus sleeping at least seven, and preferably eight, hours of sleep each night.

Needless to say, I don’t have perfect weeks of training very often…

Is intermittent fasting healthy?

I think so. I do it, and have more or less done it for a couple of years.

My eating window, for the most part, is 3 pm to 8 pm.

Is it for everyone? No.

But is it unhealthy? I’ve seen zero evidence to support that stance.

Would love some ideas for strength training exercises that are good for runners.

I’ve done several videos/workouts that are great for runners to do on a regular basis.

Here are a few if you want to check them out here, here, and here.

And if you fill in your info in the boxes below, you can get a PDF + video demo of five of the best, yet most overlooked, exercises for runners. Enjoy!

Do you suggest rotating between multiple pairs of shoes? If so, how often?

It never hurts to have a couple of different pairs in the rotation.

If you’re running daily, wearing a different shoe every day allows the cushioning in your shoe to fully rebound after the previous days run, which extends the life of the shoe a bit (and saves you some physical wear and tear as well).

How many miles should I put on my Altras before I replace them?

It depends a bit on the model, but I’ve gone well over 500 miles in several of my Altras in the past.

I’d worry less about counting the miles and a bit more about how your body is feeling.

Starting to get a little achier than usual without any dramatic change to your workouts? Might be time for a new pair.

And that, my friends, is that!

With a little luck, my answers to the questions this month were marginally useful.

Have a question you want me to address next month? Join the Tribe over on FB and get your question in!

What Was Your Favorite Question and/or Answer this Month? Let Me Know in the Comments Below!

Want to Support the Continued Growth & Production of the Show?

Check out the support page for ideas and suggestions of ways you can help me grow the show. And remember, not all support involves money. Some of the best ways you can show your support are 100% free.

Subscribe to the Show

Never miss another episode of the Diz Runs With podcast by subscribing to the show, and for my fellow Apple fans out there, it’s never been easier now that the podcast app is native on the new operating system. iPhone/iPod/iPad users click here. Android users click here. SoundCloud users click here.

Please Give Me Some Feedback!

Take the 6 question listener survey to help me shape the future of this podcast.

Register for a Free Race Training Plan

Every month, I’m giving away a FREE training plan for the race of your choice. For details/information, and to sign up, just click here.

Join The Tribe!

There’s always room for more members of the tribe! Both the Facebook group and the email group provide opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else. The Facebook group is still small, but it is a great way to connect with fellow runners and foster community amongst like minded individuals. The email group is THE way to stay up to date about future guests on the show, as well as getting some other freebies and offers that aren’t available to anyone else. If you’ve got questions about either/both, just let me know!

Listener Q&A: February 2018