Listener Q&A: June 2021

Diz Runs Radio · 955 Listener Q&A June 2021

Don’t look now, but we are just about as close to 2022 as we are to 2020.

How’s your year been so far?

Hopefully, things are trending in a positive direction for you on multiple fronts.

Before we officially reach the mid-way mark of 2021, let’s do a little Q&A, eh?

You Ask, I Answer!

In case you’re new to these parts, here’s what’s going on.

At the end of every month, I do an episode dedicated to you and your questions.

Want to get a question answered in a future Q&A episode? Come join our FB group, watch for the post asking for Qs, and put your query in the comments.

Basically, whatever you ask I try to answer!

Sometimes, the answers aren’t worth a whole lot. But every once in a while I like to think (or at least hope!) that I hit the nail on the head!

When it comes to free advice, there are no guarantees that you won’t get any more than what you paid for it.

That said, I promise to do my best!

And if nothing else, there are usually at least a few decent memes/GIFs to make it worth your while.

Let’s get into this month’s questions, shall we?

This Month’s Questions

Any advice for someone considering their first marathon?

I’ll try not to go overboard, but here are the things that I think are most important to keep in mind.

Do you want to do it?
Do you have enough time to train?

Yes to both? Then go for it.

Otherwise, might want to hold off for a bit.

How often should you take nutrition during a run?

This is a tricky question to answer because there are half a hundred different variables to consider.

The last thing you want to do is over fuel, as that will (more than likely) hurt your performance instead of help it.

Of course, if you run out of fuel that poses some problems as well.

Figuring out the sweet spot? That simply takes some trial and error.

A loose rule of thumb to help you dial it in is that it takes about 20-30 minutes for the fuel to be digested and become useable by the body.

Liquid fuel is usable by the body a bit sooner, because the digestion process is a bit less complicated.

And remember that we store enough glucose/glycogen to fuel activity for 90-120 minutes, so depending on how long you’re going to be out there fueling may be entirely unnecessary.

After taking a break from running, how long should I plan to take to rebuild my base when I’m ready to get back at it?

How long is your break going to be?

The longer the break, the longer it’ll take to rebuild your base.

That said, if your break isn’t a break from working out completely but just a break from running, you likely won’t need nearly as long to rebuild your base.

Why won’t you run an obstacle course race?

Life currently dictates running at night before going to bed. Anything I should do to help expedite the run/shower/bed process?

If you’re able to fall asleep relatively quickly post-run/shower, then keep on keeping on.

Otherwise, a few ideas would be to really lean into the cool down at the end of your run.

Even if it’s an easy run, take your time going from running to walking to bring your heart rate and body temperature down a bit.

Post-shower, a little bit of mediation or reading my help too.

Optimizing the process is going to be a lot of trial and error, so keep looking for ways to calm the body/mind post-run to help you get the best night’s sleep possible.

How do you train for a flat 24-hour race and a hilly technical 100k?

No need to overthink this one.

Time on feet is going to be your biggest friend.

Mixing in some hill running/hiking would be a nice addition as well.

If push comes to shove, I’d focus a bit more on trail running.

But again, logging miles is the big thing.

How do you not choke on donuts when you run?

How many ultras do you have to have run to say you run ultras?

How much protein do you recommend for someone trying to build muscle while also running?

Well, it matters a little bit.

Protein consumption is, at best, a very small piece of the puzzle to building muscle.

Unless you’re actively avoiding protein in your diet, odds are you’re getting enough protein in your diet.

Building muscle strength is more about being consistent with your strength training and making sure you’re recovering well between workouts.

Building muscle mass is all about consuming enough calories and your hormones (especially testosterone).

Assuming your goal is to get stronger and not add mass/bulk, I’d focus more on getting into a good training routine than adding more protein to the mix.

What do you typically listen to when you’re running?

Monday-Friday, I’m almost exclusively listening to podcasts.

During my long runs, I’m usually listening to Kate flap her yap.

If I’m flying solo on a Saturday, I’ll start with podcasts and maybe switch to some Dave if I need a little boost toward the latter stages of the run.

I read somewhere that you should sleep an extra minute per day per mile run per week. Any truth to this?

In general, most of us probably would benefit from getting a bit more sleep.

The more you are pushing your body, running or otherwise, the more sleep you’re going to need to do the work to get stronger, fitter, and reduce the risk of breaking down physically.

Whether that’s an extra minute per mile per week or not, I’m not going to pretend to know.

Any familiarity with Maurten fuel?

What is the worst practice you see runners regularly engaging in?

The pre-run static stretch.

Seriously, don’t do it.

What do you think about the whole Shelby Houlihan situation?

If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and looks like a duck…

Seriously, her best “excuse” was that she ate an authentic burrito?

Give me a fricking break.

Any advice for those of us with multiple races coming down the pipe?

There is room for nuance here, but in general, pick one race as the goal race and treat the rest as training runs in pursuit of hitting the mark in your goal race.

Trying to race all the races can be problematic on a lot of fronts, but racing one and running the rest is much more doable.

Any tattoo news?

What are the most beneficial post-run stretches?

Quads/hip flexors.

Calves.

In that order.

We know you’re not a treadmill fan, yet you are ok with using a spin bike. What’s up with that?

The disconnect between liking the spin bike by abhorring the treadmill isn’t lost on me.

I’m not entirely sure why it works out the way it does, but it is what it is.

Any suggestions for what to do in the hours after a marathon?

Nothing crazy, but easy movement isn’t a bad idea.

Not saying you need to just be walking the rest of the day, but just lounging on the couch for a couple of hours isn’t ideal.

Pump the fluids for sure, move around a little bit, and hopefully the next few days won’t be too rough.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor and topping?

Picking favorite ice cream flavors is next to impossible.

Mint chocolate chip if I had to pick just one, but it’s not uncommon for me to opt for something else depending on how I’m feeling on any particular day.

As for favorite toppings, I’m relatively firm in my belief that toppings are only required for bad ice cream.

And life is too short for bad ice cream.

Now that you’ve lived in Florida for a while, do you ever miss running in the cool/cold weather?

Cadence: what are your thoughts on importance, monitoring, and improving?

Can we just stop with the one-size-fits-all ideal with 180 steps per minute, please?

What is your most irrational fear while you’re out on the trails?

And that, as they say, is that.

As always, the answers in this post are the abridged versions. For a bit more, make sure you press play at the top of this post.

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

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