Running

I have eaten once, on one run to see if it hindered but it didn't. I wasn't running hard tho. I was thinking porridge when I get up, banana 30 min before and eating twice on run. Maybe I'll just eat the once as you say. I though earlier than 40-50 would be better?

Now I'm nervous about shitting my self

You don't need to eat during a half, but chuck some jellybeans in your pocket if you need the mental crutch. And join the toilet queues in plenty of time before the race starts.

it takes a special kind of commitment to do that, I've had a few instances where I've had to keep jogging at the end of a half marathon all the way to a portaloo, but if things were getting that bad I'd deffo stop and avail myself of a bush or summit, you don't want to be 10 minutes slower than target because you had to stop 3 times though!

The only time I would take a gel during a HM would be if I was doing a dress rehearsal before a marathon, to make sure I could stomach it. There's a big difference between running at an easy pace and running at race pace, in terms of (a) proportion of carbs vs fat burned per mile, and (b) how much gastrointestinal distress - "doing a Paula" - you might experience from taking on sugar whilst running. So taking one in training at easy pace run won't tell you much about either. If you're concerned about getting through the HM, just eat well and maybe have a mini-carb load the day before, but you should be fine.

Part one of my lung test done today. Lung capacity is about 5.5 litres apparently, and I managed to breathe 950 litres of dry air in 6 minutes. Woohoo! All slightly meaningless, but the good news is my lung capacity is a bit higher than average, peak flow a little better still, and I don't appear to be susceptible to exercise-induced asthma.

Glad I asked. Think I will not bother eating during the race then. Thanks all

Smash a decent breakfast a good few hours before the start and you'll be right. Don't do what I did and eat a massive breakfast of 6 thick oat and banana pancakes with honey and then have a stitch for the best part of an hour and a half!

And banana burps...

Porridge and amphetamines it is then...

Re: jelly beans in your pocket. Just be aware that they melt and you'll have a pocket full of sticky goop. Mmm delicious sticky goop.

for ultimate safety, I go for a decent size bowl of apple puree.

decent simple carb content and cooked and eaten a couple of hours before starting it leaves very little in the stomach to irritate and cause the shits.

If you bonk badly and have run out of food you can always eat the stuff that other runners have dropped #dontjudgeme

If you bonk badly and have run out of food you can always eat the stuff that other runners have dropped #dontjudgeme

Hopefully more applicable to ultras than HM's

Or a 5k parkrun

You'll never meet an ultrarunner who isn't completely comfortable with doing a Paula. Al fresco shitting and puking is part of the allure.

going into a bush isn't doing a Paula though, shitting into your own kecks isn't something many people would do if there is an option of a bush or even just a slightly private place without a photographer there to snap a pic of your junk.

You should probably do it less on client site though.

Never pick up a sock discarded on the route

during the hampton court half I ran with @Dammit and @I_am_Hingis 2 years ago I could see the brown chorus was queued next on my running playlist. the gods smiled down on me though as I pretty much instantly spotted the public gents on the thameside path we were running along which not only had a single cubicle with an actual locking door but the exact amount of toilet paper needed to deal with the matter in an economical yet reasonable fashion.

the poor chap who stumbled in as I was leaving with a face bright red from what I can only imagine was olympic levels of butt clenching was not quite so fortunate lel sorry mate you snooze you poo(s) yourself.

I don't want to shit myself

i now carry a small amount of bogroll folded in a sandwich bag in the pocket on my gel belt for my long runs.

i'd say not eating too late the night before and only having a small breakfast and a coffee as soon as you get up to help work off the backlog are the two most important things.

nowt worse than waking up before a marathon and not needing to go until you're nearly on the start line. race bogs are always grim.

If any of you live SE and fancy volunteering at a new parkrun, then have a gander at this. I'm trying to recruit some helpers before we set a launch date.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/223774431294219/

It's going to happen.
Embrace it.
Then come online and tell us about it.

This is like being 7 to 19 all over again

I could see the brown chorus was queued next on my running playlist.

In my mind I was like, wait but Ciq never listens to music when running, then I was like "ooooooh"