Fitting Remarks: Marathon Fueling for First Timers

Hi all!

I've been working with Nathan Freeburg of Minneapolis Running on a weekly series of webinars for first time marathoners. You can watch the first one of this series below and you can sign up for the next one HERE 

It's more fun if you participate live as you can ask us questions directly while we're talking. Nathan has been running for twenty years and is very close to qualifying for Boston (sub 3:10 for him). He has a lot of knowledge to share!

I'm pulling from my experience with 16 marathons to hopefully offer some insights and tips to help you on your marathon journey.

Come join us next Thursday at 9 pm CST!




Nathan and I will be hosting three more of these live Google hangouts for the next three Thursday nights at 9:00 pm CST. The dates are September 18, 25 and October 2. You can join us live and ask questions, or watch the replay at your convenience.

Next Topic- September 18: Race Day Gear:
What will you race in? Do you have non-chafing, technical fabrics that you’ve tested during training? Also, It would seem fall marathons rarely have consistent weather. They can be hot, cold, rainy, windy, etc. We have a few tips to help you navigate the unpredictability of ever changing weather patterns.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Fit Fanatic: Back To Basics- the Long Run

By Jess in Minneapolis

Happy Sunday friends! Did you have a long run yesterday? I had a 17 mile run, and it was great! It's been awhile since I could say that...summer longs runs so far have been kind of tough for me this season, with the heat getting the best of me more often than not. But yesterday morning was unseasonably cool for July, and it made a world of a difference!

I realize that not everyone who reads the Right Fits is a seasoned long distance runner, so I thought it might be helpful if I share more details of my long run. This is what I do, and I am by no means an expert. What works for you might be completely different, but this blog is all about sharing LL and my experiences with fitness, fashion, and fitness fashion, so here is my typical long run experience.

Rest: I almost always take Friday off completely from working out. If I do anything, I might do a barre class or a yoga class, but I rarely run the day before the long run. The few times I have taken a Body Pump class or something with a lot of leg work,  I learned the hard way that my legs just can't take it, as I usually had a terrible long run the next day.

Eat: It seems as though Dustin and I are almost always training for a marathon, so our Fridays are historically quite low-key. We usually pick up a Punch Pizza and catch up on the TiVo (anyone else watching Orange is the New Black on Netflix?) I may have a glass of wine, but I am careful to drink plenty of water on Friday night. 

Prep: Our long runs start at 7 am on Saturdays in the summer. I look at the forecast, pick out my running outfit, and pack my bag for showering after the run on Friday night. A nice perk of being a member of the Calhoun Beach Running Club is that we can take advantage of their showers and towel service. On Friday night, I throw together some clothes for after the shower. But even when I plan ahead, I still forget things. Yesterday, I forgot my bra and underwear...awesome. Oh well- I still really love being able to shower right after the run, so we don't have to get into our car all sweaty. Then we also have the option to stop for brunch or errands on the way home.

Route: Part of Dustin's role with the run club is to help plan out the routes and support stops each Saturday.Therefore, I usually don't have to think much about where I'm running. However, I'm sure a lot of you do have to plan out your routes the night before. There are a lot of apps out there to help- Google Maps, Map My Run, Gmap Pedometer, etc. Try them out and see which one you like the best.

Fuel: Since yesterday was cooler, I didn't bring my fuel belt along for the run for extra hydration. Since all of the Minneapolis water fountains were on and we had a support stop around mile nine, I didn't think it was necessary to carry the extra hydration. Most days, however, I do wear my Nathan Fuel belt, like in this picture from our cabin long run last weekend.

So, no fuel belt yesterday, but for most summer long runs, I definitely do bring it. I'd rather have it and not use it, than really need it and wish I had brought it along. I did bring two GU's and I used them both. I used one at the support stop at mile 9 with Gatorade, and the second one around mile 13 with a water fountain. 

*Thanks Abby and Andrew for the awesome support stop yesterday! They had Gatorade, water, fruit, jolly ranchers, and more. It was perfect.

Recovery: Lately after a warm long run, Dustin and I have been treating ourselves with a refreshing smoothie from Jamba Juice. Now, I know these smoothies are high in sugar and calories, but after burning 1700+ calories on the run, I'm not too worried about it. Its something to look forward to on the run, and it just tastes so good afterwards! However, we have realized that as refreshing as they are, they aren't filling enough for us as a post-run meal, so we're going to start making a real lunch/brunch afterwards instead, now that our mileage is getting high.

I also try to foam roll after the long runs. If we're not going anywhere, I'll wear my compression socks for a little while as well. 

I haven't ever tried a true ice bath (other than swimming in a cold lake or Pacific ocean after Newport) but I know many people swear by them.

Throughout the rest of the Saturday after the long run, I try my best to drink plenty of water to ensure I'm fully hydrated again. Yesterday was rainy and gloomy, so it was a perfect excuse to relax. After a quick walk to the dog park with Matilda and then her yearly veterinarian appointment, we lounged around the house a bit. We were well-rested in time for a goodbye party for Coach Paul and his fiancee Laura at Moto-I in Uptown.

They are heading to Chicago today where Laura will be starting her MBA at Northwestern this fall. They both will be truly missed. The club just won't be the same without them. Paul will still be coaching remotely through the end of this training season, but after that, he is looking at options for his replacement. I don't think he'll ever really be replaced! 

Good luck Paul and Laura in Chicago!

The party was a lot of fun- great job Rachel with planning it! Good times were had by all, and I think we sent them off with a bang.

Chris, me, and Kelly

Fresh New Fit: Kona Kase Follow-up

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Two weeks ago, I posted about a Fresh, New Fit- Kona Kases!  My friend Meggan highlighted this new monthly club to me, and I signed up for a three month subscription to check it out. I was excited to find that my first box arrived a few days ago. I thought it wasn't supposed to arrive until mid-April, so extra points for early arrival!

The orange box was a bit smaller than a shoebox.

 It included a variety of snacks and goodies: Cliffshots, chocolate squares, a Clif bar, caramel cups, chocolate almond butter, and more.

Yesterday, I  tried this bite sized "Perfect Foods Bar" mini.

It was almond butter flavored. I thought it was good, and a bit tastier than a Powerbar. However, the D-man didn't like it; he thought it was too dry. I tried this bar before 9 miles of hill repeats with the Calhoun Beach Running Club. It didn't upset my stomach at all, but it was pretty small and not very filling (especially since I spared a bite for the D-man!)

Today, I tried the BRUBAR, made with barley malt.

I didn't mind this bar either, but I'm sure Dusters would have hated it! He is much pickier than I am with snacks, I guess. I don't really mind the taste of energy bars in general. I ate a lot of Powerbars in college, for whatever reason (maybe they were cheap?) 

So the BRUBAR was also a little dry, but it seemed easily digestible. I ate half of it before a hot yoga session this evening, and it filled me up until it was dinner time.

Next up? Maybe this organic, nut free, gluten free caramel cup.

I'm also excited to try the chocolate almond butter. Perhaps I will try it tomorrow for breakfast on a piece of toast. 

The Kona Kase included a lot more chocolate than I would have expected. I suppose true athletes love their chocolate (just like Jenna Boren in this interview) but I'm not a huge chocolate person; I prefer a salty snack. Even so, I found my first Kona Kase to be an interesting mix. However, I'm not sure it was worth my $15/month. I'm sure the retail value of all the items added up to more than $15, and I did enjoy the variety of items. It's nice to have a little shoebox full of snacks to try before a workout, and I definitely appreciate the convenience.  But I'm not 100% sold on this yet...

*Has anyone else tried the Kona Kase? What do you think?

Fresh New Fit: Kona Kases!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

I just cancelled one monthly subscription (to Ellie- if you missed it, read about it HERE, HERE, and HERE)  And now it’s on to the next subscription!

My friend Meggan gave me the heads up about Kona Kase – a monthly subscription of a completely different sort than Ellie.

Rather than fitness apparel, Kona Kase is a monthly delivery of “awesome endurance nutrition samples!”

It’s only $15/month with free shipping. You can try it out for 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, or a year. You can cancel whenever you want.

You won’t know ahead of time what will be contained in your Kona Kase, but the company will elicit your feedback to continue to customize the Kona Kase experience to fit your specific needs. There will be a variety of products- GU's, Cliff blocks, Picky bars, etc.

I signed up for a 3 month subscription, and my first Kase should arrive between the 15-18th of April.

Unlike Ellie’s fitness apparel, Kona Kases are non-returnable; this makes sense though, since it’s FOOD! It's more about trying out different products to see what you like and what works for you. I'm excited to try it and will provide my honest feedback of the products inside!

And if you're interested in trying it out, send me your email, and I'll send you an invite. Yes, I will get a $15 credit if you sign up, thanks :-)

I think this will be a good program for the busy runner. If you're anything like me, you often run out of GU/fuel the night before a long run. With this program, you'll get to try a variety of options, and you'll always have something on hand before the long run.

Example Kona Kase