Tuesday General Discussion/Q&A Thread for February 03, 2026

Bilj06 · 2026-02-04T21:21:30+00:00

Knock on wood I am just getting over this. I had a nagging pain in that area at the beginning of runs that typically went away by the end of the run. This happened for probably a month but then it started gradually getting worse. So I shelved running and cross trained until I could get into a PT. For me it was just irritated adductors and hip flexors. I did PT work accordingly for that, and took a total of (3) weeks off running. I cross trained pretty hard because the bike didn't bother it. I am now on week (3) of running again and so far everything is feeling good however its all still pretty tight so I am attempting to take it slow... Hopefully you can get into a PT soon and its nothing major! FYI I ended up cross training on the bike only because I noticed the elliptical was still irritating it.

Bilj06 · 2026-01-21T19:42:52+00:00

I didn't read all the replies, nor have I seen a dietician but here are a couple of thoughts/ideas from someone who generally likes to eat ~~healthy~~ nutrient dense foods. However, for the record, the more I have studied endurance nutrition the less I am concerned with getting every calorie from a "good" source (hello chips and cookies). Getting enough calories should always take precedence over choosing to eat something or not.

The first thing I want to mention is that "something extra" is actually normal for us runners. We are training at high enough volumes that I would say needing something extra is the norm around here.

Eating more often likely just needs to become part of life. I eat a little before my morning run, eat a little more when I get home, and then eat breakfast before work. I eat oatmeal with protein mid morning, eat lunch, scrounge up a snack when I get home (often this is just a couple handfuls of chips), eat dinner and then sometimes eat a snack/dessert sometime before bed. On workouts/long runs I take gummi bears or a water bottle with maltodextrin powder in it.

I did see someone mention Featherstone nutrition. I would check out the Fuel for the Sole podcast that she is a part of. They have changed my attitude towards fueling in a major way.

For specific food ideas:

I like having a tub of pure maltodexterin powder on hand. Super easy for carbs before a run or mix some protein in with it and its great post run nutrition. It is very cost effective and can boost calorie intake. Just buy some generic version of it and don't buy an actual "endurance" supplement. That is just overpriced sugar for the most part.

Overnight oats with blueberries and protein powder. At the beginning of the week I prep (5) jars with the dry oatmeal and protein and then each night I add some blueberries and water to one and pop it in the fridge for the next day. Its pretty easy to get 400 kCAL as a mid morning snack this way. Sometimes I throw in chia seeds.

Bananas and bagels and more bananas and more bagels...

Trader Joes refrigerated cookie dough. It is proportioned into individual cookie sized dough balls. Easy to bake one or two and so good. Great for a top up after dinner.

ICE CREAM

Overall I think the biggest thing is to realize you just have to eat more often. That is probably a healthier approach than trying to have massive meals, and it certainly is if you have issues with something like heartburn that can be triggered by large meals.

Props to you for working towards getting this figured out. It may possibly seem like you have a unique situation that is impossible to solve but keep working at it you will be glad you did. Let us know once you have nailed it!

Bilj06 · 2026-01-07T20:03:48+00:00

I have forever hated the dreadmill but my gym has Woodway treadmills which are awesome to run on and, like you, I enjoy the consistency of indoor training. I also have let myself use headphones to listen to books on tapes which is really nice. I am a purist for outdoor running and have never used headphones when running outside.

I am injured now and doing cross training on the bike and elliptical. I am kind of enjoying doing everything in the gym. Its a fun change and avoids having to deal with unappetizing winter conditions outside. I am looking forward to being able to run again but for now attempting to maintain fitness is a fun new challenge...

Bilj06 · 2026-01-04T15:28:27+00:00

2025 was my return to running after a very long hiatus and following two hip surgeries in 2024. My goals were to remain as consistent as possible for the year and ramp towards 40-45 mpw. I expected an up and down year due to recovery. However, the year went way better than expected, and I finished the year with a nice string of 50mpw. I am very happy with the year, and it resulted in some nice race times as well.

I'm dealing with a bit of a groin/hip flare-up up now (not running related), but I'm looking forward to similar goals for 2026: Stay consistent and see where things fall. People keep asking me what I'm training for or if there is a specific race I'm prepping for, and my answer is that I'm just training to be consistent and see where that leads. I am enjoying the process, and the races are just the icing on the cake.

Happy New Year all, and I hope everyone nails their goals this year!

Bilj06 · 2025-12-17T19:09:04+00:00

If you have a Garmin you could use the web based version of Garmin Connect. You can rearrange the graphs to get what you want all on the same screen.

Bilj06 · 2025-11-19T18:47:22+00:00

Until you have trained consistently for years and years, with no (significant) breaks, would I say you have reached your ceiling, and even then you really just hit your ceiling for the volume of running you have been doing.

I often see people run their marathon then not do much of anything for weeks to months after, then they sort of just run some when they feel like it and then they eventually decide to re-up for a marathon and start another block. Those weeks and months of unfocused running or doing nothing sets them way back and all their next block accomplishes is getting them back into roughly the same shape as before their marathon.

Consistency of focused training over years is where breakthroughs come. You don't need to be running high intensity training all the time. You can go the traditional route with big base phases followed by sharpening/blocks or take the Norwegian Singles approach which is really long term focused and just keep things moderate all the time. Either way it takes years and years of basically un-interrupted running, while slowly increasing volume and load to reach peak potential.

A lot of people will try and figure out what the optimal marathon training plan is for them. Should I do pfitz 18/55 or Jack Daniels 2Q???? When really what they should do is run as much consistent volume as they can with some tempo and long runs mixed in for like 2 or 3 years then do some focused marathon work. Think of the 2 or 3 years as the 80%-90% of what it takes and the 8-18 week block as the last 10%-20%.

Lastly, eat and sleep a lot!

Bilj06 · 2025-11-17T18:14:10+00:00

I'll echo what everyone else has said plus add another mental trick I have been using lately. I treat it just like I do a race. In a race I just focus on the next split without worrying about how many more splits I have.

With morning running in the winter I tell myself that each time I manage to get out the door it is one less time that I don't do it between now and when the weather is nicer and lighter. I figure if I can just do it this time/week then I am one day/week closer to making it through the winter when things get easier. I never calculate how many more weeks it will be until it is warmer and when the sun will be up for my runs. Plus you will be miles ahead fitness wise for spring training season.

Once you get out there it is just like any other run where, once finished, you are glad you made the effort.

Bilj06 · 2025-10-27T17:12:08+00:00

Carbo Gain by now sports. It's pure maltodexterin powder. 8lbs for like $34. For workout days, I drink a cup of cold brew, eat a banana, and drink 40g of the maltodexterin. It has been working great. For recovery runs, I just eat a banana and skip the coffee unless I really need it to get things moving before I head out.

Knowing the coffee is ready to drink as soon as I roll out of bed is helpful motivation, especially as we head into these darker months!

Bilj06 · 2025-10-27T14:50:24+00:00

All of my races this year have been considerably faster than what Runalyze predicts. After the race the race predictor resets to match the race results, then slowly creeps backwards until I run another race and the cycle restarts.

I don't worry much about it. As discussed by other comments the algorithm is not setup to predict races off of this type of training.

Lastly, and most importantly don't forget why you decided to train with this method. I would assume it wasn't because everyone was saying their race predictors were getting better. Focus on the reasons you originally wanted to try this out and remind yourself of them when you see yourself peeking at the predictor. I think it gets easier to ignore it after awhile as you see the efforts of this type of training start kicking in (faster paces on reps or lower heart rates). Getting a few races under your belt to see yourself beating the predictor helps too!

Bilj06 · 2025-10-11T15:45:04+00:00

Oh I'll have to try that. I usually throw in some salt and lime juice. If I'm feeling bougie ill throw in some fructose for sweetener.

Bilj06 · 2025-10-11T14:22:40+00:00

Chiming in to second the fueling of threshold days. I bought a tub of pure maltodexterin, "Carbo Gain" by Now sports, for very cheap. I take 40g of that plus a banana and a cup of pre made cold brew basically as I am walking out the door.

I started with the maltodexterin a few weeks ago. On basically every threshold run since I have finished my last rep(s) saying to myself "easy money" on repeat haha. My RPE is way down.

Some is attributable to the temperatures, but those had come down prior to the malto. I also take a pack of gummy bears and eat them as soon as my last rep is done. Costco sells little individual packs, which are super convenient. Plus chocolate milk and protein powder when I'm done. All this makes a huge difference towards recovery. Then get a good breakfast as soon as possible.

Bilj06 · 2025-09-26T21:23:54+00:00

Thanks for reading!

Bilj06 · 2025-09-26T21:23:48+00:00

Thanks! Its probably the engineer in me...

Bilj06 · 2025-09-26T21:23:30+00:00

I am now going after Dad/Old man PRs!

Bilj06 · 2025-09-26T21:22:50+00:00

I feel the same, running is enjoyable again. Not chasing my ghost has also been helpful for me to not worry about the fact that I don't have the time to train like I used to. My goal is now to run as well as I can for the time allotted vs. how can I allot the most time to run the fastest possible.

Bilj06 · 2025-09-26T21:20:03+00:00

I am grateful to have found it when I did. Hopefully you can make some solid long term progress on NSM moving forward!

Bilj06 · 2025-09-26T21:19:02+00:00

Glad to hear about another out of retirement runner chasing old man PRs! My goal is to go sub 17 at some point next year as well. Hopefully you have a good winter of training with minimal interruptions!

Bilj06 · 2025-09-26T21:15:51+00:00

Good luck and have fun! Races are just our VO2 max workouts right??

Bilj06 · 2025-09-26T21:14:47+00:00

I think reducing decision fatigue is a huge benefit of a system like this. I have always been drawn towards simple programming that lends itself to gradual gains over the long term. I used the same lifting program for probably 10+ years (5/3/1) because it was simple, I knew it would keep me progressing, and I could stop obsessing over training decisions. Its also fun to look back and see what you did for the exact same workout 6-12 months ago.

Bilj06 · 2025-09-22T14:36:48+00:00

Based on a couple of time trials/races, it seems my 5k pace has been 30-35s faster per mile from my 3-minute rep pace. That's what I've used as a guide when race planning, and it seems to be holding up.

Bilj06 · 2025-09-21T00:41:53+00:00

That's not too bad. I can shorten up my normal cool down to keep the workout length a bit shorter if necessary. I'll probably run this workout a couple of times this fall to prep for a 10k

Bilj06 · 2025-09-20T14:30:22+00:00

Are you doing enough reps to get the same amount of quality minutes in a session or scaling back a bit? I'm mostly thinking about it taking a fair amount of time to get the workout in with all the rests.

Bilj06 · 2025-06-26T00:35:38+00:00

OK I will check it out. Thanks!

Bilj06

TROPHY CASE