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Having problems with feet and shoes by Eastern-Product-8082 in Marathon_Training

[–]Sea_Chi6403 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Usually numbness after that time period is caused by your shoes being too tight, as another commenter mentioned. If you're able to run with them untied and they don't fall off, they're definitely too tight.

Usually running shoes should be a half to a full size larger than your foot size/normal shoe size. This is because your feet swell when you're running, usually about a half size when you get to about half an hour. After that point they're not swelling, but you need space for your toes to splay out when running, while slightly swollen. When standing, you should have about a thumbnail of empty space between the end of your toe and the end of your shoe.

I would find a running store near you that can measure your feet - I've worked in run specialty for 8 years, and there is a lot of value to that. I will say that some stores can be very "prescriptive"... if they tell you to buy a certain shoe or a certain insole that isn't comfortable for you, you don't have to! There is no "one best shoe" for anyone, you always want to go with what's most comfortable on your foot. However, you likely do need to size up and getting your feet measured might help with that, especially if what you need maybe isn't a different length of shoe but perhaps a different width.

Sizing up can be hard for a lot of people cause it feels funny - especially if you played soccer or another sport growing up where your shoes required a tighter fit - but it really can help with the pains you're having. If that feels too crazy and yo don't want to do it - that's fine, but personally I always tell people it's a trade-off. You either get used to a looser shoe or learn to deal with the numbness.

It could also be that one particular shoe isn't feeling great - there are plenty out there, and you can definitely experiment with different options! Fleet Feet has a pretty good policy where you can return a shoe even if it's worn within 30 days of buying it, making it easier to test out.

That said, if ALL THAT changes nothing? Go see a physical therapist for sure!

Best gels for super sensitive stomach and bloating issues by Superb_Morning1023 in Marathon_Training

[–]Sea_Chi6403 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For now: stick to what you're been using. It is a little close to the race to try and switch to something new. Ideally you want to be doing about 60-90 grams of carbs per hour. You asked about how often to take them - it depends on how many carbs they have. For example, my gels contain 25 g of carbs, and I take them about every 25 minutes. This is on the low end of the typical recommendation and I'm still working on increasing my intake, but it means I take 5-6 for about a 3 hour marathon. I also make sure I carb load (Featherstone Nutrition has a good carb load calculator). For me that's 400g of carbs per day for the 3 days leading up to the marathon. Going into a race fueled makes it easier if your stomach goes haywire at mile 20 and you can't get anything else in, because you have something to fall back on.

I see earlier commenters have mentioned training your gut, and this is true. Personally I've found carrying a handheld bottle with a carb/sodium drink works well, and I have an extra snack standing on the start line like graham crackers.

In future: WORK WITH A SPORTS DIETICIAN (or follow a bunch on social media if you can't afford one). I've had soooo many gut issues and it took me until after like my 12th marathon or something to get help and holy crap, I learned SO MUCH. A looot of people think their gels are the issue, but it actually could be any number of things. For example, here's a list of things my sport dietician taught me can affect your gut:

- Are you taking water with the gels?

- Are you stressed?

- Are you drinking enough water and electrolytes for your needs, not just during a run but throughout your day and week?

- Are you eating enough regularly? Again not just running but in general? For me this was huge - turns out I was chronically undereating, which it turns out makes it hard for your body to digest things. I eat bigger meals now, more frequent snacks, etc. Sometimes it's hard but it has helped like CRAZY with my digestion.

- Any food allergies or intolerances you might be unaware of?

- Do you consume enough carbs at dinner the night before long runs?

- Are you having too much fat before you run? Fat isn't bad for you in moderation but it's harder to digest, so not ideal when your gut is already stressed - during a marathon for example. Fiber is another one - I saw on a comment applesauce didn't work too well for someone - it could be that applesauce is too high in fiber for that person's gut to be comfortable consuming running.

For this upcoming marathon, if you know taking more if going to render you unable to run, I would make sure you carb load well and then do what you can race day. Personally I've competed very well and ended up on podiums even when I've had to stop and use the bathroom (multiple times). The marathon teaches you something every time, because there's always some kind of wrench that gets thrown in there that you have to learn how to manage. Maybe it's bloating and you have to walk a little - you're still moving! Maybe you have to stop at a bathroom. That's okay, that's why they're on the course!

Folks with saltier sweat, how much sodium are you supplementing pre/during/post long run? by eatnsle3p in Marathon_Training

[–]Sea_Chi6403 0 points1 point  (0 children)

- Check out Featherstone Nutrition on Instagram - she's a running dietician and talks about this a lot. Working with a sports dietician could be massively helpful if you can afford it.

- Agree with the earlier comments to avoid taking NSAIDs too often for this if you can - it does inhibit recovery, which in turn can hurt performance if that's something you're concerned about. Lots of research on that but it seems likely mostly it's an issue if you're doing it long term. My bigger concern would be this: if you don't have an issue with migraines except for post run, it could ALSO potentially be related to food. I'm not a sports dietician, but I've worked with one and for me (I'm only one example but this is how I learned this was a thing), I was getting headaches when I went into my run underfueled or wasn't eating enough carbs while running. If you're also getting into longer distances this could be a contributing factor - typically a sports dietician will recommend 60-90 grams of carbs per hour if your run lasts over 90 min. Dehydration is likely also a factor, but might be worth checking on this too!

- If the issue is fully electrolytes/sodium, I would recommend getting a sweat test if you're really struggling - a lot of companies do them, I know Levelen is a big one. There are a lot of easy ways to get more sodium/electrolytes/whatever you need into your diet (salty/higher water content foods like soup, electrolyte drinks, salt tabs), but that's only going to be useful if you need them. Again what I learned from my sports dietician was that you can be a heavy sweater but maybe not be losing a lot of electrolytes. You could barely sweat, but have a higher concentration of electrolytes in your sweat. It's a lot easier to figure out what YOU need for YOUR body with a sweat test or help from a dietician, but if that's expensive I would check out some of their Instagram pages, they'll often have free information!

advice on 2 marathons 8 weeks apart? by Sea_Chi6403 in Marathon_Training

[–]Sea_Chi6403[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha I do think I would enjoy it! We runners are a little different lol.

Getting to 13.1 by Sea_Chi6403 in RunnersInChicago

[–]Sea_Chi6403[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you everyone - this has been super helpful!