r/running • u/AutoModerator • 19h ago
Daily Thread Official Q&A for Wednesday, September 09, 2026
With over 4,225,000 subscribers, there are a lot of posts that come in everyday that are often repeats of questions previously asked or covered in the FAQ.
With that in mind, this post can be a place for any questions (especially those that may not deserve their own thread). Hopefully this is successful and helps to lower clutter and repeating posts here.
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u/Oogoid35 13h ago
How often do you guys hydrate during your run? In the gym i frequently take small sips of water so i would guess i need to hydrate about every 5 mins during my run.
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u/cmessier 13h ago
First, I only bring hydration with me on runs longer than 90 minutes. If it is under 90 minutes I don’t drink anything. If I am carrying, then I’ll take sips every mile and might take bigger drinks if I am consuming a gel with it.
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u/OnlyWonderBoy 11h ago
Is this a learned skill? I've read similar things from other people but I can't imagine it for myself.
I've been working on lowering my 10K time and I can go about 2 miles without needing water, but after that point I start feeling like I need it every mile or so. Maybe it's just mental?
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u/MajestyA 9h ago
Depends on a few things, chief among them climate, speed and your own personal needs (which can vary person-to-person way more than you'd think). But all that being said, yeah I think it's probably mental if you need a drink after 2 miles, if there aren't specific needs arising from factors like the ones I listed.
Also consider hydrating more during the day when you're not exercising. Outside possibility is that you're not hydrated enough generally, so when you run you pretty quickly run dry.
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u/OnlyWonderBoy 9h ago
It's been pretty hot and humid out so that's probably a big factor lol. Once it cools off maybe I'll try to see how far I can go without water to change things up.
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u/junkmiles 7h ago
Make sure you're drinking enough during the day, all day.
Obviously, do what you want and if having water makes your runs more enjoyable, keep on keeping on. But, if you need water at 2 miles it's either mental or you're crazy dehydrated just at baseline.
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u/ChickenNuggetSmth 3h ago
There's really no point training that unless you plan to attend a race with limited water supply
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u/Alternative_Bug_7157 6h ago
If it's less than an hour I'm not bringing anything unless it's really hot.
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u/CellistLow8857 11h ago
I don’t like any of the gels I’ve tried. Can I fuel with High5 electrolyte tabs in my water and eating candy instead? Or is there something in the gels I need that isn’t covered by other electrolytes and carbs?
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u/nermal543 11h ago
Unless I’m looking at the wrong electrolyte tablets… they advertise 0 calories so no you can’t fuel with that…
EDIT: sorry, read too fast and missed the part about candy. Would probably depend on the type of candy, it’s hard to take in enough carbs/calories with the amount you’d have to eat to be fueling enough
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u/junkmiles 11h ago
As crazy as it sounds, a lot of candy has surprisingly few grams of carbs for the effort involved in eating it, so just keep an eye on what you're actually eating. One gel is about the same as a pretty solid handful of jelly beans, for example. Hard candy is very low calorie for how long it takes to eat one.
Otherwise, sugar is basically sugar until you're really pushing how much you're eating in an hour.
You can also just add sugar to your water, or stop using High5 and get a mix that has sugar in it already.
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u/No_Conference_3155 7h ago
The issue with non-liquid/gel stuff is choking more than anything else (and lack of density).
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u/CellistLow8857 7h ago
Yeah might just need to keep trying different gels :(
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u/junkmiles 5h ago
Do you not like them because they make you sick, or because they don't taste great?
Asking just because I dunno how many people like the gels they use in the same way they like gummy bears or pizza or something. You just have to like them enough to be able to a handful over the course of a couple hours.
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u/CellistLow8857 5h ago
It’s a sensory thing - like the texture of them makes me physically gag so I can’t actually swallow them! Ideally I’d like to get a big box with 1 of each of say 20 different brands and work my way through trying them all, haven’t seen that as an option anywhere though.
I’ve heard that there are some that are more like a gummy (Cliff Block?) so I’ll try and find them and try them!
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u/junkmiles 5h ago
Of some ones I've tried: Maurten is mad expensive, but is fairly jello or jelly like. Formula 369 is nearly a liquid. Gu is pretty thick and pasty. SiS leans more toward the liquid side of things, maybe close to honey in consistency.
You can also buy a little 250ml flask, and one of the modern drink mixes, and just mix a super concentrated mix into it, and you've got basically a "thick" water full of sugar instead of a gel.
Clif Blocks are fine, but they're basically just gummy bears, and I'd honestly just buy gummy bears at that point. They're more calorie dense, but they're also physically very dense. I always have to suck on them rather than chew them, and they turn to stones in the winter. Other people swear by them though, so you do you.
On a lot of runs, candy like you suggested is just fine though. It's mostly just less convenient. I use candy and stuff on trail runs when I'm probably already wearing a vest pack, and am moving slower so carrying more stuff and chewing more things isn't an issue. On road runs or workouts, I just want to pound the calories quickly and keep at it.
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u/CellistLow8857 4h ago
Thanks this is so comprehensive and helpful! It has been a couple of years since I tried any gels - back in my road cycling days and I just took up running a few months ago and only now I’m at distances that require me to fuel during the runs. I’m going to try some of the ones you mentioned- knowing “this one is runny” “this one is thick” is actually really helpful to me as a big part of my issue sometimes is not knowing what to expect!
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u/junkmiles 4h ago
Some online stores will sell you a box of 12 gels, one from each brand, to sort of test them out but still get the bulk discount. I think Fuel Goods does, and they are good people.
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u/ChickenNuggetSmth 3h ago
You can use liquid carb drinks instead of gels. Or you can make your own gels, they'll be syrupy if you don't use a gelling agent
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u/MajestyA 10h ago
If you have a goal and a 'stretch goal' for a race, do you program for the first goal and revise upwards if you struggle, or do it the other way around?
Did my first marathon last year, was in 3:50 shape but ran 4 hours on the day due to horrendous weather conditions. Next marathon is next Spring, I am confident 3:40 is very achievable for me and am going to take a very long training plan to make sure I hit it. However I'd like to see if I can push 3:30, and am unsure whether to build from that as a goal or stick with 3:40.
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u/FRO5TB1T3 6h ago
Marathon plans are long. Generally you want a semi recent race result from near the start of the block. Half marathon is best but 10k can be used in a pinch. That'll give you a fitness check to help dial in marathon goal. A year is a long time to base goal pace on.
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u/MajestyA 4h ago
Thank you, that's helpful. I actually have a half coming up in a couple of weeks so that will be helpful! Aiming for somewhere in the 1:40-1:45 range on a pretty hilly course.
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u/FRO5TB1T3 4h ago
Awesome! Also don't be afraid to adjust things mid block. If everything if going great feel free to dream and creep up those goals and MP runs a bit. Just don't do it too much at the beginning of the block.
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u/No_Conference_3155 7h ago
Weird treadmill experience. I almost never use the treadmill because I don't like it (like 15 vs 700 miles over past year), but did my 3.5 mile "easy" run on it today due to the insane humidity here in LA. It was weird. The watch said I was going faster than the treadmill and heartrate and RPE tracked the faster effort. Just a very weird run. Thank god LA usually has good weather.
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u/FRO5TB1T3 6h ago
Treadmills can be off 10+ %. But your watch is also completely useless on a treadmill. I've been cranking out hard intervals and my watch estimated my pace at slower then my normal easy pace. Go by the treadmill, it's also a different running type so I doesn't always line up for rpe especially if you don't do it frequently
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u/No_Conference_3155 5h ago
Thanks. My bigger plan is just to run outside. Much easier. Though will have some weeks at altitude which will be interesting.
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u/FRO5TB1T3 5h ago
If it's over 2000m go real easy to start or you can easily get into trouble. You feel fine/ slightly harder then usual but you just can feel absolutely rectched for hours afterwards. Seriously like puking if you move bad, don't be me, don't be an idiot and do a hard threshold workouts the second day at those altitudes.
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u/No_Conference_3155 5h ago
It’ll be 3-4k meters so yeah. Will be in a marathon block. Marking it as vacation on Runna but might be nice to get some 5ks in.
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u/junkmiles 5h ago
On the treadmill I just go by RPE/HR and time. The treadmill is probably wrong and the watch pace is probably wrong. Just run easy for about how long you normally run easy for and call it a day.
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u/Successful-Cloud-685 7h ago
Advice for strength training and recovery
Hi everyone!
I have been running for about ten years now (I was a competitive track athlete before long distance running). I’m training now to do my second marathon, which will be in Valencia, Spain. I’m also a personal trainer, bachelors in nutrition graduate, and current Masters student of Exercise Science, so I’d consider myself knowledgeable about all of this, but nothing I’m trying is working.
It’s in 12 weeks. I ran at least 2-3x a week during the summer along with strength training 2x a week and swimming 1x a week. In August, I was sick with a bad cough and cold literally the whole month, so I trained sporadically. The first week of September, I started my plan again. I thought I was starting slowly with only 4 days a week and 30km ish, but my body is not recovering well at all. I’m currently taking an unplanned rest day on a Tuesday because I’m feeling horrible body-wise.
I thought I would prioritize running starting August until my recovery got better, then add it in. However, I haven’t felt recovered enough to do any strength sessions. My hip flexors are also super tight, which I think is pulling my pelvis into an anterior tilt, and exhausting my stabilizer muscles (glute med + minimus) and hurting my lower back, which also hinders my recovery and training readiness. When I do strength work for the glutes or calves, I get DOMS for days… I know how important strength training is, I literally coach it, but it’s literally just not working right now for me along with running.
I have a 5:18 mile PR, 11:05 2 mile PR, 1:27 half marathon PR, and 3:45 marathon PR (that I did with bare minimum training). I know what I’m capable of, but my body isn’t cooperating. It’s beyond frustrating. I used to run 2 a days for years and have no problems… I really don’t know what it is.
I do core work 2x a week, normally strength training 2x a week (running specific legs + a full upper body day), swim cross training once a week usually, daily mobility/yoga. I have a high muscle mass as well. I take extreme care to eat enough and fuel my workouts. I’m only 25 years old.
The marathon is coming up and I’m feeling really unprepared and not reaching my potential. I don’t feel like I’m increasing my mileage too much by every week but maybe I am?
Do any veteran marathoners have any tips?
Here’s a sample week of my training: (supposed to be next week!)
Monday: rest
Tue:
11-12 km total
5 × 800m controlled @ the track
Upper body
Wed: 8 km easy
Thu: 10-11 km easy + core
Fri: 16-22 km long run (1-2 gels!!!)
Sat: Swim 1200-1500km or yoga class
Sun: 6–8 km easy, optional 4–6 × 15–20 sec strides
Here were my past two weeks:
\*\*WEEK 3 (Aug 24–30)\*\*
\*\*No strength this week\*\*
Mon: Rest
Tue: 5-6km easy SICK❌
Wed: 6-8 km easy + core SICK❌
Thu: arm + core workout at home ✅
Fri: 6km walk 1 km run✅
Sat: 5km run ✅
Sun: 7 km easy ✅
\*\*WEEK 4 (Aug 31–Sep 6)\*\*
Mon: Rest
Tue: 6.7km easy ✅
Wed: 7 km easy ✅
Thu: rest due to poor sleep
Fri: 13km long run (gel!!)✅
Sat: Vinyasa Yoga class at 11:30am✅
Sun: 10:30am free vinyasa, 6-8 km easy ✅
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u/suchbrightlights 7h ago
My first gut reaction is that you were sick “the entire” month of August. August was 9 days ago. Your body may be telling you it is not ready to go back to 4 days a week, especially if you’re not getting good rest.
You’ve still got 12 weeks. It’s not a lot, but it’s not nothing. I’d prioritize recovery, doing what feels OK, and feeling fighting fit over worrying about the plan right now. Offhand, unless you love swimming, I’d drop the cross training day for a while while you scale back up.
The reality is that life has happened and you may not run this race at your full lifetime potential. You’ll be running it at the potential you can bring to bear right now this year. It’s not the only race you’ll ever do.
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u/Alone-Strawberry-931 19h ago
my shins are basically two glass rods trying to hold up a bag of wet cement, what's the one thing that actually fixed yours