I run at o’dark thirty about 30-45min after I wake. I typically have a cup of coffee and bread w/almond butter. Then it’s a change of clothes and 
before I get out the door. Not sure what your schedule looks like, but training your body to empty out beforehand is a good thing, especially come race day.
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Thats the other thing… timing caffeine well and generally having less in the digestive system.
Some good answers R.E. fiber- I’ll just add that dehydration is probably the biggest factor for me, so that can definitely worsen matters. How much you can get away before you need to drink during a run with depends on a bunch of stuff, but I usually find 2 hours is pushing up against that point for me unless it’s a cold day. (going into it slightly dehydrated will do you no favours either, but I’d assume most cyclists are pretty experienced on that front already)
Running into the same issue as I return to long runs, and to reiterate what others have said with my n=1: fibre can make things worse but more importantly, stomach churns MUCH more when I’m dehydrated, which is not intuitive for me (I feel like I don’t want to put anything in my stomach while running but lately things have been going better with steady sips)
In addition to what’s already been said, I’d strongly recommend drinking more during your runs. Dehydration will make your body want to get rid of stuff to reduce its workload, is how I vaguely understand it.
Work your way into it gradually of course, but start by drinking at least 6oz (175ml) per half-hour. That’s 0.35 liters/hour, and you’ll want to gradually increase to at least double that. Add some electrolytes (at least) to that water.
Yes. The more you do it, the more your body will get use to it… I am usually a “at mile 2” person. Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes i need to hit a restroom by mile 0.25!
The constant bounce causes GI issues. You will eventually learn how to make things work for you.
For me, its usually a “problem” on casual runs, where sometime i cant plan for a restroom break. On races, since i wake up many hours before the event, usually the body works and expels the problem early.
4 weeks for Boston my people!!!
yesterday I did a 22 mile run:
10k wu
2x10k @ GMP (6:55).
cd to 22 miles.
IT WAS HORRIBLE!
the last 10k set was a fight to not die… I wanted to stop so hard … elevated HR, hot, humid Florida “winter” was on full display.
Coach things I may have under fueled the wo. I had an oatmeal before the run, and some ELMT on my way to the meet place. Then had about 20oz of water the first 20k and a gu roctane gel after the first set (which felt hard, but not horrible). Took a solid 5 minute rest (water refill and second gel). Then by mile one of the second set iI knew i was in trouble… MY HR was already in the mid/low 170s and I know that is not sustainable for a marathon (been there). By the last mile my hr was already pushing 180s…
IDK. I usually good at fueling, but not sure if my aging body is telling me i need to step up or something…
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You have to get all that s … stuff out before the run, man. Also, before important races, my PED of choice is a double dose of Immodium with breakfast, as insurance. Never failed me.
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I have tries SO many times. I just cant… usually if i can be ready 1 hr before, the magic happens. But thats unusual. We are lucky there are plenty of open bathrooms near where we run (or porta potties) so we plan the routes near we can hit them. Otherwise its the bushes, which i have sadly have to do more than once… and its NOT fun… 0/10, wouldn’t recommend.
Makes the HM test set I’m worried about this weekend seem comparatively wimpy 
How hot/humid are we talking? That could definitely push the HR/effort up especially for longer blocks like that. I’d probably be hitting the first gel before the 20k mark, but obviously depends on the person (and a coach might have some better insight than me!)
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I think at 5:30 was 68F and 85% humidity (phone weather)
Garmin weather say 73 and 83
So somewhere in there…
I should have said… I hit a gel after the wu (first 10k) and a second one before the second 10k.
Is the test a race or effort run?
My plan had me doing pretty much the same workout last week - 2x10k @ MP - but thankfully only 19miles total.
I was absolutely shot after the second interval - I’m expecting big things from my taper 
My 22.5 mile steady run yesterday felt ok 
I’m also 4 weeks out from my event.
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When cycling or lifting, my body is a machine. Before 99% of rides I can empty myself in advance. That’s why this is new to me with running.
Re: Hydration
Thanks for all the advice. I‘ll start carrying bottles and see.
Re: Caffein
How do you guys go about gels. I usually have a gel every 20 mins (Maurten 100). I see a lot of YouTubers use the caffein version. I do that rarely. Probably that doesn‘t help.
ALL THE CAFFEIN!
I drink a americano before my long runs with a bit of milk, and all my gels have caffeine… (gu). I do one every 6 miles, but my coach has been questioning me about that… and probably suggesting more often… but I can see myself doing 6 gels on a marathon… I will throw up!
but, caffeine is not the problem. I thinks is well know than running causes way more gi issues than cycling… mostly because of body stress… what you are going through is very normal, you will probably need to plan your routes where you know you will get to a bathroom and carry a bag with wipes for the days you can hold it…
I will say this… If you hold it in for a long time (miles), it will hurt you BIG time… I would not recommend unless is absolutely necessary… like I am telling you, it will wreck you stomach and gi system for the rest of the day, and not in a good way. Have that happened to me more than once… not fun at all.
I’d definitely be struggling in 85% humidity, but it’s dry AF where I live so that might depend on what you’re used to…might also be worth looking at sodium intake if you’re sweating a lot too, that tends to mess with the HR/pace in my experience.
I’ve got 14k at half pace. I think the most I’ve done in training before is about 10, but I’ve had a shorter build this time around so I think I’m just feeling undertrained in general lol. Probably going to be a good reality check pacing-wise…doesn’t mean I have to like it though 
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Im five weeks out from my event. My ‘plan’ had me doing 3*5k just above goal MP. With warm up and aerobic back half total run distance was 20 miles.
I did my run on Friday morning so I could partake in the block party Saturday morning; which includes a 5k before the shenanigans.
After the long run I was around 55 miles in for the week so I planned on running some easier miles before the party. Met some friends and we got 9 miles in before the 5k/party but then a few of us decided to hop into the race… cause you know, fomo.
I was totally unprepared in that I was wearing daily trainers and long sleeve (morning was chilly but temps had warmed up… every single other person was either in a singlet or shirtless). Anyway, gun goes and I take off way too fast (as one does)… Pace slipped throughout the run but finished with a 17:52. I was quite tired and was certain Id run closer to 20 so I’m pretty happy with this… My takeaway is that I can run relatively well on very tired legs and I dont always need super-shoes in order to run a ‘good’ time.
As I said, 5 weeks to go till London. This is a down week and then going into the final three week build. Getting nervous/excited.
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Wow - thats a lot of caffeine! I thought the general advice was to save caffine gels for near the end? My heart rate would be through the roof if all my gels had caffeine.
For this type of workout, you should have been fueling like you would during the race. I would expect that you are going to have more than 2 gels and water during a marathon, especially if you want to perform well. Guys I know running sub-3 here are all taking a gel on the line, then one every 5-7km plus course fluids. Half-tights with pockets are AWESOME!
I can’t imagine all caffeine gels during a marathon. Too much caffeine might make you feel not so well and/or have to stop and . If anything maybe alternate caf gels. As for being able to stomach more gels, perhaps switch to a diff brand. While I like GU as well, it’s thick and definitely needs water. Maybe try SiS (no water needed) or Maurten (no real flavor and also no water needed).
Regarding foot strike. Watching YouTube videos, I get the impression that about 99.9% of the general population forefoot strike. I don‘t know if every forefoot striker in the world has a YouTube channel or if this is my selective perspective, but I found this very interesting in terms of footstrike:
I am pretty confident that I heel strike, like apparently 95.6% of runners.
To my question, what competition shoe would you recommend for a half? I see that so many shoes are recommended for mid-foot or fore foot strikers…