Toilet breaks

budgemook

Hi,

I'm up to 28km in prep for DCM. Using Hal Hidgon Novice 1 and hoping for sub 4 finishing time. Problem I have is since going over the half distance I always need to go to the toilet.

How can I prevent this on the day? The only thing I can think of is less water but that doesn't sound too bright.

Thanks

RayCun

How much water are you drinking now?
Are you usually able (ie, when not running) to go 4/5 hours without needing to go to the toilet?

budgemook

RayCun wrote: »

How much water are you drinking now?
Are you usually able (ie, when not running) to go 4/5 hours without needing to go to the toilet?

Well I drink about 3 litres a day. I head out on long runs on a Saturday around 11 and would have drank a litre I guess. I try wait until after I've been to the toilet but there's nearly always one more.

Sure I can go 4 hours, so long as I don't drink too much water.

Enduro

It's a bit late to be changing your routine now, but try doing your training runs in future without loading up with water beforehand. You can go a long way without it if you get used to it. Don't change too much before DCM though. Make it a longer term objective. I usually head out on my long runs without drinking anything beforehand, unless its a very hot day.

The other alternative is learning to pee whilst running

MisterDrak

budgemook wrote: »

Well I drink about 3 litres a day. I head out on long runs on a Saturday around 11 and would have drank a litre I guess. I try wait until after I've been to the toilet but there's nearly always one more.

Sure I can go 4 hours, so long as I don't drink too much water.

On my LSR's (20-23miles), id usually had a mouthfull before setting off, then 200-300ml at 7miles, same at 13, and probably a little more at 17 or 18...

Then when I get back to the car id have a coke / club orange (for sugar) and then water frequently during the remainder of the day...

kingQuez

I wouldn't worry too much about this, 4hrs is a long time and the minute or two for you to duck into a portaloo isn't going to add too much to your time if you plan it right and just go 1-2 times over the course.

M.J.M.C

Do we know if there will be portaloo's dotted about the course? If so at what point, I can't see any info.

Podge83

budgemook wrote: »

I head out on long runs on a Saturday around 11 and would have drank a litre I guess. .

I'm no expert but the body can only deal with so much water intake over any set period. The excess is pee'd out. Experiment a bit with drinking a bit less just before the run. I don't know whether its right or not but I try to drink little in the last hour to give any excess the opportunity to work itself out. Then take a few sips right at the start. Drink at periods during the run/ race (quantity depending of weather).

Keep drinking plenty over the course of the typical day, and plenty after your run.

RayCun

M.J.M.C wrote: »

Do we know if there will be portaloo's dotted about the course? If so at what point, I can't see any info.

At the water stations

Peckham

Common error made on raceday is to drink too much that morning. Your hydration is done in the days before the marathon, not on the day itself. When you wake on marathon morning you should be fully hydrated and all that most people need is a (small) glass of water to top off any fluids you lost whilst asleep (i.e. very little).

However, what you see is lots of people walking around before the start with bottles of water/isotonic drink and because they are nervous they continuously sip at the bottle and may drink 500ml-1 litre of fluids whilst standing in the starting area. Hence why you’ll see many men lined up alongside the railings at St Stephen’s Green relieving themselves shortly after the start, and same again as you enter Phoenix Park. I guess the females have to wait until the first on-course portaloos!

On a side note - I was at the NYC Marathon Expo a few years ago and popped by the DCM stand to say hello. Behind the stand was a large blown-up picture of the start of the race with many men clearly relieving themselves through the railings of Fitzwilliam Square. Might not have been so obvious before the photo was enlarged, but not a good image to use to promote the marathon!

PaulieC

Coming into the Phoenix Park, just past the Garda Headquarters is always a good spot for a quickie (for males anyway). A slash and dash there should take no more than 20 seconds.

budgemook

PaulieC wrote: »

Coming into the Phoenix Park, just past the Garda Headquarters is always a good spot for a quickie (for males anyway). A slash and dash there should take no more than 20 seconds.

That's where I go

Okay so I'm going to try drinking plenty on Friday (I do anyways) and then just a small bit on Saturday this week. I usually bring 300mls of water with me, I can handle that much I think. Cheers.

robinph

I've never done a marathon without stopping for a pee. Don't worry about the time that you'd lose doing so as it really won't make much of a difference. Did 2:56 in London last year, with a stop in a portaloo about a mile before the Cutty Sark, and I went at that point because I knew the crowds of spectators would be too big shortly and my options for going at the side of the road were running out.

Condo131

Read the drinking strategy here:

Marathon Advice (last Two weeks)
Marathon Advice (on the Day)
Marathon Advice (Recovery)

- courtesy Eagle AC)

plodder

Don't drink anything in the 30 minutes before the start. It can be hard to stop yourself, but as said already the key thing is to be properly hydrated constantly over the previous few days.

nerraw1111

plodder wrote: »

Don't drink anything in the 30 minutes before the start. It can be hard to stop yourself, but as said already the key thing is to be properly hydrated constantly over the previous few days.

I'd say an hour at least?

menoscemo

nerraw1111 wrote: »

I'd say an hour at least?

Personally, I wouldn't drink anything after breakfast; about 2.5 hrs before the race.

plodder

nerraw1111 wrote: »

I'd say an hour at least?

probably depends how much you've been drinking before hand. But for me anyway. I'd be drinking a lot in the day or two beforehand (and going to the toilet a lot). On the morning, I'd just be sipping small amounts. So, 30 mins usually worked from the last sip.

budgemook

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll drink loads on Friday and see how I go on Saturday's 20 miler.

Someone suggested a small glass of water with diorlyte mixed in on the morning of a long run. Any thoughts on that?

Peckham

budgemook wrote: »

Someone suggested a small glass of water with diorlyte mixed in on the morning of a long run. Any thoughts on that?

If it works for you, do it. But try it a few times on long training runs, and be prepared to abandon a long run if it doesn't work for you.

Murph_D

PaulieC wrote: »

Coming into the Phoenix Park, just past the Garda Headquarters is always a good spot for a quickie (for males anyway). A slash and dash there should take no more than 20 seconds.

That's why this year I'm going to make sure I'm on the right hand side of the road entering the park. Nearly got mowed down a couple of times here last year with guys cutting across the road to the "peeing area".

career_move

budgemook wrote: »

Hi,

I'm up to 28km in prep for DCM. Using Hal Hidgon Novice 1 and hoping for sub 4 finishing time. Problem I have is since going over the half distance I always need to go to the toilet.

How can I prevent this on the day? The only thing I can think of is less water but that doesn't sound too bright.

Thanks

I have done 2 marathons and haven't needed to stop in either. Eat around 6pm the night before. Have a small breakfast 3/4 hours before the race with some coffee. Drink only when your thirsty. It kind of annoys me the way people advocate drinking water to excess leading up to the race. Your just going to pee it all out and flush out electrolytes with it. Bring a 250ml bottle with you to the start in case your mouth gets dry and so that you can avoid the first water stop which is usually jammers especially if your with a pace group

plodder

career_move wrote: »

I have done 2 marathons and haven't needed to stop in either. Eat around 6pm the night before. Have a small breakfast 3/4 hours before the race with some coffee. Drink only when your thirsty. It kind of annoys me the way people advocate drinking water to excess leading up to the race. Your just going to pee it all out and flush out electrolytes with it. Bring a 250ml bottle with you to the start in case your mouth gets dry and so that you can avoid the first water stop which is usually jammers especially if your with a pace group

Not so sure about that. You certainly lose electrolytes through sweat, which is why it's an issue in marathons, but your kidneys regulate electrolyte levels. So, it's possible to drink lots of water and your pee will be nearly pure water too. If you're drinking water at a level greater than what your kidneys can get rid of it, then that is a different problem. [edit] the other thing to remember is that when loading with carbs, you have to drink extra water for that (nothing to do with hydration). So, imho it's better to err on the side of drinking a little too much water, up to the morning itself anyway.

career_move

plodder wrote: »

Not so sure about that. You certainly lose electrolytes through sweat, which is why it's an issue in marathons, but your kidneys regulate electrolyte levels. So, it's possible to drink lots of water and your pee will be nearly pure water too. If you're drinking water at a level greater than what your kidneys can get rid of it, then that is a different problem. [edit] the other thing to remember is that when loading with carbs, you have to drink extra water for that (nothing to do with hydration). So, imho it's better to err on the side of drinking a little too much water, up to the morning itself anyway.

Sorry I kind of disagree with you. I know your kidneys regulate electrolytes but why would you put them under increased pressure for no reason? Not that I think that you should restrict your fluid intake in anyway but people seem to think that you need to be making a conscious effort to drink water at every available opportunity during the last few days before the marathon and that's not the case.

"The International Marathon Medical Directors Association advocates 'drinking to thirst' and no more"

plodder

career_move wrote: »

Sorry I kind of disagree with you. I know your kidneys regulate electrolytes but why would you put them under increased pressure for no reason? Not that I think that you should restrict your fluid intake in anyway but people seem to think that you need to be making a conscious effort to drink water at every available opportunity during the last few days before the marathon and that's not the case.

"The International Marathon Medical Directors Association advocates 'drinking to thirst' and no more"

Okay, but you said drinking too much water flushes the electrolytes out, which isn't the case. We can agree to disagree on the advice, but I don't think anyone is saying drink water at every available opportunity.

rom

I have problems with this during most long runs. I had no need on Sunday in Berlin.

I ate my dinner at 6PM on Sat, drank fluid in the days leading up. Drank nunn and water first thing in the morning. Coffee with the breakfast. Did not sip any water from after breakfast until the race started. Carried a water bottle for the first 10k. Now I did cramp up in the last 10k but other than that it went perfectly. I will be eating my pre race dinner early evening in future.

career_move

plodder wrote: »

Okay, but you said drinking too much water flushes the electrolytes out, which isn't the case. We can agree to disagree on the advice, but I don't think anyone is saying drink water at every available opportunity.

Just to clarify in my first post I said drinking water to excess!! Ordinarily I wouldn't bother arguing but its just I'm going to be telling the novices drink to thirst and conflicting advice is confusing