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The Relaxed Running podcast is a behind the scenes conversation with the best athletes, coaches and professionals in the world of distance running. From training, hydration and nutrition to racing and recovering, we learn from the best in the world.
Relaxed conversations which are packed with actionable takeaways to help you take your running performance up a notch. Save yourself years of guess work and learn from the people who are doing it at the highest level.
tyson:
Well, it's good to officially have you on. We're laughing just before I hit record. Cause obviously like for people who listen to this podcast regularly, they're going to know the story of how we met up in point Lonsdale. I see your mom and dad strutting along the, uh, the, the, the bike path each day. So I'd
sarah:
So,
tyson:
recognize
sarah:
thank you.
tyson:
their faces. And then I saw, I just saw from a distance, you, it must've been six months ago now, I remember it was the last day of December. Um, finishing your workout, had the kid on moving nicely. I thought, man, she looks like she knows how to run. And we started having a little bit of a chat and then I realized, oh my gosh, so you're actually, for someone who is relatively new in some senses to the sport of running, like you haven't been in it your whole life, you've picked it up really quick. And we went for like a, what turned out, I don't know how well you remember it, but it was a welcome back to running for me. So remember it well, we went for, you ran 27K, I ran 18 of it with you. And we were looking at each other like 8K and going, man, where? We're moving pretty quick.
sarah:
We were moving quick. I think it's because we were talking. Sometimes when you talk, you just kind of get into the grave.
tyson:
Oh, it was, I must've been asking the questions. Cause I looked back at our, at our paces and I was like, there's, I think there's little chance that I was managing to hold a conversation at that pace, but we seem to do all right and then we're, we're due for another run. I'm sure you've probably heard in that podcast that you got tagged in where I, I just absolutely destroyed your last name that I've had since then. I'm so glad I started my marathon build up when I did. Cause apparently my body's like, no, no, we're going to really take our time getting ready for this marathon. just keep throwing calf strains at you. I say this with caution, I think I'm on top of it,
sarah:
I'm
tyson:
close,
sarah:
going to go ahead
tyson:
close,
sarah:
and turn
tyson:
maybe.
sarah:
it
tyson:
So we're due for another run. But then the second encounter we had on that path was, you were doing your long run, I was doing mine, and
sarah:
over
tyson:
we attempted
sarah:
to you.
tyson:
a high five.
sarah:
That's right.
tyson:
And I think for everyone listening, I reckon I got like the very tip of your finger and just ran home going, man, like, I gotta work on my, that was one of the most embarrassing moments.
sarah:
That was pretty funny. I forgot about
tyson:
And
sarah:
that.
tyson:
I couldn't,
sarah:
Yeah, we
tyson:
I
sarah:
just
tyson:
couldn't.
sarah:
like touched one finger.
tyson:
Yeah, it was, uh, it was, it was very lame and I take full responsibility for it. But man, that was when you were just getting all set, like the trip I was enjoying following you on Stravram. Just seeing what you're up to, because I knew, I found out that day that you were getting ready for, for your 24 hour race, which is what Dion and I spoke about. And based on your training, it looked as though things were going to go well. And then I heard the result from down and I was like, Oh my gosh, like things just appeared to have come together really nicely.
sarah:
Things kind of did come together really nicely. It was a bit of a surprise. I didn't expect to win it. by any stretch and I think what it came down to, I don't know if you remember there was a day, the middle weekend of April, it rained pretty much, or certainly in Melbourne, for about 22 of the 24 hours. It started to drizzle and it was blowing gale when we were just setting up our tarp and stuff beforehand and it continued kind of drizzling until maybe about three o'clock in the afternoon and then it was like, okay, I gotta put a raincoat on. and it was torrential rain pretty much all night. There was a little window where I remember saying like, oh, I can see a plane flying over. So it's like the sky is quite clear, but it was really miserable. And I feel like I just won the competition of who's the most stubborn woman, really.
tyson:
That, so that was the day you ran it.
sarah:
Yeah, the track flooded.
tyson:
Oh my.
sarah:
The track at one end of the track was just under a couple of inches of water. Like there was no way your feet were staying dry. There was no way anything was staying dry despite raincoats and things.
tyson:
So what time did the race start again?
sarah:
The race starts at midday and then you run through to midday the next day.
tyson:
And you started in rain, you finished in rain, you had like, and you were saying it was overnight, there was a couple of hours of relatively clear.
sarah:
Yeah,
tyson:
Oh
sarah:
yeah,
tyson:
my goodness.
sarah:
it was pretty miserable.
tyson:
See, the idea, I find it hard to comprehend, to be honest, I still find it hard to comprehend a 25K run. So the idea of a 24 hour run is just, it's so intimidating. And I think this is one thing we spoke about, like the fact that it starts at midday and then you run for 12 hours and you still have 12 hours to go, it's the middle of the night. Like walk us through the process. Here's what I'm so interested in, because when it comes to the ultra stuff, I'm so out of my depth, I'm so fascinated by it. anything above the marathon, I go, okay, we're in new territory here. And the reason I say that is because when it comes to pacing and fueling and rest and recovery,
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
and
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
I'm not sure what else goes into a 24 hour race.
sarah:
Okay. Okay.
tyson:
So
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
that's
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
why
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
I was so keen to get you on here, just
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
to pick you, walk
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
us
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
through
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
it,
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
cause
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
that's
sarah:
Okay.
tyson:
a long time to run.
sarah:
It's a long time to run. Certainly by the end, I wasn't running. I was shuffling and walking for a lot of it. It is a lot to get right, and it's a lot of time for things to go wrong, which is what I learned. And prior to that run, the longest run I'd ever done was 100Ks. So there's a really big difference between a 100K run that takes 12 hours, so it took me about 12 hours and a 24 hour run. It's not just twice as. long. Yeah, I made a lot of mistakes, certainly in like the pacing, the nutrition, pretty much wherever I could make a mistake, really. Yeah, I mean, yeah, I can kind of take it through from the start. The start's really clear in my memory. I had a plan because I'd never done anything more than 100 Ks. I kind of had a plan to run 100 Ks. feeling comfortable and then just hold on for dear life, which might've been not the smartest way to tackle it, but I didn't really know how else to do it. And so that was kind of my plan. I started running, had a really detailed fuel and nutrition plan that was kind of broken down into half hour blocks where I was gonna, with everything that I was gonna eat and drink and my rest times and everything in there. and that included fluid like water and electrolytes and gels as well as some real food as well in there. I didn't get that all completely right. I was really conscious of needing to try to and the dangers of particularly becoming hyponatremic. And so I was really aware of needing to get electrolytes in, but I didn't. do the best job. So the first 100 K's went really well. I was really happy. I was excited to finally made it to the day. Followed the nutrition plan pretty well, but probably in hindsight relied too heavily on gels in that early part of the race. And then I think probably due to that about 10 hours in I started to get some stomach issues. started to need to pop into the toilet every couple of laps
tyson:
Hehehe
sarah:
and then it kept on trying to eat and drink my crew were great kept trying to feed me and get me drinking and then I started vomiting as well and things kind of fell apart yeah and then the rest of the night is kind of a blur really I remember like having to have a few little lie-downs in the tent and just being really cold because despite raincoats and things like that everything was just soaked. And kind of knowing that I had to get up and keep going again but no part of me wanted to.
tyson:
That is wild. So 10 hours in, that's when you started to have your first really big troubles.
sarah:
Yeah, and I'd say they continued between maybe like, probably were at their worst between maybe 11 and 4am, where I just really struggled to keep anything down. And at that point someone in my crew was like, I think you need to get some more salt in. And from somewhere he found this instant miso soup and got me to drink that. And that kind of seemed to turn things around a little bit. Someone made me like a really sugary tea in there at some stage. I swallowed.
tyson:
So every, so are you saying like every two laps after that for, for how long, like how long were you, um, how many hours were you having to run to the loo and get food and drink and rest and things like that? Cause psychologically that's the part of that, that freaks me out just thinking, all right, I've been running for 10 hours. I'm not even halfway. I've got 14 to go.
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
Um, it's just starting to get, well, I mean, it's been dark at that stage for a, for a few hours, especially here in Victoria. It's a combination. Um, of the, that nighttime kicking in and just starting to feel like you're out there by yourself, but also the fatigue that that was what I was most interested to hear about with this race. Cause I've met enough distance runners to know that they're crazy enough to push themselves to a certain point. But my experience has been like that certain point is another few K's.
sarah:
Yeah, well that's been my experience in the past as well, having never done any, like I was already kind of further than I'd ever run. And obviously there was some pretty dark moments in there. where I was, I remember running around in the rain, you kind of in your own little, you've got your hood on so you can't really see very much and just kept on going around, around, around thinking like, oh, this, maybe I was a bit silly to think that this was a possibility, you know, maybe I don't wanna do it. And I reckon the only thing that kept me going was, I've told so many people I'm doing this 24 hour run, I don't wanna withdraw and I never wanna do it again, ever. So let's just. keep going and get it done. Of course that's all kind of changed now, but.
tyson:
Oh, you've got the bug back?
sarah:
Not so much the bug, but I learned so much. I can't, you know, I made a lot of mistakes. I had no idea. I was completely naive and now I think, well, it'd be cool to do it again and try and get some of that stuff right.
tyson:
So what were the, I know you touched on pretty much everything just not going 100% according to plan, but going into it, what did your plan look like in terms of fueling, electrolytes, food, there's so much that goes into just trying to stay hydrated and fueled for a run like that, that I can't even, one of the things I'm having trouble with, or not trouble, but I'm so new to the world of fueling and hydration, like I just never really needed that or looked too far into it when I was a middle distance runner back in the day, I probably could have got some benefit of it. from it, but getting ready for the marathon now, obviously it's such a big part of that, that I've become really interested in the topic and have learned so much about it. But what you've done is sort of
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
like a world ahead. I can't even imagine the planning and stuff that goes into that. So yeah, like at the start, Lum, what did your plan look like roughly?
sarah:
My plan was broken up into half hour blocks and it was like, uh, but one half hour I'd have a gel and water. The next half hour I might have, um, like some roast potatoes and an electrolyte drink. And I just had these little pop-top bottles that I got my crew to fill up with drinks. Um, and then it would be a gel. And then it would like the next half hour would be a gel and water. And then the next half hour would be electrolytes and some other kind of proper food. So I had a combination of like roast potatoes, little pieklets, some watermelon, some
tyson:
Oh, oh, there you go. Sorry, you cut out for a minute there. I lost you. No, I've got
sarah:
Sorry,
tyson:
you now.
sarah:
my
tyson:
I've got
sarah:
microphone
tyson:
you.
sarah:
is going. Yeah, and so I had a few little things that I tried in training runs that I thought would be just good, dense sources of carbs that probably wouldn't upset my stomach too much. But realistically, I relied, and having done only marathons, and it's kind of short a distance and I'd worked out the types that worked best for me. But I think ultimately there was just too much of, I relied too heavily on gels to give me energy. And I think that probably the amount of foot dress that I took in was too much. And that's what started my troubles.
tyson:
Heaps of fun, heaps of fun. Yeah, yeah.
sarah:
Kind of the opposite of fun.
tyson:
Oh man, don't worry. I've had plenty of those experiences as well. Just the brutal reality of distance running. Yeah, that's what got Weet-Bix taking off my food and fuel for my long run. It's just too dangerous. How did you, like when you came to the planning element of it, how did you come up with a plan around how you'd balance the gels with actual? real solid food? Like did you have any idea of why it was that apart from the carb factor and maybe the comfort factor? How did you come up with that?
sarah:
Well, I just sort of, I mean, I don't know if I should even say this because it doesn't reflect that well upon me, but I did a nutrition degree. And so I was kind of aware I'd worked out how many grams of carbs I thought I needed. And I used the same kind of. Like again, as I said before, I rely too heavily on gels because that's what's worked for me in the past. And I knew that I'd probably get sick of having gels and that I'd need to have some actual food in there as well. But what I didn't account for was just how much, probably more energy I'd need because it kept going on and on and on. So it wasn't just a simple... matter of like the same formula I could use for a 60k or 100k. It needed to be, I needed to rely on getting more carbs in and I needed more actual food early. And when I looked at the people who'd done it a few times, like there was, you know, people that had done it several times before. And I remember seeing one guy with like a takeaway container with pasta and pesto, just like walking a lap and eating that and just thinking, wow, you're crazy.
tyson:
Hehehehe
sarah:
But actually, like, he was the smart one at the end of the day.
tyson:
Were you, um, uh, w were you starting to question, question your training and anything, like when you got to 10 hours in or at that point, cause it's a really strange event to train for, like, I'm not sure what your longest run was in the, in the lead up to it or how you structured it around training and sorry, around sleep and, um, and family and everything else you've got going on. But it'd be an area that I can imagine when you've got so much time to think that you would start to realize, okay, I didn't really take this into consideration. Like. Oh, and we could get into that more in more detail soon, like, because I'd love to be able to pick your brain and explain to people how it was you trained for that. But just from sort of a psychology perspective, was that something that you had to navigate through during the run as well?
sarah:
Not so much my training. I was pretty... I don't feel like I could have done any more training. I did question my sanity. And I also, I don't know if you remember, I was given entry as a 40th birthday present. So I also questioned whether or not my friends really loved me.
tyson:
Yeah.
sarah:
A little bit in there. But you know, they definitely they were there also suffering on the sidelines. So that that was nice. I didn't really trust I didn't think too much about the training to be honest. I I don't really remember what I was thinking about. I know I spent an awful lot of time trying to count how many laps it was each half hour. And I still couldn't tell you. Like I just kept counting and then going, oh, I've forgotten what I'm up to. So I have to start again. Cause I was breaking it down. Initially I was just running all the time. And then probably at about 70 Ks, I started to put in a walk lap every half hour. And then after a hundred Ks. I think I dropped that back to a walk lap every 15 minutes and kind of kept going like that for most of the night. Once I got up again, I had a rest at about 4 a.m., got up again and my ankles and shins were really swollen and really sore and at that point I kind of realized I didn't think I was gonna get much more running in but managed to hobble a few laps in there.
tyson:
Yeah, yeah, what kind of pace were you holding for that first 70k?
sarah:
The first 70 Ks was probably five 30 minute Ks. I did the first 100 Ks in nine hours 30, which I was really happy with, but
tyson:
That's unbelievable.
sarah:
just felt like it sounds ridiculous because it all kind of fell apart enormously after that, but it felt so comfortable at the time. And that's one thing I don't think I would change. I think that there was really no way. I was so nervous and so excited about starting the event. I always go out too fast and I was really like conscious of trying to hold back. But that felt slow and easy. And I think that if I had started slower, the the end result wouldn't have been that different. I still would have fallen in a heap at some stage. You know, I still wouldn't have been getting the calories that I needed. I still
tyson:
Hmm.
sarah:
probably would have run into tummy trouble and I still would have just got really tired and realized it's a really long time to be on your feet.
tyson:
Did you have music or anything in your ears?
sarah:
No, I had my phone with me with a few audiobooks loaded up and playlists and stuff. And then it was just it was so wet that
tyson:
Bye.
sarah:
the thought of like trying to figure out how to get my phone in a plastic bag. get head, like take everything off to get headphones in, put it all back together. I spent a lot of laps thinking like, Oh, next time I reckon I'll get that. That next time I stop, I'll get that sorted out. And I just didn't.
tyson:
Yeah. Yeah. It's such a long time. I go for an hour run. And if I don't have music, sometimes I go, this is, this is a long, lonely
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
run. Unless I've got someone, someone like yourself there to talk to. How did, um, so how did you structure your training? Like I know this is probably something that changes a lot as you get closer to it and when you're trying to prime for it, but like the standard training week, especially here in Australia is, is pretty much like Sunday's your long run for a lot of people, Tuesday, Thursday, some people Saturdays are your sessions and you'll do some easy ish runs. in and around that. And like people don't really stray too far from a structure like that, apart from, you know, they might swap a session for an easier run or something just depending on fitness and age and whatever else they've got going on. Did you use a similar structure to
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
that? How did you come up with an idea of, all right, this is how far I need to run on at a certain point. This is the time I need to do it. Cause one thing that really stood out to me, and I think I said this in the podcast with Dion, was you made an interesting point saying that working as a nurse, and doing shift work so long is like a, you feel a really big advantage to you. And I was like, of course, of course that would work because like the idea of just fatigue, like the fatigue in the sense that, okay, I need to go to sleep. That starts to play tricks on a lot of people's minds as well. And they probably don't quite realize how able they are to be able to push through that level of fatigue.
sarah:
Definitely.
tyson:
Definitely not promoting the idea in terms of
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
health and wellbeing, but in terms of getting ready for a race, it's...
sarah:
No, without a doubt that that I never was that anxious about that. I mean, I know like one thing that doing shift work and having kids as well like you would know these has taught me that
tyson:
Mm-hmm.
sarah:
like, you know, you can survive being really tired. It's just one day. I knew I'm not going to get any sleep. that's okay, it's nothing to panic about. I've I know what it feels like to feel pretty crappy when you've when you've been awake for too long, you know, I can start to feel a bit dizzy and a bit kind of get some nausea and stuff just from being awake for too long. But that never really worried me. I know what it's like to be awake at 3am when your body's just wanting to be asleep. And I know how to kind of push through that feeling. I've done that at work. And I mean, it wasn't exactly the same as being at work, but yeah, that didn't really worry me at all. I spoke to a lot of people about what I should do with training. Like, should I be getting up in the middle of the night to go for a run? Should I not? And I think I spoke to my coach as well, who he set the plan and I just trusted completely that what he was doing was right. And... We kind of agreed that getting up in the middle of the night probably wasn't the best thing to do. But what I did do was my week, like you said, that structure of long run on a Sunday, a couple of easy runs, a couple of sessions didn't really change that much. And I was surprised that my overall weekly mileage didn't change that much either. But what we did was dropped my weeks normally, like an easy run on a Monday, a session on a Tuesday, a medium long run. Wednesday, rest day, Thursday, easy day, Friday, session, Saturday and long run Sunday. So I kind of dropped my sessions back to one speed workout a week and then incorporated a back to back long run. And sometimes that was an evening like he'd set like an evening long run and then I'd get up in the morning and do the second long run. So I think the longest was like a marathon. that I started at 7.30 in the evening or something, and then got up the next morning. And I had, maybe it was like two hours or something the next morning. And then just coincidentally, the longest run of the training block was a five hour run that I, because I've got three kids as well, and just happened to be this particular weekend where my husband was away. And so my kids are not babies. So they're okay to leave at home, but I got up at 3.30 in the morning to leave home at four to get that done so that by the time I got home I could take them to their sport and birthday parties and stuff. So I just needed to make sure I was home early.
tyson:
That's when the, that's what I know you said. They're not little babies anymore, but that's when the real challenge starts. I noticed that now.
sarah:
Thank
tyson:
So
sarah:
you.
tyson:
I, my kids are one of them, Charlie, he's, he's not really a baby. He's almost three, but I got a nine month old. And I know that whenever I go out for a really hard session and I come home, like say if I start my run at 7.30, get home at nine or a bit after nine, and I've pushed it a little bit, I go, oh my goodness. Like this is where the challenge starts. Cause we've got all day.
sarah:
Thanks
tyson:
I've
sarah:
for watching.
tyson:
got to try and entertain these kids. Obviously my wife is a legend and carries a heap of the weight, at the same time, trying to navigate that and feel as though you're contributing is a challenge.
sarah:
Oh, absolutely. All you want to do is lie on the couch and eat.
tyson:
Yeah, for sure, for sure. I actually, I bumped into Pat, your mom, down at Pico, the little cafe here in Point Lonsdale, and it must've been the day after you ran your marathon. Cause I said, oh, I heard Sarah going, she's like, oh yeah, she ran a marathon last night. And I was like, of course she did. That's exactly what she has to do in order to get ready for it. And it's Chris, isn't
sarah:
Yeah,
tyson:
it, your dad? And Chris is just looking at me going, mate, like, I don't, I don't get it.
sarah:
yeah.
tyson:
Like,
sarah:
I know.
tyson:
I don't understand
sarah:
That
tyson:
what it
sarah:
was
tyson:
is she's
sarah:
so
tyson:
thinking,
sarah:
cute.
tyson:
but.
sarah:
We were down at Point Lundstad with them the weekend before the race. And like, they were just, I'm writing, like typing up my spreadsheet and stuff, and like a real nerd, like what I'm gonna eat, when
tyson:
Hehehehe
sarah:
I'm gonna rest everything, and trying to like put together how far I thought I could run. And my dad was like, do you really think you're gonna be able to run 160 kilometers? You know, that's a hundred miles. And I was like, yeah, I'm kind of hoping I can run a bit further than that, you know? Anyway, they were like. We're not coming, we refuse to come. I don't wanna see you, do that to yourself. Anyway, like sure enough, I think it was probably about 11 o'clock in the morning on the Sunday,
tyson:
Mm-hmm.
sarah:
they were there. So they.
tyson:
That's awesome. Yeah, you guys operated a different pace. Actually, from my window downstairs, I see them every morning, and they operated a more leisurely pace than what you
sarah:
Thank
tyson:
were setting out
sarah:
you.
tyson:
to do. So yeah, the idea of running too fast seems like a concept that they wouldn't be a huge fan of. But. Man, when your mom was telling me about what you're doing, she was saying it with like a little bit of swagger in her voice, I was like, well, so you should have that because it is, it is really impressive. But I actually haven't caught up with them, I don't think since that run. So what, they saw the last hour
sarah:
Yeah,
tyson:
or they were there before the start?
sarah:
they came down for the last hour, which was, or maybe it was a bit longer, I can't remember. But yeah, they were great. So they'd been watching it. You could watch it live. And because I took off so eagerly, I think for the first... 10 hours or something, I was coming third overall. And so my mom said she went to bed and then, you know, got up and probably, I think she said to me, I thought you, I was listening to the rain and I just thought you would have stopped. And I got up in the morning and you weren't coming third overall, but you were still leading the women. And I said to dad, like, get up, we're going to Melbourne. You know, get up, we're going. So that was really, really nice that they made it down. I was like, I'll.
tyson:
So how far that is, that's an awesome effort. How far did you get in the end, did you say?
sarah:
193.
tyson:
Oh my gosh. Okay, so you absolutely smashed what you were hoping
sarah:
Well,
tyson:
to. Well, what did you say? What were you aiming to get? You said you wanted more than 160.
sarah:
actually, I did, I wanted in reality, and probably really stupidly, I was sort of hoping to get between 190 and 200. I don't know why I thought I could do that. I still think I can at some stage, but probably not the first time. And yeah, my big goal was like 175 180. And my C goal was over 160. So yeah, I guess sort of came in somewhere in the middle.
tyson:
Yeah, no, that's really impressive. I guess the beauty with the 24 hour run as well is there's, there's so much room for improvement and it sounds like even just hearing about a couple of the issues that you had to navigate and I'm sure even the best day of any 100 K race, there's going to be some serious challenge thrown, thrown your way.
sarah:
You
tyson:
Um, but
sarah:
know, with any race there is, and I think the further it is, the more likely stuff can go wrong. Even with a marathon, like, you know, you can prepare. You can prepare for what you think is every eventuality, and then on the day something comes from left field, and you know, like maybe your little toe on your left foot that you've never had an issue with for some reason really starts hurting. halfway through your marathon, or you know, like there'll always be something. You hardly ever speak to anyone after anything marathon distance or longer that says everything went exactly to plan the whole day,
tyson:
Yeah
sarah:
you know.
tyson:
So where you are in your arm in your training right now? So it was April that you did the race. So what's like a month and
sarah:
Yeah,
tyson:
a little bit ago?
sarah:
yeah, it was about six weeks ago. So right now in the training, I just had a big break. I was signed up to do the ultra down at the Great Ocean Road last weekend. And about three weeks after Coburg, I was just like,
tyson:
Hehehe
sarah:
there's absolutely no way I'm not feeling good at all. I just had like this overwhelming fatigue. And so It was kind of a tough decision to withdraw, but I just thought to myself, it can only go two ways. Either it's going to be a really miserable long, long run or my ego gets the better of me and I try and race it and I cause myself some damage. So
tyson:
Mmm.
sarah:
I made the decision to pull the pin and then went down there, had a lot of friends doing different distances and stuff and I just raced in the 14k. cheered everyone on on Sunday and then came away from that like, okay, I want to I want to race again now.
tyson:
Yep, yep, that's good. So do you feel as though your body's fully recovered
sarah:
Yeah,
tyson:
now?
sarah:
I feel really good. I saw a naturopath dietician who's put me on some supplements and I think that's made a big difference. And also just like letting myself have that. I was also really naive thinking that it was like any other race where you could kind of take a few weeks off and then get back into training. It wasn't and I did really need a lot of extra rest.
tyson:
Did you notice for the first, like a couple of weeks after that, were you sleeping more or are you just generally more
sarah:
I
tyson:
fatigued
sarah:
needed
tyson:
or?
sarah:
more sleep, but I wasn't sleeping more. It happened like the middle weekend of the school holidays. So I went to bed pretty early on that Sunday night. And then the next day it was like, right, like, okay, we've got no food in the house. So off to the supermarket, you know, just a normal day. Yeah.
tyson:
Oh, good old mum life. Yeah, good old, that's intense. No, because how old's your youngest?
sarah:
He's nine.
tyson:
Okay, okay. I don't wanna say it's getting easier because
sarah:
Oh, it's
tyson:
I don't
sarah:
getting
tyson:
know.
sarah:
easier,
tyson:
I've heard some
sarah:
but
tyson:
story.
sarah:
you know.
tyson:
Yeah,
sarah:
I'm
tyson:
I get nervous to say anything when I'm not in that territory now. I just, I go, mate, like, does your kid still poo his pants and don't sleep through the night? Like, I win that battle. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha
sarah:
like,
tyson:
ha.
sarah:
they most of the time through the night, but
tyson:
Yeah.
sarah:
don't breathe their pants anymore.
tyson:
Such a relief. Um, so in terms of, uh, in terms of quantity, like during the week, I know you said that the actual, um, distances that you were running wasn't that much more than what you would usually do, but what, what is that? Like, what are you trying to hit each week?
sarah:
About 130-ish. I think like my peak weeks there were between 130 and 140 weeks. I think just like there was one week where I had a couple of, I went to Mount Buffalo. and did a couple of races at Buffalo Stampede. So with a group of four, we did the 100K as a relay and my leg was about 30Ks. And then the next day I did the marathon there as well and got lost. So a couple of extra Ks. I think that ended up being 47 or something. So that was obviously a big weekend and I'd had another long run in that same week. I think that was my biggest week. I would have hit 150Ks in that seven days. Which was great. It was good to... I felt confident, you asked about was I doubting my training. And I wasn't really. I felt really confident. And I was surprised as well that even after a weekend like that, that then on the Monday I could get up and still go for an easy run and feel pretty okay. Like my body held up surprisingly well. I did do more. Pilates and strength work in that like sort of from early this year Which then I have done previously and that certainly made a difference
tyson:
Yeah, okay, I was gonna ask you about, yeah, you saw the other styles of training. So you're incorporating, what, were you doing a couple of sessions a week
sarah:
Couple
tyson:
or how
sarah:
of sessions
tyson:
did?
sarah:
of Pilates and then I don't know, there's an American runner Sally McCray, who the yellow runner and she has a she's got an app. She does this bulletproof runner app and it's just like really short or some of its long workouts, but she's got on her app like a few just short workouts as well. So I'm lucky I've got a little home gym set up in would, you know, even just come up and do 20 minutes of stuff up here. I
tyson:
Yeah, are you in your gym now?
sarah:
am
tyson:
I can see some form of rings behind you.
sarah:
Yes.
tyson:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's good. I thought it was just your curtains before
sarah:
Nah,
tyson:
for people just listening,
sarah:
it's just
tyson:
but
sarah:
a study.
tyson:
I got a glimpse between that sunlight shining through. I was like, oh no, she's in a gym of some
sarah:
Well
tyson:
sort.
sarah:
yeah, it's like study on this side, gym on that side.
tyson:
Smart move, no, it's such a smart move. So, how many days a week are you doing extra strength work?
sarah:
Probably, I would do something four or five times a week.
tyson:
Yep, and is that predominantly core or are you working on legs,
sarah:
Heaps
tyson:
a little
sarah:
of
tyson:
bit
sarah:
core,
tyson:
of everything?
sarah:
predominantly core and legs, not so much upper body, but I did start going to a shoulders and core class at a gym. I went to that probably early this year as well, started going into that class, which is great as well. It's just like some different stuff that I don't do myself.
tyson:
Ah, so good. Do you know Alice Bakey?
sarah:
Yeah, yeah, she's who I do pilates with.
tyson:
Oh man, she's such a gun.
sarah:
Yeah,
tyson:
Like
sarah:
she
tyson:
she's been on here a couple of times as well.
sarah:
is. Hey, she
tyson:
And,
sarah:
is. Oh, that's
tyson:
uh,
sarah:
so funny.
tyson:
yeah, yeah, I love her. I love her. Like just a general energy is amazing, but then you speak to her about what she's actually doing. And I've done a number of her classes on, uh, like when I'll get back from an easy run some days and I'll just check on some, some, uh, AB Pilates. And I'll never forget during
sarah:
That
tyson:
lockdown,
sarah:
hard.
tyson:
she was running these classes and I'd, I'd been doing quite a lot in the gym. So I thought I was a big tough guy and I went onto this class and I reckon there was about 18 girls on there. And then there was me. And I was like, I'll show them how it's done. About two minutes in, I was like, I'm getting shown how it's done. Cause I could not believe, I was so disappointed I chose to have the camera on me. Cause I'd come in thinking I was a real big deal. But she's a little machine. Like
sarah:
I know,
tyson:
she's a little pocket rocket. Just
sarah:
yeah.
tyson:
some of the things that she does. And I feel bad for her that she's speaking so casually through her videos because
sarah:
I know!
tyson:
the pain that I'm going through, there's no conversations taking place.
sarah:
He's like... Nah, I know. I'm amazed that she can even just keep counting. I'm glad that the sound's off because I'm usually moaning and groaning and swearing at her in the background.
tyson:
Oh, do you do her like a YouTube channel classes or are you actually a part of
sarah:
No,
tyson:
her
sarah:
do you like
tyson:
membership?
sarah:
the online membership one? Yeah.
tyson:
Awesome.
sarah:
Yeah
tyson:
Yeah, man. Like I was, I was speaking to her. I think the first chat we had was when it was relatively new
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
and I was on a website a while ago and just seeing the amount of classes that she has up there now.
sarah:
She's
tyson:
I mean,
sarah:
doing so
tyson:
I actually,
sarah:
well.
tyson:
I'll put it in the, yeah, for anyone interested, I'll put a link to, to a membership in the description cause it's, it's something that I think so overlooked. in the running department,
sarah:
Bye.
tyson:
just general and overall strength. It's something that with the athletes that I coach, I'm trying to encourage them if they haven't got some form of, you know, even a 10 or 15 minute practice
sarah:
Same
tyson:
to
sarah:
here.
tyson:
develop that,
sarah:
I think her's
tyson:
oh.
sarah:
are so good now. You can do them on demand. A lot of them she records and some of those Pilates for runners, they are so hard. Some of those classes.
tyson:
Yeah. Are you doing any things like yoga or stretching or
sarah:
I don't
tyson:
like
sarah:
do,
tyson:
what is the other?
sarah:
no, she does a class as well. I don't know if you remember in lockdown, she started this wind down class. So it was like, with another guy that did the classes, he used to write a cocktail recipe. And then you bring this cocktail to the five o'clock on a Friday wind down class and stretch
tyson:
Yeah.
sarah:
and drink. And that was really fun. So that. That's a good, I don't always bring a cocktail anymore, but I try and fit
tyson:
Hehehehehe
sarah:
in one of those stretch classes at least once a week when I can.
tyson:
Yeah, I don't know what I did the other day. I've been, I traveled down, cause I don't know if I told you this, I do a lot of standup comedy,
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
which means I'm always traveling down to Melbourne. And last week I was there three times, which is it's sort of like a two hour drive in the car each way. And I just, I don't like even now I'm standing up cause my lower back's so sore. But the other day I went into the gym just with some general fatigue in my lower back and I was doing dead lifts, which I've been doing for 10 years and never had an issue with. And just the other day I was on about rep four and I felt this mild little strain
sarah:
Bye.
tyson:
in my lower back and I was like, I'll just, I'll leave that there. And oh my gosh, I thought it was okay. The last that people on this podcast, I mean, there's, there's literally there's 10,000 people all around the world who are just so sick of me complaining about how sore my body is. Cause every time I get on here, it's my calf and then it's my back. But at the
sarah:
That's
tyson:
moment,
sarah:
just being
tyson:
like
sarah:
a runoff.
tyson:
they'll Oh my goodness. It's, I'm see, that's the nicest thing anyone said. Cause my wife always tells me it's cause I'm getting old. I go, Hey, enough of that. Yeah. I've been trying to just get this body right. As I said, I'm so glad I started the preparation when I did because what is it? It's still like 19 weeks
sarah:
Yeah,
tyson:
till
sarah:
you've
tyson:
Melbourne
sarah:
got our
tyson:
marathon.
sarah:
ages.
tyson:
Yeah.
sarah:
Yep.
tyson:
So I still feel, I still feel quietly confident that, that I'll be able to get it together,
sarah:
Bye.
tyson:
but oh my goodness. It's just a comedy of errors at the moment, which is. Like you were laughing at, you know, your nutrition plan
sarah:
Yes!
tyson:
based on the fact that you studied diet or nutrition. I'm like really cautious to say this, because people go, well, why would I get this bloke to coach me? I don't understand, his body just doesn't quite function. But we'll see, a couple months time, hopefully.
sarah:
It'll all come together for you. You've got heaps of time.
tyson:
Um, it is, it is a lot of time. See, I'm being a, I'm being a type a kind of runner and you just want, it's so true. Isn't it? Like most runners are like this, that you
sarah:
Yep.
tyson:
just want the dream build up to every race
sarah:
Absolutely.
tyson:
and the dream preparation. And then you'll get there the night before and your kid screams all night. And you just, you know what I mean?
sarah:
I
tyson:
Like
sarah:
know.
tyson:
you just
sarah:
Yep.
tyson:
managed to tie it together.
sarah:
Yep.
tyson:
Yeah. Are you, uh, so in terms of races and things like that, what have you got on for the next couple
sarah:
So
tyson:
of months? Are you, are you eyeing off Melbourne
sarah:
I
tyson:
at
sarah:
think
tyson:
all?
sarah:
so. I think
tyson:
Yes.
sarah:
so. I'm trying to decide. And also maybe maybe there's time to do both. I think I'm going to do I'm going to do run Melbourne half in July and then probably Melbourne Marathon. And then I'm kind of keen to do Gold Coast 50k. And that's
tyson:
When's that?
sarah:
that's the first weekend of December.
tyson:
Oh, that'd be great.
sarah:
So I
tyson:
So
sarah:
think
tyson:
what's that?
sarah:
there's like seven weeks between Melbourne Marathon and and the 50k which I reckon is probably okay.
tyson:
It's amazing how quick people recover from marathons. Now I remember even when I was running competitively, I finished in 2013. I don't know when the first Vaporfly came out. Maybe it was 2012? Trying to remember,
sarah:
Yeah, we're gonna sit.
tyson:
I can't remember off the top of my head. Sorry for all the shoe nerds out there.
sarah:
I reckon
tyson:
I have
sarah:
it was
tyson:
no
sarah:
a bit
tyson:
idea.
sarah:
later, maybe like
tyson:
Yeah,
sarah:
2005.
tyson:
you're probably right. But I remember like the idea of running four marathons or five marathons in a year seemed like a lot, which is still, it still is a lot. But even, I've spoken to a number of athletes. on here who just put their recovery time, their quick recovery time down to the shoes that they're running in. Because back in the day, they were just these
sarah:
I
tyson:
flats.
sarah:
reckon it makes a difference. The
tyson:
Yeah.
sarah:
first marathon I did was in, and that was, I've only been running for 10 years, not even 10 years. And the first marathon I did was in really uncomfortable flat racing shoes that were too small as well for me, I realize now. But gosh, my feet were so sore. My legs were so sore and I just thought, oh yeah, that's what happens when you run a marathon.
tyson:
Man, it's a brutal industry. I'm not gonna hold you up here for too much longer. As we said, as long as you're still happy, we'll get you on the Bite Size Bonus podcast. So I'm really keen to pick your brains in a little more detail about what you would change specifically going into your next 100Ks. I know we've touched on a couple of those things, but to break those down. So
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
if you're up for a chat about that, we'd love to pick your brains on that, because man, it'd just be so interesting to hear. like the real key changes that you would make.
sarah:
Yeah, absolutely.
tyson:
Yeah,
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
awesome. Oh, that'd be good. Well, if, uh, if you're already a member of the, uh, the training hub, you're going to be able to find that over there now. Um, if not, I'll, I'll whack a link in the description for anyone who's interested in that, but thanks so much for coming on the main podcast.
sarah:
Oh, thanks for having me.
tyson:
That was fun. I'll leave it there. We'll see you later. Everybody. Awesome. That was, that was good. I, I sometimes feel bad, but, um, I mean, I reckon I don't know what you're like with podcasts. I reckon 40 to sort of 50 minutes is such a nice. Like it's a, I always think of it in like running terms. I'm
sarah:
Yeah,
tyson:
like, all right,
sarah:
oh totally.
tyson:
a lot of people listen to these when they're out running. That's like a good solid chunk of running material
sarah:
Totally.
tyson:
for him.
sarah:
I feel like I rambled a lot though.
tyson:
Oh, you definitely didn't. I'm the king of rambling. And rambling, even if you did, no, even if you did, which you didn't, it's very welcome on this podcast. Ha ha ha.
sarah:
Yeah, it's kind of nice to have a bit of someone rambling while you're running as well. Like.
tyson:
Oh, hey, nice transition by you as well. I, did you just go from upstairs to downstairs?
sarah:
Oh no, I needed to plug my phone in, it was dying. I feel upstairs, I just had to find a PowerPoint. I did go downstairs and get a charger. I've got to say to you, oh my phone's about to die.
tyson:
Oh yeah, that was such a smooth transition. I remember Jess Stenson was on here once and about 45 minutes. She's like, Oh, like what's going on? She's like, Oh, sorry, I'm just cooking some salmon.
sarah:
I love it. She's so good. She said she eats rice bubbles before races and I've embraced that.
tyson:
That makes sense,
sarah:
Yeah,
tyson:
that'd be light and just full of carbs,
sarah:
I know.
tyson:
hey?
sarah:
Like I
tyson:
Yeah.
sarah:
have a bowl of rice bubbles now the night before, before I go
tyson:
Oh, that's
sarah:
to bed
tyson:
so
sarah:
like
tyson:
good.
sarah:
rice bubbles for dessert and then
tyson:
Oh, that's
sarah:
if
tyson:
such
sarah:
Jess
tyson:
a good little
sarah:
does
tyson:
addition.
sarah:
it I can do it too.
tyson:
It seriously, it was good enough for her. Oh man. Hey, this one, it's just exactly the same, just a general conversation. Um, and we can kickstart it with what I just said, I was going to talk to you about, and if it goes anywhere else, literally we'll just go for, for sort of 10 to 15 minutes and,
sarah:
Cool.
tyson:
um, and then I'll, I'll leave you to it.
sarah:
Cool. Thank you.
tyson:
No, awesome. Well, um, obviously we're just saying that was, there's so much that goes into a 24 hour race, which is. As I said on the main podcast, it's kind of hard to wrap your head around it from an outsider's perspective of everything that you've got to have your, there's just so many different pulses that you seem to have to have your finger on. So you were saying there was, there was obviously a number of things that didn't go as well as what you were hoping for on the day. Perhaps the unexpected things, just the, the, the fueling, the recovery, the fatigue and things like that. But in terms of, in terms of just sort of getting prepared, if you ever did that again, which it sounds like you probably will. Are there a few categories that you've sort of gotten asterisks next to of, all right, this is where my attention needs to be directed.
sarah:
Definitely. Yep, absolutely. So I think I went into it really naively, just thinking. Oh, and my yeah, I mean, my plan was to run 100 K's and then hold on, which is what I did. But I would definitely do things differently. I think I would try and run a little bit slower from the start. And I would try and actually take a break at like as in stop for five minutes and eat and maybe do that every two hours. Or maybe even every hour and a half from from early on and actually try and get. proper food in like have a sandwich or have some rice or something in that early part of the run. Knowing that it's going to be a really long night. And that, you know, and stuff that I already knew, but I don't know, like, I think humans just aren't very good. We know, we know something is going to happen one way. But because we've never experienced it before, we kind of just don't believe it. So I kind of knew that I wouldn't be feeling that great for the whole 24 hours. But in the early part of the day, I was just like, oh yeah, but I can't really imagine not feeling this good. And I knew that it was important for me to get food in and stuff like that. But I also thought like, no, I feel so good. Like there'll be no issue with that when it comes to the time. And
tyson:
Yeah.
sarah:
so that would definitely, that's something I would definitely change. Yeah, try and. Just be a bit more conservative with the pace and definitely eat a bit more
tyson:
Yeah.
sarah:
food and probably try and rest a little bit more early on as well. Rather than just running for 10 hours, I would maybe sit down and
tyson:
and just put your feet
sarah:
put my
tyson:
up.
sarah:
feet up. Yep.
tyson:
Yeah, was there anything like that happening? Like did you put your feet in ice or it
sarah:
I
tyson:
sounds like you
sarah:
didn't
tyson:
almost
sarah:
need
tyson:
had
sarah:
to
tyson:
a
sarah:
like,
tyson:
head start because the, yeah,
sarah:
they were
tyson:
it sounds like
sarah:
soaking
tyson:
a, oh,
sarah:
wet. I did
tyson:
what
sarah:
change
tyson:
a brutal
sarah:
shoes.
tyson:
experience.
sarah:
I did, I in the end went through five pairs of shoes, even just because my, everything was so wet. And I, there was a little bit of a moment where I kind of lost, like dropped the bundle at about 10 a.m. And I was just, I was like, I just want it, I'm sick of my feet being wet. I'm sick of being cold. And so I did put on the pair of shoes that I was like, these were just kind of my comfy shoes for going home in afterwards.
tyson:
Hahaha
sarah:
I was just so desperate to have not cold wet feet. I probably wouldn't worry about changing my shoes so much if it wasn't raining in a future race. I don't think that was necessary. I think it was just like, like a bit of a distraction and something that I- probably didn't really need to stress about.
tyson:
Yeah. Would you reduce the amount of jowls that you used or you
sarah:
I think
tyson:
just increase
sarah:
I would
tyson:
the amount of actual foods?
sarah:
increase the amount of actual foods and then rely on gels later on when I wasn't able to get the food in. I think
tyson:
Yeah,
sarah:
that would be
tyson:
that makes
sarah:
a more
tyson:
sense.
sarah:
sensible way to do it.
tyson:
Yeah, so it was getting really, oh sorry, you go.
sarah:
And I would practice with actual food on runs. Like there were a couple of runs that I did where I would... you know, just take out like the five hour run I did, I only had gels for most of it, but I did come home and check on that because I'd left the kids at home, I came home at about 7am to check that they were still all good and I practiced eating some of the pieclets that I was going to have on the day. But that was really the only time that during a run I ate solid food. So I would probably want to practice, you know, like going for a run and eating a bowl of rice or something while I was moving.
tyson:
Yeah,
sarah:
Which
tyson:
that
sarah:
would
tyson:
makes
sarah:
look
tyson:
sense.
sarah:
pretty
tyson:
Ha ha
sarah:
weird, you know? I'm
tyson:
ha
sarah:
just imagining running around in Princess Park.
tyson:
ha. Put it in a smoothie form, which is still pretty weird,
sarah:
Pretty
tyson:
but at
sarah:
weird.
tyson:
least
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
no one would know. Yeah, it's interesting, because I had a mate who did an Ironman a few years ago, and he said when he was on the bike, he was like, oh, of course I'll just eat food, I'm starving. And he said he just overloaded on food. And then he got off and started running and was like. I've never practiced this before. Like this is a very different
sarah:
Oh
tyson:
experience.
sarah:
dear.
tyson:
Cause even, even with me getting used to just taking in some gels while I'm running, it's strange just to have anything really coming in, even stopping for water sometimes, not only, I don't know how you find this, but sometimes when you just got the rhythm going,
sarah:
Oh no,
tyson:
stopping in general is the worst
sarah:
it
tyson:
thing.
sarah:
can
tyson:
Like
sarah:
be
tyson:
it
sarah:
a
tyson:
just
sarah:
bit
tyson:
feels
sarah:
of a pain.
tyson:
horrible.
sarah:
Yeah, yeah.
tyson:
Yeah. To get going again, but, um, Like in terms of incorporating food, would you put that into like a weekly run or would that just be for your more five hour runs
sarah:
I think
tyson:
or those
sarah:
I'd
tyson:
runs?
sarah:
put it into maybe a weekly run.
tyson:
Yep.
sarah:
I don't think I'd need to do anything really that different in terms of the running training that I did, but I definitely would practice the nutrition. And again, it's just one of those things, you don't know until you do it. And I thought I'd practice nutrition because I practice nutrition the same way that I have for marathons. and the shorter distance ultras that I've done. But 24 hours is a different ballpark.
tyson:
Yeah. You're saying on the main podcast as well, like with those, was it a Saturday night, Sunday morning double that you were doing?
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
Would you change anything around the distance or the break in between that? Cause
sarah:
Ah!
tyson:
that's such a smart move. Like the idea of doubling up like that, it just, that makes so much sense because obviously your legs are still going to be fatigued from the night before. Perhaps if you had a limited sleep, you get to sort of tap into that area of training as well.
sarah:
Yeah, I don't think I changed anything there. I think the balance that we were going for there was like trying to simulate a bit of that, like right, you know, 24 hour race fatigue, but without putting too much additional stress. So like there's no point setting an alarm for 2 a.m. So we were
tyson:
Hmm.
sarah:
kind of trying to go, do a long run at the end of a normal day and then get up in the morning and do another long run before another normal day. And that, I actually really, really enjoyed those runs. um I the the night the first kind of night marathon I did I haven't done any long runs in the evening and I was just like this feels so weird it's almost exciting like a race um it was actually really good fun and the only thing I would change was I did come home and I was like right um you know get into bed maximize sleep because the alarm's going off at six to get up and and get out again and uh I didn't eat anything when I got home. So I was pretty miserable. I met a friend actually the next morning for a part of the run and I was so annoying. I just complained
tyson:
Oh, so you didn't eat at all getting back from
sarah:
the
tyson:
your
sarah:
whole
tyson:
marathon?
sarah:
time. I had some chocolate coconut water and then I was like, all right, I'll just have a shower and go to bed. And then I think I had something like a muffin or something, but like a muffin with jam or something before I went out in the morning. But I just felt that sometimes you just feel really depleted. And I just sat out and I was like, oh, yeah, I have not eaten enough. And I was hangry.
tyson:
Oh
sarah:
I was
tyson:
man,
sarah:
such a bad.
tyson:
I feel a bit, I feel hangry just hearing about it. That's unbelievable. So running a marathon, having a coconut water, a little bit of a muffin. Did you say, did you eat anything the following morning? Was it rice bubbles
sarah:
Oh
tyson:
or
sarah:
no,
tyson:
you were just?
sarah:
the following morning I had the muffin like before I set out, but I just had the coconut water at night. You know how sometimes after a long run like immediately you don't really feel like eating. And because I was thinking like, okay, get to bed, it was sort of like 1130. I was just thinking like, and it was sore. It was still hot. It was, I think it was like that much long weekend. So it wasn't cold yet. I was a bit sweaty and gross. And I thought I was just have a shower, hop into bed. try and get as much sleep as I can. But yeah, I should have actually, I would have slept better as well if I just had a shower, then had even like a smoothie or something that was, which you know, like all this stuff having, you know, as I said, having studied nutrition, I know I should be doing
tyson:
Yeah. Yeah.
sarah:
but
tyson:
It's
sarah:
I didn't
tyson:
funny
sarah:
put
tyson:
when
sarah:
it
tyson:
it
sarah:
into
tyson:
comes
sarah:
practice.
tyson:
to the crunch though. Yeah. Like it, and it is interesting. You're right. Like sometimes you, even though, you know, you know, the right thing to do physically, it's hard to just put that into practice
sarah:
Yeah!
tyson:
when you're, when you're tired and you want to put your head down and when you're, you're just not feeling that hungry. I get that as well. Like the idea of getting home at 11 o'clock and knowing that you're, you know, you're going to have seven hours sleep at the very, if you went to bed right at that moment,
sarah:
Exactly!
tyson:
I'll be trying to take up that sleep as well. Are you, were you running with gels on those marathon
sarah:
Yeah,
tyson:
runs
sarah:
yeah,
tyson:
and the two hour
sarah:
yeah,
tyson:
runs the following
sarah:
yeah, yeah,
tyson:
morning?
sarah:
I was running with gels and I've narrowed it down. I've done a lot of practice over the years and I know the gels that work for me. I'm confident with that. And and so they're the ones that I had, you know, like a mixture of some with caffeine, some with no caffeine. I know that I don't tolerate caffeine extremely well. So I but I like to have a caffeine gel every now and then to kind of give me a little bit of a boost. But yeah, I definitely I guess that's the biggest thing I change would be um eating more real food early, um having rest early and like even if it's not sleep but actually you know stopping coming to the side of the track and um and stopping while I eat before I get going again and uh yeah they're kind of the main the main things really.
tyson:
Yeah, so are you just tucking little 30 gram carb gels into your pocket when
sarah:
Yeah, I usually
tyson:
you're
sarah:
just
tyson:
running like?
sarah:
hold a couple and then stuff a couple down into my crop top.
tyson:
Yeah. Oh, that's a good way. So over the course of that marathon run, how many joes are you getting through?
sarah:
over a marathon.
tyson:
Yeah. Like over that marathon run that you're doing on the Saturday night,
sarah:
Oh,
tyson:
was that,
sarah:
the
tyson:
was
sarah:
training
tyson:
that just a once
sarah:
one,
tyson:
off,
sarah:
the
tyson:
did
sarah:
training
tyson:
you say, or was
sarah:
one.
tyson:
that an,
sarah:
Sorry.
tyson:
was that just a once off? Did you say, or were you doing that consistently
sarah:
I think
tyson:
for a few
sarah:
I
tyson:
weeks?
sarah:
did two evening runs.
tyson:
Yep.
sarah:
And I did quite a few kind of back to back long runs on weekends. So yeah, I would have a gel every 45 minutes,
tyson:
Yeah.
sarah:
which isn't as often. as I might have one in a race, but I'm not running at the intensity that I would in a marathon. So yeah, in a marathon.
tyson:
No, that makes sense.
sarah:
What have you been practicing with your gels?
tyson:
Well, I've got a precision fuel and hydration or a sponsor on this show. So they sent me some products years ago, actually, like I was trying to run a marathon on the year of COVID lockdown. And I remember in the lead up to that, they sent me a heap of stuff and it was my only experience at the time.
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
And I was like, oh, this works. And it was just a matter for me of if it's not broke, don't fix it. So I've been using their stuff. Um, actually I've got, I'm scared to take it off here cause I've got, like, I'm just going to try it. I've got my internet. connected to this, I've actually got a box of their stuff just here and it's got, it's just got a little bit of everything in it. Like, um, uh, so funny just going through this stuff. Yeah. I've got these little, these little 30 gram carb gels
sarah:
Yeah, yeah.
tyson:
and I've got the caffeinated ones as well, which I actually haven't used yet. Um, but I reckon, I reckon I might give those a go just well, I haven't needed it because at the moment, um, today, once I finished with you, I'm going to go and do my 90 second run. and my three and a half minute walk times six. So it's hard to justify
sarah:
Yeah, you
tyson:
any
sarah:
probably
tyson:
gels,
sarah:
don't need
tyson:
but
sarah:
a gel for that one.
tyson:
a few weeks ago I went out for a 20K run before I hurt my calf again. And I just had one of those gels. I actually used like, cause I was trying to focus on my hydration a little bit before. So the night before I had like a sodium drink, which I'd never done.
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
And then the morning, a sodium tablet, and then the morning of about. I think it was maybe an hour before I took another one, got some fluids in and then just use that carb gel. I think I took it at like maybe probably about 40 minutes into
sarah:
Yeah,
tyson:
my run as well.
sarah:
yeah.
tyson:
Cause I was pretty well energized before it. And then I felt marvelous on that run. I was so disappointed that the day after I hurt myself, yeah, I was just starting to get into a bit of a rhythm. But I actually, with that one gel felt really good. It seemed
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
to sit pretty well, even though it was a little bit of a strange experience. But
sarah:
Yeah.
tyson:
I mean, that's a really long answer to your question of what I'm using.
sarah:
Oh no, that's a good answer. Yeah, they're good gels. And I think that's the thing, it doesn't really matter which one you use as long as you find one that sits okay in your stomach. But
tyson:
What have you been using?
sarah:
I use Morton and
tyson:
Yes.
sarah:
SIS. I just use the SIS isotonic gels. I like the consistency of those. They're a little bit more watery and you don't need to have water with them. So they're quite good just kind of for having on the run.
tyson:
Yeah, yeah, perfect.
sarah:
You know what I mean? And I find those really easy to digest. The thing with those is they've only got, so like the precision ones I think they're the same as the Morton ones. They use a dual energy source, so two different kinds of carbohydrate, one that's absorbed and burned a bit more quickly and one that's absorbed a bit more slowly and lasts a little longer.
tyson:
Ah.
sarah:
Whereas the SIS, the isotonic gels, have just got one type of sugar. which is pretty rapidly absorbed and burned off. So if I was only having those, I'd probably have one every sort of 20 minutes to half an hour in
tyson:
Oh,
sarah:
a
tyson:
that
sarah:
race.
tyson:
sounds good. Yeah,
sarah:
But
tyson:
sure.
sarah:
I kind of use a mixture of the Morton ones, which have the two types of carbs. And then I usually throw in a caffeine one, if it's a marathon, like around 32 Ks, just to give me a little bit of a... kick.
tyson:
Yeah, no, that makes sense. That makes sense. Well, hey, I've got my eye on the clock here. I'm not gonna take up your whole afternoon, but I appreciate you stuffing by in here as well. That was heaps of fun. So good just hearing all about the preparation and how well it went. And obviously, hey, next time you're in town, let me know, because
sarah:
Yeah, we'll do.
tyson:
if you want a running body and my body's in working order, I'll come out with you. Awesome.
sarah:
Great. Thanks so much for having me. It was fun to talk
tyson:
Nah.
sarah:
about it.
tyson:
Yeah, we'll do a round too soon. Maybe after Melbourne Marathon
sarah:
Sounds
tyson:
this year.
sarah:
great. Yeah.
tyson:
Yeah,
sarah:
All
tyson:
awesome. All
sarah:
right.
tyson:
right,
sarah:
Thanks,
tyson:
Sarah,
sarah:
Exxon.
tyson:
thanks again. Leave you to it. See you everyone.
sarah:
See you.
tyson:
Awesome, I'll cut that off there, stop recording.