because there are no studies

[Banning]

It might have been a good minute slower than my PB - when form suggested I should be a minute or two faster than it - but I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard mentally in a race just to keep going. And I don’t think I have ever been quite so utterly relieved to see the Nike Air Max Command Donna 400m to go sign, and the entrance to Madejski Stadium finally seconds away, and the Nike Air Max 95 Mujer last little stagger through the stadium itself across the finish line. After mile three I’d just been hanging on for a sub-90, and that I just about managed.

So, do I put it down to a bad day, do I blame my legs, my mileage last weekend or the three year old Torquemada in my house who isn’t having any truck with the notion that sleep is vital Adidas Superstar Womens for recovery? This, see, is why Mo Farah goes off on training camps - anyone got a slot somewhere warm and sunny with no interruptions for the next five weeks?Well that’s probably a fast and last - I did a 20 mile run yesterday and actually feel better this morning than I did beforehand. I would probably still struggle to run for a bus this morning, mind, but it’s nice to be able to walk down the stairs forwards. Adidas ZX 500 Mujer I’ve been suffering from cramp at night recently - something I’ve had my whole life, Nike Air Max 1 Femme but which dehydration clearly doesn’t help - and on Friday and Saturday my calves were substituted for balls of rock. Valentine’s Day in compression socks? I know how to live, me ...

Because I also got cramps towards the end of both London and New York marathons last year, I’ve been looking into causes - beyond the obvious. Many people suggest magnesium - either as a supplement or as a spray. The evidence on this is, well, non-existent, because there are no studies on its use to help exercise-induced cramps. If anyone would like a cramp-prone human guinea pig, I’m game. Until then, do you have any tips? Obviously drinking enough water is key, but that’s not always as easy as it sounds. Oddly I found that in New York marathon, drinking water made me feel nauseous afterwards - though ingesting sticky gels was fine, which seems very illogical Asics Gel Lyte 3 Damen to me.

I also cannot carry water on my long runs - I hate those water bottles with Adidas Tubular Womens handles and am fairly sure carrying anything is a bad idea if it makes you lopsided. The belts you can put little bottles in drive me nuts, and the “hide a bottle of water en route” strategy doesn’t really work if, like me, your long run routes are all out-and-backs. Yesterday I just stopped briefly at about 17 miles and bought a bottle in a shop. But if anyone has any sensible solutions - or even just a water belt thing that won’t bounce around and drive me nuts - please let me know.