I'm training for an 18-mile trail run and ultimately I'd like to run a marathon in the spring. Yesterday I went on my longest run so far, 16 miles. See, this is why I had to get a fuel belt. When the lady at the running store found out that I had done a 14-miler without water or other food she was shocked. I admitted that I tend to run out of energy after an hour or so. My first run with the belt was two weeks ago, 14 miles. This was my experience:
About 25 minutes into the run I realized my leg was wet. I discovered that the cap on my water bottle was loose and I had lost about 4 oz of water to the back of my shorts. I hadn't noticed because it was freezing outside; I think my legs were numb.
Eating was very awkward. I had brought these chewy things made by powerbar. They sounded more appetizing than gu; however, I couldn't chew, swallow, run, and breath at the same time. That will take some practice and getting used to. My body felt weird after refueling but once the crampiness was gone (after I drank lots of water) I did have more energy and felt good.
Yesterday's run was better because I didn't lose any water. I brought a gu pack to try instead of the chewy things. The gu was much easier to ingest but my body felt terrible for about 5 minutes afterward, even with all the water I drank. I should have brought something else along because about 2 or 3 miles from home I was out of energy again. On both runs I put an unsweetened electrolyte drink in one of my bottles. Yuck. It tastes just like the paste we used to use in kindergarten. I need a high-energy inexpensive snack that's easy to eat and won't cause me to cramp. Any ideas?
1 comment:
My longest shuffle was 13-14 miles and I just planted Gatorade once or twice along the way and I didn't have any cramping or misery. That belt looks pretty fancy--far more appealing than hiding Gatorade bottles in the tall grass :)
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