My running has been filled with a lot of "firsts" lately. I ran my first 14-miler three weeks ago, my first 15.5 miler a week later, and my first half-marathon "training run" last Sunday. While each of these has given me a real sense of accomplishment, they have also showed me that I need to work on hydrating and fueling myself at the right intervals, or face some unpleasant consequences.
This is why I am nervous about my first 18-miler, scheduled for tomorrow. It's not the hills that scare me; as a native San Franciscan, I'm used to them! It's the fact that the idea of ingesting anything other than water or Gatorade while running triggers my gag reflex. But Gatorade has not been enough to power me through anything longer than a 13.1-miler, and I've ended up dragging myself to finish.
My fingers are crossed that the packets of GU that I bought last week will go down and stay down, and that I will get better about timing all of this stuff. After thirty years, I'm learning that there's a real science to running. Hopefully, I can figure it out before July 31st!
I've found that I do better with eating half a gel at a time rather than eating the whole thing at once. BTW, I like the Powerbar Tangerine flavor.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your 18 tomorrow!