Sunday, August 22, 2010

To Do: Run 16 Miles (Check!)

Today I completed my long run of 16 miles for this week. It took me 3+ hours and I walked many of the hills, but I did it!
To those of you, who like me, have never conceived of running such a distance before, let me tell you: it is not just a matter of putting your sneakers on and heading out the door. I mean, maybe that's what the Kenyans do, but we Americans have made it a whole lot harder. So basically, I sweat about a gallon an hour while I'm running. While gross, this is also detrimental to the body's ability to run: no fluids left? No go. You'll be stopped in your tracks. Consequently, since I am unable to hold a heavy water bottle while running, I am now the proud owner of a hydration belt.

Exhibit A)


The belt holds 4 small bottles which can each hold 8 oz. so basically, I've drained all 4 about an hour into my run. So runs of this magnitude also necessitate planned water drops, where I stash some fluids to refill the bottles on my belt.
If that wasn't complicated enough, sweating does not just involve the loss of fluids. It also means a lot of lost salt and other electrolytes. I had never thought much about the claims of sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade, how they had sugar, and electrolytes, and could help you max out your athletic potential. Apparently, they are correct. In order to absorb the fluids that I'm guzzling from the bottles on my hydration belt, I also need to be ingesting electrolytes. Actually, if I eschewed this necessity, I would be a risk for hyponatremia, where the my body fluids would actually be too diluted. I hear it's not fun.
So I am also the proud owner of a bottle of Nuun, which are essentially large tablets that I can add to 16 oz. of plain water and transform it into an electrolyte-rich beverage, quenching my thirst and keeping dehydration at bay, without the sweetness and stickiness of super sugary sports drinks.

Exhibit B)

All in all, the preparation for my run today looked a little something like this:



Hydration, of course, is just a piece of the puzzle. I also tried out my first GU energy gels today (the sample box I have is pictured in the first photo with my hydration belt). I had one gel 45 minutes into my run (Jet Blackberry was the flavor, which was alright) and then about an hour of so later I had a "GU Roctane" which is essentially a beefed up version of normal GU (I tried something like Pomegranate Berry or something - it was fairly gross). GU essentially provides all the things that I am depleting while running: simple and complex carbohydrates, electrolytes, long chain amino acids, etc. It definitely gave me boost, especially for those last grueling 3 miles.

So there you go. Who knew running 15+ miles would require so much planning! But I'm in it for the long haul. Next week is an 18-miler...eek.

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