Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Notes to myself for the long run

I plan on doing several 50k+ this year so am making notes for myself to remember...in case I get old one day and forget what works :)

FOOD
 I  try to eat 'real food' on long runs.  I have the stomach of a billygoat.  But, I do add Carbopro in my pack just to ensure I keep my wits about me.  I average 200 cal/hr with real food, then gels.
IF they made gels that tasted like cheezecake, gingerbread, nachos, french fries, I would  probably eat more.
Prefer 'GU' to powerbar gels as it is less sweet and less runny- (oh yum). If only I could get it in bulk!  

My husband, on the other hand  has difficulty eating on the run . He has found a new gear in his step with a combination of gels and  "carbopro powder" . He is a new man with his 'bonk' ( grumpy, dizzy, walking man) moved from 3.5 hrs to...I don't know. We just did a 5 hr run with no problemos! 

ELECTROLYTES
I like the thermolytes. I can really gague EXACTLY  how much electrolytes I am taking in every hour.  My new mantra is:
 "If I don't feel right, I may need a thermolyte"

I Now put into  a pill holder am/aft/pm/night X2/section=8 pills. Still debating the blister pack idea for longer runs. .

TIMING
I need to figure out how to set my watch to beep on the hour to remind me when to eat etc.  After about 3.5-4 hrs I get in a happy zone and lose track of time.

LUBE
 I finished last weekend with a nasty chaffing spot on my low back from the pack. 
-->It looks more like I had sex on a carpet than ran for a 30 miles!! So now there is yet another spot
 to remember to lube in addition to all the others. I always pack extra lube (I dig out the remainder from the bottom of the stick and put it in Saran Wrap)
CLOTHING - added after dirty duo
Compression shorts so no chaffing... but not so tight I can't pull them up when peeing in the woods.
Good 'running bra' that has been well testd that does not give me 'bra burn'. So far UNDER ARMOUR and running room products working.
Socks- I WANT DRYMAX socks  (can't get in canada) , but will settle for dual layer dryfit socks from runners den. No blisters so far
SUGOI  jacket I have worn forever. Removable sleeves are great . Might be replaced with soft sleeves
NATHAN hydration pack. The best! with lotsa pockets- except bladder 'weak' . Replaced bladder with PLATYPUS - waay stronger.

RECOVERY
Since my bathroom is under reno- no ice baths for me. So I'll have to rely on recovery tabs and compression garments.  Seems to be working dandy so far.

Packing for the long run is now seeming more like packing for a weekend getaway! Whew! But its worth it.

Heather




2 comments:

EricG said...

Have you ever tried hammer gels? You can buy them in 26 serving bottles. I like to mix in the vanilla gel with vanilla/orange perpetuem drink. Tastes like a creamscicle and you dont have to eat as many gels that way. The combo gives you about 370 calories per bottle. Worked great for me on the OCA run.

HEATHERRUNS said...

Wow, yummy! that sounds good Eric! I'm definately going to try that. mmmm...creamscicle.