After back-to-back 16 and 17-milers, 13.1 was quite nice. But, let me tell you, it was humid. Like running through pea soup humid. I thought I would get some reprieve from the heat and humidity running up in New Jersey, but no.ton drank a ton of water during this run, and, as much I sweat, I wished I had brought Gatorade too. Which brings me to this week's discussion about nutrition.
During runs longer than about 5 miles, I bring water with me. If I'm doing less than 8 miles I have a handheld Amphipod bottle, but for longer runs, I use this Amphipod fuel belt. I bought extra bottles for the belt too, and have used up to 4 bottles at once. Of course, the more bottles I add to the belt, the more it jiggles and bounces around, so I prefer to keep 2 bottles plus a pouch for gels, tissues and my keys. If it is a particularly long, hot and humid run, I usually fill 2 bottles with water and one with Lemon-Lime Gatorade. This is the only flavor of Gatorade I drink because I know it doesn't make my stomach do funny things during my run. I also drink it because all of the races I have run have used Lemon-Lime Gatorade.
Gels. Some people hate 'em. I've hated 'em and now I love 'em. Because I found the right ones. I have tried a lot of chews, beans, bars, gels, etc., and what works for me in Hammer Gel is Espresso and Vanilla flavors and Honey Stingers in Ginsting. The Espresso Hammer and Ginsting both have caffeine, so they give me an extra boost during an especially difficult run. More importantly, these gels all taste good (or, if not good, not bad either). The espresso and vanilla flavors are mild and not overly sweet and the Honey Stingers taste like honey. Another reason I prefer gels over other foods is because I think they are easier to take during runs. I usually just swish and swig some water right after I eat one and I'm good to go. Find what works best for you in terms of taste and texture. I tried about 5 different brands of gels at the beginning of this training program, during the short runs in case they made me feel ill, and these were my favorites. But different strokes for different folks. Find what works for you.
I'll be doing my weekday runs at the beach this week - flat, but hot and humid (although I'm used to that weather at this point, eh?). Luckily we'll be back for the 18-miler on Sunday, so I don't have to try to fight through this one alone. This is my running schedule for the rest of the week:
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