Today was my second of three 16-mile runs I will do in preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon.
I decided to use this run as a shakedown of my hydration and fueling plan. Last week they announced that CamelBak-style hydration packs will be allowed in the Oct. 26 race. So I decided to test this out in a run.
First, I went downstairs and pulled out my old CamelBak. It hadn't been used in four years -- I used it in my training runs for the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon but did not use it during the race.
When I finally got myself running, right away I liked that it wasn't in the way like when I carry that 20-ounce bottle on the hip belt. The water in it bounced around but I didn't worry about it too much.
My plan was to consume more gels than I'd ever done in training, basically every 2 miles. So I consumed 7 GU gels at that rate. It was ok although I did feel like the gels really stuck to my mouth on miles 12 and 14.
Since I didn't really know how much water I would consume, I told myself I would just take six swallows of water every 2 miles. I did this although in mile 14 when I knew I was about to finish the run I took 14 swallows since there was a bunch of water remaining. During the last mile I drank 24 swallows and there still was water in the pack.
When I finished the run, I drank about 18 more swallows of water and the pack probably has about 6 ounces left in it.
I ran along the Emory neighborhoods that were my downfall in the 2010 ING race. I decided that if I needed to, the Publix on Ponce or the Emory village shops would be available if I needed water or a toilet on the run.
But luckily, there's so much construction going on in this neighborhood that there were plenty of portapotties. I was thankful to use one 4.8 miles into the run. But I also saw them at 5.1 miles, 5.4 miles, 6.7 miles and 7.5 miles in. I only had to use it once but it was reassuring to see so many on the run.
My Nike Air Pegasus 31s hurt my feet in the first 3/4 of a mile but eventually didn't the rest of the way. After I showered my right foot hurt a little but didn't bother me the rest of the day. I hit my pace 12 of the 16 miles so I feel that was a success.
Because I waited so long to start, it got to 80 degrees near the end of the run. Around mile 13 I really wanted to quit but I told myself most of the rest of the way would be downhill. It seemed like a struggle to keep the pace but I eventually did.
The gels did help in that my legs don't seem so tapped now. I wonder if it would be better if I took them every mile.
That will be something to think about for the future.
Time: 9:50 a.m.
Temp: 72 degrees (rose to 80 degrees)
Gear: Technical T-shirt, short (Braves Father's Day 4-miler 2012), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus 31.
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