Success! After breakfast, coffee, and some mobilization, I headed out to test my endurance one last time. I stashed a bottle of water and some Powerbar Gel Blasts on my front porch, for my own personal “water stop”. There’s a nice low-traffic 5 mile out-and-back route I often run from home, so I figured I would simply do it 4 times, stopping for water and some carbs at the 5, 10, and 15 mile marks.
The first 10 miles were very comfortable and pleasant so I knew early on that I would be okay. Miles 10-15 were getting to be work, and after mile 15 I was playing mental games to keep going, because I was really hurting. It helps to know that this is the last long one, and then I have 2 easy weeks. So do it once, push through the rough spots, and you’ll be past it. After my 15 mile water stop, I decided that passing the same ground 6 times was enough, and headed back out in another direction determined to push out a few more miles. I zigzagged through some neighborhood streets for a very rough, very long 30 minutes, and finally, at long last….I was done. Relieved, achy, and pretty dehydrated, but done!
Ok, on to a bit of nutrition to keep this pertinent to the blog…
I was very happy with the Powerbar Gel Blasts, and am going to buy some for race day. (I snagged today’s pack in a giveaway at the RU Strong competition a while back) They come as 10 little gummy things in a foil pack, and like other sports gels, are basically just a convenient, easy to digest shot of sugar and carbs.
I’ve been using Accel Gels, but what I liked about the Gel Blasts is the smaller discrete units. So I could eat one or two little things, and not have to down a larger shot of gel, which can be rough on the stomach. Today I used the pack of 10 mini gummy things by taking 1 or 2 every 2.5 miles. They also didn’t dry my mouth out like the gels sometimes do.
I put 5 gels in a ziploc bag pinned to my shorts, and left the other 5 on the porch at my “water stop”. I’m thinking for the race, I’ll get 2 packs, and put them in two ziplocs, pinned to my shorts. (You pin them to the outside of the waistband, then flip the bag inside so it’s not flopping around looking ridiculous.)
I used to avoid carbohydrate gels, thinking “who needs the extra calories and sugar? I want to burn my fat!”, but I’ve realized that the extra 200 calories or so allows me to run further, faster, and more comfortably. And on a run like today, during which I burned approximately 1800 calories, the 190 calories in the gels don’t put much of a dent. I tapped into plenty of the other fuel in my shorts too. 
Stats: 18.5 miles, 3:02 time (including 3 water breaks) average heart rate 156.
Related posts:
Good Job. I’m doing the half, so hope to see you there!
You’re a BEAST! So awesome!
thanks guys!!! Its nice to have cheerleaders
way to go! get that energy!
mc
Let the taper begin….and good luck at the race!
I seriously am so impressed by marathon runners. Especially after being sick like you were! That gel looks pretty funny. Is the texture like a gummy worm or more like snot? Hahaha.
They’re totally like gummy bears. In fact, I had to stop my husband from eating them as candy when we got a handful of free packs.
“Noooooo! Those are for my runs, honey!”