The North Face 50 miler (DC) is rapidly approaching. I have put in the training, my fitness is
quite good. One area where I am not
confident, however, is my nutrition/hydration strategy. I have run exactly 3 events of marathon distance
or longer (one marathon and two 50ks).
Two of these races took place in spring after a solid training cycle
done primarily in cooler temperatures.
Both of these spring races were in temperatures not terribly warm, but
considerably warmer than the temperatures I trained in. I bonked very badly in each of these races
which led to a death march to the finish. The last of these death marches took place a
little over 3 weeks ago, so I certainly have reason to be concerned.
In the weeks of training since that last death march, I have
worked considerably on nutrition and hydration.
I have worn a heat suit on a majority of my runs, layering up in my
winter running gear to simulate warmer temps.
In my attempts to solve the nutrition and hydration problem, I can say I
have fallen victim to what I like to call the “driving the boat approach”.
When you drive a boat, you turn the wheel a little, and you
don’t get the effect you want immediately, so a novice will turn the wheel
more. Soon, you’ll find you’ve turned
too much, and so you might overcompensate by turning the wheel too much in the other direction. Not a very efficient strategy.
In my approach to hydration and nutrition this year, I first
took the approach that I would train my body not to need as much hydration and
nutrition. This started with Metabolic
Efficiency runs, where I would limit calories before a run, keep the pace quite
slow and head out for 90 to 120 minutes of running with no calories and limited
water. I actually got quite good at this
in the heart of a New England winter. I
thought this would carry over to longer runs when temperatures got warmer.
I was wrong. What I hoped
was that I could drink less water and eat less calories on a typical run at a
regular effort than the same type of run from last year. Given that my running abilities have
increased, I set off in my spring race with high hopes and a single
hand-held. After pushing the pace
through 1 loop, not in-taking any calories and having drained 20 oz of water, I was
feeling off. But I thought I could
easily remedy that at the aid station.
Two small cups of coke in addition to a freshly filled handheld should
do it right? Whoops, I forgot to eat,
just focusing on hydration (though the code did provide some calories). Thankfully, I
had two GUs stashed in my bottle. But I was
already behind and it turned out I was never able to get back to where I needed
to be. Instead, I pushed the pace
despite feeling badly, blew my legs up and had little left even after I got on
top of my hydration/nutrition needs.
Two weeks later, finally fully recovered, I set out for 25
miles of trails, intending to simulate my upcoming race. I was rushing out the door and didn’t have
time to eat a proper breakfast, nor hydrate before the run, but I thought I’d
be ok, given the sheer amount of hydration and calories I was bringing. It’s true, I had not skimped in any way as I was
determined to eat and drink constantly on this run. Before setting off, I ate a clif bar. I figured 250 calories is the max your body
can process in an hour anyway, so I should be all set until hour 2. I drank to thirst from my hydration pak and I
felt just find for the first hour. In hour
two, I figured I’d take a gel every 30 minutes.
I should have started right on the hour mark, but I did not. I waited until 1:30, when I started to feel
light headed, to take my first gel. For
some reason, despite the lack of energy I felt, I didn’t try to top up on
calories or water. I could have taken 2
GUs for example, and drank heartily from my hydration bladder. Instead, I just kept telling myself, 1 gel
every 30 minutes, drink to thirst.
I was still feeling ok by the time I hit two hours, but I think
the damage was done. I passed through
the “aid station” I had set up quickly, grabbing some “real food” calories but
choosing not to refill my water knowing I’d be back to the car in 5 miles. Not refilling proved to be a mistake, because I
rationed water over the latter part of those 5 miles (which took longer than I expected) and got
behind on hydration (having already started behind, this was not a good
situation). Another mistake I made was
to take in solid food calories for longer, sustained energy, without tending to
my immediate energy needs. I should have
taken a gel along with my “real food” to keep me running strong.
After I finished the 5 mile loop and was back at the car, I was
determined to do two things: 1. Eat and
drink myself back to where I needed to be to finish the run and 2. To slow my
pace down so as to not crush my legs in the state I was in; to give my body a
chance to recover before picking the pace up again. #2 was smart.
#1 was a good idea, but here is where I drove the boat in the other
direction. I ate a bunch of real food
and a couple gels. I drank 32 oz of
water in one sitting and then however much I could after getting through the
food. Despite moving quite slowly, the
impact to my system of taking all those calories and water at once was quite
strenuous. I became very nauseous. In fact, I even needed to sit down at one
point to collect myself.
After a short rest I got back up and started moving slowly
down the trail. As the nausea started to
dissipate, I could feel my energy coming around. I didn’t have any desire to eat for an hour
after taking in all those calories and drinking all that water, and I’m glad I didn’t
force it. All in all, the last hour and
a half of the run went quite well, especially once I started taking in gels and
drinking on a regular schedule. I switched
to every 20 minutes for the second half of the run and that seemed to work out
fine. I finished feeling ok, but had
certainly put in some painfully slowly miles correctly my mistakes along the
way. (I ran out of water a couple miles
from the finish, which I’m sure I would not have were I to have filled up again
the first aid stop and then again at the second aid stop).
I took the lessons learned in these experiences into my last
long run before the race this past weekend.
I ate a nice breakfast and drank plenty of water before heading out on
my run. I started my calorie intake 30
minutes into the run and was very regular about it, switching the 20 minute
intervals in the second half of the run.
I mixed real food with gels, never taking in more than 400 calories in
an hour, and making sure I stayed balanced between the two (weighing more
heavily on the immediate energy side of things). I stuck to non-caffeinated products/food for the
first half of the run and then mixed in caffeinated products/foods for the
second half. I drank every time the
thought occurred to me. If I felt
light-headed, or my energy fading, I ate a bit more, drank and bit more and
pulled the effort back ever so slightly.
It wasn’t the fastest run I’ve ever done, but it was far better than my
effort of the previous week on the same trails.
Still, the North Face 50 miler will bring a lot more heat
and a lot more miles. I’m hoping this
balanced plan can see me through to the end.
The training is there, so do I know how to properly drive the boat or not?
