My new hydration vest would be tested today to see if it
would be useful during the ultra marathon during July. It was fully loaded with 70 oz. of NUUN
flavored water in the bladder, two Honey Zinger energy wafers and two GU gels.
The extra weight of the 70 oz. of water didn’t affect the
way the hydration vest rode on my back.
It felt comfortable and did not chafe.
NUUN is an electrolyte fizzy tablet that you drop into your
water bottle/bladder. It really
does replace the electrolytes that you’re using up as you run. Then, your
muscles won’t cramp. The Honey Zinger wafers and GU gels were for nutrition. I would be running approximately three
and a half hours, so I would need to replenish my nourishment with these two
nutrition sources.
For those of you who are confused about what an energy gel
or wafer do, think of the cleanest burning energy source you can think of. Maybe jet fuel is a good example. Like a jet engine that needs pure fuel
to burn clean, energy gels provide high sugar content with very little protein
or fat in them. Since I’m running,
I’m burning more calories and need to replace that energy source with something
else. Energy gels provide that
pure high calorie burn I’ll need to get me through today’s course.
The plan was to take zips of water as much as possible just
to stay hydrated. Then, I would
“eat” a gel or wafer every forty-five minutes.
The sun was just peaking through the trees as I started the
run. It was around 7:00 a.m. The run started off as usual,
alone. The guy who said he might
meet me didn’t show. But that’s
normal for younger men in their twenties who would rather sleep in and not have
to get up. That’s OK, I was like
that at that age.
I made my way around the course, through mud, flooded trails
and rocky climbs. It had rained the day before, so there was standing water in
some places, streaming water in others.
The hydration pack worked as promised. I was able to easily sip water through
the straw as often as I wanted without taking my eyes off the trail. You are always on the lookout for
exposed roots and rocks that will send you for a face plant… a bad fall.
Also, as I ran and sipped water, the pack grew continually
lighter. Once, because the volume
in the bladder had diminished, I had to cinch up the straps a bit to make the
pack a little tighter on my back.
Every forty-five minutes, I took on something to eat,
stuffing the GU or Honey Zinger package down into one of the vest’s
pockets. As it happened, I never
ran out of energy or grew really tired.
Granted, the muscles grew a little fatigued, but they were warmed up and
running.
My leg muscles never cramped because of the continued
sipping of the NUUN water.
I had heard from an ultra-marathon friend that if you power walked up the little hills or
sharp inclines, that you could reduce the energy expended and save stress on
the legs muscles and not to get tired too often. This is a way to pace throughout the course. Today, experimented with this
technique. Whenever a hill came
along on the course, I slowed a bit and went into a fast walk with my arms pumping to help my body move along. This really seemed to help because I
did not tire as easily while going up the hill.
Up and down the hills, flats and gulley’s I ran and
walked. I finished the 18.5 miles in
3:27. I wasn’t going for any time
record, but I thought it was interesting that two weeks before, I had finished
a 16-mile run in 3:20. So, I think
the power walking technique really
worked.
The hydration vest was a huge success and a welcomed
addition to my gear. Of the 70 oz.
of water that I had on board, I drank 50 oz. with 20 oz. to spare. On a longer course, I’ll need to drink
more water more often.
The nutrition that I ate kept me going and tasted pretty
good.
All in all, except for a couple of tired and sore legs, I
think the day went well. I’ve
learned a lot about my body and mental state of mind while on the course. Today’s run pushed me a great deal, but
that is what training is all about.
My body will recover and grow stronger.
Tomorrow is a rest day, thankfully.
Gotta run,
Chuck
The Vagabond Runner.
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