16 Weeks to Go

I finished week two of my marathon training this morning with an 11 mile run with WVR on the Gemini Springs Trail. The club has quite a few members training for marathons this fall, mostly New York and the Space Coast Marathons, so there were a lot of people putting in 10-15 mile long runs this morning, despite the heat.

I finished the run just within my target time range at about a 10:25 pace. I even got a burst of energy late in the run, around miles 7 and 9. It came a little late in the run, and didn’t last very long, but it was appreciated just the same.

I’m still trying to tweak my hydration. I lost 4 pounds this morning even while drinking 32 oz during and immediately after the run. I was a little nauseous for about an hour after finishing. It could have been due to dehydration, or it might have been the Nuun tab I dissolved in my first bottle of water. I’m hoping it was the former but this is the second time I experienced nausea while using Nuun and this time I can’t blame eating a gel at the same time. The nausea wasn’t severe, it just made me uncomfortable. I do prefer Nuun to Gatorade so I will try it again and increase my fluid intake for my next long run and cross my fingers.

I have this feeling that by the time I get my summer hydration figured out the weather will cool and I will have to start over again.

I finally picked the marathon plan I will be using, Hal Higdon’s Intermediate II. I have been going over plans for the past two months and had a hard time deciding. I had good results using Hal Higdon for my half marathon training and I basically completed one of his novice marathon plans in the spring, so that was the deciding factor. This plan has three 20 milers and two 50 mile weeks. If things go well, I may extend one of those runs to 22 miles. If they go poorly I have room to cut back a bit and still be adequately prepared for the race. I will be running 5 days per week including two short recovery runs, a hard workout (alternating speed work, hills and a tempo run), a medium distance race pace run, and a long run. I’ve also got two races planned between now and the marathon on November 28 – the Miracle Miles 15k next month in Orlando and the Daytona Beach Half Marathon on Halloween.  My plan for each race is not to run full out, but to try to run them at my planned marathon race pace, close to a 9 minute mile, which would still mean PR's.  I have a feeling though that once the starting gun fires that plan will be completely forgotten.

I’m starting to get used to early morning hours. On weekdays I’m up at 4 for a 5 am run. On weekends it’s up at 5 for a 6 am run. I said I’m getting used to them, that doesn’t mean I like them. You can rest assured that I will be sleeping in on November 29 and for many mornings thereafter

Gemini Springs Trail Run

For 5 years I’ve been running in circles around my neighborhood. Running with the West Volusia Runners for the past few weeks has opened my eyes to what I have been missing.

This morning we ran a trail run starting at Gemini Springs Park in Debary, FL. The route includes a 3 mile round trip to a local landmark called the Debary Mansion and a 5 mile round trip trail connecting Gemini Springs Park with Lake Monroe Park in Sanford. These sections can be combined for a variety of distances. There are water fountains and restrooms at both ends of the trail.

I decided to get an early 6:30 am start and got in 3 miles before the group run at 7:00, and then ran another 8 miles with the group. This was the best turnout I have seen so far with about two dozen members.

I finished the run with about 11.5 total miles at just under a 10 minute mile pace. I even stopped to shoot a couple of pictures during the final 2.5 mile leg. I think my cell phone camera lens was a little sweat soaked though. This first picture shows one of my favorite characteristics of these trail runs - Shade!

I tried hydrating with NUUN tablets (I believe it's pronounced like noon) for the first time this morning. NUUN is an electrolyte tablet that you drop into a bottle of water like alka seltzer. I used one tablet in a 22 oz water bottle that lasted me for the entire 8 mile section of the run. It performed well and I finished the run feeling strong without any dehydration symptoms. Not bad for June in Florida. The taste was unexciting, but I had it a little watered down, each tablet is designed to be used with 16 oz of water. I may experiment with other flavors, I sampled Tri-Berry. It makes the water a little fizzy so that each time I opened the valve on my water bottle I would get a little squirt and a pfffft sound.

I also “enjoyed” my first soak in an ice bath after the run. I just emptied my freezer’s ice tray into a half full tub of cold water. It wasn’t so bad, once I got over the initial shock. I soaked for about 20 minutes with a book and a mug of coffee.  I'm feeling pretty good right now, so I think it helped.

This run made 5 workouts for the week, another first. This was a great run to cap off the week.

Lessons Learned

After my flirtation with dehydration last weekend, I have been researching summer running strategies.

I read from several sources that runners should strive to limit their weight loss due to dehydration during a workout to no more than 2% of their total body weight.  For me that means 3 to 4 pounds. I have long been in the habit of weighing myself before and after each run and have noticed weight fluctuations of nearly twice that amount after weekend long runs. It’s obvious that I need to significantly increase my fluid intake.

Equally important is the replacement of electrolytes, particularly salt, during long runs. I believe that it was a deficit of electrolytes that caused me to bonk during what should have been an easy run for me last week. In a worst case scenario, hydrating solely with water can result in a condition called hyponatremia, a dilution of electrolytes in the body, that has caused deaths during marathons.

I applied these lessons to a 19 mile run I ran on Saturday in temperatures ranging from 71 to 80 degrees. Over the course of the 3 ½ hour run I consumed 82 ounces of fluids. I also inverted the ratio of Gatorade and water that I usually consume. Over the past few months I have been either drinking water alone or a combination of about 75% water and 25% Gatorade. This week it was 75% Gatorade and 25% water.

The result was a successful run completed without any walking. While I was tired at the end of the run, it was not even close to the exhaustion I felt after only 10 miles last week. I lost about 3 pounds, right on target with the 2% goal, and I only suffered some of the more minor symptoms of dehydration. While the volume of fluids was right on target, I think I will be able to cut back a little on the amount of Gatorade. Towards the end of the run it started to feel like I was drinking syrup. I also intend to check out other sources for electrolytes besides a sports drink.  I recently read a good recommendation for NUUN tablets over on the cool running forums.

It will take some experimentation to perfect these hydration strategies, but I think they will safely get me through the summer running season.