13.

Cue song...
"Whooah, we're half way there."

I "ran" 13 miles this past Saturday. I use quotes because I did not physically run the whole way. However, I did cover 13 miles. Actually, it was probably closer to 13.1 miles, but I will just call it 13 for the purposes of this post.

When I run, I sweat. I mean I SWEAT. It is serious sweating! That means, my electrolytes and sugar level are going down quicker than those of someone that does not sweat as much (and as quickly). Anyway, I have been testing out a few ways to improve these things on my long runs. Here are few things and how they are or are not working for me:

* Pour a bit of sports drink (or water, etc.) into a bottle and freeze the night before your long run for hot days. Fill up the rest of the bottle with your beverage. The frozen portion will act like an ice cube. --> This seems to work pretty well.

* Cut up a Power Bar into really small pieces and pop them in your mouth when you get a little dizzy, etc. to boost your carbohydrate level. --> This did not work for me.

* Drink sports drink during the run. --> This did NOT work at all! I was very light headed come mile 8 and later. NOT cool. I have decided that drinking Gatorade G2 to "save on calories" is VERY silly when you are burning 2,000 calories on a 13 mile run. Seriously, I need the carbs and sugar!! So, I purchased some regular Gatorade at PayLess this week for $0.49 each.

* Running on various surfaces. --> Concrete is MUCH worse than asphalt but mulch trails are definitely best. The more give on the trail the better your legs will feel later. Again, I would like to stress that CONCRETE is NOT a good idea!!! My quads were still sore Monday night. Though, I did squeeze in a 40 minute run followed by a 30 minute bike ride despite the soreness. HOORAH!

Other things to come:

* It was suggested to eat a piece of candy every few miles to keep the carb level high. --> I have purchased a 3.75 lb bag of Jolly Ranchers since they have a higher sugar content than Life Savers. YUM!

* It is suggested that you try to simulate the race as best you can as you add miles onto your long runs. --> Since I am definitely getting pretty light headed during my long runs, I have decided to add GU to my runs. They say to have one 15 minutes before exercise and then every 30 to 45 minutes there after. However, the race provides them at miles 8 and 18.5. Also, "the wall" is typically the point when people have too little sugars left in their system. So, I am going to use these as often as I need them, but not more often than every 45 minutes, in hope of avoiding the infamous "wall". I ordered a mix package of 24 to see how they are. After I pick a favorite or two, I will order a 24 pk of those flavors.

* Hydration. --> This is VERY important! I have been carrying a regular, 20 oz, bottle water bottle for the long runs (over 6 miles). I have decided that this is not going to work that well for me. So, I am going to get a HYDRATION BELT. However, I am not sure what one to get!! So, I am investigating that now. Hopefully, I can get one ordered ASAP.

I am sure I will improve my long runs with all of these little tweaks. I just finished week 4, and I have about 90 days to go (or 3 months). That should be plenty of time to get things figured out for the BIG DAY. :)