One long run down, one more to go...

Had an early wake up call this morning for my 18 mile run. We were meeting at 6am to start, so I set the alarm for 4:30am. With only 8 weeks to go, I really need to get serious about figuring out what foods I'm going to eat and be able to tolerate during the Ultra. My goal is to consume around 200 calories an hour so I have to practice this over the next few weeks to figure out what works for me. So, today was about experimentation. I did learn one thing...I don't think I can handle fig newtons while running.

We were meeting at a beautiful park which has a 6 mile loop around a lake. Before I left, I ate my standard bowl of plain oatmeal with honey and I felt great when we started. At around mile 4, I ate 2 Gu Chomps. Have you guys tried these? They are easier to chew than a Clif blok and I thought they tasted pretty good (tried the strawberry). Typical nutrition facts...90 calories per 4 pieces with 50mg sodium, 40mg potassium and 23g carbohydrate.

At mile 6 when we were back at the car, I refilled my water bottle and ate a fig newton. Also grabbed one for the go and ate that about mile 7 or so. I repeated this on the next loop but also added a salt capsule into the mix. Since I only drink water when I run, Coach Jack wants me to try these since I'm not getting any electolytes. On my last loop my stomach started feeling funny and by mile 16, I was feeling lousy. Getting the chills on and off and really uncomfortable. With less than a 1/4 mile to go, I had to stop and take a walk break to try to calm my stomach. I was able to finish up with a run to the car and was glad I didn't have any further to go! After the run I drank one of these EAS Myoplex shakes Nicole sent me to review. I tried the chocolate and really liked it!! I'm not a fan of protein shakes, etc because they always taste gritty or something to me, but not this one. You're suppose to drink it within 30 minutes of working out to help refuel and rebuild lean muscle. The shakes are low in fat, 2.5g, with 210 calories, 25g carbohydrate, 25g protein and 23 vitamins and minerals.

I thought my stomach was calm enough so I headed home without hitting the bathroom at the park. Yea, well I totally underestimated how close I live to the park. The ride home was TERRIBLE. I thought I was going to die!!! I came screaming into the driveway, broke the door down trying to get in and sprinted to the bathroom. But thankfully, I made it!!! It would have been ugly if I didn't...

I'm suppose to run 12 miles tomorrow but after talking with Coach Jack today, I might do another 18. Back to back 18's!!! Woo hoo!! We talked about my stomach upset and Coach thinks I need to try more liquid nutrition while I run. So tomorrow, I'm going to try some sips of Ensure and maybe try little bites of a peanut butter sandwich for later in the run. I will be sticking with the salt capsules, too.

After the long run tomorrow, I'm going to treat myself to some fun. We're heading to a cook out at a friends house. Hopefully the weather will be as nice as today. Hope everyone is having a great long weekend!