Where there is still ash
Grass is growing on the hills
Early in winter.
Friday, December 14, 2018
While I’m still in the mood to do some math I might as well try and workout my hydration and nutrition plan for next month’s 50 miler. This usually involves taking terrain, weather, distance between aid stations, what’s at the aid stations, and change in taste preferences as the day progresses into account to come up with a general plan of action.
In training I try to stick to the general guidelines of 4-6 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes and about 100 calories of sugars every half hour. I race and train with a watch that beeps every 15 minutes to keep me on track.
Applying these guidelines to this race, given that it’s basically a flat course and if it doesn’t rain and the temperature stays in between 40-60 degrees throughout the race, planning, so long as I can maintain an even pace, becomes so much easier than any other ultra I’ve done. Really I ought to be able to stick to how I eat and drink in training.
There are a few caveats. One is the simple fact that I’ll be out there so much longer than I train. This means I’m going to throw in a variety of gels and solid foods just to add variety and to overcome any nauseousness due to consuming just one type of food for 8 hours. Usually, I’d just stick to a flask full of Hammer gel or Gu. I use a flask in training because Hammer and Gu sell large size containers that are more environmentally friendly than single serving packets.
The downside to using these products are that I don’t end up getting as much out of a flask as I would like. During three hour rides or runs I haven’t felt this has hurt me, but I’m worried that going longer without reliable doses of calories will hurt my performance. Therefore I’m occasionally training with single serving packets of gels. To aid in performance I’ve occasionally been using Accel gels. They’re less viscous than most gels and contain 50 mg. of caffeine. And that’s another issue. I’m afraid relying too heavily on Accels would put me in an uncomfortable buzz zone in this race. Beside, I’ve been carrying Run Gum with me to take in the last part of a race to get a jolt from caffeine and if I use Accel all day, how could I get an extra boost if I’ve already O.Ded on Accel? So I’m going to cut my Accel use by alternating it with Gu, Untapped and Tailwind.
Untapped is pure maple syrup. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s sugar pure and simple and readily available through REI. I’ll pick up some this weekend so I can have a month’s use under my belt and be assured it sits well with me.
And Tailwind? Another product I haven’t used before and doubt will use much in the future. Why? Because it combines electrolytes and sugars, and I prefer to keep those separate. So why did I order some and am going to train with it for this race? Simple. It’ll be at every aid station. Again, if I can tolerate it in training, it’ll mean less I’ll have to carry during the race. I’ll take it at the aid stations and use my always reliable Skratch Lab electrolyte mix or water between stations and alternate gels. I’ll throw in a Lara Bar and a pack of Skratch Lab chews just to have some solid food as a change of pace.
Wow, for a plan that was suppose to be somewhat simple, this is already getting kind of complicated and I’m not even that deep into the math of the race yet.
So here are the numbers: The aid stations are at miles 5.75, 10, 15, 20, 24, 29, 36.25, 40 and 44.5. Drop bags are at miles 15 and 29. I’ll only utilize the drop at mile 29. These are spaced pretty evenly apart and I can’t foresee going more than an hour in between stations except perhaps the 7.25 gap after the drop bag station at mile 29. It’s kind of convenient that that’s the longest gap as I can make sure to load up there drinking Tailwind going in and plain water on the way out.
All right; given that the stations are about an hour apart and I’m going to get a 100 calories at every aid station, that means I’ll need to carry 100 calories for every hour out there. Since I’m going to pick up a drop bag at mile 29, up until that point I’ll carry 160 calorie packet of Skratch lab chews and 5 packets of gels; 3 Untapped and 2 Accels. That’ll give me 660 calories plus the 500 calories of Tailwind which adds up to about 1000 calories for the expected 5 hours I hope to take to reach that point. That’s 200 calories per, which is how I train.
After the aid station I’ll have 20 miles to go and about 3 hours of work. That means less to carry, Yeah! A flask of Gu (Salted Caramel; oooh…), one Lara Bar, one packet of Run Gum and the Tailwind at the aid stations ought to do it.
Hydration will be even simpler; one packet of Skratch Lab for every hour out there. If that starts to feel like a bit much I’ll just cut it with water when I hit the next aid station. Since I’ll start with a full bottle, that’ll mean carrying 4 packets until the drop bag and since I’ll have a full bottle waiting for me there, just two packets after that.
That should do it if all goes according to plan. Incredibly, once in a while it does.
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