Friday, February 4, 2011

Panic averted!

So after I worked myself up about how fast I was going and whether or not I'd get stuck being swept up in the race, I took a look at what my Garmin heart rate monitor tracked. I am averaging a 13:30 pace on my long runs. Phew! Given that I still have more training ahead of me and race pace always ends up being slightly faster, I'm fine. I'm not trying to be Superwoman here, but at least I know I'm not gonna get run over in Atlanta traffic because the race route has closed.

Speaking of training, I am reading in my half-marathon book about what kind of foods and fuel I should be eating. I feel okay with my normal diet, but I wanted to check the validity of carb loading. See, I would love to indulge in carb loading but something in the back of my mind told me that wasn't a good idea. Turns out it's not. There is no science behind it. A nutritionist had also verified this when I was training for the Peachtree, so take it from me. Don't carb load! It's just an excuse to eat a lot, and I don't need anymore help in that department.

I also wanted to check out what kind of energy boosts I should try during the race itself. Now is the time to experiment with that kind of stuff since many gels and supplements can make people nauseous. That is the last thing I want to deal with during a race. The book cautions against drinking too much water during the race, and I can agree with that due to experience. I've also learned I need to quit drinking water an hour before I run unless it's a short run. I do not plan on stopping in the middle of the race.

Some of you are thinking I can try a sports drink during the run. I've had mixed results with them. They usually work better for me post run, and honestly food works best for restoring my electrolytes. The good part about a sports drink is that it tastes good. I'll probably drink some during the race, but not much.

This week I've gotten no runs in due to the weather. Tuesday it was raining, and yesterday was a combo of rain/sleet/snow/ice. In short, it was awful. I hope it clears up for tomorrow's long run. I have a feeling it won't be a great run since I haven't had any training leading up to it, but I do want to knock it out.

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