Long run, 5 loops around Regents Park. I felt ok, not great, legs a bit heavy from all the miles during the week, this was my 7th run without a day off. Had some GI problems, which always happens when my body doesn't cooperate before I go for a run. Everything got tight around 12 miles, but I guess it's to be expected after the break I had. Time was 2:22:27 (8:47 pace). Not bad, considering GI cramps and pain that slowed me down few times.
Took 2 gels, one PowerGel with 200mg sodium, and then one GU with caffeine. I'm experimenting to see how I react to extra sodium and caffeine. I think sodium definitely helped, because today I got a lot less hand swelling than usual. I can't say I felt the kick from caffeine, though. Maybe because I was already very tired when I took it (around 13.5 miles). Also, GU was very thick, it was a bit hard to swallow. I wore my FuelBelt today with just 2 bottles on the back, and it worked out ok. It's the best thing I found for carrying water on long runs - it doesn't bounce at all, and usually doesn't chafe. The problem is the front bottles interfere with my arm swing, so it's annoying, and I don't use them. Of course, in the summer, 12 oz. of water from the back bottles alone, is not enough for 20 mile runs. But now, when it's around 50F, I can get away with it. | 