Three weeks down, 15 more to go…

I’m now three weeks into Hal Higdon’s 18 week Intermediate I training schedule.  For the most part, things have gone quite well.  I’m getting my miles in, slowly increasing my mileage, feeling strong, and most importantly am NOT injured!  I’ve made the mistake numerous times of running beyond my abilities, leading to injuries that have knocked me out of running for months at a time, and a whole year in one case.

Check out Higdon’s Intermediate I training schedule.

I’ve got an eleven mile run this Sunday, my longest distance since running the Portland marathon, and what will feel like my first really long run with this schedule.  I’m working on coming up with food and hydration strategies in the coming weeks.  Any run under two hours can typically be done without needing nourishment during the run.  Anything longer than that, coupled with Eastern Washington’s intense summers, requires careful planning with both food and water.

I’m considering getting one of those hydration backpacks, which will allow me to carry 2 liters of water on my back.  I previously would carry a water bottle during my run, and plan on running by drinking fountains at periodic points.  I had varying amounts of success with this, with worst-case being instances where I’d have 7+ miles between fountains in 80+ F temperatures, resulting in me stumbling up to a drinking fountain and sucking in water as fast as I can while trying not to suffocate from breathing so hard.  The bemused looks from people around me wouldn’t help either.  I haven’t quite solidified my plan here, but having a hydration backpack will allow me much more flexibility in the routes that I can run.

Food is also an issue as runs gets longer.  The human body has a limited supply of glycogen available for use, usually limited to two or three hours of running.  Reading about “hitting the wall” if you want to know what happens when those glycogen stores run out.  The short version?  It SUCKS!  This is avoided by taking in calories during the run.  It should be simple carbs, which can be quick digested and used by the body.  I’ve tried gel packets, candy bars, jelly beans, or Clif bars to varying degrees of success.  Some people have to be really careful about what they’re eating and when, due to high risks of getting an upset stomach.  I have not had an issue with that, fortunately.  I ate a gel packet or some other form of carbs every 45 minutes or so during my run, and it worked well.

Feeling good!  Onto week four!

Tues, May 26th:  1.77 miles in 14:47 at 8:20 / mi

Wed, May 27th:  4.97 miles in 45:36 at 9:10 / mi

Sat, May 30th:  4.35 miles in 8:32 / mi.  This pace is an average.  I went out way too quickly, going at a 7:30 pace for 2.5 miles, then crashing hard afterwards and jogging/stumbling back at a much slower pace.  It was a dumb mistake, which I need to be more careful of.

Sun May 31st:  6.08 miles at 9:08 / mi.

17.17 miles for the week.