I am a week away from my first ultra marathon and have realized that this is my least favorite part of endurance sports so far. The period of time in-between the months and months of hard work, and the moment when you get to see what all of your hard work has created. This period of time is filled with "what if's", anticipation, and calculations. With the lowered mileage during this period, there is also plenty of time for planning!
Nutrition
Over the last year, Crystal and I have experimented with a bunch of different foods for nutrition during a race. Some have been store bought and some have been homemade. For this race I have decided on a recipe from Dr. Phil Maffetone called Phil's Bars. Since I have been training my body to use fat as my source of fuel, it would make sense that my nutrition consist of mostly fat calories. After doing some calculations, I found I could get 18 bars per batch. Each bar has roughly 190 calories, 117 of which are from fat. That is a 60/40 ratio of fat to sugar calories. I am planning on consuming 300 calories/hr at first and adjust according to how I feel. That means a bar every 40 min. With a goal of around 8 hours, I should consume 13 bars or ~2500 calories for the whole race.
Over the last year, Crystal and I have experimented with a bunch of different foods for nutrition during a race. Some have been store bought and some have been homemade. For this race I have decided on a recipe from Dr. Phil Maffetone called Phil's Bars. Since I have been training my body to use fat as my source of fuel, it would make sense that my nutrition consist of mostly fat calories. After doing some calculations, I found I could get 18 bars per batch. Each bar has roughly 190 calories, 117 of which are from fat. That is a 60/40 ratio of fat to sugar calories. I am planning on consuming 300 calories/hr at first and adjust according to how I feel. That means a bar every 40 min. With a goal of around 8 hours, I should consume 13 bars or ~2500 calories for the whole race.
Once I get past 30 miles, I will reach a territory that I've never experienced. I am prepared to start consuming GU gels or something similar if I feel my heart rate is rising and I might need to consume more sugar. The projected high that day is 72 degrees so I don't expect to be close to overheating at any point in the race. I'll be running with two water bottles. Living in Florida, I have grown accustomed to always running this way. Having two water bottles and carrying my own food should cut down on unnecessary extra aid station time. To help replace lost sodium, I will also be taking salt tablets. I will be taking an S!Caps salt tab every time I eat to help keep my sodium and potassium levels up.
Gear
- Shoes-I will probably be running most of the race in my broken in New Balance Minimus MR20v2. With the race being here in FL, the terrain won't be horrible for road shoes. Second option will be my new Merrell Trail Glove 2. The deciding factor will be how many miles I can get in the new ones. Reviews coming for both shoes.
- Socks-I don't wear any special socks. I typically like to wear my older pairs for running.
- Belt-Ultimate Direction Jurek Essential- review coming
- Handhelds-20oz. Amphipod Handheld Water Bottles(2)
- Shorts-New Balance Track Shorts
- Shirt-It'll be too warm for me to wear a shirt.
- Watch-In the middle of a transition right now. I will be running this race with the Garmin Fenix
- Sunglasses-Tifosi Slip-A great affordable sunglasses company. Great sport options.
- Food-Phil's Bars (15)
- Supplement-S!Caps Salt Tab (15)
Race Day Concerns
- Salt tabs- During the later hours of my long runs, I have found that I am having problems retaining water and my internal temperature is rising. I am almost positive this is due to low sodium levels and hope that taking salt tabs with fix this problem.
- Nausea-Will I be able to stomach food at miles 35+? Am I optimistic to think that I'll be able to eat my bars?
- Sleep-With the race starting at 5:30AM, will I be able to get a good night sleep?
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