It may come across a bit hypocritical of me to talk about hydration during races as this is one of the areas I am investigating following the Marathon. However, when I’m not running I do try my best to keep my fluid intake as high as possible. I have a few neat gadgets to help (surprise surprise) and also throw some electrolytes into the mix…

Hydracool

This is one of the most impressive bottles EVER. It has a cog in it that rotates every time you draw water from the bottle and measures how much you have taken in. It has a 24 hour timer and you can programme it to say how much liquid you want to consume and it will display percentage info etc. Pretty damn cool and geektastic

Vapur

I got these a few months back and have come in use especially when I have done a run following a commute. I fill up one of these bottles, clip on the side of my bag and by the time I have got to my destination it should be empty and weigh nothing so no hindrance in my bag during my run. They can also be chucked in the dishwasher and freezer the first is a bonus as keeping bottles smell free is a challenge in itself and the later I’m very much looking forward to in the summer as the weather warms and I’m out running in the sun! They come in various sizes and colours and whilst I’m no rambler/climber (insert any other sort of out door sport here) I can imagine a whole magnitude of uses for these handy water pouches.

Nuun (Electrolytes)

I try whenever possible to take at least one of these a day regardless of training regime. They are zero calories and add good salts to the body. I’m not going to preach about knowing the full benefits of electrolytes but for one it forces me on a daily basis to have at least 500ml of fluid as sometimes I need the prompting to not just drink tea! I do believe they have a help with muscle recovery, crucial when endurance training!

On that note it’s probably time for me to take on some H2O

N

Yesterday I had to finally admit to skipping on a days training. I’m clearly not 100%, feeling poorly and very heady. I had planned on getting up early and doing the 10k on the road as on Tues the ground was starting to look a lot less slippy. On weds I woke up to another overnight snow dump and coupled with my feeling ill I decided the rest day would be most useful for me.

Weds schedule was a 10km slow and today was a brisk/jog interval split. I figured the intervals may have been more useful for me so opted to skip the slow and go for the later:
1.6km @ 10.9km/h
3.2km @ 14-15.5km/h
1.6km @ 10km/h

True to tradition of a runner had some odd twinges in my left leg, going to put that down to the increased training I’m doing! Did use the foam roller today to massage my leg a bit when I finished to try remove the knots…

Tomorrow is the short warm-up to Saturdays ‘long run’ hopefully take it nice and slow and get me going!

Till next time…

In part one I talked predominantly about clothing in this part I will venture on to fueling. This post should be read with an amount of caution as it’s very much still something I haven’t fully mastered. I understand the concepts but not so much the theory, if you want that level of info google is your friend, or a chat with a running shop.

Last year I tried a number of products but settled on the SIS range, unless there is a dramatic change in circumstances I will be using this range again. After recomendations I settled on three types of products, one for pre-run, one during and one after.

Pre-run fueling

Whilst I have been informed a well constructed meal before your run can provide the same benefit the sis-rego range 30 mins before your run can give you an energy boost and also work to increase your hydration levels which during a long run will be massively depleated. You can use this fluid during your run as a boost but be careful in your training not to become to reliant on it because unless you are prepared to carry it on race days it won’t be an option for you…

In-race boosts

There is a whole magnitudes of ‘gels’ on the market. As far as I know the gels are effectively sugar and provide a nesc boost (I’m sure it’s more complex than that!). Designed to be consumed without the need of liquid and supplied in small enough sachets that you can carry with you during a run. They say you want to be taking one of these every 5 or so miles and no more than 5 in a day I beleive.

For anyone new to gels they are not a pleasant tasting product and you may have to try a few before you find one you can take without heaving mid-run!

Post-run muscle recovery

If you have ramped up your training then your muscles will no doubt start feeling the stresses. There are products out there specifically designed with large amounts of muscle helping carbs and proteins. Taken shortly after a run these milkshake like products should help. Again a product like this can be substituted with a well balancend diet.

Alternatives

I have mentioned that all the products can be ignored if your diet factors in the necessary food and mineral groups. These products are ultimately designed for people who may not have enough protein for example in their diet.

I have also had discussions with other runners who suggest gels don’t work for them in the slightest, the human body is very different and what works for some may not work for others. The gels assume that your sugar levels are low but for some it appears there sugar levels are not depleated but there fat reserves maybe and hence a saugage of piece of salami maybe more helpful (but much harder to carry on a run!)

Vitamins and supplements

Once again not needed if you eat well but if you are training hard you will feel it. You will become less immune to colds and feel general fatigue more often. Ensuring your vit levels are maintain is a wise move also products like cod liver oil is useful for your bones which will be under a lot of pressure! There is another supplement out there whose name I forget specifically designed for joints again perhaps a useful addition to your daily routine.

You maybe intimidated by the amount of products avail but when your training ramps up from a light jog to serious distances a week it is worth investing time into finding the right things for you and do this early. Whilst you don’t want to be to reliant on these you also need to know that the product won’t make you ill!

I think that’s probably enough from me today, part three will see a post talking about running with technology…

p.s. Find a sweet you enjoy and use that as an insentive, I have used a fun size mars bar which I held onto for numerous miles but munched on when the demons in my head really started haunting me just remember you should be enjoying this, hopefully you are doing it by choice!