18 at Greensfelder, improved nutrition, and ticks!

RUN 18.2 miles in about 4:30 with TV

Why is it after years of doing this and after a got-it-perfect race just 2 months ago am I still hammering out a nutrition plan? Well the whole SCD thing isn't helping any, but really this shouldn't be so hard.

Last week I ran out of mental fuel around mile 18 of 21. This week I ran out closer to 12 miles. I had 2 gels and a small potato in the 5 hours, didn't really hold to a schedule, and knew problems were brewing before they got bad.

For today I tested for the first time since SCD a powerbar. Also I had a large russet potato for dinner last night. So no doubt I was fueled for the run, more fueled than last week too. I held myself to a tighter eating schedule today. But still a powerbar and 1 gel in 4.5 hours?! Blah blah blah about being fat-adapted. My body might be, but my brain is NOT.

Another gorgeous day though, can't ask for better summer weather. Still winds, cloudy, really warm but not hot temps. We started out at the far southern end of GRock, where we started a run once with EK and her AR friends. That was the only time I've run this section, forgot how rocky and hilly! Then we did the Fox Creek out-n-back, terribly overgrown and rocky. Then to the VC (10 miles) for some exploring, found what is marked as a dead-end trail that led to the western edge road. Explored a campground site that TV named Sugar Ridge (13 miles). Then came back.

I started nibbling the powerbar before the run since brekkie was hours before. Then around 1:20 (about mile 6) I had some more, then had the rest around mile 12. I was falling apart mentally and recognized the symptoms from last week. So I immediately dug out my back up gel (seriously, a back up fuel for a 5 hour run!?!?!?) that had 50 mg caffeine and ate half. At mile 15 ate the other half.

And wouldn't ya know it, the last 4-5 miles were great! I'll attribute some of it to a "back to the barn" syndrome I sometimes have, but I was definitely more awake on the way home. Aside from a knee-banging fall and and a left ankle roll in the last 2 miles, this was a great run.

Then back at the truck I find seed ticks again! I had some last week at my ankles under my socks, same thing here. Dammit!