A Case of the Runs

These shoes were recommended by a salesperson at A Snail's Pace . I ordered these Saucony Grid Trigon 3 Guide shoes (a mouthful) from eBay in a size 9 wide (yeah, keep your comments to yourself). Having grown up running in the cheapest shoes ever, this was so luxurious... I must say that the shock absorption is pretty good. However, that wore out quickly, as it does with most other shoes.

This is a tasty, salty, more condensed but calorically identical form of regular Gatorade. I had two sample powder packs of this, which lasted me about 3-4 long runs. They worked wonderfully during training; they gave me the energy to push through the long runs. I drank anywhere from 8-16 oz at a time, though I tend to dilute mine more than is usual. Note: I don't like Gatorade in any other flavor but lime, but I think this formula comes in Orange also.

I am going to try to start eating these more regularly during training. I had a piece of banana during the marathon, and I learned that it goes down pretty easily. After my calf-cramping episode, I realized that these two are given during races to balance electrolytes, potassium to be exact. Sodium and potassium need to be in balance, and if you're drinking Gatorade, there's your sodium. An imbalance can lead to cramping. Sounds simple enough.

Thanks to whomever invented bagels. My favorite is blueberry, and I only like the outside parts, meaning that soft ones are better (I can more easily remove the "crust"). This is good pre-run (in very small amounts) and especially post-run. I like carbs SO much...

I ate this during training as well as the marathon. It is supposed to have caffeine in it for an extra boost. Gels are never pleasant, and you gotta get used to them before a race. These were okay; I think I prefer Clif because the salty taste is less apparent. But strawberry is certainly a decent flavor for a gel.

I had my first ones at the LA Marathon, although I attempted to eat one during my first race and never went further than a peck. I cannot stand brown (chocolate, mocha) gels unless I really need them, so pictured is the strawberry one I had during the race. One packet usually lasts me 3 miles, so I end up carrying it to slosh it down with water. I like the fact that its packaging is hook-like, so it can easily be carried/pinned.

I ate this the morning of my first marathon, though I have been eating these long before I started racing (for meal replacements). High in protein, they are satisfying with water. I'm not sure if the carb-dense things are good for running. They top out at about 250 calories for the small piece, so they probably won't upset digestion if you're trying to fuel up. My favorite flavor is below. They also come in (of the ones I've tried, favorites first): Blueberry, Chocolate Brownie, Iced Gingerbread, Carrot Cake, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Banana Nut Bread, Peanut Toffee Buzz, Apricot, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Chip

EVENT : Long Beach International City Bank Half-Marathon DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2006 LOCATION : Long Beach, CA RACE BEGAN : 7:30 am FINISH TIME : 02:19:13 RATINGS: Expo: # # # Course: # # # # # Weather: # # # # # T-Shirt: # # # # Medal: # # # Support: # # # # COURSE : Route Flyer (front) Flyer (back) RESULTS : Results Page COMMENTS : The bad thing about autumn runs is training in the bloody hot summer, especially one that involved an internship, school, and moving back home. Needless to say, I probably only got in 10-15 miles a week. During the week before the race, I was so busy that I didn't run at all. That, combined with an uneasy stomach that lasted a week, did not bode for a good race. I came with the mentality that this was just going to be another run. Since this was my second race, the pre-running jitters were much subsided from the first. Around the third mile, I realized that I did not train enough and acknowledged that I would soon be walking. However, in spite o