I've been trying to up my mileage a bit recently. Apart from a brief period of illness this week, it's been going quite well. Last weekend I did a 12.31 mile long run and today was 12.81. I'm quite pleased overall, and I'd like to increase mileage to the point that I end up running a half marathon as my long run each weekend. Nearly there.
The extra miles I tacked on to my long run have actually turned out to be tougher than I'd thought. I think I'd plateau'd around the 10-mile long run mark, and just a couple of extra miles has pushed me much harder than I thought it would. I've experienced the effects of dehydration, exhaustion and a corresponding drop in pace. Maybe it was The Wall. I don't know. Last weekend I was pretty much dead on my feet for the last mile or so. I think it was muscle memory that kept me running. Not a happy runner.
Today I made sure I had water (I didn't even take any last week! Idiot!) and I also thought I'd try some energy gels too. I went for the Science In Sport
Go-Gel, which looked like the simplest concoction for someone without any experience of these things. I took a couple along and popped the first one after an hour, the second about 20 minutes later. I think they made a difference. My pace wasn't any better (actually, it was a bit worse overall) but I certainly didn't get any Wall hitting experience this time.
I guess that's the purpose of these gels. They won't improve your ability (that's what the training is for, right?) but they do enable you to take on some fuel before the needle reaches "empty". That's about the extent of my understanding. The actual science, I'm less clear on. Anyway, I'll continue to experiment with the dosage.
Overall, an interesting week. I'm enjoying dealing with the extra physical challenges that come along with the extra miles, and I also know where "empty" is now. Which is an eye-opener.
This bloke trying to work it all out.
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