Austin 3M Half Marathon tune up run: Getting the nutrition right.

On Saturday (1/15) I ran 14.5 miles with the Gilbert's Gazelles gang. The first 13.1 miles were pretty much the same course that we will run the 3M Half Marathon on in two weeks. I've said here before that I plan on running that race and need 1:30 or better to qualify for the New York Marathon.

My plan was not, of course, to try to run 1:30 for the first 13 miles of this run - though somebody did yell out to me as I passed them around Mile 4 "Kevin, are you racing?" No. But I was running my pace. Getting familiar with the course, understanding when to pick up the pace and when to preserve my energy.

The course was mostly downhill, so you couldnt help but pick up the pace. Each of my last 10.5 miles were done in sub 7:15 pace, and I was sub 7:00 pace the last three miles.

Total pace for the entire run was 7:20 min/mile. And though my heart rate ticked toward 85 percent of maximum as I "droped the bomb" the last three miles, my average heart rate for he entire run was 80 percent - not even close to anerobic.

What I'm most heartened about is my nutrition. I know I need to do a better job about eating before long runs. In the past, I've tried eating one, two, and 2 1/2 hours before a long run, and felt sluggish on all those runs. This morning I tried something different: For the 6 a.m. run, I got up at 2 a.m., ate an Art's Original ProBar.




This thing has 370 calories. 18 grams of fat (including only 3 grams of saturated fat), 48 grams of carbs, 10 grams of protein and 270 mg of potassium. I chased this down with a glass of water and went back to bed.

During the run, I felt strong the entire way, no lack of energy, no brain drain.
I drank three cups of water and a swig of powerade the entire run. No GU. No salt. Nothing. I also ate tons the week leading up to this run and had a bowl of spaghetti the night before.

I'm hoping I've figured out the nutrition formula to my marathon training. I will try this equation out the next time I go 20.