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RUMINATIONS
Never Try Anything New During a Race – by CtCloser
My past DE (Running Festival) Marathon put me in a quandary when I arrived with none of my usual race fuel (‘Of course it’s all in my running bag, where else would it be?’ How about: ‘At home in a different bag’?). Many long runs and races have confirmed the role of good fuel for a successful effort. What’s a competitor to do without their usual stash? Marathon rudder bunny had his own and a little extra, but it was certainly not enough for me: I would have to use what the race stations had to offer.
At mile 9, when it was my normal fueling time, I found the usual water and Gatorade and…potato chips. I grabbed a bag and started debating the implications of consuming it. As fuel goes, potato chips have salt and carbs that convert quickly to glucose—plus. The biggest concern was dry mouth—negative—but I usually fuel with granola bars anyway. Letting potato chips sit in my mouth to moisten would actually be easier than granola and the idea of the quick fuel made sense to me. Down they went.
Other racers have had bad experiences taking a brand of gel that they’ve never tried before and experienced leaden stomachs. My own experience of using caffeinated goos beginning from the start race (vs. just the end) made me take my first unhydration break ever in a marathon (Caffeine is a diuretic, so it functioned as billed.). As for potato chips, some online research, after the fact, points to their value as marathon recovery food and ultramarathon mid-race fuel. They all seem to agree never to try anything new during a race.
Guess what? Mission accomplished. The potato chips went down great not one but 2 times. And the race performance? Ten-minute negative splits and my first sub-4-hour marathon in 3 years. Sure, the course, weather, and race strategy were all phenomenal, but I might now have found a new race fuel. It’s at least one I won’t be afraid to use the next time I see them in a race.
–CtCloser (Calvinthe) “Negative Split or Positive Splat” #dothedue
FINE PRINT ¶Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. ¶Cross-published: Facebook Shawmont Running Club, Shawmont Running Club website, Ruminations by CtCloser.
WHOZ DOIN WHAT IN 2025
Through Next Month…
- 6/1: ITHACA TWILIGHT 5K (NY)
- Prof. Sandy
- 6/7: SCOTT COFFEE MOORESTOWN ROTARY 8K (NJ)
- Prof. Sandy
And Just Gene…
- 5/23-31: ADVENTURE RUNS (AZ & UT)
Followed by a training and racing sabbatical.
CONGRATS-A-MUNDO TO ALL!
Nuthin’ to report
SEND YOUR RACE RESULTS TO: TEDMILLER01@GMAIL.COM
RUNNIN’ OFF AT THE MOUTH
“It’s a hill. Get over it.” –From a runner’s T-shirt [Rerun from 12/21/24]
“If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, the triathlon must have taken him completely by surprise.” –P. Z. Pearce [Rerun from 12/28/24]
“I run so my goals in life will continue to get bigger instead of my belly.” –Bill Kirby [Rerun from 12/28/24]
Source: The Gigantic Book of Running Quotations, Higdon, 2008 (Skyhorse Publishing)
ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB – by Teddio
5 Nuanced Strategies for Effective Heat Acclimatization
- Controlled Hyperthermia: The Science of Heat Stress…
- Hydration Beyond Water: Electrolyte Management and Plasma Volume Expansion…
- Strategic Timing: Maximizing Adaptations During Peak Heat…
- Monitoring Physiological Markers: Heart Rate Variability and Sweat Rate…
- Post-Run Cooling Strategies: Accelerating Recovery and Adaptation…
THEMZ WHO WUZ THERE (except those forgotten or missed 😊)
Stats – We track attendance and Shawmont. Loggin’ the miles is just for fun.
Records: Attendance – 39 on 6/23/18. Shawmonts – 26 on 2/10/18.
This Week: Attendance – 10. Shawmont – 2.
- Trail Name: Distance (Route)
- AKA: 10
- Bryce: 14 (SHAWMONT)
- Half Caff: 10
- Jamie: 12
- Jimmy Dee: 10
- Kenny Baby: 10
- Prof. Sandy: 8
- Scottman: 6. Welcome to our world!
- Tall Dave: 14 (SHAWMONT)
- Teddio: 8
Thanks for reading. Let’s have a great week!
To read this Newsletter on email, send request to TEDMILLER01@GMAIL.COM
Email Newsletter Editor: Teddio
Facebook and Website Newsletter Editor: CtCloser
Shawmont Running Club 