Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Scared Shitless

Report:
Was hoping to get in a long run this weekend but I ended up just doing a short 1 mile hike with the family. Since I close today, I was lucky enough to have a little extra time this morning to get my long run in. But I still didn't do the 10 miles I wanted and ended up with just 8. Guess it's better than nothing, right?

I got around onto some rarely used roads. Well, rarely used by me at least. It's just not usually in my neck of the woods so I don't usually run on them. At least I got to see some new scenery and even managed to feel pretty good about things. I tried to stick to a pattern of taking a short walking break every half mile. It seemed to work until the last mile or two when I started to get tired.

I also experimented with some new fueling options today as well as new methods of carrying my fluids. I finally found some whipped honey this weekend so I made my own version of the shit sandwich and spread some of it on two flour tortillas. I wrapped each in saran wrap then put both into a ziplock bag. Thankful I did since one of them leaked a bit. Turns out whipped honey starts to melt a bit when it gets warm. As for my fluids, I stashed two bottles into my Nathan vest instead of using my bladder. I also tested out drinking some iced tea as well. Everything appeared to work fine, it's just a matter of perfecting and tweaking things a bit to make it all work better. Assuming I do it again.

Here's a little self-portrait I managed to take during the run.


Weather:
Temps were about 85F, humidity was low, and there was a slight breeze. Sun was out with a few clouds.

Fluids and Fuel:
Put two handheld bottles in my Nathan vest, one with water, one with Hammer Fizz. Both had ice that lasted a decent amount of time. Around Mile 1 I bought a bottle of iced tea. I finished all of my fluids by the end. I also finished my shit sandwiches, taking one around Mile 3.5 and another around Mile 5.

Aches and Pains:
Not really any to speak of. Although my right hamstring is a bit tight right now for some reason.

Gear:
Wore my Nathan vest but took no bladder. Also had some BodyGlide on hand (thankfully).

Codename - Scared Shitless
So as I'm running, eating my shit sandwiches, I see a sign that says NO DUMPING. I found it rather amusing since I really need to take one. Thankfully I was able to hold everything in until the end of the run. The worst part was I was distracted while grabbing my water from the pack and saw something very close to my face. I jumped and put my hands up thinking it was a dog or some other animal attacking me. Turns out it was just a low hanging branch. Sigh. Such a ninny.

Splits:
Splits are from RunKeeper and may not be entirely accurate.
Mile 1 - 11:06
Mile 2 - 14:22 (includes bathroom break and getting a drink at Sheetz)
Mile 3 - 11:34
Mile 4 - 12:52
Mile 5 - 12:19
Mile 6 - 12:16
Mile 7 - 11:53
Mile 8 - 11:40
Finish - 1:39:27

2 comments:

Lauren said...

Branches scare me all the time.

What exactly is a shit sandwich?

Neil Richard said...

A shit sandwich is usually peanut butter in a tortilla roll (or a slice of bread). Since I'm allergic to peanuts, I needed to find a substitute to test out. Took forever but I finally found whipped honey. Haven't tried hummus in this particular format but that's because I'm not a big fan of it.

Anyway, the idea behind it is to have some solid food that's portable and won't spoil and won't make your stomach rebel when you're on a long run.

Maybe I'll do a tutorial on it.