Relentless Forward Progress_ A Guide to Running Ultramarathons - Bryon Powell [47]
* A small number of hydration bladders are capable of delivering two different beverages from a split bladder with dual tubes.
Be sure to test whichever hydration system you plan on racing with on long runs before race day. A pack that works for someone else may cause you severe chafing or fail to hold your bottles in place. While a bouncing bottle on your waist might not end your day, the annoyance can detract from your performance and your enjoyment.
Tips for Drinking on the Go
As for the drinking itself, here are a few quick tips:
Drink in small, regular amounts so that you’re constantly hydrating yourself and minimizing the likelihood of overfilling your stomach at any one time.
Avoid drinking on short, steep inclines. No matter how practiced you are at drinking on the move, you’re still likely to miss a breath or two when you need them most.
Do drink up before or at the start of a very long downhill. Your body will be better able to process the fluid while you reduce your running effort. However, don’t overdo pre-hill hydration to the point that your stomach sloshes around uncomfortably.
On days when it’s hard to carry enough fluids between aid stations, drink the last of your fluids when you are certain that you’re within 10 or 15 minutes of the next station. You’ll absorb some of these fluids before the aid station and be able to drink more once you reach it.
Plan to drink up at aid stations. On hot days this helps maximize fluid intake while reducing the amount of fluids you need to carry. During a 100-miler, I make sure to grab two disposable cups and drink them (or their equivalent) at every aid station at which I stop.
9
FUELING THE FIRE: NUTRITION AND ULTRAS
Taking up the challenge of running an ultra should have little effect on your day-to-day nutrition. Any increase in daily caloric needs due to increased training time can usually be made up by eating more of what you already eat, assuming you already eat a healthy diet. With that in mind, this chapter offers a few notes regarding general nutrition before discussing ultra-long-run nutrition, which differs significantly from marathon and shorter-race nutrition, nausea, and how to fuel for post-run recovery.
General Notes on Nutrition
I am not a dietitian, nor am I the world’s healthiest eater, so I’m not going to lecture anyone on what his or her daily diet should look like. Chances are you’ve found something that works for you and that you like. If you are looking for general nutritional advice, I recommend reading Matt Fitzgerald’s Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance. Here Fitzgerald offers balanced, well-supported, easy-to-understand dietary advice rather than the next fad diet.
The key takeaway from Fitzgerald’s book is not surprising given its title. That is, find and race at your ideal “racing weight.” While finding the ideal balance of muscularity and leanness may be a higher mark than many are willing to shoot for, it brings into focus the quickest and often easiest way that many ultrarunners could improve their running—by safely losing weight. If you doubt this, put a 20th of your bodyweight in a backpack and go run a few miles before taking off the pack and running for a few more. The difference in effort and pace will amaze you. Add some hills to the run to help emphasize these differences in effort and pace. This is not a call to start a starvation diet or to lose as much weight as possible, but rather a call for you to consider whether you could lose 5, 10, or more pounds while retaining your muscle mass and staying healthy.
If you are vegetarian, vegan, or on another meat-free diet, rest assured that your diet is unlikely to be a barrier to