Fueling Fail
After this weekend, I can attest that traveling, attending a rehearsal bbq, wedding and reception AND running an 18 miler aren't easy, but feasible. After a fun, casual bbq, my mom and I (who I was sharing a hotel room with), got to bed around 11 pm on Friday night. I set my alarm for 6:15 am for a 7 am departure with my friend Jessica.
Not gonna lie, I was pretty wiped when I woke up. Breakfast was eaten in the hotel bathroom and included a mish mash of snacks: dry Raisin Bran, 1/2 granny smith apple, water, almonds and 1 shot blok. Appetizing, eh? Not so much. I didn't plan well and the hotel breakfast wasn't exactly catering to my long run needs.
By 7:20 am, Jess and I were off on our long run headed for Forest Park which was sure to be shaded and beautiful scenery. It took us longer than expected so we didn't reach the trail until 45 minutes in. It was fun to see so many other Portland Marathoners training along the waterfront and on the trails. The runners were out in full force early Saturday morning!
Most of the run felt just so-so. I couldn't really tell pace thanks to the Garmin not hooking into satellites, but I'd say it was around a 9 min pace (when we weren't running up steep hills). :)
My water bottle was filled with 1/2 Gatorade, 1/2 water and my snackage included the Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bar...yum.
As we made our way back from Forest Park, we needed to add on some time so we did a little loop across a few bridges and along the waterfront, trying not to get hit by cyclists while passing walkers. Jess left me at 2h 40 min and I continued running along the river for another 15 min just for good measure. I walked 5 more minutes, then sat in the grass to stretch. I promptly headed to the Avalon Hotel gym (which was awesome, btw) to do a few weights, stretching and foam rolling.
I only managed to spit on myself once during this run. If you look closely, you may see the remnants of chocolate infused spit.
And I have no idea how I look so peppy after running for three hours.
Pedicure with dirty ankles.
Shortly after this, I scarfed down some snacks: apple, almonds, orange juice, coffee, water and strawberry yogurt. I did not however find lunch a few hours after that. This made for a very hungry, somewhat woozy Lauren by the end of the wedding around 4 pm.
Moral of the story is, long runs on vacation can be done. Fueling away from home can be difficult when you're a bit out of it and you don't know the area well. Instead of getting my car out of valet and driving around aimlessly to find food, I sat in the hotel room listening to itunes and reading blogs. Oh, and running with friends is waaay better than running solo.
Next up: my cousin's wedding recap and dress photos!
Not gonna lie, I was pretty wiped when I woke up. Breakfast was eaten in the hotel bathroom and included a mish mash of snacks: dry Raisin Bran, 1/2 granny smith apple, water, almonds and 1 shot blok. Appetizing, eh? Not so much. I didn't plan well and the hotel breakfast wasn't exactly catering to my long run needs.
By 7:20 am, Jess and I were off on our long run headed for Forest Park which was sure to be shaded and beautiful scenery. It took us longer than expected so we didn't reach the trail until 45 minutes in. It was fun to see so many other Portland Marathoners training along the waterfront and on the trails. The runners were out in full force early Saturday morning!
Most of the run felt just so-so. I couldn't really tell pace thanks to the Garmin not hooking into satellites, but I'd say it was around a 9 min pace (when we weren't running up steep hills). :)
My water bottle was filled with 1/2 Gatorade, 1/2 water and my snackage included the Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bar...yum.
As we made our way back from Forest Park, we needed to add on some time so we did a little loop across a few bridges and along the waterfront, trying not to get hit by cyclists while passing walkers. Jess left me at 2h 40 min and I continued running along the river for another 15 min just for good measure. I walked 5 more minutes, then sat in the grass to stretch. I promptly headed to the Avalon Hotel gym (which was awesome, btw) to do a few weights, stretching and foam rolling.
I only managed to spit on myself once during this run. If you look closely, you may see the remnants of chocolate infused spit.
And I have no idea how I look so peppy after running for three hours.
Pedicure with dirty ankles.
Shortly after this, I scarfed down some snacks: apple, almonds, orange juice, coffee, water and strawberry yogurt. I did not however find lunch a few hours after that. This made for a very hungry, somewhat woozy Lauren by the end of the wedding around 4 pm.
Moral of the story is, long runs on vacation can be done. Fueling away from home can be difficult when you're a bit out of it and you don't know the area well. Instead of getting my car out of valet and driving around aimlessly to find food, I sat in the hotel room listening to itunes and reading blogs. Oh, and running with friends is waaay better than running solo.
Next up: my cousin's wedding recap and dress photos!
Comments
Great job getting 18-miles done despite the fact that you were out of town!!
It's tough to fuel on vacation. I even have a bit of a tough time doing it when I go to my parnets cabin. Esp since I have to bring my own gluten free bread. Which isn't a big deal - it's just one more thing to think of and pack!
Either way, congrats on fitting it in *and* surviving until after 4 pm w/o a full meal! Oof, not easy. :)