As I said in my piece, I took in 8oz of electrolyte replacement (Gatorade G2) at the 7-mile point. That may not have been enough. I might have to put something else apart from just water in my belt, as you say.

I went to a Sports Authority today and it really was the greatest sports store I’ve ever seen - they had *everything*, and I’m going back on Friday (payday) to pick up a hydration pack. It holds two litres and that should do me fine. If I run with a bottle of Gatorade or pick one up at a store en route that should solve my problems (hopefully).

@ Jesse - I’ll experiment with your mix. I picked up some Powerbar gel today (I know you said they’re grim, Spartan7, but lemon-lime is lemon-lime - how bad can it be? and will see if that helps me tomorrow (although my run won’t be as long, but I’m feeling tired so it’ll be necessary, I think).

@ Dan - I’d be interested to see what you think of the books. I’m almost through Kirk Johnson’s To The Edge, which is about his rookie, one-year-of-training experience at Badwater, and it’s a very, very good read. I have three other books on my ‘to do’ pile to get through as well, including Dean K’s new book (which I’ll probably read on the plane home). Probably warrants a thread of its own down the line.

As said, I have my eye on a hydration pack that felt great on my back in the store, but that’s a bit of a shocker about the tech shirts. Still, give it 4-6 weeks and I’ll be running in a jacket in England, it’ll be so cold and rainy.

Welcome to both of you two, btw.

Your experiences of the past few days sound very familiar to my experiences while training for my first marathon. I agree with Rahn about your GI tract being messed up and if you don’t mind some advice - layoff the yogurt and milk for awhile and take acidophilus or a pro-biotic 1 hour before eating in the morning (a cup or two of water also).

REI should have gel blocks.

The hydration pack is the way to go for your long runs but takes some getting used to and will wear through the best of technical shirts.

All the best,

Dan

Dehydration is no fun for anyone..

1. Your intake probably had too much sugar, causing you to crash. A fifty/fifty mix of gatorade and water is no problem, but throwing in the high-fructose corn syrup in the coke can mess it all up. (You’ll need extra h2o to dilute it, plus it can mess with the GI track.)

2. For these longer runs, you should think about more electrolytes. The gatorade has some, but for the kind of weather your dealing with, you need more. get some s-caps or do some gels with electrolytes. (And they require more water)

3. You didn’t mention your pre-run hydration, but you need to make sure you fluid-up before you head out, preferably starting the night before.

4. And naturally, I like to eat. Hence, for long runs, I usually bring something with me. If I’m doing a loop like you were, have it ready at home. A handful of trail mix, a clif bar, or something else just to get some more sustainable calories in. (and eat realistic breakfast before going out. Don’t do this before the run until your used to it and know how to handle it.)

And yeah, olive garden after the run could hit the spot.

Just be careful out there! I don’t run high mileage like that but even my 5 miles, somedays are hard. Today is my 24th day of running. I feel good and i am going until 35 days…

Thanks for all your great posts!! I’m rooting for you!!!

Maybe you had too much water at your stop and not enough salt?

When you sweat a lot your body runs very low on salt - try taking a salt tablet.

Sometimes, I don’t do the smartest things in the universe. For example, I was past mile 9 when I finally took water from the station during my Half-Mary. True, it was the winter, but dehydration knows no boundaries. It was the first time I have ever tried to do the grab, pinch and drink during a race … and I still ended up with a large volume of water going down my front. The water station was a t a turn, so I should have slowed down, but I like to speed up around curves. I tried two more times to pinch the cup and slurp water, but when I got some on my shoes, I tossed the cup. Good riddance and be gone, evil water vessel.

Great job hanging in there! your endurance through the rough August here will pay off for you back home.

As for gel shots, even in the huge area where I’m at, there are only two places to find any selection of them. The Wal-Mart has only PowerBar gels … don’t go there. I tried them while deployed and the taste is dreadful.