I switched up my schedule for my long run on Friday because it was a long weekend. The night before I organized my hydration pack, sneakers and clothing.
I filled my hydration bladder with Naak nutrition after thoroughly cleaning all the gunk from its winter hibernation. Last year I picked up the lime flavour of Naak Ultra Energy drink mix at MEC. I needed some nutrition and I didn’t want to waste my time getting my hands on Tailwind Nutrition. (This is what I have faithfully used for years.)
There’s about a quarter of a package left so I added three scoops to my bladder. My long runs are getting longer, and I’m starting to dial in my 100-mile fuelling.
Eating and drinking enough to finish a 100-mile race
The 100-mile space is a completely different beast than a 50 miler or even a 100-kilometre race. So much could go wrong during that distance, and I want to minimize the risk of dehydration and other fuelling mishaps by figuring out what exactly my body needs on these long runs. Practice makes perfect as they say, so my fuelling game needs to be strong.
I have puked during ultras, and it is not fun. Most of the time it had do with electrolyte imbalance.I am hoping this new electrolyte drink will work for me but I have to figure out how to manage the taste on long runs.
For race day, I will carry a 1.8 litre bladder and my two 500 ml flasks in my pockets. The question then is – should I fill my bladder with nutrition or water? And what about the flasks – water or nutrition?
About NAAK Ultra Energy
- A mix of simple and complex natural carbs
- Two scoops equals 250 calories, 1300 mg of BCAAs to reduce muscle fatigue and ensure energy and 650 mg of electrolytes
- Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients.
Source: Naak.com
This week’s long run
I was very conscious of my full bladder and made sure I was sipping at least every half an hour. I also packed three granola-type bars and a handful of Medjool dates. I really like eating dates on my long runs as opposed to gels. I won’t run the entire 100 miles on dates so I will add other whole foods or snacks to my 100-mile fuelling plan.
My run was just under 30 kilometres and I felt great throughout the run. I wasn’t moving fast so I was out a little longer than planned but I did feel that I fuelled well. There was about a quarter of liquid left in my bladder at the end. That’s another something to work on because Sinister 7 is known to be a hot one.
What’s your approach to fuelling on long runs? Any tips or suggestions? Have you tried Naak? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Thanks for sharing your journey towards Sinister!
I use the Naak bars all the time, but haven’t used the drink mix. I typically keep plain water in my bladder and then concentrated Gatorade and Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem in my little squeezy things.
That being said, I need to take real food (sandwiches, perogies, potato chips, etc) as I find two or three hours in I’m sick of the taste of my bars.
I have a rule to get through a bar (or equivalent) every hour – I nibble a portion every 20 min no matter what I’m doing. I make sure I sip water and drink between eating.
I could definitely increase my water intake (easy to get lazy with that), and I’m also going to try to up my total calories a bit, too.
All the best with your training!
It is a challenge, isn’t it? Trying to figure out the perfect mix.
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