Like gasoline to an internal combustion engine. Coal to a steam engine. Attention to a class clown. Nutrition is everything to an endurance athlete.
About this time of the season I get lax with my nutrition on these Wednesday long runs. By this point in the season these runs feel routine. The "rusty pain" of the early season has given way to the cool pain of progress. I barely do any planning the night before or morning of. And biology always smacks me around a bit.
By mile seven my weak breakfast and lack of hydration caught up with me and I started to see stars. Body broke down. Respiration labored. Posture for crap.
I stumbled into the turnaround and took stock. I had plenty of gels... I just hadn't been eating them. So I put back three and drank water until I felt bloated. Within 20 minutes I was back to feeling fine.
Final time today was 3:21. I didn't realize until mile 20 that I didn't put on the heart rate strap so I can't give a heart rate comparison. But it felt about the same as the last few long runs. The cool temps helped me.
5:30a start and a ton of spider webs today. Jeeze these things.
Post-Ironman Melancholy