Following my report on the Trail Marathon Wales, I thought I would detail the nutritional products I had before and during the marathon, what seemed to work well and what could be improved upon
My nutrition for the Trail Marathon Wales
Pre-Run – 07:30
Torq – Sundried Banana Bar, 1 bar (65g)
Porridge Oats
Pre-Run –08:00 to 08:30
Xtreme Stimulant Energy Drink, High 5
In future I would eat sooner, I think had I eaten at around 06:30-07:00 it would have allowed more time to digest the food, although I didn’t have any real problems because of this.
During the Run – Carried
1 litre of water in a hydration pack
Torq gel Rubarb and Custard, 3 gel packs
Torq gel Banoffee (Caffeinated) 2 gel packs
Zero electrolyte sport drink (Caffeinated), High 5
During the Run – Aid Station
Unknown Isotonic drink
Banana, quarter
Opting to carry the majority of my nutrition and hydration on me the approach I took with the run nutrition was to have the Torq gels every 45 minutes with the caffeinated gels after the 2 and 4 hour slots, and the water I was constantly sipping throughout. The banana was from one of the aid stations (I think it was around 11 miles) with the isotonic drinks taken at each station that had them (from mile 6 onwards as I recall). I took the High 5 caffeine hit at around mile 20 after picking up a 500ml bottle from one of the final aid stations.
Overall I was fairly pleased with how the nutrition went, given that this was the first long distance race opposed to a training run. My strategy was to take a gel and walk while eating/drinking it to allow for my body to digest it as best it can, rather than try and eat and run which can cause problems when trying to digest foods. I believe I managed to avoid a serious bonk, I was shattered but I kept plodding on and I think this was due to having the foods planned out.
I did start to get stomach aches after probably the 4the gel and something that I will do in the future, particularly for the NDW50 will be to include some solid food rather than just gels and drinks. I think my stomach was crying out for solid food by the latter part of the race and had I had more time to prepare my Pinole recipe I would have taken this and hopefully avoided the aches, as well as keeping the energy levels up.
Post Run – Immediately After
Water
Syntha 6 Chocolate protein shake
I should have taken on calories in a solid food rather than a shake, maybe a flapjack or something like that would have done the trick. Next time I will have something tasty for the finish, as until I got solid food in my stomach I was feeling quite sick and a bit out of it.
What I did find useful on the run was the Salomon soft flask, which i used to carry the 3 Rubarb and Custard Gels, aswell as some water later on. I have a poor history opening the gels without splitting them and getting it all over me, this avoided that.
Salomon soft flask, allows you to squeeze every drop of gel out of it so no left overs at the bottom
For those that saw my post yesterday you will probably already be aware that my overall impressions of the event were positive. I guess I should begin on the Friday evening, after a long journey to Wales from London.
The Build Up:
Arriving at Coed y Brenin Visitor centre at around 19:00ish myself and Gareth (designated driver and running the TMW Half Marathon) went in to collect our goody bags and race numbers, the goody bags were particularly nice with a decent pair of Salomon S-Lab socks, T-Shirt as well a Shotz Gel and Gel bottle (and some brochures etc).
Seeing this, it all seemed very real!
When I collected my number I was told that the Marathon route had required a change due to the weather conditions over the past week and that we would be told more at the race briefing. This news didn’t make much difference to me as I hadn’t had an opportunity to run any of the route at this point, although for anyone that had been lucky enough to recci the route this news may have caused them some concern.
A photo of the beautiful winners trophies, not something I was likely to lay my hands on.
A restless night followed with the nerves starting to build up.
48, race number for the TMW as well as all my kit
Race Day:
Arriving at the Coed y Brenin visitors centre the nerves were really starting to take hold, which wasn’t helped by seeing the calibre of runners that were turning up. I tried to maintain focus, telling myself that I wasn’t racing anyone and the challenge was the route and the distance but its unavoidable not to think about where I may place, would I even finish….. The mental battle had already begun and the race hadn’t even started.
At 08:45 we received a race briefing which explained why the route had been changed in more detail. The day before the organisers had been on the route checking out how it was fairing under the huge amount of rain that the area had been seeing over the last week and unfortunately a section of the planned route was now ankle deep bog and it was deemed that in order for all participants to be safe the route would be changed. We would now be following more of the half marathon route, splitting off around mile 11 before rejoining it again at mile.
Nervous thumbs up!
With the briefing over it the marathoners moved forward to the start line, I was now starting to need the toilet but the queue for the loos was too long and so I decided to try and hold out for a bit. The organisers started playing the Final Countdown to get everyone ready for the race start and with a gunshot we were off. As this was my first marathon I had given myself a conservative estimate of 12min mile (which is also the pace for the Ultra) and opted to stick to this rather than set off too fast and regret it later on.
Within about 15 minutes I had to stop for a toilet break, moving over to the bushes at the side I did the deed (which went on FOREVER as person after person passed me), then feeling more comfortable I set off again, now a lot nearer the back than when I started.
The first 4 miles went with no problems, an easy uphill followed by a nice long downhill. However something was becoming apparent, I was being eaten alive by midges. The little bugs were swarming over anyone who had exposed skin and had neglected to (as I had) use repellent. This was a minor annoyance which I just had to get used to and fortunately there was plenty to keep me occupied, with the stunning views all around me.
The downhill lead to the inevitable uphill, which reduced me to a brisk walk, some respite was found in the short downhill at mile 6 but this was countered with another sharp uphill. My training had involved getting on the North Downs and tackling some of the steeper climbs around there so I was prepared for the hills, but there were a few which really took it out of me. Following the half marathon route for the first 11 miles I tackled the off camber section, which despite being downhill slowed me down due to the muddy, slippery terrain. It was here that the first of the half marathon runners started to pass, powering down the track at a frightening pace (how they do it I don’t know!) and not wanting to cost anyone there race I moved to the side to allow them to pass. Also on the half marathon route was a section labelled as “technical” which I thoroughly enjoyed. I can’t remember exactly what distance it occurred, but it was around the 8-10 mile mark (and later around 16-18) I think and was a nice section of proper trail which was through the forest, undulating uphill and downhill but overall downhill. Without thinking my pace quickened, I tend to really enjoy these types of trail as I loose myself in the flow. It was funny as it reminded me of being on my BMX back when I was a lot younger, flowing on the half pipe just letting myself feel the flow rather than thinking about it. Even though I was starting to feel tired this moment of forgetting everything and just enjoying the run was a great boost to my motivation, it was a shame that it didn’t continue longer.
At mile 11 the half marathon course and marathon course split and I continued onwards, and unfortunately upwards for one of the more depressing sections (in my mind anyway) which was a long hard packed gravel road on a gentle uphill. This section seemed to go on forever, in reality it was only about 3 miles, mentally it was quite draining given the previous sections I had encountered. I found myself thinking “when will I get on the trail again” over and over again. It did end, with a very muddy path leading into a field where the gradient increased and the going got slower, feeling mentally drained by the time I hit the aid station at 16 miles.
Things improved as the next section, about 2 miles, was a downhill which then re-joined the half marathon course. The previous uphill’s and downhill’s returned (along with the technical section) up until I ended up at the same split at mile 11, however this time turning left to complete the rest of the half marathon course. This was at mile 25 and I was thinking that it would all soon be over, my body was starting to really protest and every step was an effort, the race organisers had different ideas.
What I saw in front of me made my heart sink, a “sting in the tail” was ahead with a sharp ascent of about 110 meters over about a mile and a half. This was like a kick in the stomach and it sapped every ounce of energy I had left, but I got to the top and despite the protests of my legs started to run again. In the distance I saw a figure with a camera shouting smile, which I did. I then realised it was Gareth who shouted that I was nearly there, and started to run alongside me. Realising that it was nearly over I picked up the pace, repeating the words “finish strong” in my head.
The mantra “Finish Strong” running through my head
Crossing the line in 05:19:00 I had completed my first marathon race, I was passed a coaster and water bottle and I stood and waited for Gareth (who had stopped running as his legs were not happy after cooling down from the half marathon)
And to put into perspective on the toughness of this marathon, the London Marathon has a total climb of approximately 157 meters, the TMW came up as around 1022 meters (or 1234 meters depending on “smoothing” being set to Default or None respectively)
Would I do it again?
Oh yes!! In fact as soon as I see the email go out saying entries are open I will be signing myself up for it. It is a fantastic event, for the first ever event the organisation was superb and even with the course change the route markers were clear with only a couple causing any confusion and there were Marshalls at these anyway. If you have the opportunity to add another Marathon into your race calendar, then make sure it’s the Trail Marathon Wales 2013, a big thanks to Matt, the marshall’s and the rest of his team who put together such an amazing event.
I would also like to add that the support from the general public was amazing, people who were watching were shouting positive things, kids who were out watching were supportive (which was great to see). Walkers and mountain bikers who were doing there own thing would shout encouragements, overall it was a great environment to be in
Lastly a top tip, book your accommodation early, it will go fast! We stayed at Heulwen Guest House (http://www.heulwen.co.uk/), a lovely place to stay at a great price.
Only two days until the Trail Marathon Wales and I am starting to get a mixture of excitement and nervousness. At the moment I am just trying to make sure I have got everything I could possibly need, and fretting that I will forget something!
Weather wise it is looking to be a damp one, with Fridays weather warnings giving me no comfort. The prospect of heavy rains is leading me to pack a variety of running gear so I can make a decision on the morning, but I am hoping not to have to use my full waterproof jacket as it is fairly heavy (when compared to my showerproof jacket) and not as breathable.
Nutrition wise, I think I am pretty much covered (I won’t be carrying all this, again if I bring stuff back its better than not packing it in the first place)
Nutrition sorted
I will be posting a race review Sunday/Monday, hopefully with me having a reasonable result and some good pictures.
If you have read Born to Run then you may be aware of the use of Chia seeds and Pinole by the Tarahumara tribe, who are the part of the main focus of the book. These people think nothing of getting up and running hundreds of miles of fun, seemingly with no effort at all.
So, given all the running I am doing I wanted to look into trying to find an alternative to the energy gels that are commonly used, 1) to find something more healthy and balanced and 2) to save money! Not really being sure where to start I did a bit of googling and came across this website with a basic ingredient list to work from: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/tarahumara-pinole-chia-recipes/
1/2 cup cornmeal, ground as fine as possible
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp brown sugar, honey, or agave nectar
chia seeds (optional)
The basic ingredients I got from the supermarket, having to substitute cornmeal with maizemeal and I ordered the Chia seeds from Amazon.
Now, I have taken some pictures of the process and I have found that I deviated from the quantitys described as I couldn’t quite get the right consistancy with the instructions on the nomeatathlete.
As instructed I measured out 1/2 cup of Maize Meal and cooked for about 5 minutes.Then I added 2tbsp of brown suger, 2 tbsp of Chia seeds and a 1tsp of cinnamon
Lastly I divided the mixture up into 9 pieces and cooked in the oven for 5 minutes.
How did it taste, well better than it looks but this batch seemed very dry and I wanted to have a stickier consitancy which would form a more solid bar which would be easier to eat on the run.
It was back to the drawing board (and in some way still is) and the second attempt is better, but still not perfect for eating on the go, more of a pre-run snack.
So with the final amounts worked out, below is the ingredient list and nutritional value per serving (mixed with 6 tbsp of water):
Ingredients
Calories
Carbs
Fat
Protein
Tesco – Light Brown Muscovado Cane Sugar, 25 grams
100
25
0
0
Rowse Australian Honey – Honey, 15 g
10
0
0
0
Generic – Maize Meal, 1 cup cooked
177
38
2
4
Whole Foods Organic – Chia Seeds, 2 Tbsp.
140
12
9
4
Divided into 9 servings this works out at: 47 cal, 8gram Carb, 1 gram fat and 1 gram protein. It still needs work but its a good starting point.
I am going to keep updating the ingredient list and will post any changes I make. I also have been working on an Iskiate recepie, also from the nomeatathlete site but with my own tweak which I will post in the future.
UltraPlodder.com 