Monday, May 19, 2008

Heat!

We finally had some heat in the Northern Rockies this past weekend with temps in the mid-80's. It wasn't exactly what they had in Auburn but it was a good start to the heat training cycle.

I managed a 15 miler on Friday afternoon, a 32 miler on Saturday midday and a 30 miler on Sunday. My S! cap intake is slowly declining and my body seems to be adapting to more stress. The timing seems right with six weeks to go and I am feeling tired but focused.

It was also quite exciting to follow the Walker/Knipling battle at Masanutten. Knowing how stressful the last 20 miles of 100 milers can be made that particularly provocative. Congrats to both runners for a great race.

And, finally, it's now time for full-on hardcore training. I'll be trying to get in 110-130 Miles Per Week for the next four weeks and hopefully my body will hold together. In the meantime, I hope everyone's training is on track.

AJW

7 comments:

TonyP said...

Hey Andy. What do you have your S Cap intake to these days ?

Best of luck with the hardcore training.

AJW said...

Anthony,

I ate 36 during a 50K in March and got that down to 22 during a 52 miler a couple weeks ago on the WS Course. This past weekend I ate 6 during a 5 hour 32 miler so that's better.

AJW

Andy B. said...

Andy,

I'm still learning a lot about electrolyte replacement and hydration during long runs and I have a question for you: How do you know when to start decreasing your S cap numbers?

The issue of salt/electrolyte intake is a bit confusing and mysterious, and I realize it is different for each individual, but there must be some "general" or "universal" principals that can be applied to most runners or endurance athletes. As one who is at the elite level, your thoughts and opinion would be valuable, and appreciated.

Thanks, and good luck with your training and at WS. I'll be volunteering at Duncan Canyon with the Quicksilver Running Club and will keep an eye out for you.

Best,
Andy B.

AJW said...

Dear Andyb,

You are right that electrolytes are mysterious and that different approaches work for different people. For me, in my preparations for WS, I slowly wean my body from dependence on substantial electrolytes throught he spring so that I am balanced by race day. For example, at WTC in March I took 32 S! caps in 4 hours. On a 52 mile training run in May on the WS Course I took 18 S! Caps over 8 hours. Last weekend, I ran for 6 hours in 80 degree temps and took 2 S! Caps. To keep track of my intake I use three totally unscientific techniques:

1. I lick my arm to taste how much salt is in my sweat. If it's really salty I cut back if it's not too salty I increase my intake.

2. I check how swollen my hands are by the tightness of my wedding rings. This allows me to check if I am retaining water. If I am a bit bloated I cut back on salt and increase my intake of plain water.

3. I take the "cramp test". This test allows me to get a sense of how close I am to cramping. Basically, I stretch my leg straigt out behind me and if my hip flexors cramp I know I need more salt. If not, it means I'm on track.

I know this stuff may not help but as it works for me I thought it might be interesting for you to know as you might be able to work out your own system.

AJW

Jasper Halekas said...

Sweet Jesus, man, 32 S-Caps in 4 hours? Just think how much faster you would have been if you weren't carrying a whole bottle of S-Caps with you!

-J

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...

Good S-Cap tips, thanks AJW

Andy B. said...

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the info on your electrolyte intake. As you said, all of that may not apply to me specifically, but the techniques you use and how you approach it certainly are things I can experiment with to see if they will work.

One thing I can certainly glean immediately from your response is that I am not taking nearly enough, which would better explain the cramping I recently experienced in a 50 miler. Also, it's nice to know that you can gradually decrease the intake as you become better heat-trained through the summer.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my question, I really appreciate it.

Andy B.