Andrew Schrauben

Shortly before 8am this morning I set out on a 30-mile training run, planning to go the distance but take it relatively easy. Why 30 miles? I'm trying to build up towards the North Country Trail Run, a 50-mile ultramarathon. The weather was perfect, traffic was light; in fact, the only problem with my run today was that I decided to stop after 20 miles.

My biggest challenge with any long distance run is not strength or stamina, but surprisingly digestion. I have a hard time drinking enough water to stay hydrated and eating enough calories to prevent bonking. I know how much I need to consume, but my stomach fills up faster than it can process the sustenance. Hopefully as I continue to train my digestive system will adapt, just like my lungs and legs have adapted, too.

Today's meandering route took me from Lowell to Whitneyville, and then back home. About 16 miles into the run I reached the gas station in Whitneyville where I stopped for about 10 minutes to use the restroom, splash some cold water on my face, and buy some food. In such situations I look for food that is 1) palatable, 2) high in sodium, 3) high in calories, and 4) high in potassium, if possible. Some Kars PBJ Trail Mix caught my eye for meeting all four needs.

After downing some PBJ Mix, I set off for home but after a mile my body was beginning to give out. My lungs weren't burning, my legs weren't cramping, my vision wasn't blurry - all things that have slowed me down in the past. This time it was my legs just aching and a general feeling of fatigue. I walked for the next two miles to give myself a chance to recover a bit, then throttled up to a running stride again. Just a mile later I could barely shuffle and resorted to walking again.

Had this been a race, I would've pressed on, walking until I felt better and trying to run, seeing if I could climb out of the rut. I've run two marathons before, and both times had to fight through some major issues, but this was just a training run. I decided it wouldn't be wise to essentially walk the remaining 10 miles home - it would only draw out my recovery and wouldn't add much to my overall endurance. So I pulled out the cell phone and summoned Amanda to pick me up. All told I ran 20 miles in four hours. I picked up a Subway turkey sub on the way home to refuel my recovering body.

In retrospect, I made a wise decision. An hour after getting home I limped around the backyard trying to play frisbee with my dogs - my legs were SORE. But a couple hours later I was feeling good. The legs are still sore, but not "walking like an old man" sore like after a marathon. Often if I push myself very hard I lose my appetite (happened after both marathons) for hours, but not today. Sometimes after hard workouts I get quite cold (even in the summer) as my body apparently allocates its resources away from thermal regulation and towards muscle and tissue repair. I often need a nap, too. But not today - I got a bit cold but nothing significant, and never felt sleepy, either. What this means is that despite feeling wasted after running 20 miles, I recovered quite rapidly. My training has been paying off, in one way or another.