Monday, July 28, 2014

It's here!!!

My official race day packet for the Zooma Chicago Half marathon has arrived! 
Race week has officially started. My focus this week is: proper meal consumption, getting enough sleep, and hydration. I have been looking at various hydration tips, because I know it's important, and came across this...
One of my former co-workers (a seasoned "halfer") advised me to hydrate from the start of race week (at least). I've heard that from other runners as well so I am following their advice. He also told me not to "over hydrate" during the first few miles of the race (to avoid the need to endure the porta potties later in the day).

I normally hydrate with water (and occasionally red Gatorade). I know many runners use gels and other electrolyte drinks, but I haven't tried anything else (and I know better than to try anything new on race day). The course will have both water and cytomax every mile or so. I'm praying the water is cold (or at least cool) by the time I get to the aid stations towards the end of the course. 
Today I hydrated as much as I could (and I feel like a camel) 

Four more days to go!

What do you use for hydration? 
Have you ever run at an event where they ran out of water? Share your story!

2 comments:

  1. Your questions always prompt a story from me! My very first marathon was the Walt Disney race. It was unusually hot in January and they did in fact run out of water. Since I'm a slower runner, I was one of the last ones to reach the finish line and many of the water stops were completely empty. That is why I always run with a water bottle and don't drink from it until the end of the race.

    Coconut water is great for hydration and it breaks up the monotony of drinking just water. We are actually training for our races using coconut water instead of gatorade and dates instead of gu's. I'll keep you posted on how that works for us. Alex ran 6 miles with the coconut water and dates and said he felt a surge of energy after he consumed both at mile 3. We are trying to limit our intake of questionable chemicals.

    I am so excited for you. It's going to be such an incredible experience. Enjoy every minute. You're ready!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks hon! Your support and advice means a lot to me :)
      Good luck with your training this week!!

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