Firstly, I need to ensure that I do not go out guns blazing at the start. I have learnt from previous attempts in distance running that the fastest out of the gates usually doesn't finish first. I came to this training session today with the same mentality, going out strong but steady because this isn't a 5km distance - more like 4 times that.
Secondly, I really gotta make sure that I am plenty hydrated before i go out, especially in such hot and humid weather. I feel that my hydration status throughout the run served a negative outcome. I never drank anything during my run (even though I planned to swing by my house with 6km to go to grab a quick swig). I feel the next investment I have is a fuel belt so that I am not relying on my current hydration status to maintain myself through the run. after the 14km mark, I started to notice my sweat rate decrease significantly and my mind began to wander more than usual. I also felt slight pains in my chest because my heart was working overtime to distribute blood because its volume had probably decreased.
Finally, I need to make sure that I eat something substantial about 60-90 minutes prior to my long runs. Today was an exception because I was at work and all I could eat was a quick handful of trail mix about 5 minutes before I left for the run. This ended up causing me to have some serious indigestion for the first half of the run. Thankfully it stayed down, but I was prepared to let it all out...
I really think that if I eat something 60-90 minutes prior to a long run, and purchase a fuel belt so that I can maintain hydration, I can significantly drop my time. For the course I ran today, its length was 20.04km and I managed to finish it in 1:25:58. That is quite decent but I know if I get my nutrition under control, I can bring that number down. In addition, I wasn't fully exerting myself, this run was at a totally aerobic condition since I run with a heart rate monitor. Only at the end of the run did my heart rate skyrocket since I was entering cardiovascular drift (heart rate increases since blood volume decreases in hot/humid weather... and my lack of liquid intake). All in all I feel very confident in the results of my run, just wish I stopped at home before the last 6km... may have made it more enjoyable. Here is the elevation during my course as provided my Training Peaks:
It's a little bit of a flat course but with some decent elevations at the end. Trust me, those uphills really suck after 18km of running... Hopefully I can make the next attempt under 1:24:00
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