Disclaimer: I received a generous supply of Gatorade Endurance to trial as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews.
As many of you know, or as my blog title implies, I ‘fell into’ running somewhat unintentionally, but once I got a taste of it, I kept on going and I have never looked back. I still sometimes feel like I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, but I keep plugging along, and I keep moving forward. My journey began in 2013 when I ran my first race ever, the Chicago Marathon. I thought I was one and done, but here I am six years later, having completed 10 marathons, more than a dozen half marathons, a Ragnar relay, a sprint triathlon, and just about everything else in between.
Over the years I’ve set a few goals, one of which is to become an Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Finisher. I’m not speedy and I never will be, but for me it’s all about the journey and making my way to each start and finish line. So far I have run three of the six World Majors including Chicago (six times), Berlin, and London. I will be running Chicago and New York City this fall, which will leave Tokyo and Boston to round out the six.
I have historically not been good at training for races, and I have been especially bad about fueling. Since I had no clue for my first marathon, I ate a muffin and a banana the morning of the race, and then just took the Gatorade and water that were offered along the course. It got me through and for the longest time the course offerings were what I relied on. As time went on, I found that in the final miles of any race I would poop out and no longer feel like running, so I would walk the rest of the way. It didn’t matter if it was a half or a full marathon; at a certain point, I was done.
I started experimenting with different types of fuel but of course the experimentation happened during the races and not in the weeks or months leading up to them. You can guess how that turned out. The worst of it was during the 2017 Chicago Marathon. By the time I got to Mile 20, each new sip of the fuel I was carrying made me sick to my stomach. By Mile 22 I threw it away and called my husband to let him know I would be walking the rest of the way. Ever since then, even just a smell of that brand of fuel makes me nauseated. My next race, I relied on water only. Also not so bueno.
I’m excited to be using Gatorade Endurance to fuel my journey over the coming months. I’ve been outfitted with enough powder and gel to get me through the summer and if all goes well, I will be using it to fuel during my fall distance races.
How do you fuel your endurance activity? Do you use Gatorade Endurance formula? What’s your favorite flavor?
Upcoming races on my calendar include:
October 13: Bank of America Chicago Marathon
October 19: Urban Bourbon Half Marathon (use code BourbonRave2019 for 10% off!)
November 3: New York City Marathon
November 16: RnR Las Vegas 5K (use code 19RNRBRP16 for $6 off the 5K/10K distances!)
November 17: RnR Las Vegas Half Marathon (use code 19RNRBRP16 for $16 off the half/full marathon distances!)