Mr Trail Safety Speaks!

Trail-dining at The Lounge, Boney at Chamberlain Trail jct. Boney Mt Wilderness. All better with the Eat-n-Tool. I’m having recovered ultra- memories of what I ate and trained with before there were gels. Its only a matter of time before you discover that energy bars and gels are expensive and taste pretty bad . Since I’m not sponsored, I’m on my own for making this happen. Running nutrition is Big Business. In 2012 alone, energy drinks and shots market sales totaled $12.5Bn . Energy bar sales jumped 71% between 2006-2011 , hitting $1.7Bn by 2011. We're seeing stuff that didn't exist ten years ago. Energy gels an d drink mixes make claims of absorbability, energy, and with all the sub-variants of vegan, gluten-free, etc. Taste ranges from OK to poisonous. As to the whole gluten-free thing: if you have celiac disease, its legit. Otherwise you’re an unpaid test-subject in a mass epidemiological study with unknown outcomes. Go ahead, enjoy your gel. No, really! You can...

I'm going to aim for the knockout points right up front, and flat out tell you that the ideal pacer is above the average runner, and a tough, lean, canny guide and wily co-competitor for the above-average runner. The ideal pacer is an expert, the ghillie for the hunt here, and if you're gunning for a buckle, all the positive help you can get is for the better. However, we all start at the beginning. If this is your first time pacing, think very carefully about the following: Are you up for "running" [or not] above or below your comfort zone? Do you have romantic notions about the task ahead of you? This encompasses both overt or cryptic attachments to your runner [provided you know them], and/or the business about being out all night and the brutal part of the day. Have you run at night? More than once? On the course? In bad weather? Do you have an urgent, time-sensitive appointment Saturday or Sunday? Too bad. You'll miss it, guaranteed. ...