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Claire Walters

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March 7, 2009

Claire Walters: Gel provides GUd boost

By CLAIRE WALTERS

Rome wasn't built in a day. It's one of those pithy sayings we're taught from childhood to illustrate that hard work and dedication are necessary to achieve anything worthwhile.

It's something I've been keeping in mind a lot lately, as I progress toward the Bayshore Marathon.

Unlike the path at one of my favorite running haunts, the GT Civic Center, the road network of the Roman Empire likely was pretty difficult to navigate. Thus, those clever Roman road-builders came up with the milestone, a stone tablet informing travelers of miles traveled and miles left to go between all of those early Roman tourist traps.

The word also at some point became the go-to term to describe momentous events and achievements, and feels particularly relevant in the context of breakthroughs related to running.

Friday I reached the first real milestone in my marathon training -- my first-ever 12-mile run. Prior to this, I had run my fair share of 15Ks, and even a 10-miler or two, but there was definitely a mental boost inherent in reaching a new personal-best mileage.

Never mind that 12 miles is less then half my goal of 26.2; it feels like a training turning point.

Getting to said turning point has involved some hard lessons.

Last month, I ran into some persistent pain in my legs and feet as I steadily added miles. After some research, consultation with marathoner friends and scolding from readers via comments on my blog, I incorporated into my training program stretching, icing and rest when necessary. Thankfully, at this point I seem to have left behind most of those muscle and joint issues I experienced early on.

I'm also discovering that squeezing an hour or more of running into my schedule in a given day can be a challenge. I'm a big fan of multi-tasking, but what else can you do during a run than ... run?

Sometimes I mentally compose blogs and columns, but usually I just revel in the exhilaration that comes along with the physical activity. Initially I resented the time commitment necessary to complete training runs, but I've come to appreciate simply running to run.

A final learning experience involves mid-run sustenance.

I always have been wary of ingesting anything, even water, during a run. For some reason, I had some deep-set pre-conceived notion that putting something on my stomach would necessarily lead to side stitches.

However, once I began to tackle double-digit mileages, which I usually finish much slower than I start, I recognized the wisdom of carrying a snack. The fact is that during a longer run even a hundred calories can provide a nice surge to help ensure a strong finish.

Enter GU.

As I mentioned in a previous column, I was very suspicious of this ominously named little energy gel. I purchased one of the pocket-sized packets about a month ago, but was way too nervous actually to try it -- in the middle of any really strenuous activity, the last thing I want is something slimy and stomach-turningly sweet.

I was further put off by its stupid name -- "Chocolate Outrage" GU.

Before my 12-mile run this week, I grudgingly stuffed the aforementioned stupidly titled GU into the pocket of my jacket and prepared to unleash the stuff around mile eight.

While I was expecting some weird gelatinous compound to ooze out, the GU's flavor and texture actually is closest to chocolate cake batter. In other words, it's pretty GUd. Not even "good" as in good for a protein bar -- meaning slightly less awful than other protein bars -- legitimately, well, GUd.

While chocolate cake batter isn't my first choice for a mid-run snack, it was a welcome boost. And, when you're eight miles in, who cares what you're eating as long as it's providing some energy?

So, OK, Rome wasn't built in a day. Nor can I expect that my marathon training will be easy or quick; I recognize that my training is a learning process that requires dedication, hard work and, yes, potentially some pain. I can handle all of those. This marathon is one milestone that's worth the effort.

Record-Eagle copy editor and first-time marathon runner Claire Walters is chronicling her training experiences in a bi-weekly column as she prepares for the May 23 Bayshore Marathon. Readers also can follow her progress by reading her blog at http://blogs.record-eagle.com. The blog contains her training schedule and log, and she invites advice and comments from other runners.

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    Claire Walters: Moment I'll never forget

    I officially can call myself a marathoner. I worked diligently and consistently during the past five months to earn that distinction. Those five months of intense training culminated Saturday in the Bayshore Marathon, and included countless hours spent running, thinking about running and planning my social life around running.

    Continued ...
    May 23, 2009 10:05 pm 1 Photo
  • Claire Walters: Anxiety hits in final week
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    Going into marathon training in early January, I foresaw this week " the week before the race " a lot of ways. What I couldn't have foreseen at the time, of course, was the uncertainty and anxiety I now would be experiencing because of a painful case of shin splints that struck just before a big 20-mile training run two weeks ago.

    Continued ...
    May 16, 2009 10:15 pm 1 Photo
  • Claire Walters: Commonly asked questions
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    Marathon training raises quite a few questions from those unfamiliar with the process; I should know, I peppered marathoner friends and family with dozens of queries before signing up. Now I'm the one undergoing the third degree. Some questions arise more frequently than others.

    Continued ...
    May 4, 2009 6:11 am 1 Photo
  • Claire Walters: Crunch time for training
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    Five weeks before the marathon, essentially the equivalent of running final exams, wouldn't be my first choice for travel, mainly because all of the distractions that make keeping up with a training regimen difficult. Nevertheless, I'm spending this week in northeast Ohio, visiting my parents, brother and sister, who made the trip from Asheville, N.C.

    Continued ...
    Apr 18, 2009 9:49 pm 1 Photo
  • Claire Walters: Running with 'The Grunge'
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    Some things are inevitable during winter in northern Michigan. There is the seemingly continuous snowfall. And the months-long, sometimes unbearable cabin fever. Then there's what we in the newsroom affectionately refer to as "The Grunge," a blanket term used to describe the multitude of undesirable cold- and flu-like symptoms that practically are preordained in this climate.

    Continued ...
    Updated Mar 23, 2009 6:50 am 1 Photo
  • Saturday, March 7, 2009
  • Saturday, February 21, 2009
  • Claire Walters: List of must-have running gear
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    The myriad of products marketed to runners has got me wondering: Which are essential and which are the runners' equivalent of a Snuggie (oddly intriguing, but ultimately useless)? The first, most obvious running must-have is a great pair of shoes. Before seriously getting into running, I based my running shoe purchases on two main attributes: style and price.

    Continued ...
    Updated Feb 22, 2009 10:17 am 1 Photo
  • Saturday, February 7, 2009
  • Claire Walters: Running not for the weary
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    I have always been almost lethally uncoordinated. Some have even said klutzy. As a would-be student athlete, I had much more enthusiasm than actual talent. After an assortment of unfortunate incidents, including a sprained ankle during a casual game of basketball and a black eye (not mine) during a Junior High volleyball match, my parents suggested I give the track team a try, reasoning that I would be highly unlikely to injure myself -- or anyone else -- while jogging a few laps on a level surface.

    Continued ...
    Updated Feb 8, 2009 9:52 am 1 Photo
  • Saturday, January 24, 2009
  • Claire Walters: Woes of winter running
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    Let's face it: All but the most hard-core of runners in northern Michigan, with its notoriously snowy six-month winter, likely will spend a few runs indoors. Though the treadmill can provide a welcome respite from the lung-burning cold, it presents a choice: The inevitable boredom of a monotonous run versus the bitter winds, knee-deep snow and slippery sidewalks of the outdoors.

    Continued ...
    Updated Jan 25, 2009 9:41 am 1 Photo
  • Saturday, January 10, 2009
  • Claire Walters: Guess who's a runner after all
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    I never have considered myself an athlete. In fact, I used to think the dreaded couch potato gene was explicitly written into my genetic code. So I recently surprised even myself when I decided to register for the 2009 Bayshore Marathon and to write this column detailing my training.

    Continued ...
    Updated Jan 11, 2009 9:40 am 1 Photo