Triathletes are typically very good at preparing for long rides on the bike.  We think ahead about nutrition and hydration, and prepare accordingly.  Long runs, especially those done when it is hot, require just as much preparation.

I wrote about preparing for a long bike ride a week or so ago.  In that post, I detailed all the things I considered for my ride.  Today, I had a 90 minute run on my schedule, and although not super long, the run did involve tempo work, and the weather is currently very hot.  I needed to be sure that I had everything I needed.  Here is what I took along for the run.

• A hand held bottle, that I could use to drink water while running.
• An extra bottle of water that I could use to refill my hand held bottle, if the local water fountains were not turned on.
• Three Honey Stinger gels. I took one before I started the run and then one every 30 minutes, while running.
• My recovery drink – Cocoa Elite Chocolate Milk. A chocolate milk flavored protein drink that also contains carbohydrates.
• A bottle containing an electrolyte drink (Nuun).
• Sun block – applied 30 minutes before my run.
• Two towels to dry myself after the run.

The key here was to make sure that I took in adequate nutrition and hydration; just like on long bike rides.  Long runs are very tough on our bodies.  We need to be sure we don’t make them tougher, by forgetting key items when we set out for our run.