"Do You Need Help?"

Funny story. Dave, Brian, and I were on the Natchez Trace on Monday doing our first trial run. Our goal was to run at least five hours, but no more than six. So while we near hour five we get a white truck that pulls up next to us. A lady stuck her head out and said, "Is everything OK? Do you need help?" I think her statement sums up what we're trying to do in a pinch.

So while on the Trace we covered a little over 32 miles and did it in five hours 54 minutes. Not bad. I averaged a little over five mph, which is perfect. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. This is how she broke down:

I took off the two days before the test run and carbo-loaded. The night before I had pasta and two granola bars with peanut butter.

I was up at five Monday morning to pack, fold laundry, and get my food ready. While getting ready I mellowed out to David Alan Coe on the iPod.

Brian showed up first so we began packing to head out at seven, but where was Dave. I don't really mind waiting for Dave because his responses are classic. When I called him I didn't even get to say anything before he cut me off with, "I'm coming!"

We finally got on the road a little after seven and rocked out to Jane's Addiction and Soundgarden (metal for the soul). When we arrived in Natchez it was cold. The weather channel had been calling for a wind chill in the 20's all day, but I'm not sure it was actually every that bad. We did see lots of ice and even some snow, but it warmed up throughout the day and wasn't bad at all.

The Toughest Hour: Hour four was brutal. It was right after our turn around point and my thighs were killing. Dave and Brian kept talking to me trying to keep my mind wandering, but it was still a struggle. They didn't know, but I was honestly fighting tooth and nail to keep from stopping to walk.

What Didn't Work: We discovered the GU gels are a fatal move to make. They ripped my stomach to pieces and I was cramping towards the end. In short, they're too sweet...even when taken in portions and cut with water.

What Did Work: Peanuts and Cliff bars. Peanuts were a God send. At one point I didn't want to eat anything, but I was trying to get something down every 15 minutes. I forced down a handful of peanuts and the results were instant. The quick infusion of salt (pretzels worked too) did wonders for the body.

For Next Time: More solid, "normal" foods. I've been focusing so much on energy packed gels and bars that I may have overlooked the importance of simple things like bananas, PB&J's, and potatos. Also need to try Pedialyte. We had it for this run, but because of the state of my stomach, never got to try it. Ultimately my caloric intake needs to be amped up a great deal. We did the math and I wasn't eating nearly enough. I may try chowing down an hour before my next trial.

All in all, a good trial. I was disappointed that I was starting to crash so fast at the end, but Dave made a good call. He told me that our goal was five hours and to get as close to 30 miles as possible. We reached that goal. Get over feeling down.

Tonight I talked at the LSU-TRI club meeting about the run. I got a great response and some contacts that are willing to help out in the future. Also picked up a few poor saps that want to help train with me. Our next trial is February 17 and is scheduled for 8-9 hours. We'll have pictures up of this week's trial soon, I hope. Until then, carry on my wayward son.