Run from hell

The folks at Rogue have a "run from hell", a 14.5 mile run that starts at RunTex on 1st and Riverside, is flat for 2 miles and then there are 10.5 miles of hills and then the same 2 miles of flat on the way back. The route includes Stratford, Redbud and then a loop through WestLake.

The fall group '06 Rouge group training for Chicago/NY did this run yesterday. Given the tough nature of the course and the warm and humid weather in Austin it was a accomplishment for the people training for their first marathon and for everybody that's run one before. This course has to have some of the toughest hills in Austin ... and over 10 miles of them!

I've done this run a few times and think I've got it figured out. One of the things I noticed today when I ran it was how my nutrition habits have changed over the last 2 years training with Rouge. I used to be what we call a "crack" addict (GU at the start and then every 45 minutes ... more often during races). Steve (my coach at Rouge) had me wean off the GU after my first marathon training with him. Now I can usually go 2 hours without worrying about it. It is amazing what your body can adapt to, the long easy runs with a good diet during the week have done wonders for my abilty to process energy better where I'm not a slave to glycogen and constantly needing sugar. I still GU like crazy during a race but hey ... at that point I'll take a boost in energy any way I can get it but have really come to appretiate the long runs and easy pace work for getting the body to better process fatty acids and other energy sources.