Terrain: Mostly flat Riverwalk
Time: 03:50:21 (with plenty of stops)
Pre-Run Glucose: 202 ml/dL
Post Run Glucose: 143 ml/dL
Intake: 8 oz Hammer gel, 6 PB&J Crackers, 5 oz Gatorade
Run Pump Status: Suspend, 1 unit of insulin @ 16 mile mark (too many carbs from crackers)
Today's run was pretty good. Started a little chilly as normal, but it could have been worse. My glucose level was a little higher today starting off than what I've done in the past. I think I'll go with a ~200 ml/dL start from now on. It gives me an extra mile or two before I have to start with the gel. Another thing I did different was to go on a temp basal rate of (0%) about one hour prior to running. This is what helped edge my glucose up to about 200 prior to start and gave me a little bit of a cushion.
On the second 10 miles I realized today I was having some sever IT band tightness. A friend on the run showed me a great stretch for this and I immediately started doing it. It made a big difference and I kicked myself for not thinking of this beforehand. I had been having lateral knee pain for a few weeks. After the run I also got new shoes. Better safe then sorry. This will allow me to have the new shoes worked in before the marathon. So, the second 10 miles became increasingly painful as I went on. I stopped to stretch about every mile and it helped tremendously.
Upon talking with one of my friends on the run today, we decided that after he dropped me off at home we would try the method of recovery people swear on....polar bear bath, and discuss this later to see if either of us benefited from it. Unbenounced to me, I went a little overboard, but got the same results. Cold water bath with two pitchers of ice. I left the socks on and slid in, then poured the ice over the quads. After the first 30 seconds of thinking "What the heck am I doing" and "There's no way this can help" my quads actually started to feel quite comfy and very relaxed in the ice bath. I'll be doing this after the marathon I guarantee you. The day after this run I'm feeling absolutely pleasant for having just run 20 miles (and never having done that before in my life). So the polar bear bath definitely sped up my quads recovery!
All things aside, the only thing I'll change for a long run like this again will be to not eat a whole package of crackers at the midway point. In fact, I'll not eat unless it's needed. Hydrate and gel, maybe a few crackers when needed, but don't tip the balance. I'd rather go a little low with the glucose then to go high with it.
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