Salt of the earth...

Saturday was the most beautiful day in San Pedro history – sunny, clear, and gorgeous. My original plan included an early trip to The Corner Store for coffee, perhaps a 30-35 mile run, an early dinner at the Lighthouse Cafe and a trip to Barnes & Noble - in short, a perfect Saturday. Fast forward to mile 15 on the run (the turn-around point) – feeling good...no, feeling great! How about 5 more miles... or 10 for a 50-mile loop?

When you’re solo on a very long run, you have to stop for food and water, whereas with a support crew, you’re literally handed everything you need – salt tablets, glucose, food, fluid, etc.  If you did nothing for nine hours, you’d be hungry – now imagine you’re burning at least 15,000 calories - you've got to replenish that fuel. I’ve heard of runners eating whole pizzas on their runs. And, since you’re sweating so much, you need to replace not only fluid, but electrolytes.  You need food, water, and salt. 

First stop - 7-Eleven Store (Rolling Hills, mile 18.5) - two bags of Fritos, two waters, two Snickers Bars, and four Motrin. I pay and tear open the Fritos on the spot, and add three packets of salt, to the alarm disgust of the perfectly coifed soccer mom behind me purchasing a Diet Coke.  No point in explaining; I realize this doesn’t look rational. I quickly eat one bag of Fritos and one of the Snickers, stuff the others in my shorts, which I imagine appears even sketchier than my Fritos attack, and run off, grateful that I don’t actually know anybody in this town.

Second stop – Ranch Market (Malaga Cove, mile 35) – large iced coffee and a bag of salty chips. I pay, open the bag of chips, add five packets of salt, shake the bag and quickly nom them down. I take a few packets of salt and put them in the pocket of my shorts. A gentleman ordering a sandwich does a double, then a triple take, with the expression that suggests he’s observing an asylum escapee. Immediately, I feel better. After ten minutes, the cramped muscles in my legs disappear.

Funny thing about ultrarunners – if you get even two of them together, very quickly the conversation will turn to the topic of salt and the virtues of consuming excessive amounts of it – how to get it, how often to take it, the best absorption delivery, how much to take, etc. The topic of food, salt, and ultrarunning merits attention as a stand-alone topic – more on that later.

Last stop – 7 Eleven (San Pedro, mile 47) - two orange juices, taken with two glucose tablets, and three salt packets. I stop to pound out the lactic acid in my quads on the curb, which cannot appear anything less than lunatic fringe.  It’s cold, it’s dark, and here’s a deranged, inappropriately dressed, sweaty woman, double-fisting OJ, using it to first to beat up her legs, then guzzling it down before eating salt packets and tearing off into the night. I half expect somebody to call the police.

I was never happier to be home. When I arrived, my cat Fellini was waiting outside.  He can sense craziness coming from a mile away (apparently).

Out: 12:30 pm     In: 9:15 pm   Weekly mileage (Sunday to Sunday): 114 miles 

Easter Sunday strategy:  Rest.  Advil.  Sleep.  Hydrate.  Eat.  Re-gain 4.4 pounds.  No problem.       

June 17th suddenly seems very doable... I’ll be ready.  BYO salt lick.

Happy running, 

CMc