Longest run ever

Phew, just completed my longest ever run this morning. 34km, probably not a lot for those who have done a marathon before, but for me I was stoked to get to this distance, still feeling (relatively) good.

I've built up to the longest of my long runs in my marathon prep. I'll do a 10km run followed directly by a 10km race (Minimosmarathon) next Sunday, then two more weeks of 34km Sunday runs, a 10km striders race, then the taper.

This morning I planned to go to do some bush trails through Garigal national park around Roseville bridge, but after the last three days of rain, every single trail I tried to take ended up being a neverending series of lakes completely blocking the path! Not so well drained the old Aussie sandstone soil... So I ended up running through my old haunts of the backstreets of Frenchs Forest, Davidson, Belrose and almost up to Terry Hills, then back.

Trying to get my body to use carbs more efficiently, or switch to fat burning, so I didn't take anything to eat or any gels, just water and a bit of sports drink and I was pleasantly surprised to be able to truck along at a decent clip (5min/kms pace coming back over Roseville Bridge to my car at the 32km mark) for 3 hours and 40 minutes without experiencing any kind of bonk.

At the end I had a shot of gel and one of my new chocolately recovery bars that I made last night! Dense as hell, but delicious. And it was the perfect recovery snack before I had time to go home and make lunch.

I recently read that at the end of a serious training session, your recovery needs are 1 gram of carbs for every pound of body weight, plus protein in the ratio of 4:1 (carbs:protein), within 2 hours of finishing the session. Half should be taken within 30 minutes of finishing the session, and the other half within the next hour and a half. This is ideal in getting the most out of your workout, plus making sure your muscles recover as well as possible for your next session.

So I made these bars last night which, when I eat one bar along with one shot of gel, gives me the perfect amount of carbs and protein straight away. What a nerd. Here's the recipe: Mike's Chocky Recovery Bar