Nutrition "training" for the 50K race

Today I did a steady 16K run at a 5:13 pace. It was a little warm when I left my house just before 7:00 AM and progressively got warmer as I went along. Luckily I remembered to bring along one gel, which I took at the 10K mark, as well as some E-Load capsules which I took before and during the run.

I started to think about just how FAR 50K is. Yes, I've done it once before and I've also done a few marathons (42.2 K) so the extra 8K in theory, shouldn't be a problem. However, I'm still haunted by the feelings I had last year during the race as well as the cramping issues I've suffered during my last 2 big races (Around the Bay and Mississauga Marathon). I've been experimenting with lots of different food combinations during my training but it's hard to know if they are working. I've never experienced cramping at any time during my training runs whether they are tempo runs, hill repeats or long distance runs (25-32K). There has never been a point during any of my runs in the past 2 years that I've had cramping problems.

Today I was doing some research for eating during the ultra marathons (anything over 42.2K) and most are in agreement on two things:
1.You better schedule in walk breaks.
2.You will need to eat food during the race to keep you going.

With aid stations every 5K, and running roughly a 6 minute kilometre, that means running every 26-30 minutes straight. I've decided to cut that in half and take a walk break every 2.5K. That should take about 15 minutes. I've also decided to carry water with me. This is something that I normally don't do during a race. I've found that running with a fuel belt just too heavy and uncomfortable. I'm going to wear a water bottle attached to my hand and fill it up at the water stations. This way if I need some water in between stations, I'll have it available. I'll also take 2-3 E-Load capsules every 15 minutes.

The aid stations will be stacked with gels, bananas, gummy bears, M & M's,pretzels and cookies. Eating things other than gels is something that most people wouldn't do during a marathon. However gels don't have enough sustained carbohydrates for this race.
Last year I ate bananas and pretzels and this seemed to work well. You have to use foods that your stomach will tolerate. The last thing you want is to have any GI issues during the race. Because of my cramping issues, I'm going to make sure I eat at least 1 banana at each stations. The potassium from the bananas and the sodium from the E-Load capsules should avoid the cramping issues that I've suffered with.

As with any race, though, there are variables which are out of a runners control such as the weather. The hotter it is the more electrolytes will be lost and the more water and electrolytes will be needed to ingested. Running a marathon or ultra marathon has more to do with mental preparation than physical exertion. During my taper week next week I'm going to make sure I have every base covered appropriately.