Disclaimer: I received Gatorade ® Endurance products to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Since my last post, I’ve made it further out of the summer stress factory and almost settled into a new fall semester groove. It’s a slow process but we’re getting there. Luckily I’ve been feeling much better in general (outside of some random flareups of pain that are usually short-lived) and I have an appointment with a specialist next week to plan next steps to get treated before the end of the year (before new deductibles kick in – because planning health episodes around when insurance actually works is SO efficient). Hopefully I can wait until after Marine Corps, around Thanksgiving maybe, to get everything fixed up, you know..because marathon >> uterus. 😉

Along with feeling generally better on the day-to-day, in spite of the continued heat and humidity that just won’t let go, my long runs have actually been pretty strong and productive. I was surprised on the long run last Saturday that I was able to maintain a peppy overall pace, Atlanta heat/hills/humidity be damned. I’ve also consulted my calendar and it looks like I “should” feel pretty good around race day. Taken together, my confidence heading closer to race month is starting to gain a bit of momentum while still maintaining a healthy dose of respect for the distance.

Something that’s been really helpful during training, especially since we haven’t seen the last of the heat and humidity, has been the Gatorade Endurance Formula. I’ve been using it since June when I received some during the first wave of testing as a BibRave Pro. You can read my full review from the first round here, but in overall it’s super tasty (watermelon flavor), very easy on the stomach (a huge improvement for me as compared to previous Gatorade products I’ve encountered), and it’s packed with sodium and potassium (key elements to combat the ATL heat and humidity). My one complaint/suggestion is that it doesn’t include magnesium, which I find helpful towards preventing cramps and dead leg syndrome (since it aids in energy metabolism). If it had magnesium I’d probably count Gatorade Endurance Formula as my favorite sports drink, but I’ve still be using it all summer for Marine Corps training with good results. Hey, Gatorade, make it happen!

For this second round of testing, Gatorade also sent me the Endurance Carb Energy Chews in fruit punch flavor. The chews dissolve really easily in the mouth, even without water, and pack 31g and 120 calories into a package smaller than other chew products I’ve used (something nice when trying to stuff a marathon’s worth of calories into pockets). On long runs I carry the Endurance Formula for between water stops and then use water at each stop with a pack of the chews. This combination helps me manage around 200 calories per hour with no stomach upset or sloshing. Marine Corps Marathon will have Endurance Formula on course so I think this nutrition training plan will factor in well on race day (fingers crossed!). If you’re running Chicago or an Ironman event I highly recommend trying out these products since they’re offered on both courses. You can even buy course pack bundles for the events on the Gatorade website.

With 38 days to go until Marine Corps I’m hoping to maintain the forward momentum of improved fitness and race readiness. Here’s to living a goal-oriented life!