OMG WOW. I had no idea GAF had a running community!. I don't run anymore, but I did for 4 years on a team, and coached for 1 more year. I was a long distance dude, but also did a lot of short distance stuff too.
Don't have much to contribute, but I do have a story that I'll never forget. I was running a 5k 5 or 6 years back, and i remember watching this one dude down like 2 bottles of Gatorade. In my mind I was thinking "GG homie", and just as I predicted, this dude pretty much had a heart attack in like the 1st minute of the race. The fucked up thing was the race wasn't stopped, and we were pretty much jumping over this dudes body as an ambulance drove on the course to pick him up. It was also hella hot. thankfully the guy was chillin, but god damn was that an intense race. I dont remember my time, but I think it was mid 17's or something, and I just PR'd lol. Idk how that dude drank 2 bottles of Gatorade. I can barely breathe if i drink half a bottle. I start wheezing like no tmrw.
tl:dr mix ur gatorade with water...or u know....just dont drink that junk at all. lol.
anyway good luck with ur training everyone. always try new trails n shizz, dont do the same thing to much, and dont neglect speed training. endurance is important, but ya gotta have balance. make sure u are mentally prepared. ur biggest barrier is ur mind. ur body can be in peak condition, but if ur mentally fucked...GG. most importantly, dont fap or have sex before a race loooooool