STRENGTH: ~50 mins of PlyoX
RUN: 49 mins and 5.2 miles
COMMUTE: 6 miles on Puppy
I thought the plyos would hurt my poor abdominal muscle, but I only had to rest out one exercise. And actually the muscle is feeling pretty good today, wonder what I'll get tomorrow?
But that's OK, I have a pain to replace it already. I keep curling my toes up for some reason (maybe because it hurts?) and I've aggravated a tendon or connection under my left big toe.
Right after the plyos, I did the track work. It was a test to see if I could make the P90X/track schedule work on a Tuesday. Success!
I set out to do 2 1-mile intervals at a high tempo pace. Not sprinting, but not 10K pace. Maybe 5K pace. The first one was 8:0? and the second was 7:55. Not great, but not bad either considering I was post plyo, first time out, and pre brekkie!
FINALLY got outside on a bike. Goddamn it felt good. The smell of flowers. The low roar of a diesel engine over the tracks. The wind in my face, the heartbeat, the feeling of fast freedom. Goddamn. It felt good.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Ouch in the Abs
STRENGTH: 45 mins of the Chest & Back, skipped the Abs
SWIM: about 25 mins and 1000y as a 1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1 lap ladder
After taking yesterday completely off, I though I'd be more charged about today. The goals were strength training and swimming early in the morning, still getting to work on time.
I'm happy to say that at least at the minimum, all goals accomplished. Stress on the minimum.
And it's for that reason that although I checked everything off the list, I still don't feel good about it. I don't have that satisfied high.
Let's start at the beginning. Up at 4-freakin-am with the dog, then a little after 5 upstairs for C&B. To my surprise, a lower left ab muscle was sharply pained. I didn't notice that yesterday?! Regardless, it was there and ruining my pushups. I did what I could, but ended up mostly on my knees to keep from contracting it. An anatomy chart seems to say it's a lower rectus abdominus? Between my left hip and belly button, low on the abs, kinda angles with the hip bone. OUCH! Only hurts when being used, sitting here is fine, walking is fine, but anything that engages the abs hurts.
I usually love feeling my muscles flex as I move, it's a reminder of how everything is connected, how I'm using various muscles at all times, and how body parts leverage against and with each other in movement. After a tough session, like Friday's Legs & Back, it's a joy.
After an injury, it's a bitch.
Off to swimming. I almost didn't go. I pushed me and DH to commit to a weekly schedule of "your day at the gym" and "my day at the gym" so we could avoid those dreaded WasGonnas. Today was my day to head out early to the gym while DH took care of the doggie. I finished the P90X, wandered unmotivatedly downstairs to visit with him, and almost just showered at home! Thankfully DH kinda pushed me out the door. Off to the pool, actually smiling happy that I was really going to do this.
I wondered if I'd see LC or D at the pool, but didn't. In the shower I decided on the ladder, with the goal of focusing on problems and extending my swim length intervals. I did OK up to the middle of the 1st 200. My abs muscle was getting distracting, so I took the pull buoy. It helped, but the workout continued to degrade. I'd feel great after a rest on the wall, but the good feeling would diminish by 35y into the lap. I'm setting the bar for improvement pretty low here. Imagine me, who last year swam 100+ miles for 2 140.6 races, struggling to finish a 100 and having to encourage myself to finish "just 3 more laps, that's it, just 3 more".
Wow.
SWIM: about 25 mins and 1000y as a 1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1 lap ladder
After taking yesterday completely off, I though I'd be more charged about today. The goals were strength training and swimming early in the morning, still getting to work on time.
I'm happy to say that at least at the minimum, all goals accomplished. Stress on the minimum.
And it's for that reason that although I checked everything off the list, I still don't feel good about it. I don't have that satisfied high.
Let's start at the beginning. Up at 4-freakin-am with the dog, then a little after 5 upstairs for C&B. To my surprise, a lower left ab muscle was sharply pained. I didn't notice that yesterday?! Regardless, it was there and ruining my pushups. I did what I could, but ended up mostly on my knees to keep from contracting it. An anatomy chart seems to say it's a lower rectus abdominus? Between my left hip and belly button, low on the abs, kinda angles with the hip bone. OUCH! Only hurts when being used, sitting here is fine, walking is fine, but anything that engages the abs hurts.
I usually love feeling my muscles flex as I move, it's a reminder of how everything is connected, how I'm using various muscles at all times, and how body parts leverage against and with each other in movement. After a tough session, like Friday's Legs & Back, it's a joy.
After an injury, it's a bitch.
Off to swimming. I almost didn't go. I pushed me and DH to commit to a weekly schedule of "your day at the gym" and "my day at the gym" so we could avoid those dreaded WasGonnas. Today was my day to head out early to the gym while DH took care of the doggie. I finished the P90X, wandered unmotivatedly downstairs to visit with him, and almost just showered at home! Thankfully DH kinda pushed me out the door. Off to the pool, actually smiling happy that I was really going to do this.
I wondered if I'd see LC or D at the pool, but didn't. In the shower I decided on the ladder, with the goal of focusing on problems and extending my swim length intervals. I did OK up to the middle of the 1st 200. My abs muscle was getting distracting, so I took the pull buoy. It helped, but the workout continued to degrade. I'd feel great after a rest on the wall, but the good feeling would diminish by 35y into the lap. I'm setting the bar for improvement pretty low here. Imagine me, who last year swam 100+ miles for 2 140.6 races, struggling to finish a 100 and having to encourage myself to finish "just 3 more laps, that's it, just 3 more".
Wow.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Legs & Back, then a lazy weekend
Friday: Legs & Back, Abs
Saturday: Kenpo, swim 1200 y in ~40 mins, 1hr easy spin on trainer
Sunday: sore, tired, not feeling great
The L&B DVD took a toll on me, and I didn't realize how much until Saturday morning. Sure, it hurt while I was doing the workout, but that didn't really set in until the next day. It hurt to sit, walk, climb stairs, and as I found out--running! The entire set of butt, hammie, and inner thigh muscles were too pained to do much of anything! My quads didn't hurt, but I don't know if that was because they got their share of workouts with trail running or if because they weren't targeting in the L&B workout.
And while I thought a 3rd round of Abs in just 5 days would be a killer, my abs aren't bothering me that much.
I woke up Saturday with my big plans for a bike ride (outdoors!) dashed by steady rain. I planned then to run, but once the day got rolling I lost all momentum after a too heavy brekkie and a somewhat forced Kenpo. For once I put the swim ahead of the run and talked myself into going to the pool. I really had to talk myself into it!
And once I got there, it wasn't so bad. I watched the last few minutes of a young girl's swim lesson, saw RM, chatted lack of swim training with him a few minutes (he at least has a race to train for...jealous), then did 6x200 sets. My swim form was shot by 1000y, but I did learn a few things I need to work on: my pull, my breath control, and my focus. Patience! And practice!
The bike was a pure guilty-feeling, energy-burn, sit-and-spin late in the evening. I had fully intended an outdoor ride followed by a run if my legs improved the next morning.
They didn't. And adding to the song of soreness was my back. It wasn't even comfortable to stand up straight. Or sit. Or lean. Or anything. It was like I could feel every muscle, connection, and bone moving against each other and wanting to sag.
The whole day seemed a loss. I moved, thought, and made it ever so slowly through the day. I again got sick feeling after brekkie (again think I ate too much, or maybe too fast) and this lingered the entire day! I felt almost as if I would be sick, almost like a pre-flu feeling without the fevers. To make it worse, I drank too much tea late in the afternoon and started burping up a little.
Ugh. Why was I so tired!? I'm three weeks out from the race, I have a lot of disconnect regarding this. It feels like it has been MONTHS. So I need to be patient with myself. Yet it's discouraging to realize that such a hard race can knock be back so hard. What does that mean for plans later this year and early the next, when I want to stack long races into the year?
And I need to be nice to my body as it adapts to P90X! I'm dismayed with my mental summary of 1200y swimming, 6.6 miles running, and 31 miles biking. But I'm not remembering the 5 HOURS of NEW STRENGTH training I'm putting on myself!! Duh! I had to look at trainingpeaks to figure that out--8:15 of training last week, the majority of it a new activity!
So give it some time, don't get frustrated, and get off your duff in the morning to keep the momentum up.
Saturday: Kenpo, swim 1200 y in ~40 mins, 1hr easy spin on trainer
Sunday: sore, tired, not feeling great
The L&B DVD took a toll on me, and I didn't realize how much until Saturday morning. Sure, it hurt while I was doing the workout, but that didn't really set in until the next day. It hurt to sit, walk, climb stairs, and as I found out--running! The entire set of butt, hammie, and inner thigh muscles were too pained to do much of anything! My quads didn't hurt, but I don't know if that was because they got their share of workouts with trail running or if because they weren't targeting in the L&B workout.
And while I thought a 3rd round of Abs in just 5 days would be a killer, my abs aren't bothering me that much.
I woke up Saturday with my big plans for a bike ride (outdoors!) dashed by steady rain. I planned then to run, but once the day got rolling I lost all momentum after a too heavy brekkie and a somewhat forced Kenpo. For once I put the swim ahead of the run and talked myself into going to the pool. I really had to talk myself into it!
And once I got there, it wasn't so bad. I watched the last few minutes of a young girl's swim lesson, saw RM, chatted lack of swim training with him a few minutes (he at least has a race to train for...jealous), then did 6x200 sets. My swim form was shot by 1000y, but I did learn a few things I need to work on: my pull, my breath control, and my focus. Patience! And practice!
The bike was a pure guilty-feeling, energy-burn, sit-and-spin late in the evening. I had fully intended an outdoor ride followed by a run if my legs improved the next morning.
They didn't. And adding to the song of soreness was my back. It wasn't even comfortable to stand up straight. Or sit. Or lean. Or anything. It was like I could feel every muscle, connection, and bone moving against each other and wanting to sag.
The whole day seemed a loss. I moved, thought, and made it ever so slowly through the day. I again got sick feeling after brekkie (again think I ate too much, or maybe too fast) and this lingered the entire day! I felt almost as if I would be sick, almost like a pre-flu feeling without the fevers. To make it worse, I drank too much tea late in the afternoon and started burping up a little.
Ugh. Why was I so tired!? I'm three weeks out from the race, I have a lot of disconnect regarding this. It feels like it has been MONTHS. So I need to be patient with myself. Yet it's discouraging to realize that such a hard race can knock be back so hard. What does that mean for plans later this year and early the next, when I want to stack long races into the year?
And I need to be nice to my body as it adapts to P90X! I'm dismayed with my mental summary of 1200y swimming, 6.6 miles running, and 31 miles biking. But I'm not remembering the 5 HOURS of NEW STRENGTH training I'm putting on myself!! Duh! I had to look at trainingpeaks to figure that out--8:15 of training last week, the majority of it a new activity!
So give it some time, don't get frustrated, and get off your duff in the morning to keep the momentum up.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Another WasGonna Swim
P90X Legs & Back, Abs
Swim: ZERO
Did the L&B for the first time, and the Abs for the 3rd time. I'm realizing that my leg flexibility is imbalanced. I'm great on one stretch but lousy on the next. I'm strong for one move, but wobbly as the reps increase.
Wall sits, lunges, lotsa lunges, it felt so good!
And to my surprise, the abs felt good too, even though it's the 3rd round in just 5 days.
Wall sits, lunges, lotsa lunges, it felt so good!
And to my surprise, the abs felt good too, even though it's the 3rd round in just 5 days.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Oh I feel it, coming back again...
RUN: 55:38 and 6.6 miles, 8:30 something pace
YogaX: 15 mins then boredom...
Heard that song this morning after the run, and it's a good summary of how I felt. After running with the group, I could feel the excitement for the summer and triathlon coming back to me. It was transient, but I felt it. And liked it.
The run felt high heart rate, but strong. I'm not as weak or slow as I think I am. I just need to push it.
YogaX: 15 mins then boredom...
Heard that song this morning after the run, and it's a good summary of how I felt. After running with the group, I could feel the excitement for the summer and triathlon coming back to me. It was transient, but I felt it. And liked it.
The run felt high heart rate, but strong. I'm not as weak or slow as I think I am. I just need to push it.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
P90X continues...
STRENGTH: ~1hr of Shoulders & Arms along with Abs
I realized why this P90X attracts me--because I'm not successful with it yet! There are exercises that are easy, then some that just blow me away. Like today's shoulder fly's. I have NO strength in that move! I gotta get me some!
The Abs DVD is also a wonderful challenge on Monday (the first round) I suffered with bad form. TodIay I repeated the workout but let myself slow the moves down to focus on good form instead of just the number of reps. Some of the moves were downright painful with Monday's damage still unhealed. But that will improve over time.
I love a good challenge, and this qualifies.
My only concern is that this strength training will take the place of tri training, swimming in particular. But one thing I noted on Sunday's swim is that I have little to no arm strength for swimming. So I tell myself that I need to do these workouts.
Or is that just an excuse?
I realized why this P90X attracts me--because I'm not successful with it yet! There are exercises that are easy, then some that just blow me away. Like today's shoulder fly's. I have NO strength in that move! I gotta get me some!
The Abs DVD is also a wonderful challenge on Monday (the first round) I suffered with bad form. TodIay I repeated the workout but let myself slow the moves down to focus on good form instead of just the number of reps. Some of the moves were downright painful with Monday's damage still unhealed. But that will improve over time.
I love a good challenge, and this qualifies.
My only concern is that this strength training will take the place of tri training, swimming in particular. But one thing I noted on Sunday's swim is that I have little to no arm strength for swimming. So I tell myself that I need to do these workouts.
Or is that just an excuse?
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
More P90X and more conclusive thinking on 2013
BIKE 15 miles in 50 mins, 3x10 mins z3-z4 (3min)
P90X Plyos 45-50 mins
The bike intervals were supposed to be z4-z5, but I'm not sure I really hit those numbers. Soon. But maybe not on the first round. I'm settling in to the HIM training plan, instead of the IM one. I just don't think MiTi can happen for me this year.
A few things I didn't cover in yesterday's rambling, wishful thinking post.
1) My arms are sore from swimming Sunday, and after a round of P90X Chest & Back they are even more so. C&B was basically push-ups then pull-ups, repeated. I found I'm strong on some push-ups and weak on others. I don't have a proper pull-up bar, so for now I'm using the resistance bands. Not as good of a workout, but good enough for now.
2) My strength is relatively low right now, so this is a great idea to start doing this. I'm enjoying it! The discomfort of sore and tight muscles reminds me of what muscles moves what--reaching for a book or turning to get something reminds me of what back, core, and arm muscles are being used. I love it, even though I'm sore and tired and lazy because of it, it makes me feel alive and active again. My pectorals, biceps, deltoids, abs, and a few back muscles are all feeling it :)
3) My left knee has been bothering me since Sunday's 10 mile run. It's the outside (lateral) part of the knee. It's tight, not quite painful, but painfully tight. Does that make sense? And it's a very specific feeling. It only bothers me when bending my knee while walking. Stairs, sitting, standing are all OK. I'm pretty sure it's a muscle weakness/imbalance that needs to be addressed. It bothered me in the 50-miler too, maybe it's a little of residual injury instead?
OK now back to today. No lab meeting, so I took advantage of the extra time. Slept in a little (sooooo tired yesterday, by the time 8pm rolled around I was dead) to aid recovery, rode the bike, then did nearly an hour of the PlyoX workout. Hooboy did I love that!! I was worried that another tough workout on the P90X would just add to my already stiff body, but instead it seemed to shake out the cobwebs and freshen things up. Or maybe really I do get off on the pain...
P90X Plyos 45-50 mins
The bike intervals were supposed to be z4-z5, but I'm not sure I really hit those numbers. Soon. But maybe not on the first round. I'm settling in to the HIM training plan, instead of the IM one. I just don't think MiTi can happen for me this year.
A few things I didn't cover in yesterday's rambling, wishful thinking post.
1) My arms are sore from swimming Sunday, and after a round of P90X Chest & Back they are even more so. C&B was basically push-ups then pull-ups, repeated. I found I'm strong on some push-ups and weak on others. I don't have a proper pull-up bar, so for now I'm using the resistance bands. Not as good of a workout, but good enough for now.
2) My strength is relatively low right now, so this is a great idea to start doing this. I'm enjoying it! The discomfort of sore and tight muscles reminds me of what muscles moves what--reaching for a book or turning to get something reminds me of what back, core, and arm muscles are being used. I love it, even though I'm sore and tired and lazy because of it, it makes me feel alive and active again. My pectorals, biceps, deltoids, abs, and a few back muscles are all feeling it :)
3) My left knee has been bothering me since Sunday's 10 mile run. It's the outside (lateral) part of the knee. It's tight, not quite painful, but painfully tight. Does that make sense? And it's a very specific feeling. It only bothers me when bending my knee while walking. Stairs, sitting, standing are all OK. I'm pretty sure it's a muscle weakness/imbalance that needs to be addressed. It bothered me in the 50-miler too, maybe it's a little of residual injury instead?
OK now back to today. No lab meeting, so I took advantage of the extra time. Slept in a little (sooooo tired yesterday, by the time 8pm rolled around I was dead) to aid recovery, rode the bike, then did nearly an hour of the PlyoX workout. Hooboy did I love that!! I was worried that another tough workout on the P90X would just add to my already stiff body, but instead it seemed to shake out the cobwebs and freshen things up. Or maybe really I do get off on the pain...
Monday, April 22, 2013
The P90X experiment. And thoughts on 2013.
P90X: ~60 mins of Chest & Back, 15 mins of AbsX
I "started" a P90X today. Gosh my abs are WEAK. I'm not sure how seriously I can take it. Am I willing to sacrifice tri training for this?
The better question might be, why do I see it as a sacrifice? Why can't I balance the two?
It'll be easier to balance once I accept that I'mprobably not doing a full this year. MiTi sounds sexy and all, but it doesn't sound like it can happen. With my swim in the gutter, my bike still on the rack,...do I really think I can turn it around to 140.6 in 4 months?
So what am I thinking? I'm thinking about conceding on the full and focusing on 70.3 distance races. I have two local ones scoped out in 7 and 14 weeks. That puts me to the end of July. After that, I'm seriously considering another 50 miler. There's a new local 50M in southern MO in mid-Sept. Maybe this is just my year to stay local. Or there's a 100km race in OH, about a 7hr drive 2 weeks after that.
For the first time ever, my designs on the current season will impact on the next season. So I printed off not only a 2013 calendar to make notes on, but also the 2014 year up to October. Apparently when you're planning big races, you need bigger calendars. Here's what I've penciled in so far.
June 9 Cutting Edge, 7 weeks out from now
July 27 Route 66, 7 weeks later and 14 weeks out
Sept 14 MT50, only 8 weeks after Route 66. The 20 week plan would start next Monday!
---
March 15-17 Three Days of Syllamo, 24 week plan would start 2 weeks after MT50.
July 27 Vineman 140.6, 19 weeks after 3DS, 36 week plan would start mid-November
Late October birthday 140.6, 12-13 weeks after Vineman, I would re-do the Redman thing.
It all sounds like fun and as if there's all the time in the world until I back calculate the starting date for the training plan. The 3DS will require almost 100M training. One plan I found utilizes a Fri-Sat-Sun plan of mileage, doesn't that sound perfect?
So what are my goals for 2013? How's about we PR the half distance? I don't count Racine 2009 as a PR, I still suspect the swim was short. Quick summary:
So I have a pretty steady track record of not improving on the half distance. To be honest, the last half I really set my goals on for a PR was Pigman, now 2 years ago, and that didn't exactly go as planned. That was a rough year.
Let's say I would like to do a 5:30 race. What's required?
Drop the swim to 40 mins
Drop the bike to 2:40
Drop the run to 1:40
Add 10 mins in transitions....
Adds up to...hmmm 5:10 hrs? OK I admit to just throwing those numbers out there off the top of my head...
But that would mean a
1:54/100yd (that doesn't sound too hard...well maybe over that distance it would be...)
21 mph bike (that doesn't sound hard)
7:38 m/m run (that DOES sound hard)
Oh geez, walk away from this mental meanderings and go train or something!
I "started" a P90X today. Gosh my abs are WEAK. I'm not sure how seriously I can take it. Am I willing to sacrifice tri training for this?
The better question might be, why do I see it as a sacrifice? Why can't I balance the two?
It'll be easier to balance once I accept that I'm
So what am I thinking? I'm thinking about conceding on the full and focusing on 70.3 distance races. I have two local ones scoped out in 7 and 14 weeks. That puts me to the end of July. After that, I'm seriously considering another 50 miler. There's a new local 50M in southern MO in mid-Sept. Maybe this is just my year to stay local. Or there's a 100km race in OH, about a 7hr drive 2 weeks after that.
For the first time ever, my designs on the current season will impact on the next season. So I printed off not only a 2013 calendar to make notes on, but also the 2014 year up to October. Apparently when you're planning big races, you need bigger calendars. Here's what I've penciled in so far.
June 9 Cutting Edge, 7 weeks out from now
July 27 Route 66, 7 weeks later and 14 weeks out
Sept 14 MT50, only 8 weeks after Route 66. The 20 week plan would start next Monday!
---
March 15-17 Three Days of Syllamo, 24 week plan would start 2 weeks after MT50.
July 27 Vineman 140.6, 19 weeks after 3DS, 36 week plan would start mid-November
Late October birthday 140.6, 12-13 weeks after Vineman, I would re-do the Redman thing.
It all sounds like fun and as if there's all the time in the world until I back calculate the starting date for the training plan. The 3DS will require almost 100M training. One plan I found utilizes a Fri-Sat-Sun plan of mileage, doesn't that sound perfect?
So what are my goals for 2013? How's about we PR the half distance? I don't count Racine 2009 as a PR, I still suspect the swim was short. Quick summary:
| Year | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Total | My Excuse? |
| 2008 | Great Illini | 45 | 3:03 | 2:07 | 5:59 | First one! |
| 2009 | Racine | 32 | 2:49 | 1:59 | 5:27 | Short swim |
| 2009 | Redman | 46 | 2:59 | 2:15 | 6:07 | uhh…don't go there…. |
| 2010 | Kansas | 45 | 3:03 | 1:53 | 5:48 | hilly bike, great run |
| 2011 | Cutting Edge | 46 | 2:50 | 2:12 | 5:53 | hot and rainy, depressed mood |
| 2011 | Pigman | 46 | 2:56 | 2:02 | 5:50 | hot |
| 2011 | Savageman | 41 | 4:26 | 2:16 | 7:35 | uh..hills? |
| 2012 | Triple T | 6:38 | hahaha, gee I wonder |
So I have a pretty steady track record of not improving on the half distance. To be honest, the last half I really set my goals on for a PR was Pigman, now 2 years ago, and that didn't exactly go as planned. That was a rough year.
Let's say I would like to do a 5:30 race. What's required?
Drop the swim to 40 mins
Drop the bike to 2:40
Drop the run to 1:40
Add 10 mins in transitions....
Adds up to...hmmm 5:10 hrs? OK I admit to just throwing those numbers out there off the top of my head...
But that would mean a
1:54/100yd (that doesn't sound too hard...well maybe over that distance it would be...)
21 mph bike (that doesn't sound hard)
7:38 m/m run (that DOES sound hard)
Oh geez, walk away from this mental meanderings and go train or something!
First swim! 100y in 2:11! Ouch!
SWIM 1050y in ~30-35 mins, sets of 100y's
RUN 10 miles in 1:40
Thanks to TH for putting the carrot out there. And double thanks for pulling me out of the sprint/oly lanes and into the full/half. Not that I was following their workouts. But rather the idea that half/full is my goal this year.
I felt good for only the first 50y. After that I started to slip in form. But that first 50 felt smooth and strong. The first few tumble turns felt good. And I can get back to that again in time.
I clocked the 3rd 100 at 2:11!!!!!!!!!!! WOW I have a long way to go!!! And my arms had that anaerobic burn afterwards (confirmed by arm soreness later on).
The run was about 60 mins after the swim, in Fo Pa. I ran out 50 mins then turned around and came back. I hadn't eaten much yet in the day so it wasn't an energy-filled run. But that's not what I wanted. My goal was a steady, easy pace with no pushes or walking. Accomplished!
RUN 10 miles in 1:40
Thanks to TH for putting the carrot out there. And double thanks for pulling me out of the sprint/oly lanes and into the full/half. Not that I was following their workouts. But rather the idea that half/full is my goal this year.
I felt good for only the first 50y. After that I started to slip in form. But that first 50 felt smooth and strong. The first few tumble turns felt good. And I can get back to that again in time.
I clocked the 3rd 100 at 2:11!!!!!!!!!!! WOW I have a long way to go!!! And my arms had that anaerobic burn afterwards (confirmed by arm soreness later on).
The run was about 60 mins after the swim, in Fo Pa. I ran out 50 mins then turned around and came back. I hadn't eaten much yet in the day so it wasn't an energy-filled run. But that's not what I wanted. My goal was a steady, easy pace with no pushes or walking. Accomplished!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Quad Chubb volunteering
Having finished two major races for me--both ultras-- and needing another weekend of rest made volunteering at the Chubb the best thing to do this weekend. Long day, but so glad I did it. Just like in a race, sometimes it seems like you just want to quit, but you really don't want to, and when it's all over you're happy you stayed and wondered by you ever thought about leaving.
It was an early start to the day, which I don't mind. It was the COLD start to the day. After a few days with hints of upper 70s it was hard to think about standing around outside in 35F weather. The promised sunshine would fix that but not for a few hours. I was cold until about noon, so 5 hours! What is wrong with me that I can't get warm?! This left me remarkably tired and sore. PanZ.
But it was fun and INSPIRING! I finally met other SLUGs whose name I knew from the chatter. They seemed interested with my IM jacket, but I felt they hard run the harder races. I learned about upcoming events, past events, stories...fun! :)
By the end, tired and cold as I was, seeing BG finish his 50K was a great way to end the day. It was a tough course and I admit to being jealous, now I want to go out and try a QC some day.
It was an early start to the day, which I don't mind. It was the COLD start to the day. After a few days with hints of upper 70s it was hard to think about standing around outside in 35F weather. The promised sunshine would fix that but not for a few hours. I was cold until about noon, so 5 hours! What is wrong with me that I can't get warm?! This left me remarkably tired and sore. PanZ.
But it was fun and INSPIRING! I finally met other SLUGs whose name I knew from the chatter. They seemed interested with my IM jacket, but I felt they hard run the harder races. I learned about upcoming events, past events, stories...fun! :)
By the end, tired and cold as I was, seeing BG finish his 50K was a great way to end the day. It was a tough course and I admit to being jealous, now I want to go out and try a QC some day.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Another WasGonna swim
SWIM ZERO!
Ah! Got busy with a long day at work, but if I had really wanted to swim it would have been possible. I didn't have to sit around reading all morning, I didn't have to ride to work with DH, I could have stuck to my goals. But no.
Ah! Got busy with a long day at work, but if I had really wanted to swim it would have been possible. I didn't have to sit around reading all morning, I didn't have to ride to work with DH, I could have stuck to my goals. But no.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
"First" Thursday run of the tri season
RUN 6.6 miles in ?? didn't clock it
"First" run too! Hey, why not!
As I drove in, lightning was lighting up the western sky. The radar showed nothing but ugliness. I was concerned that I'd be other only nut to show up (it's happened before) but realized that alone or not I'd likely run anyway. But I really hoped others were there--it was my first run back!
LC, JF, IT were there, and with raindrops starting and thunder getting louder we started. Then we saw TF and PT! They started with us, but soon turned around with JF as the rain got worse.
I was so eager to catch up, hear news, share news...I could have run and talked for multiple loops! Triple T, MiTi, IMCDA, Kona, France, Worlds, so much to talk about! The 3 of us only had rain for the fist 1-1.5 miles then it tapered off into a nice warm but wet run. I ended up pulling my tech T off, it was clingly and heavy when wet.
So it's also my first warm run of the year :)
"First" run too! Hey, why not!
As I drove in, lightning was lighting up the western sky. The radar showed nothing but ugliness. I was concerned that I'd be other only nut to show up (it's happened before) but realized that alone or not I'd likely run anyway. But I really hoped others were there--it was my first run back!
LC, JF, IT were there, and with raindrops starting and thunder getting louder we started. Then we saw TF and PT! They started with us, but soon turned around with JF as the rain got worse.
I was so eager to catch up, hear news, share news...I could have run and talked for multiple loops! Triple T, MiTi, IMCDA, Kona, France, Worlds, so much to talk about! The 3 of us only had rain for the fist 1-1.5 miles then it tapered off into a nice warm but wet run. I ended up pulling my tech T off, it was clingly and heavy when wet.
So it's also my first warm run of the year :)
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
"First" tri-training ride
BIKE 1:20 about 23 miles 5x9 mins
This is it, I guess! The "first" triathlon specific training ride for 2013! No more cross training, no more burning off energy, no more cardio on the bike to rest the legs. This had specific goals!
The first 3 x 9 mins were at 75%, the last 2 were "pushing a little more". Then there were a few minutes of ILT drills in between those sets.
I've been noticing that my legs are coming out of the ultra with varying degrees of tightness and pain, both symptoms seem to come and go. I think this is due to muscle imbalances as things loosen up, heal, and start re-balancing. Let's hope!
WasGonna swim, but didn't have time.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
WasGonna
Sunday: WasGonna swim, but didn't. Ran instead.
Monday: WasGonna swim, but ended up off for the day.
Tuesday: WasGonna ride and/or run, but ended up off for the day.
So Monday and Tuesday I had a great reason--family in town visiting!
Sunday I WasGonna swim at WH but after sleeping in a little a preferred to just spend the morning with DH and DD, especially since we planned on working that afternoon. I told myself I'd just save time and drive to the Y Monday morning.
What was I thinking?! I had family Monday! OK so reschedule the swim for Wednesday.
Tuesday, slept in again. I could have got up and finished the entire workout...but no...I slacked.
Dammit.
I had yet another bad triathlon dream. So even in my sleep I'm giving myself a hard time about slacking so much. First I had the bad swimming dream in which I couldn't propel myself forward in the water. Then I had the bad shoe shopping dream in which I went to BRR and was told that since my right ankle was 80% bigger than my left that they wouldn't honor the return policy. On top of that, I was wearing 3 pairs of socks!?
The dream last night was me and DH at an AR with Club members. It was a 2 day event, the dream was about the 2nd day. We slept in (wonder where I got the idea to dream about that...?) until 9 or so (the whole team, not just me!) and I was anxious about getting the site on time. EK was there, she said we can start whenever. I'm willing to bet AR's don't really work that way. Since we were running late, I knew I'd need my headlamp for the finish, but I lost it the day before by leaving it in the grass along the road. I walked out to find it and amazingly enough I did but the battery was gone! Stress all around.
I do want to get back into gear, but the road just seems so uphill from here. I've been in the pool once since Redman and so I envision me being a disaster for the first few weeks back at the pool. It's easy to want to avoid that as long as possible. I feel like I need more strength training. My bikes are still hanging on the rack, I haven't even pulled them off to look at them yet! Frea has been racked since SEPTEMBER!
Yes, the road back is daunting. That brings to mind the word Dauntless: not to be intimidated, fearless, intrepid, bold. Am I fearless? Ha! Refer to the above paragraphs! Well...OK..step back here. I'm not so much fearful as I am unsure of how to get started. Where the hell to I begin?
Probably by just packing my bags and doing what's next on the list. I just finished mapping out a training week from the full distance plan, scrapping some workouts and swapping days to see how it looks. Here's what I got:
Weds: 75' bike then a 45-60' swim.
Thurs: The Thursday group run!
Friday: 60' swim
Saturday: Volunteer at the DChubb, then a long ride. The plan recommends a trainer...what about the MCT?
Sunday: long run then aerobic bike.
Where do I begin? Right there. Get up tomorrow morning and get the bike done. Then drive to the gym and get the swim done.
We already have a word for this: Courage. The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty...without fear. Synonym list includes dauntless.
Monday: WasGonna swim, but ended up off for the day.
Tuesday: WasGonna ride and/or run, but ended up off for the day.
So Monday and Tuesday I had a great reason--family in town visiting!
Sunday I WasGonna swim at WH but after sleeping in a little a preferred to just spend the morning with DH and DD, especially since we planned on working that afternoon. I told myself I'd just save time and drive to the Y Monday morning.
What was I thinking?! I had family Monday! OK so reschedule the swim for Wednesday.
Tuesday, slept in again. I could have got up and finished the entire workout...but no...I slacked.
Dammit.
I had yet another bad triathlon dream. So even in my sleep I'm giving myself a hard time about slacking so much. First I had the bad swimming dream in which I couldn't propel myself forward in the water. Then I had the bad shoe shopping dream in which I went to BRR and was told that since my right ankle was 80% bigger than my left that they wouldn't honor the return policy. On top of that, I was wearing 3 pairs of socks!?
The dream last night was me and DH at an AR with Club members. It was a 2 day event, the dream was about the 2nd day. We slept in (wonder where I got the idea to dream about that...?) until 9 or so (the whole team, not just me!) and I was anxious about getting the site on time. EK was there, she said we can start whenever. I'm willing to bet AR's don't really work that way. Since we were running late, I knew I'd need my headlamp for the finish, but I lost it the day before by leaving it in the grass along the road. I walked out to find it and amazingly enough I did but the battery was gone! Stress all around.
I do want to get back into gear, but the road just seems so uphill from here. I've been in the pool once since Redman and so I envision me being a disaster for the first few weeks back at the pool. It's easy to want to avoid that as long as possible. I feel like I need more strength training. My bikes are still hanging on the rack, I haven't even pulled them off to look at them yet! Frea has been racked since SEPTEMBER!
Yes, the road back is daunting. That brings to mind the word Dauntless: not to be intimidated, fearless, intrepid, bold. Am I fearless? Ha! Refer to the above paragraphs! Well...OK..step back here. I'm not so much fearful as I am unsure of how to get started. Where the hell to I begin?
Probably by just packing my bags and doing what's next on the list. I just finished mapping out a training week from the full distance plan, scrapping some workouts and swapping days to see how it looks. Here's what I got:
Weds: 75' bike then a 45-60' swim.
Thurs: The Thursday group run!
Friday: 60' swim
Saturday: Volunteer at the DChubb, then a long ride. The plan recommends a trainer...what about the MCT?
Sunday: long run then aerobic bike.
Where do I begin? Right there. Get up tomorrow morning and get the bike done. Then drive to the gym and get the swim done.
We already have a word for this: Courage. The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty...without fear. Synonym list includes dauntless.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
First weekend after Poto
Saturday RIDE 17.1 miles in 1hours, still indoors
Sunday RUN 4.2 miles in about 40 mins.
That whole fatigue thing was getting mental, so I woke up Saturday morning and said to myself, "Self, GIT THE F^CK MOVING". It seems to have worked :)
The Saturday ride is hopefully the last indoor weekend ride. It felt good and I was able to move up to higher HR zones without wanting to fall off the bike.
The Sunday run was originally going to be a swim then a run, but like always the swim gets dropped first. Having to work in the afternoon, having family coming to visit, and having a long to-do list were all valid excuses. Right?
So what's next? Cuz that's what I want to know and get settled right now. What is next? I have many options.
1. Michigan Titanium in 132 days. Full iron.
Why? Why not? I love this shit and I feel good. So do it. Also the date coincides with IMC and IML, so there will be LOTS of training partners.
Why not? Thought I was going to rest this year? Be a good training buddy? And what about next year, thought the focus was going to be on a late season iron next year. Maybe two irons next year? Vineman and Birthday?
2. 2-3 well-trained half irons, like Cutting Edge in 55 days.
Why? They're so easy.
Why not? They're just training races.
Gotta commit somewhere, and the easiest thing I see right now is to shoot for Cutting Edge Half in 55 days. It's cheap, close, and by the time that race rolls around I'll know how I'm feeling for MiTi.
Cuz let's be honest here...I've been in the pool ONCE since Redman (and not to mention that awful swim dream the other night in which I had ZERO arm strength and was staying in one spot even though I was swimming!) and I haven't been on a bike since last fall. Sure my run and cardio fitness are super-duper right now. But my basic strength, base scheduling, and habits are out of whack.
Yet 55 days (it sounds better if you look at it as 1 month and 25 days...) is plenty of time to ramp into things and see how it all feels. The question then becomes which training plan to follow: the HIM or the IM?
And I'll say it now, so I can look back on the craziness of it, but I want to do another 50 miler, maybe late this fall. And if not that, them maybe 3 Days of Syllamo next March: a 50K, a 50M, and a 20K to make a 27000ft, 97 mile weekend. !!!
Sunday RUN 4.2 miles in about 40 mins.
That whole fatigue thing was getting mental, so I woke up Saturday morning and said to myself, "Self, GIT THE F^CK MOVING". It seems to have worked :)
The Saturday ride is hopefully the last indoor weekend ride. It felt good and I was able to move up to higher HR zones without wanting to fall off the bike.
The Sunday run was originally going to be a swim then a run, but like always the swim gets dropped first. Having to work in the afternoon, having family coming to visit, and having a long to-do list were all valid excuses. Right?
So what's next? Cuz that's what I want to know and get settled right now. What is next? I have many options.
1. Michigan Titanium in 132 days. Full iron.
Why? Why not? I love this shit and I feel good. So do it. Also the date coincides with IMC and IML, so there will be LOTS of training partners.
Why not? Thought I was going to rest this year? Be a good training buddy? And what about next year, thought the focus was going to be on a late season iron next year. Maybe two irons next year? Vineman and Birthday?
2. 2-3 well-trained half irons, like Cutting Edge in 55 days.
Why? They're so easy.
Why not? They're just training races.
Gotta commit somewhere, and the easiest thing I see right now is to shoot for Cutting Edge Half in 55 days. It's cheap, close, and by the time that race rolls around I'll know how I'm feeling for MiTi.
Cuz let's be honest here...I've been in the pool ONCE since Redman (and not to mention that awful swim dream the other night in which I had ZERO arm strength and was staying in one spot even though I was swimming!) and I haven't been on a bike since last fall. Sure my run and cardio fitness are super-duper right now. But my basic strength, base scheduling, and habits are out of whack.
Yet 55 days (it sounds better if you look at it as 1 month and 25 days...) is plenty of time to ramp into things and see how it all feels. The question then becomes which training plan to follow: the HIM or the IM?
And I'll say it now, so I can look back on the craziness of it, but I want to do another 50 miler, maybe late this fall. And if not that, them maybe 3 Days of Syllamo next March: a 50K, a 50M, and a 20K to make a 27000ft, 97 mile weekend. !!!
Friday, April 12, 2013
Potawatomi Recovery
Day 1, Sunday. Slept in, small brekkie, then the drive home. Quick groceries run while I was still functional, then tried to get a lot of chores done in the kitchen, then 4 episodes of Game of Thrones as a forced off the feet rest. Pain everywhere, but no acute injuries or problems. Had a dizzy, carsick type of feeling. Appetite weak but I was tolerating food. Insatiably thirsty. I will note that I woke up and happily pee'd a LOT of water. Funny thing to note, but when you're drinking so much and not pee'ing, you gotta wonder where it's all going :) I'll also confess that I think I saw blood in my urine? But maybe it was something I ate? But I didn't eat anything I don't normally eat, and I didn't have this on the same foods from LBL. Maybe the EFS?
Day 2, Monday. Only my quads hurt! I'm so surprised that the soles of my feet don't hurt, and neither does my left knee! But I'm oh so tired, confused, dizzy, nauseated, carsicky, hot then cold then hot, euphoric than cryingly sad. Still very thirsty. Still pee'ing a lot. But no more pink/red color. Quads hurt and sitting/standing is an effort.
Day 3, Tuesday. Still dragging around, but the quads aren't hurting much at all.
Day 4, Weds. Tried a 30 min spin on the bike this morning. 6.5 miles and hours of fatigue. There was just no life in it. Losing my appetite, but my legs don't hurt!
Day 5, Thurs. I'm glad I'm tracking this, it's an interesting trend line. Today I'm nauseated and tired and unfocused. No pain anywhere, aside from some tightness in my knees upon waking up. Coulda slept funny, I guess. No appetite, but I'm functional. Response time and focus tend to wane but it's a productive day at work. I'm wondering where this second wave of fatigue is coming from.
Day 6. Friday. Still in a depressive state, and I'm realizing it's post-race depression. But it's probably combined with a lack of "high" as I'm not training. Most importantly, IT'S MENTAL! This is all in my head! SO SNAP THE F^CK OUT OF IT AND GIT MOVING!
Day 2, Monday. Only my quads hurt! I'm so surprised that the soles of my feet don't hurt, and neither does my left knee! But I'm oh so tired, confused, dizzy, nauseated, carsicky, hot then cold then hot, euphoric than cryingly sad. Still very thirsty. Still pee'ing a lot. But no more pink/red color. Quads hurt and sitting/standing is an effort.
Day 3, Tuesday. Still dragging around, but the quads aren't hurting much at all.
Day 4, Weds. Tried a 30 min spin on the bike this morning. 6.5 miles and hours of fatigue. There was just no life in it. Losing my appetite, but my legs don't hurt!
Day 5, Thurs. I'm glad I'm tracking this, it's an interesting trend line. Today I'm nauseated and tired and unfocused. No pain anywhere, aside from some tightness in my knees upon waking up. Coulda slept funny, I guess. No appetite, but I'm functional. Response time and focus tend to wane but it's a productive day at work. I'm wondering where this second wave of fatigue is coming from.
Day 6. Friday. Still in a depressive state, and I'm realizing it's post-race depression. But it's probably combined with a lack of "high" as I'm not training. Most importantly, IT'S MENTAL! This is all in my head! SO SNAP THE F^CK OUT OF IT AND GIT MOVING!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Potawatomi 50M Nutrition report
Didn't cover this in the race report, and wanted to make a focus of it.
Prerace nutrition. On Friday I stopped all veggies and moved to chicken and sweet potatoes. I let myself eat as I wanted, and I might have eaten too much. I'm of the opinion that "carbo loading" is a useless practice, as long as you have enough carbs beforehand. The idea of "storing" carbs for a race though, I don't agree with or practice. That being said, I had 2 big sweet potatoes on Friday. With ghee butter and cinnamon and salt. :)
Race morning. Coffee, banana, two poached eggs, then munched slowly a powerbar at the start line. A well-practiced and honed system there. 230 calories.
In race. The plan was to eat every 45 mins, no matter how I felt. I knew that once behind on nutrition it was hard to catch up. This worked, and became an easy habit I quit thinking about. I total up 1300 calories of EFS, 720 calories of Powerbars, 100 of Sport Beans, 250 of gels, and a few tablespoons of nuts and raisins from the aid stations. MFP adds it up to about 28g fat, 1811 mg sodium, 1351g potassium, 478g carbs, 29g protein, 0% vitamin A, 410% vitamin C, 119% calcium, and 91% iron. Sorry, I had to include those last ones, damn the vitamins they add to that food! Puts me at about 2500 calories, give or take.
That doesn't include the drop bag munchies I had, and that's hard to measure because I ate some Thursday, some Friday, some Saturday, some Sunday. But that included a bag of sweet potato chips, 2 servings of plantain chips, coconut chips, and a bag of apple chips. Wow! 2500 calories as 140g fat, 280g carbs, 8g protein. All goodness :)
Post race. Worked on my special chips bag (above), two poached eggs, some chicken breast. Not including chips, about 300 calories.
Next day. Two more eggs for breakfast, more of my chips before I gave up and threw the rest away, about 10 dates, some of my special chocolate treats,...this would be a hard day to count.
Summary. The Garmin estimated about 3500 net calories burned. In race I ate 2500, combined with brekkie and dinner that day added up to 3000 calories not including my special chips bag. I'm not sure where to add it, but it's safe to assume that by having it spread out over the 4 days it was a good calorie boost.
I know I have trouble race day and post race with food, so I made a special point to eat good the days ahead, figuring that would help me out. But I'm not sure that's the way to go. I think I should always eat good, always eat to satiety and with hunger, never forcing anything down like I sometimes do. I'm starting to hate it.
But my in-race nutrition was spot on. I mostly used the EFS, a 1 oz sip with the 45 min alarm. When I needed a break, I'd eat half a powerbar or a bag of sport beans. My stomach never growled and I never threw up. (But I felt like I would, burping up water and EFS late in the race!). The EFS is so much easier than a gel to eat, no foils or tabs or garbage to track. It tasted so damned sweet but by swallowing it fast as I could I minimized it.
I was very surprised by how I didn't tap into the caffeine in this race! I had one caffeinated gel--a chocolate gu--around lap 4. I had sorted caff and non-caff foods separately so I could track that and limit how much I ate early in the race. I didn't want to get dependent on it. Turns out I never felt the need for it!
The aid station foods weren't looking at all good to me. I wanted to try potato chips but I didn't want the crunch, I wanted soft. I thought about a salty boiled potato but I didn't want the stuck-in-the-back-of-my-throat feeling. None of the soda, candy, or other foods even appealed. I did try some cut-in-half Lara nut bars from the Totem AS but only ate a small bite of each before donating it to the squirrels. Good, but too solid.
All I drank was water, and by the end of the race I hated water. Especially the ambient temp'd water from the coolers at the start/finish, with it's flat stale taste. Now we know why other runners had gallons of water at their drop bags.
Overall, a winner of a nutrition plan!
Prerace nutrition. On Friday I stopped all veggies and moved to chicken and sweet potatoes. I let myself eat as I wanted, and I might have eaten too much. I'm of the opinion that "carbo loading" is a useless practice, as long as you have enough carbs beforehand. The idea of "storing" carbs for a race though, I don't agree with or practice. That being said, I had 2 big sweet potatoes on Friday. With ghee butter and cinnamon and salt. :)
Race morning. Coffee, banana, two poached eggs, then munched slowly a powerbar at the start line. A well-practiced and honed system there. 230 calories.
In race. The plan was to eat every 45 mins, no matter how I felt. I knew that once behind on nutrition it was hard to catch up. This worked, and became an easy habit I quit thinking about. I total up 1300 calories of EFS, 720 calories of Powerbars, 100 of Sport Beans, 250 of gels, and a few tablespoons of nuts and raisins from the aid stations. MFP adds it up to about 28g fat, 1811 mg sodium, 1351g potassium, 478g carbs, 29g protein, 0% vitamin A, 410% vitamin C, 119% calcium, and 91% iron. Sorry, I had to include those last ones, damn the vitamins they add to that food! Puts me at about 2500 calories, give or take.
That doesn't include the drop bag munchies I had, and that's hard to measure because I ate some Thursday, some Friday, some Saturday, some Sunday. But that included a bag of sweet potato chips, 2 servings of plantain chips, coconut chips, and a bag of apple chips. Wow! 2500 calories as 140g fat, 280g carbs, 8g protein. All goodness :)
Post race. Worked on my special chips bag (above), two poached eggs, some chicken breast. Not including chips, about 300 calories.
Next day. Two more eggs for breakfast, more of my chips before I gave up and threw the rest away, about 10 dates, some of my special chocolate treats,...this would be a hard day to count.
Summary. The Garmin estimated about 3500 net calories burned. In race I ate 2500, combined with brekkie and dinner that day added up to 3000 calories not including my special chips bag. I'm not sure where to add it, but it's safe to assume that by having it spread out over the 4 days it was a good calorie boost.
I know I have trouble race day and post race with food, so I made a special point to eat good the days ahead, figuring that would help me out. But I'm not sure that's the way to go. I think I should always eat good, always eat to satiety and with hunger, never forcing anything down like I sometimes do. I'm starting to hate it.
But my in-race nutrition was spot on. I mostly used the EFS, a 1 oz sip with the 45 min alarm. When I needed a break, I'd eat half a powerbar or a bag of sport beans. My stomach never growled and I never threw up. (But I felt like I would, burping up water and EFS late in the race!). The EFS is so much easier than a gel to eat, no foils or tabs or garbage to track. It tasted so damned sweet but by swallowing it fast as I could I minimized it.
I was very surprised by how I didn't tap into the caffeine in this race! I had one caffeinated gel--a chocolate gu--around lap 4. I had sorted caff and non-caff foods separately so I could track that and limit how much I ate early in the race. I didn't want to get dependent on it. Turns out I never felt the need for it!
The aid station foods weren't looking at all good to me. I wanted to try potato chips but I didn't want the crunch, I wanted soft. I thought about a salty boiled potato but I didn't want the stuck-in-the-back-of-my-throat feeling. None of the soda, candy, or other foods even appealed. I did try some cut-in-half Lara nut bars from the Totem AS but only ate a small bite of each before donating it to the squirrels. Good, but too solid.
All I drank was water, and by the end of the race I hated water. Especially the ambient temp'd water from the coolers at the start/finish, with it's flat stale taste. Now we know why other runners had gallons of water at their drop bags.
Overall, a winner of a nutrition plan!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
The Potawatomi Trail 50M Race: Keep moving, keep pushing on.
RUN: 50 miles in 13 hrs, 18 minutes. 5th of 16 females, 37th of 83 runners.
Usually my races of this duration are iron distance triathlons. The race report is easier to write because it breaks up into the disciplines--swim report, bike, etc. This will be a little tougher, and I'll try to break it up again somehow.
I was asked many times--how did I pick this race? Honestly, it was ignorance. I really had no clue it was so DAMNED HILLY. OK I knew it had hills, but I didn't know that the race had a reputation for extremes. The month leading into the race had multiple warnings from other runners. But by then it was too late, and what was I going to do...chicken out? Yeah. Right.
Race morning began at 3:30am with coffee, banana, two poached eggs, blister bandages (2 for left foot), tape, and gear: BRR hat, BRR t-shirt, Marathon Pro compression socks, capris, 2 long sleeve tech shirts, beanie hat, the PI gloves, garmin, Camelbak, and the new Cascadias. That's a lot of stuff for a run, but there's a lot of miles!
The drop bag had the old Cascadias (just in case), un-orthotic'd insoles, 2 pairs of socks, a first aid kit (more bandaids, tape, Body Glide), a bag of Powerbars, a bag of uncaffeinated gels, a bag of caffeinated gels, and a bag of chips (sweet potato, plantain, and apple). A cooler at the drop site had 3 flasks with 14 servings of EFS, my main nutrition for the day.
Nutrition Plan: Flasks of EFS, powerbars, and a few gels. Also a few treats like sport beans, raisins and nuts from aid stations, and a bag of mixed chips--sweet potato, plantain, and apple-- at the drop bag. The plan hammered out in training and at LBL was eat about 100 calories every 45 mins (marked by an alarm on the Garmin). If I wanted to eat more in between, fine, but only under dire circumstanced would I not eat at the 45 min alarm. Eat no matter what. Eat. And have water as much as I can remember and tolerate.
At the start, it was still dark and chilly. But not cold. It was just enough that you wanted to huddle. Other racers talked about how "hot" it was going to be today. I can handle that. But the best part about the weather was that it was dry. Previous years of the race were famously muddy, to the point the race was called "Mud-o-watomi". Today was dry! There were about 245 runners spread out between the 4 races, until the results come out I don't know the ratios, but many of those runners started their races yesterday or will start this night for the 30 miler. When the verbal count-down and "go" sounded to start the race, it was just like everything else with it so far--quiet, chill, and laid back.
Lap 1: 2:15 One thing we learned at the Land Between The Lakes 60K just one month ago was that if you get caught in a train of runners, you'll be pushed/pulled at their pace. This didn't happen here. The field was so much smaller (about a quarter of the size total, and not all of them starting at 6am) and we immediately spread out. The first lap was the "scouting" lap to get the lay of the land. Here's how it looked, using the yellow pie-plate marked names for the areas and hills, and referring to the website's course description for some help in getting it right.
Down a rutted hill to a meadow, then a clockwise loop around it. Then at mile 1.0 the first hill when topped at Mustang Meadow, from which we could see that start/finish. Then back in to the trees, a few small creek crossings, a few really steep hills, then up to the Totem AS around 2.5 miles. Out of Totem along some horse trails and through Bluebird Meadow, a sandy "Beach" segment, then the only major creek crossing at Lick Creek (marked by a sign "That's What She Said"). Out of the creek, up a little, then down Leafy Gulch. Flat a little while, then up Dog Walk Hill. Flat a bit, then I think Golf Hill which was so damned steep there was a rope to help you up!! Then a steep down we called "waterfall hill" for stories we heard of water flowing down in last year's race. Then more flat, then an un-named hill, weave, weave, Heartbreak Hill, Brick Corner, then down to the Sheridan trail (later learned it was named for the road we could see).
The Sheridan led up up up to Hairpin Turn (lotsa photographers here) then up a slow climb to the bridge and Stairway to Heaven's Gate, short meadow, then the Heaven's Gate AS around 5.4 miles. They had bacon and lots of cheering! Past the Meyer's Cemetary then into the Heaven's Gate loop, described as about a mile. Then back into the other side of the meadow, past an unmanned AS at 7.3 miles.
This last section was said to be 2.8 miles out, but it seemed so much longer! Hooter Hill (at which we fell into a group of loud, show-offy type guys), to Wobbly Rock creek crossing, to Picnic in the Park Hill (all down!), to Foundation loop, to the frisbee golf park, then past the tents to the start/finish and drop bags. My garmin was already 1 mile behind at this point and stayed behind for the rest of the day.
The first lap was exploratory, now that we knew what we had in store it was easy to see where the day could go wrong. Or right. Either way after 5 mins in the drop bag area (refill Camelbak, drop bag, bathroom break, and send out a text update to folks) we were out and back down the rutted hill.
Lap 2: 2:15 The second lap was surprisingly much like the first. We kept an even pace, walked up all the hills, and just be-bopped along steady. The only hitch was that TH ate something that didn't agree with her stomach, worrisome for how early it happened in the day (this might have happened in lap 3...I'm losing track...). But you never know how it will go, and I think the hills might have required us to change our nutrition strategy. Mine was mostly fluid-based and seemed to get absorbed easier. We kept trucking along, setting some patterns. We made sure to go all the way around the pole at the Totem AS, as we almost missed it the first time. Even though we knew we couldn't get across Lick Creek dry I pussy-footed anyway at the shoreline. Every time we hit Leafy Gulch I said "LEAFY". I took a picture of Golf Hill to share at the next update, but it looked small and flat in the picture. We kept seeing what seemed to be the same spectators moving around the course. We met Karen who was doing the 100 with a friend. I yelled at Caroline in the cemetary. I kept wrongly referring to Heaven's Gate as Hell's Gate. The last 3 miles were waaaay longer than 3 miles. Then back to the finish, and the same routine of refill, drop bag, empty, and update. After a 9-10 min break we were off again.
Lap 3: This lap was in honor of TB, who couldn't join us today but was cheering us from back home. With a virtual PITCHFORK in the ass, we were off down the rutted hill again. It might have been in this lap that TH ate the bar that upset her stomach? Anyway, while I had a rough idea of our time per lap before I quit counting in this one. There was no time limit, so why worry? All we had to do was finish. TH had slowed to let her stomach settle, and I happily walked or waited for her. I wanted to run with her because her steady pace was better than mine and I wanted the company. Running alone gets me in that "trail stare" mode in which I don't think, or eat and drink as needed. But halfway through the lap my fast walk kept getting me ahead of her. I was getting mad at myself. Why was I powering up hills and hurrying if I was only going to wait for her? Why not just slow the f down and walk with her?? I don't know, but I was driving myself nuts with my inability to pace myself even at a fast walk. When we hit the start/finish area we took longer in the drop bag tent, actually sitting down for a few minutes. I told her that if we separated my light would be waiting for her in my drop bag. She didn't seem to want it, or was being sarcastic and I missed it. Refill, bathroom, update, out.
Lap 4: The race took it's toll on us in this lap. I kept creeping ahead of TH, then would worriedly wait for her. She had encouraged me to run my own race, but I wanted to stay with her. It was a long trail to run alone, for either of us. After the first hill, she remarked about quitting and I stopped her, grabbed her shoulder, and said NO. (She later called it I think a death glare! Yikes!). But I couldn't hear her say that, I didn't want the thought or temptation to become reality. Before the totem AS I passed a young woman who was struggling through her 5th lap. She was a 100'er who dropped to 50, and didn't look good. I helped her down a steep hill, talked a bit, encouraged her, then left. (I found out more about her later--see below). TH caught up to me at totem, but soon after that tried emptying her stomach. She again encouraged me to leave, but I couldn't. Crossed Lick Creek, down Leafy Gulch, up Dog Walk, and ever so slowly I pulled away. I kept an eye on her, but came to a harsh realization soon enough. I was spending a lot of energy worrying about her. Telling stupid stories about horses, and shoes, and cheerleading. None of it seemed to help. The more she didn't respond the worse I felt. Guilty. Like I was dragging her. But I was forgetting about my own race to look after her. She didn't need me to loop after her, she's experienced and knows what to do. And if anyone is stubbornly strong enough to keep going, it's her. What do I do?!? Leave her behind?!? In the end, that's what I did, and I spent the next 5 miles (rest of the lap) wondering if I did the right thing. After walking nearly a full loop my batteries had recharged, my stomach pains had gone away, and I had mostly rehydrated. In other words, my race was nearly back on-line. I went from a fast walk to a jog, kept looking back every time I heard a voice, hoping it was her. I waited to see her a few more times, then lost sight of her. As I approached the Hairpin Turn before the climb to Heaven's Gate, I heard 4 guys coming up behind me, one recognized my BRR hat--turns out they are from STL! Two were moving fast, and the other two I walked up the long hill with. Turns out they are SLUG's and RD's of their local ultras!! I moved quickly through the HG AS and kept jogging, after nearly a loop of fast walking I felt refreshed. And I knew the good feeling wouldn't last long! But while I had the energy and drive, I ran, feeling like it was my first lap. Well, almost. As I left the HG loop, I caught site of TH walking in (she didn't see me). I was looking forward to the unmanned AS at 7.3 (they LIE!), as in my head I'd marked that spot to be equi-distant to the 37 miles of LBL. After that point, every step was the furthest I'd ever run in my life. The quiet coolers and table didn't cheer me past this benchmark, but I did. Off once more through the gotta-be-longer-than-3-miles segment to the start/finish. Same process, only this time without TH. I double checked that my light was easy to find in my drop bag (but not so easy someone could steal it!), and took off.
Lap 5: During the text updates, I found that DH had send a funny picture of our doggie in the famous rainbow jester's hat. This had me laughing for the first mile, and I wished TH was there to see it! How was I doing at 40 miles? Judging by my bathroom break, still dehydrated. I was on my last flask of EFS, the stomach/GI pain from earlier had faded, my outer left knee was hurting during flexion, the injury in the sole of my right foot was acting up, my quads were getting weak, and oddly a tendon or ligament in my left arm was sore from bending all morning. I had minor hand swelling, no obvious blisters or hot spots forming, minor if any chafing, a not unexpectedly elevated HR, an unquenchable thirst, boredom with water...that's about it! In other words, I'm doing good! This was it, the LAST LOOP! I still had the energy to run, nothing fast though. I was either powerwalking or jogging, unless I was climbing a hill at which time I was trying but failing to control my effort. I kept pushing hills too hard, leaving me breathless at the top. Did I mis-manage those? Hard to say, because I recovered quickly and kept going. I ran through most of this loop with a focus on the HG AS, at which I would only have 4.5 miles to go! I was passing people through these miles, many of them people that'd passed me earlier in the day. I cheered everyone on, and kept moving. As I came into the meadow at HG, my right foot finally gave in. With a painful TWANG the injury came front and center, slowing me to a limpy walk. I'd brought the blank un-orthotic'd insole with me in the Camelbak. At the AS I sat in a chair, swapped it out, and hoped for the best. I knew that without orthotics, I had only 40 or so minutes of running before the nerves would start complaining. I didn't expect to be running much more than 40 mins, it would be mostly walking.
As I worked through the next 2 or so miles to the unmanned AS, time and my concentration started to slip. It didn't help that the 12hr mark had come and gone, it was noted as the time at which my stomach started to finally rebel and threaten to empty. It also didn't help that it was getting darker each minute. I was watching for the sun to set and knew it would be around 6:30 or 7, after that I just had twilight. I felt better after I remembered that I did have the iPhone's camera light, and for the millionth time that loop I gave a mental shout-out to TH and swore that if she didn't take my lamp I was was going to scream. And if she was waiting for me at the finish after having dropped out, I was going to scream until she went back out to finish. All of these thoughts started adding up, and I started losing track of time and place. Where was I on the course? Why couldn't I add the 2.8 miles left to the 45.76 miles shown on the garmin? Why couldn't I just add simple 3 miles to that? I kept moving, kept pushing on, mostly a fast and very determined walk at this point. And I started to wonder, did I pass Picnic in the Park Hill yet? OH NO! I was worried the whole time about going off trail, did I? No, there's yellow and pink markers here. Did I do the hill and forget it? Really?! No way it was still ahead of me, I had to have done it, but I forgot?! This is where my mind went the last few miles. I came to Wobbly Rock creek crossing and realized I completely forgot about it. As I came up a hill that looked like Picnic I sadly told myself that it didn't matter whether or not I wanted to do it, I just had to do it. It just didn't seem like there was enough mileage left in the course to accommodate that hill...how could my favorite downhill (Picnic) suddenly become a dreaded least favorite? What was happening?!
I chanted myself through the last 3 miles, never really knowing for sure where I was in mileage. I tried to go back to Wednesday's 2 mile run. That's all I had to do. But was it 2.5 to go? 2 to go? 1.5 to go? All a guess. I was losing track of not only distance, but also time. Twilight seemed to hang around forever. The sunset that seemed to happen hours ago still hadn't happened, making me realize that I was acutely aware of every tenth of a mile, instead of letting it go and "forgetting that I was running". I couldn't stop moving, couldn't even pause, I just kept going forward. Relentless Forward Progress. I was passing by many 150'ers in this lap as they shuffled along, many with pacers and all with a dazed look. As I was coming into the last turns, I came up to 2 150's with red shirts. They were about to hit 110 miles. I walked with them and talked about their race. It helped me to forget mine. But suddenly, there was the tents! The FINISH!! The 150's encouraged me to run, I didn't think I could but with a push from them I did. Smiling, happy, tired, and pained I crossed the quiet finish line just as it was getting dark.
Post race: I did it! But my excitement was tempered by concern for TH. The volunteers took my timing chip, snapped a few photos, handed me a belt buckle, then I bee-lined for the drop bag tent. I needed to know if TH had my headlamp...she did!! Finally I was able to sit down and take stock of me. I was thirsty, but didn't want water. I didn't have to pee. I wasn't hungry. I checked my phone to let everyone know I was done and found that TH did have her phone on this lap, and she was sending updates! I had entertained the thought of backtracking the trail to find her and pace her in, but I realized I was in no condition to help her out. (In the end it's good I didn't go, she was running the last 4 miles! She bounced back!). I set in the tent briefly, talked to DH, then needed to stand. I waited by the finish line and watched the 30 mile fun run start. I talked to a new friend from STL I met in lap 4. When it started to rain I went back to the tent but watched the finish. Soon enough, and sooner than even she expected, there she was!! We were DONE!!
I was amazingly functional, but babbly. The bottoms of my feet hurt and my legs were weak. I knew I needed to eat and drink, but I wasn't there yet. And I was anxious to take off the wet compression socks and shoes I'd been wearing for the last 13 hours. I was scared to see what damage would be there! At the hotel, I found wet, white, skin-swollen feet but only one blister. No chafing. No injuries. No acute pains. HOLY SHIT. It was DONE. Shower. Dinner. Bed. Damn I slept good, even with pained feet and restlessly tired legs. Damn, it was DONE.
But that's not all. There's a million stories from the day, all of them I'd like to remember but probably won't. But here's a try at it. TH and I had a stupid stick joke going, that stemmed from the idea of doing an iron tri later this summer. Every time we saw a stick, we joked that she should pick it up and beat me with it. ~~ The woman I saw struggling in the 4th loop had started her race about 26 hours before I saw her--42 miles into her race! I found out later she was pulled from the course after they realized she didn't even know her name anymore. ~~ Friday at packet pickup we watched the race for an hour. There was an older, heavyset woman who had just finished her first lap--in 4.5 hours! She was a 100'er, and looked to be in pain. When we left for the hotel after an hour, she was still milling around the drop tents. We don't know if she went back out. ~~ One guy had a race car-like pit stop in front of us at Friday. His parents handed him wet then dry towels for a wipe-down before he sorted though a tote of sandwich bag-sorted foods. ~~ Other people were eating spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread after having finished 30 miles, then went back out for more. ~~ At various times through the weekend, especially at night, TH and I would think "they're still out there running". ~~ I met a woman who had lived in South Africa, she had run Comrades, she thought this was harder. ~~ The two 150'ers I met near my finish had run 150 last year, and joked that they didn't learn their lesson the first time. ~~ One guy we passed in loop 4 was talking about how he felt a burst of energy at mile 25, ran the next 10 miles too fast, blew up, and ended up walking loop 5. ~~ TH saw a guy sleeping on a log in her 5th loop. ~~ I could go on forever.
It was wonderful. It was DONE.
| 13:18:32.29 | 15:58/M | 50.000 | ||||||
| 41 | Loop 1 | 2:12:45.38 | 2:12:45.38 | 13:17/M | 10.000 | |||
| 41 | Loop 2 | 2:27:20.73 | 4:40:06.11 | 14:44/M | 20.000 | |||
| 41 | Loop 3 | 2:54:52.49 | 7:34:58.60 | 17:29/M | 30.000 | |||
| 41 | Loop 4 | 3:03:17.32 | 10:38:15.92 | 18:20/M | 40.000 | |||
| 41 | Loop 5 | 2:40:16.37 | 13:18:32.29 | 16:02/M | 50.000 |
Usually my races of this duration are iron distance triathlons. The race report is easier to write because it breaks up into the disciplines--swim report, bike, etc. This will be a little tougher, and I'll try to break it up again somehow.
I was asked many times--how did I pick this race? Honestly, it was ignorance. I really had no clue it was so DAMNED HILLY. OK I knew it had hills, but I didn't know that the race had a reputation for extremes. The month leading into the race had multiple warnings from other runners. But by then it was too late, and what was I going to do...chicken out? Yeah. Right.
Race morning began at 3:30am with coffee, banana, two poached eggs, blister bandages (2 for left foot), tape, and gear: BRR hat, BRR t-shirt, Marathon Pro compression socks, capris, 2 long sleeve tech shirts, beanie hat, the PI gloves, garmin, Camelbak, and the new Cascadias. That's a lot of stuff for a run, but there's a lot of miles!
The drop bag had the old Cascadias (just in case), un-orthotic'd insoles, 2 pairs of socks, a first aid kit (more bandaids, tape, Body Glide), a bag of Powerbars, a bag of uncaffeinated gels, a bag of caffeinated gels, and a bag of chips (sweet potato, plantain, and apple). A cooler at the drop site had 3 flasks with 14 servings of EFS, my main nutrition for the day.
Nutrition Plan: Flasks of EFS, powerbars, and a few gels. Also a few treats like sport beans, raisins and nuts from aid stations, and a bag of mixed chips--sweet potato, plantain, and apple-- at the drop bag. The plan hammered out in training and at LBL was eat about 100 calories every 45 mins (marked by an alarm on the Garmin). If I wanted to eat more in between, fine, but only under dire circumstanced would I not eat at the 45 min alarm. Eat no matter what. Eat. And have water as much as I can remember and tolerate.
At the start, it was still dark and chilly. But not cold. It was just enough that you wanted to huddle. Other racers talked about how "hot" it was going to be today. I can handle that. But the best part about the weather was that it was dry. Previous years of the race were famously muddy, to the point the race was called "Mud-o-watomi". Today was dry! There were about 245 runners spread out between the 4 races, until the results come out I don't know the ratios, but many of those runners started their races yesterday or will start this night for the 30 miler. When the verbal count-down and "go" sounded to start the race, it was just like everything else with it so far--quiet, chill, and laid back.
Lap 1: 2:15 One thing we learned at the Land Between The Lakes 60K just one month ago was that if you get caught in a train of runners, you'll be pushed/pulled at their pace. This didn't happen here. The field was so much smaller (about a quarter of the size total, and not all of them starting at 6am) and we immediately spread out. The first lap was the "scouting" lap to get the lay of the land. Here's how it looked, using the yellow pie-plate marked names for the areas and hills, and referring to the website's course description for some help in getting it right.
Down a rutted hill to a meadow, then a clockwise loop around it. Then at mile 1.0 the first hill when topped at Mustang Meadow, from which we could see that start/finish. Then back in to the trees, a few small creek crossings, a few really steep hills, then up to the Totem AS around 2.5 miles. Out of Totem along some horse trails and through Bluebird Meadow, a sandy "Beach" segment, then the only major creek crossing at Lick Creek (marked by a sign "That's What She Said"). Out of the creek, up a little, then down Leafy Gulch. Flat a little while, then up Dog Walk Hill. Flat a bit, then I think Golf Hill which was so damned steep there was a rope to help you up!! Then a steep down we called "waterfall hill" for stories we heard of water flowing down in last year's race. Then more flat, then an un-named hill, weave, weave, Heartbreak Hill, Brick Corner, then down to the Sheridan trail (later learned it was named for the road we could see).
The Sheridan led up up up to Hairpin Turn (lotsa photographers here) then up a slow climb to the bridge and Stairway to Heaven's Gate, short meadow, then the Heaven's Gate AS around 5.4 miles. They had bacon and lots of cheering! Past the Meyer's Cemetary then into the Heaven's Gate loop, described as about a mile. Then back into the other side of the meadow, past an unmanned AS at 7.3 miles.
This last section was said to be 2.8 miles out, but it seemed so much longer! Hooter Hill (at which we fell into a group of loud, show-offy type guys), to Wobbly Rock creek crossing, to Picnic in the Park Hill (all down!), to Foundation loop, to the frisbee golf park, then past the tents to the start/finish and drop bags. My garmin was already 1 mile behind at this point and stayed behind for the rest of the day.
The first lap was exploratory, now that we knew what we had in store it was easy to see where the day could go wrong. Or right. Either way after 5 mins in the drop bag area (refill Camelbak, drop bag, bathroom break, and send out a text update to folks) we were out and back down the rutted hill.
Lap 2: 2:15 The second lap was surprisingly much like the first. We kept an even pace, walked up all the hills, and just be-bopped along steady. The only hitch was that TH ate something that didn't agree with her stomach, worrisome for how early it happened in the day (this might have happened in lap 3...I'm losing track...). But you never know how it will go, and I think the hills might have required us to change our nutrition strategy. Mine was mostly fluid-based and seemed to get absorbed easier. We kept trucking along, setting some patterns. We made sure to go all the way around the pole at the Totem AS, as we almost missed it the first time. Even though we knew we couldn't get across Lick Creek dry I pussy-footed anyway at the shoreline. Every time we hit Leafy Gulch I said "LEAFY". I took a picture of Golf Hill to share at the next update, but it looked small and flat in the picture. We kept seeing what seemed to be the same spectators moving around the course. We met Karen who was doing the 100 with a friend. I yelled at Caroline in the cemetary. I kept wrongly referring to Heaven's Gate as Hell's Gate. The last 3 miles were waaaay longer than 3 miles. Then back to the finish, and the same routine of refill, drop bag, empty, and update. After a 9-10 min break we were off again.
Lap 3: This lap was in honor of TB, who couldn't join us today but was cheering us from back home. With a virtual PITCHFORK in the ass, we were off down the rutted hill again. It might have been in this lap that TH ate the bar that upset her stomach? Anyway, while I had a rough idea of our time per lap before I quit counting in this one. There was no time limit, so why worry? All we had to do was finish. TH had slowed to let her stomach settle, and I happily walked or waited for her. I wanted to run with her because her steady pace was better than mine and I wanted the company. Running alone gets me in that "trail stare" mode in which I don't think, or eat and drink as needed. But halfway through the lap my fast walk kept getting me ahead of her. I was getting mad at myself. Why was I powering up hills and hurrying if I was only going to wait for her? Why not just slow the f down and walk with her?? I don't know, but I was driving myself nuts with my inability to pace myself even at a fast walk. When we hit the start/finish area we took longer in the drop bag tent, actually sitting down for a few minutes. I told her that if we separated my light would be waiting for her in my drop bag. She didn't seem to want it, or was being sarcastic and I missed it. Refill, bathroom, update, out.
Lap 4: The race took it's toll on us in this lap. I kept creeping ahead of TH, then would worriedly wait for her. She had encouraged me to run my own race, but I wanted to stay with her. It was a long trail to run alone, for either of us. After the first hill, she remarked about quitting and I stopped her, grabbed her shoulder, and said NO. (She later called it I think a death glare! Yikes!). But I couldn't hear her say that, I didn't want the thought or temptation to become reality. Before the totem AS I passed a young woman who was struggling through her 5th lap. She was a 100'er who dropped to 50, and didn't look good. I helped her down a steep hill, talked a bit, encouraged her, then left. (I found out more about her later--see below). TH caught up to me at totem, but soon after that tried emptying her stomach. She again encouraged me to leave, but I couldn't. Crossed Lick Creek, down Leafy Gulch, up Dog Walk, and ever so slowly I pulled away. I kept an eye on her, but came to a harsh realization soon enough. I was spending a lot of energy worrying about her. Telling stupid stories about horses, and shoes, and cheerleading. None of it seemed to help. The more she didn't respond the worse I felt. Guilty. Like I was dragging her. But I was forgetting about my own race to look after her. She didn't need me to loop after her, she's experienced and knows what to do. And if anyone is stubbornly strong enough to keep going, it's her. What do I do?!? Leave her behind?!? In the end, that's what I did, and I spent the next 5 miles (rest of the lap) wondering if I did the right thing. After walking nearly a full loop my batteries had recharged, my stomach pains had gone away, and I had mostly rehydrated. In other words, my race was nearly back on-line. I went from a fast walk to a jog, kept looking back every time I heard a voice, hoping it was her. I waited to see her a few more times, then lost sight of her. As I approached the Hairpin Turn before the climb to Heaven's Gate, I heard 4 guys coming up behind me, one recognized my BRR hat--turns out they are from STL! Two were moving fast, and the other two I walked up the long hill with. Turns out they are SLUG's and RD's of their local ultras!! I moved quickly through the HG AS and kept jogging, after nearly a loop of fast walking I felt refreshed. And I knew the good feeling wouldn't last long! But while I had the energy and drive, I ran, feeling like it was my first lap. Well, almost. As I left the HG loop, I caught site of TH walking in (she didn't see me). I was looking forward to the unmanned AS at 7.3 (they LIE!), as in my head I'd marked that spot to be equi-distant to the 37 miles of LBL. After that point, every step was the furthest I'd ever run in my life. The quiet coolers and table didn't cheer me past this benchmark, but I did. Off once more through the gotta-be-longer-than-3-miles segment to the start/finish. Same process, only this time without TH. I double checked that my light was easy to find in my drop bag (but not so easy someone could steal it!), and took off.
Lap 5: During the text updates, I found that DH had send a funny picture of our doggie in the famous rainbow jester's hat. This had me laughing for the first mile, and I wished TH was there to see it! How was I doing at 40 miles? Judging by my bathroom break, still dehydrated. I was on my last flask of EFS, the stomach/GI pain from earlier had faded, my outer left knee was hurting during flexion, the injury in the sole of my right foot was acting up, my quads were getting weak, and oddly a tendon or ligament in my left arm was sore from bending all morning. I had minor hand swelling, no obvious blisters or hot spots forming, minor if any chafing, a not unexpectedly elevated HR, an unquenchable thirst, boredom with water...that's about it! In other words, I'm doing good! This was it, the LAST LOOP! I still had the energy to run, nothing fast though. I was either powerwalking or jogging, unless I was climbing a hill at which time I was trying but failing to control my effort. I kept pushing hills too hard, leaving me breathless at the top. Did I mis-manage those? Hard to say, because I recovered quickly and kept going. I ran through most of this loop with a focus on the HG AS, at which I would only have 4.5 miles to go! I was passing people through these miles, many of them people that'd passed me earlier in the day. I cheered everyone on, and kept moving. As I came into the meadow at HG, my right foot finally gave in. With a painful TWANG the injury came front and center, slowing me to a limpy walk. I'd brought the blank un-orthotic'd insole with me in the Camelbak. At the AS I sat in a chair, swapped it out, and hoped for the best. I knew that without orthotics, I had only 40 or so minutes of running before the nerves would start complaining. I didn't expect to be running much more than 40 mins, it would be mostly walking.
As I worked through the next 2 or so miles to the unmanned AS, time and my concentration started to slip. It didn't help that the 12hr mark had come and gone, it was noted as the time at which my stomach started to finally rebel and threaten to empty. It also didn't help that it was getting darker each minute. I was watching for the sun to set and knew it would be around 6:30 or 7, after that I just had twilight. I felt better after I remembered that I did have the iPhone's camera light, and for the millionth time that loop I gave a mental shout-out to TH and swore that if she didn't take my lamp I was was going to scream. And if she was waiting for me at the finish after having dropped out, I was going to scream until she went back out to finish. All of these thoughts started adding up, and I started losing track of time and place. Where was I on the course? Why couldn't I add the 2.8 miles left to the 45.76 miles shown on the garmin? Why couldn't I just add simple 3 miles to that? I kept moving, kept pushing on, mostly a fast and very determined walk at this point. And I started to wonder, did I pass Picnic in the Park Hill yet? OH NO! I was worried the whole time about going off trail, did I? No, there's yellow and pink markers here. Did I do the hill and forget it? Really?! No way it was still ahead of me, I had to have done it, but I forgot?! This is where my mind went the last few miles. I came to Wobbly Rock creek crossing and realized I completely forgot about it. As I came up a hill that looked like Picnic I sadly told myself that it didn't matter whether or not I wanted to do it, I just had to do it. It just didn't seem like there was enough mileage left in the course to accommodate that hill...how could my favorite downhill (Picnic) suddenly become a dreaded least favorite? What was happening?!
I chanted myself through the last 3 miles, never really knowing for sure where I was in mileage. I tried to go back to Wednesday's 2 mile run. That's all I had to do. But was it 2.5 to go? 2 to go? 1.5 to go? All a guess. I was losing track of not only distance, but also time. Twilight seemed to hang around forever. The sunset that seemed to happen hours ago still hadn't happened, making me realize that I was acutely aware of every tenth of a mile, instead of letting it go and "forgetting that I was running". I couldn't stop moving, couldn't even pause, I just kept going forward. Relentless Forward Progress. I was passing by many 150'ers in this lap as they shuffled along, many with pacers and all with a dazed look. As I was coming into the last turns, I came up to 2 150's with red shirts. They were about to hit 110 miles. I walked with them and talked about their race. It helped me to forget mine. But suddenly, there was the tents! The FINISH!! The 150's encouraged me to run, I didn't think I could but with a push from them I did. Smiling, happy, tired, and pained I crossed the quiet finish line just as it was getting dark.
Post race: I did it! But my excitement was tempered by concern for TH. The volunteers took my timing chip, snapped a few photos, handed me a belt buckle, then I bee-lined for the drop bag tent. I needed to know if TH had my headlamp...she did!! Finally I was able to sit down and take stock of me. I was thirsty, but didn't want water. I didn't have to pee. I wasn't hungry. I checked my phone to let everyone know I was done and found that TH did have her phone on this lap, and she was sending updates! I had entertained the thought of backtracking the trail to find her and pace her in, but I realized I was in no condition to help her out. (In the end it's good I didn't go, she was running the last 4 miles! She bounced back!). I set in the tent briefly, talked to DH, then needed to stand. I waited by the finish line and watched the 30 mile fun run start. I talked to a new friend from STL I met in lap 4. When it started to rain I went back to the tent but watched the finish. Soon enough, and sooner than even she expected, there she was!! We were DONE!!
I was amazingly functional, but babbly. The bottoms of my feet hurt and my legs were weak. I knew I needed to eat and drink, but I wasn't there yet. And I was anxious to take off the wet compression socks and shoes I'd been wearing for the last 13 hours. I was scared to see what damage would be there! At the hotel, I found wet, white, skin-swollen feet but only one blister. No chafing. No injuries. No acute pains. HOLY SHIT. It was DONE. Shower. Dinner. Bed. Damn I slept good, even with pained feet and restlessly tired legs. Damn, it was DONE.
But that's not all. There's a million stories from the day, all of them I'd like to remember but probably won't. But here's a try at it. TH and I had a stupid stick joke going, that stemmed from the idea of doing an iron tri later this summer. Every time we saw a stick, we joked that she should pick it up and beat me with it. ~~ The woman I saw struggling in the 4th loop had started her race about 26 hours before I saw her--42 miles into her race! I found out later she was pulled from the course after they realized she didn't even know her name anymore. ~~ Friday at packet pickup we watched the race for an hour. There was an older, heavyset woman who had just finished her first lap--in 4.5 hours! She was a 100'er, and looked to be in pain. When we left for the hotel after an hour, she was still milling around the drop tents. We don't know if she went back out. ~~ One guy had a race car-like pit stop in front of us at Friday. His parents handed him wet then dry towels for a wipe-down before he sorted though a tote of sandwich bag-sorted foods. ~~ Other people were eating spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread after having finished 30 miles, then went back out for more. ~~ At various times through the weekend, especially at night, TH and I would think "they're still out there running". ~~ I met a woman who had lived in South Africa, she had run Comrades, she thought this was harder. ~~ The two 150'ers I met near my finish had run 150 last year, and joked that they didn't learn their lesson the first time. ~~ One guy we passed in loop 4 was talking about how he felt a burst of energy at mile 25, ran the next 10 miles too fast, blew up, and ended up walking loop 5. ~~ TH saw a guy sleeping on a log in her 5th loop. ~~ I could go on forever.
It was wonderful. It was DONE.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Final week into Potawatomi
Monday rest
Tuesday RUN 4 miles in ~38 mins
Wednesday RUN ~2 miles in ~20 mins
Thursday rest
Friday rest and drive up to site
Busy week. Funny how when I'm tapering and should have more time for blah-blah'ing about me, but I don't. I think it's because there's not much to say when you're only doing 2 milers.
Speaking of the 2-miler, I tried to get it into my head that 2 miles ain't far, and tried to remember it Saturday in the race--2 miles. Just 2 miles.
I wasn't nervous going into the race. Pretty chill actually. Nothing like LBL.
Friday nutrition--cut out all the veggies I"m used to. Ate a lot of chicken breast. Let myself eat whatever I wanted. Probably ate too much!
Tuesday RUN 4 miles in ~38 mins
Wednesday RUN ~2 miles in ~20 mins
Thursday rest
Friday rest and drive up to site
Busy week. Funny how when I'm tapering and should have more time for blah-blah'ing about me, but I don't. I think it's because there's not much to say when you're only doing 2 milers.
Speaking of the 2-miler, I tried to get it into my head that 2 miles ain't far, and tried to remember it Saturday in the race--2 miles. Just 2 miles.
I wasn't nervous going into the race. Pretty chill actually. Nothing like LBL.
Friday nutrition--cut out all the veggies I"m used to. Ate a lot of chicken breast. Let myself eat whatever I wanted. Probably ate too much!
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