1. Food and water supply.
- I need a better food cooler! The last two races I lost my post-race meals to a warm cooler. My cooler is not one of the air-insulated kind. Mine is just a plastic bucket and a canvas-like cover that I stuff with ice blocks. Might we worth looking into a better option. Might be better...?!? Do it!!
- I should really bring my own water supply, maybe a 5-gallon jug?. Having yuck-tasting water from the aid stations didn't really limit my water consumption but it didn't motivate me either. The water mom and dad get is good, that would work.*
- The zip-lock bagged nutrition was perfect. I had a fresh bag of goodies with a surprise for each loop, and it was a fast-change each time I hit the drop bag.
- It works to have the Camelbak at a low weight, my back held up and didn't get too tired. Just gotta decide how much water I'll need for a 5 mile stretch at Farmdale. That's an on-the-fly adjustment.
2. Body issues.
- I initially thought the lower back chafing was due to the bak hitting my lower back and hip bones, but my recent Wednesday long run has me wondering if it's the shorts? The bak doesn't sit that low? Test again this weekend. So I gotta add anti-chafing Body Glide cream to my back.*
- I did the Body Glide and tape combo on my toes, worked perfect even with the rain and creek crossing. When I took my socks off, they were still mostly stuck to my skin. But over 100 miles that might need a change partway through.
- The bottoms of my feet started to hurt around mile 45+, and the ground wasn't rocky or hard at Evergreen. Do I need new insoles?
- My come-and-go hip pains were minimal today. The groin pull/injury was due to the mud, I gotta keep an eye on that over the next few weeks so it doesn't simmer as a low grade injury.
- I wasn't diligent about stretching my back and shoulders. I'm supposed to do it when my watch beeps every 45 mins. I don't plan on wearing this watch at Farmdale, so I'll plan to stretch every 5 miles instead at each aid station.*
3. Mental issues.
- Not too bad really, the usual ups and downs and odd song stuck in my head. Didn't consume any caffeine at Evergreen, I packed some in the loop 3 bag but didn't feel like I needed it.
- No headphones or phone music for this race, like CMAR. I didn't talk much except to myself, but when I came to another runner I was very happy to chat. So most of the 11 hours was lost in my own thoughts. I need to get a burst of thoughts to change things up more often. Like a joke for each loop, or a puzzle to think on?*
- My meditation practices are helping in running. It's relaxing, reminds me to think positive and be in the moment. Or get out of a bad moment if needed too.
- Having a cheering crew is awesome.
- My GOLDEN mental moments are awesome too. It helps to acknowledge the good thoughts and decisions, because as I get tired the cranky negative thoughts intrude and take over. So there will be gold thumbnail paint at Farmdale.
4. Nutrition.
- Nailed it. Per loop: one powerbar and 4-5 mint treats, and 2 tootsie roll pops at 8 and 16 miles (at each drop bag site). Gave me something to look forward to, a different flavor every now and then. What about other powerbar flavors? Time for some shopping.
- I took orange wedges and small bites of potatoes dipped in salt at most of the aid stations. Too much salt sometimes, left a little tongue burn. It's a nice change to get solid foods and a flavor burst of different. I avoided the bananas, gummies, and other otherwise probably safe foods. Sometimes I can't resist and eat something stupid like those potato chips.
- Those powerbars need to be packed differently. I'm thinking about pre-cutting them and wrapping them in wax paper? This is maybe something my crew can do between loops, cuz otherwise they might melt and make a mess over the course of the day?*
- Oh and be careful with those powerbars. It's entirely possible that they contributed to losing a dental filling on Sunday after the race.
- Somewhere around mile 35 I started feeling some gas, but it never bloated me up like it used to. No bloat-belly is a WIN! This takes some sacrifice, because after a long day some of those treats start to look soooooo good at the aid stations. I started to want a Reese's peanut butter cup?! Oh my gawd that would be Self Sabotage! I didn't really want the Reese's, I wanted the sugar-fat combination for energy. The brain loves that sugary stuff, so I'm sure I can come up with a replacement food.
- I did have Nutella after the race with no apparent gut protest, so maybe a spoonful of that occasionally for that sweet-fat hit? The ingredients are less than ideal, maybe I could test this.
5. Gear
- Gotta dig out the new Cascadia shoes before Farmdale. This upcoming weekend at Berryman is the best chance to do this and get them adjusted. But bring both pairs to Farmdale for a backup.
- Will I need gaitors at Farmdale? If I do, I need to get them installed on the Cascadias.
- I didn't wear any bee gear at Evergreen, I didn't want to muddy it up!
- But I did have my "Golden" left thumbnail, and every time time I finished a mile and whenever I made a smart decision for my race I'd give myself a thumbs-up and say GOLDEN. Amazing how that works for me.
- Should I camp at Farmdale? Awful nice to just roll out of the tent and run...
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