Yesterday was my first weekend since April that I wasn't out running or otherwise training. It felt great, I don't think I had much run in my anyway, but something was missing.
I miss the routine. The goal. The need to finish something.
It's that time of year when I'm usually in a limbo. Each fall I'm recovering (I'll also note here that one year ago was Redman weekend!) from my year-end A race. The whole taper I'm telling myself about how great it will be to do something else besides the training. Then the race is over and I'm looking to get back into it. Usually I'm wanting back too soon, and I hit a late fall burn-out from jumping back too fast.
But one of my new life goals is to not ride a course of peaks and valleys between races, and instead roll from one to the other in a continuum. So instead of parking on the couch right after MT50, I have the next race/goal in mind--something concrete and defined. Unlike "cyclocross races", and more like "McNot Again 30M".
So yes I have the McNot Again on the calendar. After that? Nothing planned. Maybe some cyclocross races.
After that? Things get a little more specific come the new year. I've pretty much crossed 3DoS off the list for 2014, I just can't balance ultra running with swimming and biking. I haven't seen a pool since late July for Route 66! And I have some pretty big goals for next year without 3DoS! I'm going to put them to paper here in case I need a few laughs later, because these things are always funny to come back and read.
First goal: MiTi in late August. If I start training in mid February, this race will still be within the "build" phase of the training plan which has B2B as the A race. MiTi is a remarkably small race, so much so that shooting for an AG podium ain't all that hard when there's only 3 or so peeps in the AG!! So I decided on a OA podium! Yeah, really, I did! The OA times for the past two years of the race were 11:30. Ha ha ha ha! I'd have to be faster than LC to pull that off.
Why am I laughing? Am I saying I can't do it? 1:30 swim, 6:00 bike, and 4:00 run, plus some T1 and T2 time...ugh...that adds up to about 11:30! It's a flat course too, so that really helps. Based on prior races, that's only a 15 min improvement on the swim, a 45-60 min improvement on the bike, and a 45 min improvement on the run. Hooo, the run, that's a big chunk of time. BUT--I'm a runner, right?!? Am I saying that the lesson learned in Rt 66 this year is not to be counted?!? I'm faster and stronger than I think I am!
Keep in mind that I wanted a 12:30 at Redman and ended with a 13:23. The problem there wasn't realistic training for that goal. To be realistic about this, I'd have to drop the group rides every other weekend and find another gear to train in. I'd have to be serious about it, not so social and having fun.
Second goal: B2B in late October. Birthday Iron!! Less concrete goals for this race. MiTi would the the "troubleshooting race" 8 weeks prior. That's a short turn-around time, so B2B might be less A race than I can hope for. Dammit. Quit doubting, see above! If I missed the 11:30 goal at MiTi, I could shoot for it again here.
Third goal: 5K OWS, no race picked yet. What better way to improve the swim, than to pick a big race and focus on it?
So here I am, dreaming about 2014 already. I re-started P90X this morning. Instead of the Classic I'm doing a plan somewhere between Classic and Lean. I have a training "plan" for McNot Again that gets me on the run again and doing 20 milers on weekends. (BTW--"only" 20 miles, hahahahahah!!). I'd love to do Ride The Rivers, but I don't think I'll be century-fit in 3 weeks. I'll just be injured. I brought my swim gear with me today hoping to squeeze in a swim somewhere, but that's not going to happen.
Lots of mental meandering, all quickly answered. Do I need a new IM training plan? No, cuz I don't follow the one I have very well to take it's full benefit. What swim will I do in 2014? Too early to tell, the calendars aren't populated yet. I'm reading Jurek's Eat & Run right now, how's my nutrition looking? Great, better than ever, aside from a few bad habits that peeked up during recovery week.
Ugh, I miss having running to do!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
BRONZED! And the MT50 recovery week
I found out Tues night--I placed 3rd OA out of finishing 14 women, and 10th overall in the finishing field of 39! WOOT!
Recovery week went surprisingly smoothly. I'm still having knee pain (as of Friday) but it's decreasing by the day. I haven't done anything in terms of training yet, and that's probably what has kept me from being a tired, crabby, sore, fatigued athlete. I'm just letting the recovery roll.
The recovery has been so smooth that it's prompted me to try to figure out why. Some ideas--
1. I didn't experience any GI upset in the run, so no GI recovery to manage. I was able to eat and drink as needed to rebuild.
2. I was hydrating well in the race, especially at the last 5 miles. When I was walking, I told myself to start recovery "now".
3. My post-race food and water were immediately accessible, and I was able to eat them quickly.
4. I had a wonderful sherpa who let (made, haha) me focus on recovery, instead of getting distracted by post race fatigue.
5. I really focused on recovery the week after the race. No commuting, so "fun run", so swim. Nuttin'.
6. Instead of thinking of the MT50 as the last race, I looked at it as one race in a continuum, so I immediately started thinking about what I needed to do for something like Ride The Rivers and/or McNot Again.
Full moon week! Feeling great, and looking forward to the McNot Again 30M.
Recovery week went surprisingly smoothly. I'm still having knee pain (as of Friday) but it's decreasing by the day. I haven't done anything in terms of training yet, and that's probably what has kept me from being a tired, crabby, sore, fatigued athlete. I'm just letting the recovery roll.
The recovery has been so smooth that it's prompted me to try to figure out why. Some ideas--
1. I didn't experience any GI upset in the run, so no GI recovery to manage. I was able to eat and drink as needed to rebuild.
2. I was hydrating well in the race, especially at the last 5 miles. When I was walking, I told myself to start recovery "now".
3. My post-race food and water were immediately accessible, and I was able to eat them quickly.
4. I had a wonderful sherpa who let (made, haha) me focus on recovery, instead of getting distracted by post race fatigue.
5. I really focused on recovery the week after the race. No commuting, so "fun run", so swim. Nuttin'.
6. Instead of thinking of the MT50 as the last race, I looked at it as one race in a continuum, so I immediately started thinking about what I needed to do for something like Ride The Rivers and/or McNot Again.
Full moon week! Feeling great, and looking forward to the McNot Again 30M.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
The Mark Twain 50 Race Report
RUN 50 miles in 11 hrs 19 minutes 48 seconds
My race goals:
1. 11-12 hour finish. Sub 11 would be nice too, but likely out of reach for me.
2. Stay steady and don't get injured.
3. Nail the nutrition and hydration.
My strategies:
1. Break the race up into 5 mile increments, and keep each one between 60-70 minutes.
2. Run aid station to aid station, don't focus on the entire distance.
3. Eat on schedule no matter what, drink more than you think you can, and be realistic.
Race morning: Up at 4am for 2 eggs (forgot the half of Powerbar until we got to the site) and coffee. My stuff was pre-packed and ready to go so dressing. TH had Lose Yourself to play for in the car on the drive, we got busy with the driving and didn't play it, but I took the music in my head for the day. It was still dark, and a million stars were overhead in a dazzling array. Smoke and ash from the campfires sprinkled out of the dark into the headlamps. Everything was so still and quiet, but the prerace buzz was everywhere. We met up with TV and M and did our little rituals. TH kept me moving and on target, which led to a very quick and slick prep.
The report will break up the race into 5 mile increments. Another way to look at it was by the aid stations, positioned roughly every 5 miles, so there will be some overlap in how I analyze this.The garmin wasn't accurate over the course (it ended the first loop at 25.5, and the race at 52 miles), but it's close enough for me to gauge time over the roughly 5 mile intervals. Not once did I look at my HR during the race.
Miles 0-5: 66 minutes 132 bpm. As I'm finding with ultras, the start is more of a casual gathering, often in the dark with the size of the site being all you can see from the cumulative headlamps. The "go" was just a simple signal, and we were off and running...for about 100y before the group choked together at the start of the trail. We walked, still all smiles and jokes, and I enjoyed the easing into the run. TV was right behind me, and soon enough the groups broke up and we ended up near the front of a small train that was moving easy for their 100M run -- so a little too easy for me. I needed to break out and settle into my own pace. At 1.9 miles and 30 mins, I knew I needed out. Hi-5 to TV, then passed the two girls ahead of me. I wasn't moving much faster, I just needed my own space. But I missed the company. Soon enough the headlamp wasn't needed, the sunrise was slow and soft--a light glow that led to soft shadows that soon enough was a crisp, golden sunlight. As you can tell, the first 5 miles were quite pleasant, and I was very happy to see that even though it seemed like I walked too much I was still within my time goals.
Miles 6-10: 61-62 minutes 134 bpm. After a brief aid station stop, I kept on. TV was behind me--I could hear him talking and laughing. I wanted to run with him, but feared our paces wouldn't match and one of us would be pushed or pulled into the wrong pace. Rolling, rolling, everything running along and a song in my head. I was humming my race theme song "Have A Nice Day", along with It's My Life and Lose Yourself. Passed a few women, then started leap-frogging with two guys and often found myself having to "reel it in" and slow down the pace. There was a section of trail on a paved road, pleasantly downhill, then an AS stop. Saw TV again, managed a dry crossing of Brazil Creek, then got into a group with 4 other runners--the leap-froggers and two women.
Miles 11-15: 56 minutes 143bpm. This little train of runners set a smooth and quick pace, I was in the middle of a group that spoke not a word for the first few miles. It helped that this interval was a fast section of course. So far we'd seen lots of rocks--big and small and gravely, one major hill, roots, dirt, rolling hills, but now we were getting long slow declines on smooth ground. It might have been too fast, maybe too much? I eventually passed the two women, then me and my leap-froggers moved ahead. I wondered a few times if I was being pushed by the runners behind me, but I kept to it anyway. In this section I had a hard trip over what was probably a root and had a near-fall. About a mile later, I did it again. Ack!
Miles 16-20: 62 minutes 138 bpm. I was running alone again in this segment, through another quick section of smooth declines and easy trail. I kept getting the distances messed up in my head, thinking that 20 miles was the start/finish area. I also kept getting the mental map of the race messed up. When we ran this in June, we ran clockwise, but in my head it was c-clockwise! Even though I knew it was wrong, I couldn't over-write the memory. That problem carried into today, I had to keep correcting my mental GPS. So a little confusion in this section, and the first signs of mental fatigue were kicking in. I started on a bag of Sport Beans with caffeine to see if things improved. BTW-cherry SB's taste awful.
Miles 21-25: 63 minutes 139 bpm. This loop took me into the start/finish and ended the first lap. I kept myself going in two ways. First, I was really looking forward to seeing TH. All during the run, every time I thought about her (what was she doing, was she resting her arm, was she volunteering) and every time I had a What Would T Tell Me To Do moment I took a sip of water. I felt like I had so much to tell her, all these things happening in the race! Second, I had delusions of my place in the race. I'd passed a number of females and saw none ahead of me. So I had a voice in my head saying "I wonder if we're near the front". A delusion for sure--the front runners were hours ahead of me--but oddly enough the delusion kept me focused. At the same time that voice spoke up, another countered with a "don't be so foolish". But once I realized it was working for me, I let them argue it out.
Miles 26-30: 70 minutes 134 bpm. This section contained the stop at the drop bag. MV refilled my Camelbak and TH grabbed my drop bag. It was like a Nascar stop! Left to my own devices, I would have stopped longer, but TH kept me focused. Bathroom break (sadly my first in the race, even though I had to pee 10 miles earlier, I was worried my leap-froggers would pass me again see me!), then off for more miles. Knowing that walking didn't affect my time much the first time I came through here helped me relax some. I kept thinking--slowing down now is GOOD, bank the energy, reel it in. I even did a fishing reel motion with my somewhat swollen hands. It seemed to take forever to get to the next aid station, I swear they moved it!
Miles 31-35: 66 minutes 135 bpm. This next section was the first indication of a breakdown in physical terms. The first twinges of knee problems started in this section. I knew the 2nd AS was just over 4 miles away and after the pavement section, so I found some comfort in knowing this was a "short" section. I got a little mentally distracted with the Garmin being off mileage. It read 35 miles as I came into the AS at 34 miles. It shouldn't have bothered me, but it did. The 2nd AS near the creek came and went (saw TV again!), had a few moments of the Garmin losing satellite signal (more mental distraction), another dry crossing, then off to the next AS.
Miles 36-40: 65 minutes 134 bpm. The next AS was 6 miles away, which didn't seem bad at first. In my head, I told myself that I'd trained to 30 miles multiple times so 30 mile is easy. After that, 35 miles ain't so bad. Then just 15 more! But this section drug out so long, and looking back I'd put the "halfway" mark of the race right here. This is where the "race begins", so to speak. I was running alone until I came up behind a runner I accompanied until the next AS. He was a Korean guy my age who had the most impressive running resume I'd ever heard (15-16 100's, Western States, 314 mi in VolState, and more more more)! Super nice, positive energy, and a calm approach to this sluggish section. This all helped when we both realized we were out of water in a sunny mile of course! By now my right knee was a problem--I was down to fast walk over all rocks--but still moving strong.
Miles 41-45: 69 minutes 128 bpm. This was the "10 miles to go" aid station! TV caught up to me there and I got a much-needed boost from seeing him. I wasn't ready to admit to knee problems yet, somehow doing that would make it real. I was afraid to stop for too long for fear that my leg would stiffen up, so I was in and out. "34 out the door" as I said it. I'd hoped a few of the people I'd left behind at the AS would catch me, and TV did pass me soon enough. But I was struggling. I wanted to run; my knee didn't. The pain was lateral on the right knee, the best I can describe it: a tightness in the connective tissues. Not an injury pain, nothing broken or torn. But enough that I was losing confidence in having a sure step through rocks and uneven ground, so I walked those sections to prevent a more serious injury. I had moments where I wanted to cry, then I was euphoric and dancing to mental music, then the feeling of wanting to cry again. That's a sign of low glucose--time to eat!! I was discouraged to see the increased time on the clock, but I was still within my 60-70 min range. Happy with that, I kept it rolling. The last AS seemed to take forever to reach. By this time I was almost counting the tenths.
Miles 46-50: 76 minutes 119 bpm. TV passed me again out of the AS and headed off to finish his last loop. I was down to a fast walk now. Walking didn't hurt, so I restructured my goals. 1. Don't create a more permanent injury. 2. Save some energy to run across the finish line. 3. Try for 11hrs. I was walking as fast as I could, running on the smooth downhills and flats. I was yelling at myself to run, to dig deep, to gut it out, to HTFU, and I did. But my heart was racing (it felt like it was anyway), my mind was churning ideas, and my knee wasn't having any of it. Soon enough I was walking only the downhills. 11hrs came and went, so I restructured again to finish under 11:23, which I thought would be 2 hrs under my Poto time.
Garmin overrun: 2 miles 30 minutes 116 bpm. The last 2 miles, which were really miles 48-50 of the race, went by in a drawn-out frenzy. I was doing the fastest walk I could, following the "run when you can, walk if you have to" mentality. It seemed to take forever. And then I realized that 13:23 was my Ironman PR, not my Poto time! I needed to MOVE to get a 2hr PR of 11:18. I passed the sign marking the turn-off of the Ozark Trail (the first time by this sign I was disappointed to realize that wasn't the turn to the start/finish area) and eagerly watched for the real final turn. By now I'd been mentally cheerleading myself--2 more miles!! 1.5 more miles!! 1 more mile!! Now I was down to tenths, how many more I didn't know. As I came over the last hill and the clock came into view-- I was motivated to run to beat 11:20. I did! A hi-5 and hug from the RD TL, my medal, and I'm DONE!
Post-race. TH kept me on target getting food, fresh clothes, and rest. When I finally peeled off the socks, tape, and bandages, I was surprised to find a nice fat blood blister on the medial left foot. But that's it--no other chafing, blisters, cuts, falls, blood, injuries--compared to many other runners out there that I saw with real battle scars. Seeing them kept me in my place, and caused some more mental arguing in my last 5 miles. I had a mixed post-race recovery. On one hand, I was in actuality injury-free and very grateful for the complete lack of ankle rolls, falls, or other acute injuries. I finished remarkably clean. On the other hand, that last hour of the race was a walk fest and my body was upset with my knee for being the rate-limiting step in my finish time. But to be honest-- my tummy, mind, and body were just blaming the knee. I really didn't have a lot of run left in me and if it wasn't the knee complaining something else would have in its place.
In summary--a fabulous end to my race season! A PR, a perfect weekend of weather and trail conditions, an awesome sherpa who I can't thank enough, no major injuries, and a certainty that 100 mile races are NOT in my immediate future! I'm not even sure I want to do 50 miles ever again. But I always say that, give me a week. :)
The next day, I was up/down in energy as usual for post-race, but I was definitely happy and buzzing. A song heard on the way home: Good Feeling by Flo Rida. New to me, but it's been on the air for 2 years now.
My race goals:
1. 11-12 hour finish. Sub 11 would be nice too, but likely out of reach for me.
2. Stay steady and don't get injured.
3. Nail the nutrition and hydration.
My strategies:
1. Break the race up into 5 mile increments, and keep each one between 60-70 minutes.
2. Run aid station to aid station, don't focus on the entire distance.
3. Eat on schedule no matter what, drink more than you think you can, and be realistic.
Race morning: Up at 4am for 2 eggs (forgot the half of Powerbar until we got to the site) and coffee. My stuff was pre-packed and ready to go so dressing. TH had Lose Yourself to play for in the car on the drive, we got busy with the driving and didn't play it, but I took the music in my head for the day. It was still dark, and a million stars were overhead in a dazzling array. Smoke and ash from the campfires sprinkled out of the dark into the headlamps. Everything was so still and quiet, but the prerace buzz was everywhere. We met up with TV and M and did our little rituals. TH kept me moving and on target, which led to a very quick and slick prep.
The report will break up the race into 5 mile increments. Another way to look at it was by the aid stations, positioned roughly every 5 miles, so there will be some overlap in how I analyze this.The garmin wasn't accurate over the course (it ended the first loop at 25.5, and the race at 52 miles), but it's close enough for me to gauge time over the roughly 5 mile intervals. Not once did I look at my HR during the race.
Miles 0-5: 66 minutes 132 bpm. As I'm finding with ultras, the start is more of a casual gathering, often in the dark with the size of the site being all you can see from the cumulative headlamps. The "go" was just a simple signal, and we were off and running...for about 100y before the group choked together at the start of the trail. We walked, still all smiles and jokes, and I enjoyed the easing into the run. TV was right behind me, and soon enough the groups broke up and we ended up near the front of a small train that was moving easy for their 100M run -- so a little too easy for me. I needed to break out and settle into my own pace. At 1.9 miles and 30 mins, I knew I needed out. Hi-5 to TV, then passed the two girls ahead of me. I wasn't moving much faster, I just needed my own space. But I missed the company. Soon enough the headlamp wasn't needed, the sunrise was slow and soft--a light glow that led to soft shadows that soon enough was a crisp, golden sunlight. As you can tell, the first 5 miles were quite pleasant, and I was very happy to see that even though it seemed like I walked too much I was still within my time goals.
Miles 6-10: 61-62 minutes 134 bpm. After a brief aid station stop, I kept on. TV was behind me--I could hear him talking and laughing. I wanted to run with him, but feared our paces wouldn't match and one of us would be pushed or pulled into the wrong pace. Rolling, rolling, everything running along and a song in my head. I was humming my race theme song "Have A Nice Day", along with It's My Life and Lose Yourself. Passed a few women, then started leap-frogging with two guys and often found myself having to "reel it in" and slow down the pace. There was a section of trail on a paved road, pleasantly downhill, then an AS stop. Saw TV again, managed a dry crossing of Brazil Creek, then got into a group with 4 other runners--the leap-froggers and two women.
Miles 11-15: 56 minutes 143bpm. This little train of runners set a smooth and quick pace, I was in the middle of a group that spoke not a word for the first few miles. It helped that this interval was a fast section of course. So far we'd seen lots of rocks--big and small and gravely, one major hill, roots, dirt, rolling hills, but now we were getting long slow declines on smooth ground. It might have been too fast, maybe too much? I eventually passed the two women, then me and my leap-froggers moved ahead. I wondered a few times if I was being pushed by the runners behind me, but I kept to it anyway. In this section I had a hard trip over what was probably a root and had a near-fall. About a mile later, I did it again. Ack!
Miles 16-20: 62 minutes 138 bpm. I was running alone again in this segment, through another quick section of smooth declines and easy trail. I kept getting the distances messed up in my head, thinking that 20 miles was the start/finish area. I also kept getting the mental map of the race messed up. When we ran this in June, we ran clockwise, but in my head it was c-clockwise! Even though I knew it was wrong, I couldn't over-write the memory. That problem carried into today, I had to keep correcting my mental GPS. So a little confusion in this section, and the first signs of mental fatigue were kicking in. I started on a bag of Sport Beans with caffeine to see if things improved. BTW-cherry SB's taste awful.
Miles 21-25: 63 minutes 139 bpm. This loop took me into the start/finish and ended the first lap. I kept myself going in two ways. First, I was really looking forward to seeing TH. All during the run, every time I thought about her (what was she doing, was she resting her arm, was she volunteering) and every time I had a What Would T Tell Me To Do moment I took a sip of water. I felt like I had so much to tell her, all these things happening in the race! Second, I had delusions of my place in the race. I'd passed a number of females and saw none ahead of me. So I had a voice in my head saying "I wonder if we're near the front". A delusion for sure--the front runners were hours ahead of me--but oddly enough the delusion kept me focused. At the same time that voice spoke up, another countered with a "don't be so foolish". But once I realized it was working for me, I let them argue it out.
Miles 26-30: 70 minutes 134 bpm. This section contained the stop at the drop bag. MV refilled my Camelbak and TH grabbed my drop bag. It was like a Nascar stop! Left to my own devices, I would have stopped longer, but TH kept me focused. Bathroom break (sadly my first in the race, even though I had to pee 10 miles earlier, I was worried my leap-froggers would pass me again see me!), then off for more miles. Knowing that walking didn't affect my time much the first time I came through here helped me relax some. I kept thinking--slowing down now is GOOD, bank the energy, reel it in. I even did a fishing reel motion with my somewhat swollen hands. It seemed to take forever to get to the next aid station, I swear they moved it!
Miles 31-35: 66 minutes 135 bpm. This next section was the first indication of a breakdown in physical terms. The first twinges of knee problems started in this section. I knew the 2nd AS was just over 4 miles away and after the pavement section, so I found some comfort in knowing this was a "short" section. I got a little mentally distracted with the Garmin being off mileage. It read 35 miles as I came into the AS at 34 miles. It shouldn't have bothered me, but it did. The 2nd AS near the creek came and went (saw TV again!), had a few moments of the Garmin losing satellite signal (more mental distraction), another dry crossing, then off to the next AS.
Miles 36-40: 65 minutes 134 bpm. The next AS was 6 miles away, which didn't seem bad at first. In my head, I told myself that I'd trained to 30 miles multiple times so 30 mile is easy. After that, 35 miles ain't so bad. Then just 15 more! But this section drug out so long, and looking back I'd put the "halfway" mark of the race right here. This is where the "race begins", so to speak. I was running alone until I came up behind a runner I accompanied until the next AS. He was a Korean guy my age who had the most impressive running resume I'd ever heard (15-16 100's, Western States, 314 mi in VolState, and more more more)! Super nice, positive energy, and a calm approach to this sluggish section. This all helped when we both realized we were out of water in a sunny mile of course! By now my right knee was a problem--I was down to fast walk over all rocks--but still moving strong.
Miles 41-45: 69 minutes 128 bpm. This was the "10 miles to go" aid station! TV caught up to me there and I got a much-needed boost from seeing him. I wasn't ready to admit to knee problems yet, somehow doing that would make it real. I was afraid to stop for too long for fear that my leg would stiffen up, so I was in and out. "34 out the door" as I said it. I'd hoped a few of the people I'd left behind at the AS would catch me, and TV did pass me soon enough. But I was struggling. I wanted to run; my knee didn't. The pain was lateral on the right knee, the best I can describe it: a tightness in the connective tissues. Not an injury pain, nothing broken or torn. But enough that I was losing confidence in having a sure step through rocks and uneven ground, so I walked those sections to prevent a more serious injury. I had moments where I wanted to cry, then I was euphoric and dancing to mental music, then the feeling of wanting to cry again. That's a sign of low glucose--time to eat!! I was discouraged to see the increased time on the clock, but I was still within my 60-70 min range. Happy with that, I kept it rolling. The last AS seemed to take forever to reach. By this time I was almost counting the tenths.
Miles 46-50: 76 minutes 119 bpm. TV passed me again out of the AS and headed off to finish his last loop. I was down to a fast walk now. Walking didn't hurt, so I restructured my goals. 1. Don't create a more permanent injury. 2. Save some energy to run across the finish line. 3. Try for 11hrs. I was walking as fast as I could, running on the smooth downhills and flats. I was yelling at myself to run, to dig deep, to gut it out, to HTFU, and I did. But my heart was racing (it felt like it was anyway), my mind was churning ideas, and my knee wasn't having any of it. Soon enough I was walking only the downhills. 11hrs came and went, so I restructured again to finish under 11:23, which I thought would be 2 hrs under my Poto time.
Garmin overrun: 2 miles 30 minutes 116 bpm. The last 2 miles, which were really miles 48-50 of the race, went by in a drawn-out frenzy. I was doing the fastest walk I could, following the "run when you can, walk if you have to" mentality. It seemed to take forever. And then I realized that 13:23 was my Ironman PR, not my Poto time! I needed to MOVE to get a 2hr PR of 11:18. I passed the sign marking the turn-off of the Ozark Trail (the first time by this sign I was disappointed to realize that wasn't the turn to the start/finish area) and eagerly watched for the real final turn. By now I'd been mentally cheerleading myself--2 more miles!! 1.5 more miles!! 1 more mile!! Now I was down to tenths, how many more I didn't know. As I came over the last hill and the clock came into view-- I was motivated to run to beat 11:20. I did! A hi-5 and hug from the RD TL, my medal, and I'm DONE!
Post-race. TH kept me on target getting food, fresh clothes, and rest. When I finally peeled off the socks, tape, and bandages, I was surprised to find a nice fat blood blister on the medial left foot. But that's it--no other chafing, blisters, cuts, falls, blood, injuries--compared to many other runners out there that I saw with real battle scars. Seeing them kept me in my place, and caused some more mental arguing in my last 5 miles. I had a mixed post-race recovery. On one hand, I was in actuality injury-free and very grateful for the complete lack of ankle rolls, falls, or other acute injuries. I finished remarkably clean. On the other hand, that last hour of the race was a walk fest and my body was upset with my knee for being the rate-limiting step in my finish time. But to be honest-- my tummy, mind, and body were just blaming the knee. I really didn't have a lot of run left in me and if it wasn't the knee complaining something else would have in its place.
In summary--a fabulous end to my race season! A PR, a perfect weekend of weather and trail conditions, an awesome sherpa who I can't thank enough, no major injuries, and a certainty that 100 mile races are NOT in my immediate future! I'm not even sure I want to do 50 miles ever again. But I always say that, give me a week. :)
The next day, I was up/down in energy as usual for post-race, but I was definitely happy and buzzing. A song heard on the way home: Good Feeling by Flo Rida. New to me, but it's been on the air for 2 years now.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, sometimes I get a good feeling, yeahI get a feeling that I never never never never had before, no noI get a good feeling, yeah
The mountain top, walk on waterI got power, feel so royalOne second, I'ma strike oilDiamond, platinum, no more for youGot adrenaline, never giving inGiving up's not an option, gotta get it inWitness I got the heart of 20 menNo fear, go to sleep in the lion's denThat flow, that spark, that crownYou looking at the king of the jungle nowStronger than ever can't hold me downA hundred miles gunnin' from the pitcher's moundStraight game face, it's game daySee me running through the crowd full of melee
Is that 3rd line from the bottom a sign that I'll do 100 someday?!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Taper week and Pre Race
Monday--bike commute only
Tuesday--RUN 4 miles in 40 mins, bike commute
Wednesday--RUN 2 miles
Tuesday's run was a random track workout. I joined the group but the XC teams and BBall teams had priority there, so we didn't do much in the way of a structured workout. I felt sluggish, heavy, tired, weak, and anxious.
Wednesday was with my doggie, who barely made it the mile. OK, she made it more like 0.84 miles.
Thursday I skipped the group run, but had a bundle of energy that I took out to Forest Park for a 3.2 mile walk. The sunshine, the cicadas, the green trees, crunch of limestone under my feet...
Friday TH and I drove down to the race. Still felt sluggish, I tried to nap in the early afternoon. Finally in the last few hours of prep I got the nervous twittery feeling.
On the drive to TH, I heard many soundtrack songs on the radio--Party Rock Anthem, Even If It Breaks Your Heart, and more. I listened to my 2012 soundtrack, many of the songs resonate and inspire.
My race evening was mentally disorganized, I was a bit bumbly and tired. But I had most everything planned on in my notes beforehand thankfully. I ate a very tiny dinner, having eaten a big brekkie and lunch. I'm good to go!
Tuesday--RUN 4 miles in 40 mins, bike commute
Wednesday--RUN 2 miles
Tuesday's run was a random track workout. I joined the group but the XC teams and BBall teams had priority there, so we didn't do much in the way of a structured workout. I felt sluggish, heavy, tired, weak, and anxious.
Wednesday was with my doggie, who barely made it the mile. OK, she made it more like 0.84 miles.
Thursday I skipped the group run, but had a bundle of energy that I took out to Forest Park for a 3.2 mile walk. The sunshine, the cicadas, the green trees, crunch of limestone under my feet...
Friday TH and I drove down to the race. Still felt sluggish, I tried to nap in the early afternoon. Finally in the last few hours of prep I got the nervous twittery feeling.
On the drive to TH, I heard many soundtrack songs on the radio--Party Rock Anthem, Even If It Breaks Your Heart, and more. I listened to my 2012 soundtrack, many of the songs resonate and inspire.
My race evening was mentally disorganized, I was a bit bumbly and tired. But I had most everything planned on in my notes beforehand thankfully. I ate a very tiny dinner, having eaten a big brekkie and lunch. I'm good to go!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
The last weekend, with a run in the rain
Saturday RIDE 40 mins and 12-13 miles
Sunday RUN ~80 mins and 7.4 miles
Sunday RIDE 60 mins and 17-18 miles
The riding was indoors sadly. It was a beautiful weekend, but I wanted to be able to control everything, including my effort and stop time. That and I wasn't terribly motivated. Something about tapering kills my momentum.
The run was great, we visited Klondike Park as sort of a fun "destination run". It's too far of a drive to so any other time. There was a light rain all morning--it made a quiet whisper on the trees, the river, the sand bed we rested at. I just closed my eyes and that's all I could hear--the whisper of rain all around me.
I'm feeling great heading into the final week, with the biggest problem being abundant energy and low momentum.
Sunday RUN ~80 mins and 7.4 miles
Sunday RIDE 60 mins and 17-18 miles
The riding was indoors sadly. It was a beautiful weekend, but I wanted to be able to control everything, including my effort and stop time. That and I wasn't terribly motivated. Something about tapering kills my momentum.
The run was great, we visited Klondike Park as sort of a fun "destination run". It's too far of a drive to so any other time. There was a light rain all morning--it made a quiet whisper on the trees, the river, the sand bed we rested at. I just closed my eyes and that's all I could hear--the whisper of rain all around me.
I'm feeling great heading into the final week, with the biggest problem being abundant energy and low momentum.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Taper Pains and Gains
Monday complete rest
Tuesday RUN 7 miles in 63 mins, bike commute
Wednesday BIKE 18 miles in 60 mins, bike commute
Thursday RUN 6.6 miles in 53:08, bike commute
Friday (hasn't happened yet! A swim maybe?)
I think I'm past the taper pains--those random aches and muscle twinges that come with the taper. As I understand them, in part they are due to muscles loosening up, with some muscles doing so at different rates as a neighboring muscle, thereby causing imbalances and problems. They came and went fast last week.
Now I'm in the taper gains phase. LOTS of energy, ideas, plans, urges to train. Today's FP group run was fast and easy, I definitely had another gear if I had wanted it. I was keeping up with DC! Although admittedly I don't think I had much of a gear remaining, but who knows?!
On Tuesday I learned that B2B is actually ON my birthday in 2014, so that will be my Birthday Iron! How selfish :) "Happy Birthday to me! 9 months of training!"
I'm having doubts about 3DoS. It would mean I'm training steady through the winter into the spring, recovering, then jumping into 140.6 training. It would also mean I'd need to cross train through the early 2014 months in order to get a jump on it and not be a ground zero come April. As I'm learning right now, when the peak and taper arrive, even though there's time, need, and benefit to cross training I don't get it done. So if I'm increasing my running even more to train for 3DoS, that means I'm subtracting even further from full tri training.
That and the rocks. I keep hearing about rocks on the course. My ankles are protesting the idea.
I have big goals for next year, do I really need 3DoS to round that out? I want to do a 5K OWS, a gravel grinder, 2 140.6 distance tris, there will likely be a few 70.3 prep races...I really need to think about this.
But at the same time, I want to do 3DoS because I want to see if I can, because I don't think I can.
Tuesday RUN 7 miles in 63 mins, bike commute
Wednesday BIKE 18 miles in 60 mins, bike commute
Thursday RUN 6.6 miles in 53:08, bike commute
Friday (hasn't happened yet! A swim maybe?)
I think I'm past the taper pains--those random aches and muscle twinges that come with the taper. As I understand them, in part they are due to muscles loosening up, with some muscles doing so at different rates as a neighboring muscle, thereby causing imbalances and problems. They came and went fast last week.
Now I'm in the taper gains phase. LOTS of energy, ideas, plans, urges to train. Today's FP group run was fast and easy, I definitely had another gear if I had wanted it. I was keeping up with DC! Although admittedly I don't think I had much of a gear remaining, but who knows?!
On Tuesday I learned that B2B is actually ON my birthday in 2014, so that will be my Birthday Iron! How selfish :) "Happy Birthday to me! 9 months of training!"
I'm having doubts about 3DoS. It would mean I'm training steady through the winter into the spring, recovering, then jumping into 140.6 training. It would also mean I'd need to cross train through the early 2014 months in order to get a jump on it and not be a ground zero come April. As I'm learning right now, when the peak and taper arrive, even though there's time, need, and benefit to cross training I don't get it done. So if I'm increasing my running even more to train for 3DoS, that means I'm subtracting even further from full tri training.
That and the rocks. I keep hearing about rocks on the course. My ankles are protesting the idea.
I have big goals for next year, do I really need 3DoS to round that out? I want to do a 5K OWS, a gravel grinder, 2 140.6 distance tris, there will likely be a few 70.3 prep races...I really need to think about this.
But at the same time, I want to do 3DoS because I want to see if I can, because I don't think I can.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Fenton run and volunteer
RUN: 56 mins and 6.2 miles
This run was remarkable for so many things. First off, it felt terribly easy and smooth and fast and ZOOM! Even though the pace wasn't crazy fast, it just seemed like that next gear was right there if I wanted it. But I'm tapering, leave that gear alone.
Second, oh so gorgeous! I started at 6am in the near-dark. It was just light enough out to see without the headlamp or even streetlamps. The waning moon was a silver crescent in the southern sky. No wind. A few clouds that highlighted red, then orange, then brilliant white as the sun rose. The only noise was the signing bugs and frogs in the trees lining the trail. At times I could hear the nearby river flowing, freshly filled with last night's rain. Blown leaves and tree bits were scattered on the trail.
The only other noises were my footfalls, my heartbeat, my breathing. The whisper of rain. :)
After the run (and a "bath" in the facility) it was off to Flatlanders to volunteer. My buddy DC was running and I've never seen one of these races before. A few weeks ago, I'd have said I could "never" do one of these races. Never say never, another rule, and now I think I could try one!
The course was 1.4 miles around a park, so we saw our runners every 10-20 mins. Usually in a race we see them a few times, here was saw them 14-25 times! Each time you could gauge the runner's attitude--steady, waning, loving it, sweating it, fading, fighting--and each one was inspiring. The support every few minutes, the fight in the runners (especially the 12 hr runners, damn that's gotta be tough) inspired me. Last night before bed I was looking for more races like that.
And hearing my fellow SLUGS talk about how many of these runners will do the 6hr today then the Heartland Mary tomorrow--yikes!--but so cool! Could I do that?
Also talked to a SLUG about preparing for a long race (for him Poto 150!). He said learn to run on tired legs. Run 6-7 days a week, two a days, back to backs, get used to it. I was looking for advice on Syllamo. Great advice!
One more--got thinking again about my peaks and valleys of racing. I need a name for it, this pathology of depression post-race. I envy the people who can just roll it from race to race. DH says it's my mentality, how I'm wired. But I don't see that as a "never" can. I just see it as the next challenge.
Which brings me to the next rule (these need a name too).
--Never say never. Never limit yourself with "I could never...". Instead, start with "I wonder if I could..." and be open to the idea. Then work your way up to "I can and I will...".
This run was remarkable for so many things. First off, it felt terribly easy and smooth and fast and ZOOM! Even though the pace wasn't crazy fast, it just seemed like that next gear was right there if I wanted it. But I'm tapering, leave that gear alone.
Second, oh so gorgeous! I started at 6am in the near-dark. It was just light enough out to see without the headlamp or even streetlamps. The waning moon was a silver crescent in the southern sky. No wind. A few clouds that highlighted red, then orange, then brilliant white as the sun rose. The only noise was the signing bugs and frogs in the trees lining the trail. At times I could hear the nearby river flowing, freshly filled with last night's rain. Blown leaves and tree bits were scattered on the trail.
The only other noises were my footfalls, my heartbeat, my breathing. The whisper of rain. :)
After the run (and a "bath" in the facility) it was off to Flatlanders to volunteer. My buddy DC was running and I've never seen one of these races before. A few weeks ago, I'd have said I could "never" do one of these races. Never say never, another rule, and now I think I could try one!
The course was 1.4 miles around a park, so we saw our runners every 10-20 mins. Usually in a race we see them a few times, here was saw them 14-25 times! Each time you could gauge the runner's attitude--steady, waning, loving it, sweating it, fading, fighting--and each one was inspiring. The support every few minutes, the fight in the runners (especially the 12 hr runners, damn that's gotta be tough) inspired me. Last night before bed I was looking for more races like that.
And hearing my fellow SLUGS talk about how many of these runners will do the 6hr today then the Heartland Mary tomorrow--yikes!--but so cool! Could I do that?
Also talked to a SLUG about preparing for a long race (for him Poto 150!). He said learn to run on tired legs. Run 6-7 days a week, two a days, back to backs, get used to it. I was looking for advice on Syllamo. Great advice!
One more--got thinking again about my peaks and valleys of racing. I need a name for it, this pathology of depression post-race. I envy the people who can just roll it from race to race. DH says it's my mentality, how I'm wired. But I don't see that as a "never" can. I just see it as the next challenge.
Which brings me to the next rule (these need a name too).
--Never say never. Never limit yourself with "I could never...". Instead, start with "I wonder if I could..." and be open to the idea. Then work your way up to "I can and I will...".
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