Ran a 10k in June (2 Viewers)

[gruecd]

Annyong will provide the beer.

One of these, no doubt...

 

[gruecd]

And yeah, I figured out the pinching the dixie cup thing about the 3rd water station in my first half. And I've always starting taking water early.

It helps if you pour some out if there's too much in there, too. Volunteers have a tendency to overfill the cups.

 

[Sand]

Alright gents. After 20ish years, I'm ready to race again. Very excited!

I started running again in December last year for the first time since 1994. The last time I ran, I went 17:05 for a 5K and really messed up my calf/hammy on the post race stretching. Things never been the same since and 1.5 years of PT back then did no good.

This time around, I've been going gentle and doing plenty of rest, ice, compression, massage. While I'm still very much aware that that part of my body is injured, pain is 0 when running once warmed up and pain is just a soreness later in the day of runs. I've been moving mileage up to 4 to 6 miles every other day and the calf has been just fine with this. This alone is a minor miracle to me and I'm stoked just to do a pain-free 4 miles at decent pace (!)

So Sunday will be my first race, a 5K. I know well enough by now to find my 1 mile pace, but I'm not quite sure what my 3 mile pace is. By pace, I mean what my body is comfortable with, I have no idea from a time wise what I'm capable of, so no time goals for this first race. This is like taking a vintage car on to its first highway after fixing it up for months. Should be interesting.

My first goal is to not get re-injured and I feel pretty good about knowing my calf at this point. Second goal is to beat my younger brother. I think by all rights, he should school me, but the aspiration is still there. We've both been on/off runners, both competitive, but never competitive at the same time. I'm hoping this is just the first of more races. Third goal is to not let any females beat me (in the race, that is).

In the end, though, I'm just happy to get out there. I always preferred 5Ks over longer distance races. I don't get bored during 5Ks and it feels more like a competition than a task, which I like, but this is just a matter of taste.

GL and have fun!

The bolded is awesome... Go get'm!!

Since I have a competitive younger brother I can say with absolute certainty that full contact applies to every sport in the book.

Just sayin'.

 

[FUBAR]

Running another HM tomorrow. I have a hydration question for you guys. I am usually a big water drinker, so during the week I'll drink a coke in the morning just to get me going, then it's usually 3-4 big cups of water (like 44oz cups from the convenience store) for the rest of the day. I then may drink a beer or two every 3-4 days. Usually on race week I eliminate the beer starting on Wednesday.

Is there any MORE hydration I should be doing, especially the day before? I don't want to feel I need to choke water down all day, but maybe I DO need to just get down as much as I can.

Any thoughts?

Your body can generally only absorb 4-6oz every 15mins. So choking down 2gal of water the day before is going to do nothing but make you piss all day. If you're routinely drinking a gallon of water per day, you're good to go. I wouldn't change a thing.

Race day hydration is important too. Make sure you hit a couple of the earlier aid stations, and learn how to drink on the run. Pinch the top of the dixie cup to make a spout, and then sip. It'll keep more water in the cup. If you start drinking when you become thirsty, its already too late.

I've generally carried a small disposable water bottle in marathons so I can skip the first few water stations which can be chaotic, and I can drink as I like. 10 miles or less in, I'll throw it away and use the stations.

 

[sho nuff]

Awesome write up...and while I get it...the 0-3 stuff you can kiss my grits.



Id be happy to just run some more. Still on hold by my PT for the ankle. One more week and I think he will let me run again.

So today it was a nice 10 minute warmup on the elliptical, an upper body workout, then 30 minutes back on the elliptical. Wanted to do something different with it so after a 3 minute warmup, I went 3 minute intervals with 1 minute of slower work in between for the rest of the 30 minutes. Felt good to speed it up some I guess.

Feeling ready for the pounding of the road again...hopefully next week.

Well...had PT again yesterday and he gave me the green light for some shorter runs...

After working out today, I bypassed the elliptical for the treadmill (some storms were threatening or I would have gotten back out on the road).

Nothing big, but 2.5 miles felt really good. Ankle was fine throughout and after, no pain.

Legs felt great...very rested from running but plenty strong (I guess 3 months of squats, lunges, kettle bell swings, deadlifts and so on will have them ready to go).

And actually the HR stayed right where I wanted it for a 10 min/mile pace...so pretty encouraging. May go for another small run (3 miles or so ) Sunday or Monday.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Running another HM tomorrow. I have a hydration question for you guys. I am usually a big water drinker, so during the week I'll drink a coke in the morning just to get me going, then it's usually 3-4 big cups of water (like 44oz cups from the convenience store) for the rest of the day. I then may drink a beer or two every 3-4 days. Usually on race week I eliminate the beer starting on Wednesday.

Is there any MORE hydration I should be doing, especially the day before? I don't want to feel I need to choke water down all day, but maybe I DO need to just get down as much as I can.

Any thoughts?

Only thing I would add is to perhaps up your electrolyte intake in the days going into the race as drinking a bunch of water without electrolytes could throw off the natural balance in your body. I know I'm a little more attentive to this than most because hyponatremia is a real concern in ultras (much less so in sub-marathon distances), and is far more likely to end a race than dehydration is, but something to consider.

This could be as simple as a little extra salt on your meals to mixing in some sports drinks. I like to use Nuun tablets as they don't have a bunch of calories but do give you some extra sodium/potassium/magnesium (the latter is the one that most people tend to be deficient in). Plus they taste good.

 

[Annyong]

I have a $50 Amazon Gift Card coming to me because I spend an obscene amount of money at Speedway Gas Stations.

I've decided to use this to buy some GU Gels, since I basically completely ignore nutrition while running. What flavors should I avoid/exploit?

 

[SFBayDuck]

I have a $50 Amazon Gift Card coming to me because I spend an obscene amount of money at Speedway Gas Stations.

I've decided to use this to buy some GU Gels, since I basically completely ignore nutrition while running. What flavors should I avoid/exploit?

Try some of the GU Roctane - they include amino acids, which I think are helpful for longer sessions.

 

[Juxtatarot]

I have a $50 Amazon Gift Card coming to me because I spend an obscene amount of money at Speedway Gas Stations.

I've decided to use this to buy some GU Gels, since I basically completely ignore nutrition while running. What flavors should I avoid/exploit?

I've heard the greasy-chicken flavored ones are awesome!

 

[Ned]

I have a $50 Amazon Gift Card coming to me because I spend an obscene amount of money at Speedway Gas Stations.

I've decided to use this to buy some GU Gels, since I basically completely ignore nutrition while running. What flavors should I avoid/exploit?

I've heard the greasy-chicken flavored ones are awesome!

I prefer Hammer gel over Gu, simply for the fact that it tastes better and isn't as thick as Gu. Taste is obviously subjective, but I'm a big fan of apple cinnamon (tastes like apple pie) and raspberry (tastes like a jelly donut). I know that mountain berry is another popular one, but never tried it.

I'd go to a running or bike store and get some single packets to try the different flavors before you dove into an entire box.

 

[Juxtatarot]

I can't stand the coffee flavored ones. During one of my marathons they handed them out and the woman told me "Vanilla". That's fine, I thought. However, it ended up being Vanilla Bean and the "Bean" apparently stands for "coffee bean". I almost spit it out.

 

[sho nuff]

I typically go with the lemon-lime or strawberry banana flavored things.

Orange is decent too.

For Annyong...maybe a General Tso's flavor?

 

[Annyong]

For Annyong...maybe a General Tso's flavor?

Because I'm Asian right?

 

[gruecd]

The salted caramel Gu is really, really good. I think it's just seasonal (winter), though.

 

[gruecd]

For Annyong...maybe a General Tso's flavor?

Because I'm Asian right?

You didn't see my beer comment???

 

[Annyong]

Annyong will provide the beer.

One of these, no doubt...

ageloading: please dont be a penis please dont be a penis... Dammit!

 

[beer 302]

Only thing I would add is to perhaps up your electrolyte intake in the days going into the race as drinking a bunch of water without electrolytes could throw off the natural balance in your body. I know I'm a little more attentive to this than most because hyponatremia is a real concern in ultras (much less so in sub-marathon distances), and is far more likely to end a race than dehydration is, but something to consider.

This could be as simple as a little extra salt on your meals to mixing in some sports drinks. I like to use Nuun tablets as they don't have a bunch of calories but do give you some extra sodium/potassium/magnesium (the latter is the one that most people tend to be deficient in). Plus they taste good.

Not gonna lie, had to look it up. So how do you prep for that the week before a race so that you aren't ingesting mass quantities of salt tablets during a race? (this may or may not have occurred recently to someone posting in this thread)Do you just up your sodium intake during the week? I struggle mightily with cramps late in a race (think miles 25+) and am desperately searching for a fix before I can entertain going much further in the ultra category.

The salted caramel Gu is really, really good. I think it's just seasonal (winter), though.

If you go GU, salted caramel is the #### if you can find it. If not I use GU Roctane (because of the amino acids & I think it tastes better) Blueberry or whatever the hell comes in the blue pack.That said, I'm with Ned +1 for Hammer Gels. You get the amino acids and they are cheaper. I alternate between the Mountain Berry & Raspberry.

 

[Sand]

I have a $50 Amazon Gift Card coming to me because I spend an obscene amount of money at Speedway Gas Stations.

I've decided to use this to buy some GU Gels, since I basically completely ignore nutrition while running. What flavors should I avoid/exploit?

Go to the running store and buy a few singles to try out.

Personally just the thought of eating those things - :X

 

[beer 302]

Go to the running store and buy a few singles to try out.

Personally just the thought of eating those things - :X

I'm with Sand, do not typically partake of the gel unless absolutely necessary i.e. very long run with no other nutrition. I run first thing in the morning with nothing more than a cup of coffee in me regardless of the distance. About 10 miles into a long run you start getting a might bit peckish and these are the least evil things I've found to carry & consume.

 

[sho nuff]

For Annyong...maybe a General Tso's flavor?

Because I'm Asian right?

You can keep saying you aren't...but that tiny Asian boy picture keeps saying otherwise.

 

[ThreeThousand]

I have a $50 Amazon Gift Card coming to me because I spend an obscene amount of money at Speedway Gas Stations.

I've decided to use this to buy some GU Gels, since I basically completely ignore nutrition while running. What flavors should I avoid/exploit?

You can buy a mixed box on Amazon if you want to try multiple flavors.

 

[tri-man 47]

tri-man - Signed up last night to run the Big10K with a buddy in Chicago on 7/26. Basically you choose a Big 10 school with which you want to be affiliated, and then they give you the appropriate tech shirt to wear during the race. You should check it out and rock your Michigan colors!

This one is on my watch list. I was thinking of it last year, but my kids were both running it (first race for both? and slowly), so they didn't want me there.

Sand - my rHR is my general rate when not doing anything. I'll put on the monitor sometime when I'm grabbing a nap to see how low it gets. And Juxt, just the thought of entering this thread raises my HR a few ticks.

Annyong - I like the GUs ...mostly vanilla, but I'm not too fussy (tho' I don't like the coffee ones either, as a non-coffee drinker). I do get some Roctane for marathons.

Brony, Chief, and others - do well with your races!

 

[ThreeThousand]

Only thing I would add is to perhaps up your electrolyte intake in the days going into the race as drinking a bunch of water without electrolytes could throw off the natural balance in your body. I know I'm a little more attentive to this than most because hyponatremia is a real concern in ultras (much less so in sub-marathon distances), and is far more likely to end a race than dehydration is, but something to consider.

This could be as simple as a little extra salt on your meals to mixing in some sports drinks. I like to use Nuun tablets as they don't have a bunch of calories but do give you some extra sodium/potassium/magnesium (the latter is the one that most people tend to be deficient in). Plus they taste good.

Not gonna lie, had to look it up. So how do you prep for that the week before a race so that you aren't ingesting mass quantities of salt tablets during a race? (this may or may not have occurred recently to someone posting in this thread)Do you just up your sodium intake during the week? I struggle mightily with cramps late in a race (think miles 25+) and am desperately searching for a fix before I can entertain going much further in the ultra category.

The salted caramel Gu is really, really good. I think it's just seasonal (winter), though.

If you go GU, salted caramel is the #### if you can find it. If not I use GU Roctane (because of the amino acids & I think it tastes better) Blueberry or whatever the hell comes in the blue pack.That said, I'm with Ned +1 for Hammer Gels. You get the amino acids and they are cheaper. I alternate between the Mountain Berry & Raspberry.

I dislike the Hammer gels because they never tell me how much (if any) caffeine is in them. I like that Gu's got that tiny "25 mg caffeine" or "50 mg caffeine" disclaimer on it. As far as taste goes, I rank the Gu as:

Salted Caramel

Vanilla Bean

.

.

.

.

everything else

.

.

.

.

.

Strawberry Banana (blech)

 

[FUBAR]

I can't stand the coffee flavored ones. During one of my marathons they handed them out and the woman told me "Vanilla". That's fine, I thought. However, it ended up being Vanilla Bean and the "Bean" apparently stands for "coffee bean". I almost spit it out.

Is it just gels or do you not like any coffee flavored food items?

My perpetuum is mocha and I like it.

Agree that hammer is better than gu, seems to be less popular though.

 

[Juxtatarot]

I can't stand the coffee flavored ones. During one of my marathons they handed them out and the woman told me "Vanilla". That's fine, I thought. However, it ended up being Vanilla Bean and the "Bean" apparently stands for "coffee bean". I almost spit it out.

Is it just gels or do you not like any coffee flavored food items?

My perpetuum is mocha and I like it.

Agree that hammer is better than gu, seems to be less popular though.

I only like hot coffee. Any time I have coffee flavored stuff (ice cream, gels, etc.), it reminds me of the taste of coffee that's been sitting out too long and gotten cold.

 

[sho nuff]

I can't stand the coffee flavored ones. During one of my marathons they handed them out and the woman told me "Vanilla". That's fine, I thought. However, it ended up being Vanilla Bean and the "Bean" apparently stands for "coffee bean". I almost spit it out.

Is it just gels or do you not like any coffee flavored food items?

My perpetuum is mocha and I like it.

Agree that hammer is better than gu, seems to be less popular though.

I like most coffee flavored stuff (ice cream, even candy...) but hate the coffee flavored gu.

And now all I have a craving for after dinner is some good Tiramisu.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Only thing I would add is to perhaps up your electrolyte intake in the days going into the race as drinking a bunch of water without electrolytes could throw off the natural balance in your body. I know I'm a little more attentive to this than most because hyponatremia is a real concern in ultras (much less so in sub-marathon distances), and is far more likely to end a race than dehydration is, but something to consider.

This could be as simple as a little extra salt on your meals to mixing in some sports drinks. I like to use Nuun tablets as they don't have a bunch of calories but do give you some extra sodium/potassium/magnesium (the latter is the one that most people tend to be deficient in). Plus they taste good.

Not gonna lie, had to look it up. So how do you prep for that the week before a race so that you aren't ingesting mass quantities of salt tablets during a race? (this may or may not have occurred recently to someone posting in this thread)

Do you just up your sodium intake during the week? I struggle mightily with cramps late in a race (think miles 25+) and am desperately searching for a fix before I can entertain going much further in the ultra category.

It depends on who you ask. Dr. Tim Noakes would say drink to thirst, eat a normal diet, and your body is smart enough to regulate the electrolyte and hydration balances both before and during exercise. He says that as long as we drink to thirst we don't even need to supplement with electrolytes as we have plenty of reserves (particularly of sodium) in the body that we can tap into if we need more. Of course most anecdotal evidence goes against that, and not too many ultrarunners are giving up their S-caps. But it has become accepted that some dehydration is normal and inevitable (even advantageous?) during long efforts, and the recommendation of trying to "replace" everything you lose through sweat has been largely debunked.

Then you have people like Dr. Stacy Sims (co-founder of Skratch Labs and founder of Osmo Nutrition) who says not only is hydration way more complicated than that, but that you can pre-load as well.

As for cramps, this seems to be an area where science still doesn't really know. Beer, I know you and I talked about my thoughts on this a while back.

So for me, as someone who drinks water pretty consistently anyway, I just tend to slightly up my intake in the days going into a race, and do so with something like Nuun tablets to offset the slight chance that I could be throwing my electrolyte balances out of whack.

 

[sho nuff]

Also...the good to the last 2 months of not running much. I have renewed my desire to run.

I still am not sure if I will plan a race anytime soon (and other than wanting another shot at a marathon...not sure I want to run a bunch of halfs or anything), but just the want to get out there the days Im not lifting really has me pumped up to get through this PT on the ankle.

I missed this stuff.

Missed interval runs and even the slow stuff. Just want to get out there again.

 

[SteveC702]

Also dont eat like 8 chicken breasts the night before. You'll have to poop during the race.

My grandfather told me the ancient Chinese secret is to just eat the chicken penis and not the breast. Didn't yours tell you the same?

 

[Sand]

Go to the running store and buy a few singles to try out.

Personally just the thought of eating those things - :X

I'm with Sand, do not typically partake of the gel unless absolutely necessary i.e. very long run with no other nutrition. I run first thing in the morning with nothing more than a cup of coffee in me regardless of the distance. About 10 miles into a long run you start getting a might bit peckish and these are the least evil things I've found to carry & consume.

Lots of better/cheaper things to carry. Jellybeans, orange slices (candy ones), etc. All you need is easy to digest calories and these have those without tasting like ###.

 

[FUBAR]

Go to the running store and buy a few singles to try out.

Personally just the thought of eating those things - :X

I'm with Sand, do not typically partake of the gel unless absolutely necessary i.e. very long run with no other nutrition. I run first thing in the morning with nothing more than a cup of coffee in me regardless of the distance. About 10 miles into a long run you start getting a might bit peckish and these are the least evil things I've found to carry & consume.

Lots of better/cheaper things to carry. Jellybeans, orange slices (candy ones), etc. All you need is easy to digest calories and these have those without tasting like ###.

Jelly beans - like Easter candy or the sports beans? Never liked the sports beans though I would use them occasionally.

 

[Annyong]

Also dont eat like 8 chicken breasts the night before. You'll have to poop during the race.

My grandfather told me the ancient Chinese secret is to just eat the chicken penis and not the breast. Didn't yours tell you the same?

Of course, one chicken penis before bed every night!

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Go to the running store and buy a few singles to try out.

Personally just the thought of eating those things - :X

I'm with Sand, do not typically partake of the gel unless absolutely necessary i.e. very long run with no other nutrition. I run first thing in the morning with nothing more than a cup of coffee in me regardless of the distance. About 10 miles into a long run you start getting a might bit peckish and these are the least evil things I've found to carry & consume.

Lots of better/cheaper things to carry. Jellybeans, orange slices (candy ones), etc. All you need is easy to digest calories and these have those without tasting like ###.

Jelly beans - like Easter candy or the sports beans? Never liked the sports beans though I would use them occasionally.

I've never done this, but I've seen people on other forums argue in favor of jelly beans and gummi bears. GU and other products are really just fancied-up sugar. So if you prefer the taste/texture of candy instead, you're about as well off just to go that route.

 

[Annyong]

Usually take one of those baby food pouches w/ me on my runs over 10 miles or so because I didn't know what else to do and figured these were a pretty decent thing to take.

 

[sho nuff]

The upside of being on the shelf from running on weekends...and not running the half this morning in Nashville....I get to sleep til about 7:30.

 

[FUBAR]

The upside of being on the shelf from running on weekends...and not running the half this morning in Nashville....I get to sleep til about 7:30.

:( I'm missing that race after doing it more often than not over the past decade.

SIL is running though, should finish in about 10 minutes.

 

[FUBAR]

Today:

5 min warm-up < 145bpm (9:00 pace)

31 min LT (7:15 pace)

5 min cool-down trying to get back down in the 140s (9:30 pace)

My quads and adductors are downright sore from Thursday's ride.

Tomorrow will be 8 easy miles in Zone 1

 

[beer 302]

The upside of being on the shelf from running on weekends...and not running the half this morning in Nashville....I get to sleep til about 7:30.

Was talking about this with the boss yesterday, is it a Rock n Roll event?

 

[beer 302]

Only thing I would add is to perhaps up your electrolyte intake in the days going into the race as drinking a bunch of water without electrolytes could throw off the natural balance in your body. I know I'm a little more attentive to this than most because hyponatremia is a real concern in ultras (much less so in sub-marathon distances), and is far more likely to end a race than dehydration is, but something to consider.

This could be as simple as a little extra salt on your meals to mixing in some sports drinks. I like to use Nuun tablets as they don't have a bunch of calories but do give you some extra sodium/potassium/magnesium (the latter is the one that most people tend to be deficient in). Plus they taste good.

Not gonna lie, had to look it up. So how do you prep for that the week before a race so that you aren't ingesting mass quantities of salt tablets during a race? (this may or may not have occurred recently to someone posting in this thread)

Do you just up your sodium intake during the week? I struggle mightily with cramps late in a race (think miles 25+) and am desperately searching for a fix before I can entertain going much further in the ultra category.

It depends on who you ask. Dr. Tim Noakes would say drink to thirst, eat a normal diet, and your body is smart enough to regulate the electrolyte and hydration balances both before and during exercise. He says that as long as we drink to thirst we don't even need to supplement with electrolytes as we have plenty of reserves (particularly of sodium) in the body that we can tap into if we need more. Of course most anecdotal evidence goes against that, and not too many ultrarunners are giving up their S-caps. But it has become accepted that some dehydration is normal and inevitable (even advantageous?) during long efforts, and the recommendation of trying to "replace" everything you lose through sweat has been largely debunked.

Then you have people like Dr. Stacy Sims (co-founder of Skratch Labs and founder of Osmo Nutrition) who says not only is hydration way more complicated than that, but that you can pre-load as well.

As for cramps, this seems to be an area where science still doesn't really know. Beer, I know you and I talked about my thoughts on this a while back.

So for me, as someone who drinks water pretty consistently anyway, I just tend to slightly up my intake in the days going into a race, and do so with something like Nuun tablets to offset the slight chance that I could be throwing my electrolyte balances out of whack.

Yep, lots of differing opinions out there. I've tried a few different things (none of which worked) but it's difficult to reproduce the effort necessary to cramp up when they occur at mile 25 or so other than race day, I don't know what will work. It's a pain but I'll continue to educate and rely on you & the boys for advice. I drink almost exclusively water as well so I don't think that is a problem. I'll have to look into pre-loading sometime. Before the last 50k I pre-loaded with bananas all week

 

[gruecd]

Usually take one of those baby food pouches w/ me on my runs over 10 miles or so because I didn't know what else to do and figured these were a pretty decent thing to take.

That's actually not a bad idea. I know ultra guys who do that, too.

 

[SteveC702]

The upside of being on the shelf from running on weekends...and not running the half this morning in Nashville....I get to sleep til about 7:30.

Was talking about this with the boss yesterday, is it a Rock n Roll event?

Yeah, I heard it's not the flatest course around either, is that true?

 

[tri-man 47]

Well, to start the weekend race reports with, hopefully, the only downer: 15 mile trail race ...DNF. Finished the second of three loops and stopped there. Around mile 3, I managed to lock the keys of my new Garmin 310. Around mile 7, I managed to lock a lower calf muscle. I limped and jogged a few miles back to the start, but I had no good reason to push another loop and risk further damage. The calf didn't pop or anything ...I think it's just a bad aggravation (from the high ankle to the start of curve - the plantaris tendon or soleus muscle?). Don't know if it's an after-effect of last weekend's heavy workout, some different stretching yesterday (which finally helped with some behind-the-hip tightness), or linked to a bad night's sleep. I'll RICE it and see how it loosens back up. I figured out the Garmin after getting home (it got locked on a pace screen instead of a HR screen ..grr). OK, on to more positive races ....

 

[SFBayDuck]

Usually take one of those baby food pouches w/ me on my runs over 10 miles or so because I didn't know what else to do and figured these were a pretty decent thing to take.

That's actually not a bad idea. I know ultra guys who do that, too.

Yup, I've seen those at races quite a bit. Haven't tried it myself yet, but will probably do so this summer.

 

[ChiefD]

Well, to start the weekend race reports with, hopefully, the only downer: 15 mile trail race ...DNF. Finished the second of three loops and stopped there. Around mile 3, I managed to lock the keys of my new Garmin 310. Around mile 7, I managed to lock a lower calf muscle. I limped and jogged a few miles back to the start, but I had no good reason to push another loop and risk further damage. The calf didn't pop or anything ...I think it's just a bad aggravation (from the high ankle to the start of curve - the plantaris tendon or soleus muscle?). Don't know if it's an after-effect of last weekend's heavy workout, some different stretching yesterday (which finally helped with some behind-the-hip tightness), or linked to a bad night's sleep. I'll RICE it and see how it loosens back up. I figured out the Garmin after getting home (it got locked on a pace screen instead of a HR screen ..grr). OK, on to more positive races ....

Bummer. Hope you get to feeling better.

 

[ChiefD]

Well, today was an interesting day. According to my chip time, my official finish was 1:49. According to my mapping software, the race was 13.4 miles long. So if I go back to my tracking, at 13.1 I was at 1:47. Alas, that does not count. So 1:49 it is...same as 2 weeks ago. And some similar results to 2 weeks ago, but I'm still not sure where I am. I'm fairly confident I'm going out too fast, but for me that was the point...I wanted to see if I could hang. My next HM won't be until the fall.

I lined up with the 1:45 pace guys, and things went great for 9 miles. Here are my paces:

Mile 1: 8:09

Mile 2: 7:51

Mile 3: 7:52

Mile 4: 7:56

Mile 5: 8:12

Mile 6: 7:58

Mile 7: 7:54

Mile 8: 7:48

Mile 9: 8:02

As I'm looking at this now, I'm starting to wonder if the pace guys were going a little strong, but that may have been intentional to bank time for later. This is a possibility, as the course got a little hillier at this point. This is also the point where I about choked to death at the water station.

Probably .2 of a mile before the water station, I popped a couple of gels in my mouth. I usually store them in my left cheek and just break em down as I go. Well, I come around the corner, and there is the water station. It came up a little sooner than I expected, so I grab some water, take a sip, and all of a sudden I have water and gel chunks just all over my mouth and I get both simultaneously down my throat. Needless to say this did not go well. I about choked then and there, but I was coughing up funk for a good .2 of a mile coming out. I slowed down a lot here to try and catch my breathe. By the time I sort of got back on track, the pacers were up a fair bit. This is also right about the time the heavens opened up, and the rain started coming. Hard.

Mile 10: 8:35

Here comes the hail. Along with driving rain. Lots of puddles at this point.

Mile 11: 8:58

This was the point where I knew I was toast from a time standpoint. Thankfully, I heard someone in the crowd shouting "Good job 1:50 group". At this point, all I wanted was to finish in front of that guy holding the flag. Oh by the way, it's still raining. Hard. Deep puddles now. I think I see fish. I'm not joking.

Mile 12: 8:26

Mile 13: 8:46

The last mile of this course I was just soaked. Everything...shoes...shirt...shorts...it was pretty bad. Oh, and it's still raining. We have also had a LOT of thunder and lightning in the sky. I heard later they almost sent buses out to pick everyone up.

So what did I learn? I learned I'm probably not 1:45 fast - yet. I think I'm pretty close. My guess is without the choking episode, I'm probably in the "official" 1:47 range. But hard to tell. The next race is in the fall - October. My goal at this point is to do strict HM training throughout the summer. I know I have to get my heart rate down, and I know I just need time to do that. My existing HM is officially dead, so I'll be shopping for a new one this week.

Anyway, there it is. An interesting day to say the least, and now it's time for a beer. I'm actually quite satisfied with this race, because at least now I know where I am for sure and where I need to get to.

 

[FUBAR]

Chief!

You'll get there with some more endurance training.

 

[FUBAR]

The upside of being on the shelf from running on weekends...and not running the half this morning in Nashville....I get to sleep til about 7:30.

Was talking about this with the boss yesterday, is it a Rock n Roll event?

Yeah, I heard it's not the flatest course around either, is that true?

It's not Duck quality, but it's hilly.

 

[wilked]

Chief, well done. Nice race!

 

[chauncey]

I've been having issues with Runkeeper the past week. Can't find my gps to track runs, pretty frustrating. Anyone else having problems with this app? If I can't resolve it what do you guys use to track your runs?

 

[Juxtatarot]

Nice race under the conditions, Chief, but...

I popped a couple of gels in my mouth. I usually store them in my left cheek and just break em down as I go.

WTF??