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Ran a 10k - Official Thread (7 Viewers)

@MAC_32, @Zasada, and @-OZ- - I'm so impressed with all three of you guys!  You all displayed key traits of self-awareness, self-discipline, and self-confidence.  MAC and Zasada, I love the discipline you showed to hold back early on, trusting in your training to carry you through.  OZ, just preparing for a half-IM is incredibly impressive ...particularly when you've got a handful of kids all in need of attention.  In the race, to miss a run turn and still have the discipline to just run your race, course be damned, highlights the fact that in triathlons, we're ultimately competing against ourselves and our own limits.  You didn't let the mix-up break you.  You persevered and finished with a superb effort.

Way to represent, FBGs!   :pickle:    :pickle:    :pickle:   BMFs, all.
One of my favorite posts ever. So perfectly said.

 
Blossom Time 5.25

I chose this race for several reasons. It's very competitive. Looking over past results I would be very surprised if I finished top 5 and didnt expect top 10. I also felt like I had some unfinished business from Fall, when I set out to break 30 minutes in a 5 mile and fell just short for the second time. Because I've been on a roll lately the hilly nature of the course also got my attention. Because I'm a masochist. And last, timing. Timing has been an issue all spring then looking ahead my other options were amidst a festival filled weekend and the weekday night before we leave for vacation. Which is probably how I justified the rest of that. 

Anyway, nothing noteworthy this morning. Great night of sleep (9 hours!!!), neurotism, coffee + banana + oatmeal, good poop then out the door. Short walk around town, poop #2, and a very encouraging warm up. Let's do this.

Miles 1 + 2 - 6:12/6:13

Just about the entire first 1.75 miles is uphill. There is a brief flat followed by a relatively steep down about a half mile in, but that's it. The rest is up. I decided pre race to just really focus on cadence and save my energy for the last 5k, but I'd be lying if I said everyone else's start made it difficult holding back. I'm used to fast starters at short races, but I've never seen a sea of people doing it like this one. Are they all this fast?!?! No, they cant. Stick to your script. So I let them all go, including a the bikini bottom I wasnt happy to lose. I have no idea how many were in front of me, but I slowly started picking groups off towards the end of the incline. Then when we started our way down I started flying. Could tell from running motion of the groups ahead how much energy they used on the way up because their speed did not change once going down. So let's have some fun.

Mile 3 - 5:44

Passed at least a dozen people on this country road. They all were moving along pretty good and when I moved by them each person/group tried to stay with me. Which helped. It helped get me closer to the next target before they faded. And just as I passed what I thought was the last of the pack. There she was. Miss bikini bottom. A sight for sore eyes. About 100' feet ahead. Hopefully shes not slowing down.

Mile 4 - 5:45

Jokes and pervs aside, she was a good down hill runner. The meat of the downs were mile 3, but we were still making our way down on mile 4. While mother nature was making her way in. I was starting to get a little uncomfortable and was a little worried if I would have anything left at the end. So that downpour was welcomed. We hit another good down at about 3.75 and I coasted by her yelling to come with me. I could tell by the look in her eye as I went by that wasnt happening. 

Mile 5 (.25) - 5:51/5:11

The open to mile 5 is the hardest part of the race. Locals call it their version of heartbreak hill. It didnt finish me, but I did labor more than I would've liked towards the end of it. And I confirmed that I had ran a good race at the last little incline because nothing was firing on the way up. Excellent, muscles are fried but it's all down hill from here. Open the stride and bmf!!!

Official time 31:34/18th place/2nd AG/unofficially 5:54 pace

Course ran long, so I'm giving myself credit for the sub 30 five miler. Strava had me at 29:45. But that heel thing I mentioned last week? She's angry right now! Scratching my plan for the week and will take it day-to-day. If it is behaving itself I wont consider anything > easy pace before at least Friday. Going to bag speed work all together until post mid-June relay too. I want to ensure I get there healthy then re-assess after. 

Now  :popcorn:  waiting for @Zasada and @-OZ- race reports. 
Great RR.

If there are pictures from this race, i expect links to bikini bottom girl.

She must have been a top 3 female in this race considering her pace, no?

 
And speaking of BMFs, I was thinking: The relay course and event, now, are rather plain vanilla.  Hang out on the edge of the university campus for the day and send runners off - either on what appear to be a couple of out-and-backs on paved bike trails or a 5K cross-country course.  Being BMFs, what if we shook things up a bit?

Option 1

Put all 18 legs (three for each runner) into a hat.  On Friday night, draw the first two legs so we know who has to start.  As leg 1 finishes, we draw for leg 3.  As leg 2 finishes, we draw for leg 4, etc.  The only rule is no back-to-back legs.  So for each of our legs, we won't know the timing until one leg in advance (somewhere between 20-50 minutes beforehand, depending on the course and runner drawn).  Somebody might finish by leg 5 ...somebody might not start until leg 14.  Eat, warm-up, and mentally prepare accordingly. It'll keep us on edge all day long and lead to some great stories.

Option 2

Create two pools of three runners and use the above logic.  Draw the order for pool 1 on Friday night (legs 1, 2, and 3).   Draw the order for pool 2's runners after leg 1 finishes.  This would tighten down the extreme gaps while leaving some uncertainty as to exact timing and the order of our individual legs.

 
And speaking of BMFs, I was thinking: The relay course and event, now, are rather plain vanilla.  Hang out on the edge of the university campus for the day and send runners off - either on what appear to be a couple of out-and-backs on paved bike trails or a 5K cross-country course.  Being BMFs, what if we shook things up a bit?

Option 1

Put all 18 legs (three for each runner) into a hat.  On Friday night, draw the first two legs so we know who has to start.  As leg 1 finishes, we draw for leg 3.  As leg 2 finishes, we draw for leg 4, etc.  The only rule is no back-to-back legs.  So for each of our legs, we won't know the timing until one leg in advance (somewhere between 20-50 minutes beforehand, depending on the course and runner drawn).  Somebody might finish by leg 5 ...somebody might not start until leg 14.  Eat, warm-up, and mentally prepare accordingly. It'll keep us on edge all day long and lead to some great stories.

Option 2

Create two pools of three runners and use the above logic.  Draw the order for pool 1 on Friday night (legs 1, 2, and 3).   Draw the order for pool 2's runners after leg 1 finishes.  This would tighten down the extreme gaps while leaving some uncertainty as to exact timing and the order of our individual legs.
If we don't want to try and medal, then sure, sounds fun. I'm up for it.

But not running in order disqualifies us from any awards.

 
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Blossom Time 5.25

I chose this race for several reasons. It's very competitive. Looking over past results I would be very surprised if I finished top 5 and didnt expect top 10. I also felt like I had some unfinished business from Fall, when I set out to break 30 minutes in a 5 mile and fell just short for the second time. Because I've been on a roll lately the hilly nature of the course also got my attention. Because I'm a masochist. And last, timing. Timing has been an issue all spring then looking ahead my other options were amidst a festival filled weekend and the weekday night before we leave for vacation. Which is probably how I justified the rest of that. 

Anyway, nothing noteworthy this morning. Great night of sleep (9 hours!!!), neurotism, coffee + banana + oatmeal, good poop then out the door. Short walk around town, poop #2, and a very encouraging warm up. Let's do this.

Miles 1 + 2 - 6:12/6:13

Just about the entire first 1.75 miles is uphill. There is a brief flat followed by a relatively steep down about a half mile in, but that's it. The rest is up. I decided pre race to just really focus on cadence and save my energy for the last 5k, but I'd be lying if I said everyone else's start made it difficult holding back. I'm used to fast starters at short races, but I've never seen a sea of people doing it like this one. Are they all this fast?!?! No, they cant. Stick to your script. So I let them all go, including a the bikini bottom I wasnt happy to lose. I have no idea how many were in front of me, but I slowly started picking groups off towards the end of the incline. Then when we started our way down I started flying. Could tell from running motion of the groups ahead how much energy they used on the way up because their speed did not change once going down. So let's have some fun.

Mile 3 - 5:44

Passed at least a dozen people on this country road. They all were moving along pretty good and when I moved by them each person/group tried to stay with me. Which helped. It helped get me closer to the next target before they faded. And just as I passed what I thought was the last of the pack. There she was. Miss bikini bottom. A sight for sore eyes. About 100' feet ahead. Hopefully shes not slowing down.

Mile 4 - 5:45

Jokes and pervs aside, she was a good down hill runner. The meat of the downs were mile 3, but we were still making our way down on mile 4. While mother nature was making her way in. I was starting to get a little uncomfortable and was a little worried if I would have anything left at the end. So that downpour was welcomed. We hit another good down at about 3.75 and I coasted by her yelling to come with me. I could tell by the look in her eye as I went by that wasnt happening. 

Mile 5 (.25) - 5:51/5:11

The open to mile 5 is the hardest part of the race. Locals call it their version of heartbreak hill. It didnt finish me, but I did labor more than I would've liked towards the end of it. And I confirmed that I had ran a good race at the last little incline because nothing was firing on the way up. Excellent, muscles are fried but it's all down hill from here. Open the stride and bmf!!!

Official time 31:34/18th place/2nd AG/unofficially 5:54 pace

Course ran long, so I'm giving myself credit for the sub 30 five miler. Strava had me at 29:45. But that heel thing I mentioned last week? She's angry right now! Scratching my plan for the week and will take it day-to-day. If it is behaving itself I wont consider anything > easy pace before at least Friday. Going to bag speed work all together until post mid-June relay too. I want to ensure I get there healthy then re-assess after. 

Now  :popcorn:  waiting for @Zasada and @-OZ- race reports. 
Awesome report. I could just feel your bad-###-ery through your words. Great race.  :thumbup:

 
Went out to do some mile repeats after a night full of bad decisions. The Klimate app says it was 76 degrees but it was every bit of 85 out there. May have to scale back my expectations for the relay. After my 4x400s the other day, my lower leg issue flared back up. It seems to flare up when I run with some pace. I am thinking more around 7:00 flat for my paces. I really need to take it somewhat easy on the first 2. If the issue flares up, there is no way I’d be able to run my last leg. Still super excited about this and ready to help the team. So, I will eat nothing but rice starting tomorrow leading up to the race. Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

 
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Went out to do some mile repeats after a night full of bad decisions. The Klimate app says it was 76 degrees but it was every bit of 85 out there. May have to scale back my expectations for the relay. After my 4x400s the other day, my lower leg issue flared back up. It seems to flare up when I run with some pace. I am thinking more around 7:00 flat for my paces. I really need to take it somewhat easy on the first 2. If the issue flares up, there is no way I’d be able to run my last leg. Still super excited about this and ready to help the team. So, I will eat nothing but rice starting tomorrow leading up to the race. Happy Memorial Day, everyone!
Just don’t omit the all important chicken-breast-loading phase right before race day. 

 
Scotiabank Calgary Marathon RR

I intended this to be short, but after typing it's another (boring) epic.  TL;DR is that I executed well, had almost perfect weather, got my PR and didn't walk, but had the hardest athletic struggle I've had in my life to do it.  And I #### myself (scroll down to 20K+ for more detail on that.  Warning:  Much less interesting than "I #### myself" suggests).

After my Houston marathon I almost immediately decided that I needed to right a wrong.  While I was happy with the time I ran there (3:57), I walked some of the last 10K and that left a bad taste in my mouth.  So I signed-up for the Calgary marathon four months down the road and purchased a custom training plan from Luke Humphrey Running.

The plan was 5x weekly (I bumped it to 6x weekly in weeks 10-14) with peak weekly mileage around 90K (56mi).

Managed to complete the 15-week plan without missing a run or cutting one short.  Taper went well and I felt good going into the marathon.  But Luke Humphrey is a Hanson's guy.  So his longest prescribed run in my plan was 25K (which I extended to 30K) and in Houston things didn't go to hell until 32K.  Lots of uncertainty there.

So come race morning, I'm up at 0330.  Poop, beet juice, immodium, and the wife and I head out.  Pick up my friend at his place and get to the Stampede Grounds (location of the start/finish) an hour before start.  Temps are 2C (35F).  While it would have been nice at that point to be in warmer gear, one of my lessons-learned from Houston was to not overdress despite a chilly start time.  So, t-shirt, shorts, running cap, and gloves.  Running belt with three gels and my phone.

After killing just about an hour inside, my friend and I head out to the start corral and find our 4:00 pacer.  She's a short Asian girl in a tutu.  

National anthem, countown, and we're off.

0-10K, 5:42/km (9:11/mi)

The biggest mistake I think I made in Houston was going out too fast.  So this time I decided to run with a pacer (4:00) to keep my race-day enthusiasm in check.  Also I was running with my friend and we agreed we'd run with the pacer until 20K-30K or so and then play it by ear.  So despite losing sight of our short pacer (who didn't hold her sign up very high) from time to time, we spotted her enough (as well as the 2:00 HM pacer who did hold his sign up high enough) so that we felt good about where we were.  We were definitely in the middle of the pack with all the marathon, HM, and 50K runners using the same course and it was very crowded.  At one aid station (another error in Houston, where I didn't drink enough) I had to come to a momentary full stop due to the traffic jam.  I was pissed about that.  And through the course of this race I came to appreciate just how incredibly well-organized/planned the Houston race was compared to this one.

Anyways, aside from the crowding the first 8K were pretty uneventful.  Just after 8K we got to the aid station my wife was volunteering at.  Her cat/dog rescue organization was responsible for that station and I was excited to see her for the first time on the course in a race.  We had planned ahead that she would be at the end of the station gauntlet with water (I didn't want the other beverage, Nuun).  Worked perfectly.  There she was, got my water, planted a big sweaty smooch on her, gave her my gloves (which I no longer needed) and continued with the race.

10K-20K, 5:35/km (8:56/mi)

After the 8K aid station we passed the 4:00 pacer but kept our speed roughly in-line with that pace.  She was right behind us.  As we turned back into the city core I realized that some of the streets weren't fully closed and the organizers had us in 1-2 lanes of a street with the remaining lanes open to traffic.  At one point we were down to 1 lane for the runners and it was crammed.  I was quite annoyed at that.  Further annoying me was a runner who was drafting me and my friend (there was a slight headwind).  Normally I wouldn't care/notice, except this guy ran like a clydesdale.  TROMP TROMP TROMP.  And it was nonstop.  Everyone else was pretty light on their feet so it was a sea of pitter-patter with one dude TROMP TROMP TROMP.  How does his body not implode from that kind of punishment?  Regardless, after a few km of this I tell my friend we should shift off to the other side of the road and see if Clyde follows.  He does.  So I turn around and ask him "Are you going to draft us the whole race?!?".  He didn't hear precisely what I asked and responded. "Is it OK if I run with you guys?".  I didn't want to say "no" so I just said "fine".  Thankfully it was only a few more K until the HMers finally peeled-off and it was like the Red Sea parting.  3/4 of the runners (if not more) seemed to go the HM route leaving the full marathon route wide-open and spacious.  It was glorious.  For the rest of the race I would have tons of room and none of the aid stations henceforth were a congested mess like they were prior to that.

20K-30K, 5:27/km (8:27/mi)

My friend and I were (a little intentionally) putting some distance between us and the 4:00 pacer.  Things felt really good for both of us until he mentioned that he was starting to have GI issues and would likely have to stop at a port-a-potty.  I lamented that with him and we ran a bit further.  The toilets were probably 5K apart and once he got to the next one, he pulled off leaving me to run on my own.  I considered "WWDLD?" (What Would Des Linden Do?) but I decided to plod forward as I was pretty sure I was going to lose my friend at some point in the race anyway, as he hadn't been training as hard as I had in preparation.  As it turns out, it was the right call as that was one of six pit stops he would have to make during the race (as I found out when I met him at the finish).  I felt bad for him as it was a bad break.

I continued on my own and started to get GI rumbling of my own.  Great.  Usually on my runs after I feel the first rumblings it increases in severity until I have no choice to stop.  But in this case the immodium I took seems to be muting the progression so I kept passing toilets with the hope it could be managed.  I also started having the internal debate of "if it means finishing without stopping or walking, am I willing to #### myself".  Knowing that "####ting myself" likely wouldn't involve a huge mess since most of the time my GI issues a really just a ton of gas with a little poop in the mix.

On the fatigue front, I'm starting to feel it a bit.  HR continues to be high (150s) and my right glute is getting really sore (over the last three weeks of training it was always what got sore first).  But I reach the turnaround point and mentally it's nice to be running back toward the core than away from it.

At 30K, I round a corner and see some Rando taking a cell phone photo of me in the distance.  It wasn't a pro (since he didn't have a real camera) but I thought to myself "who would want to take a photo of me?"  I was on my own, with nobody in my immediate vicinity running.  As I got closer (my vision always goes to hell when I run long distances) I realize it's my Dad!  And his wife.  SO COOL.  The first time someone has ever been on-course to cheer me on.  It gave me a little boost.

As I'm sure is common, motor skills start to degrade over time during a race.  And this seems to apply to one's sphincter as well.  Because as I have another bout of GI pain and I'm trying to keep things in, I fail.  Not a huge dookie event by any means but I know I just soiled myself.  Well I guess that has decided things.  I'm willing to #### myself to not stop.  Even if it wasn't 100% intentional.  

30K-38K, 5:40/km (9:07/mi)

I managed to get to 32K (the point at which the wheels fell of in Houston) but I was feeling it.  Glutes were screaming and I was starting to host a raging mental debate which would continue through the end of the race.  On one side of the debate was "It's OK to walk, you trained hard, but maybe this just isn't your distance.  You can focus on other things in the future.  Here's how you explain to everyone why you couldn't do it..." 

On the other side was "Walking is failure.  Think about the joy of telling your wife that you ran the whole thing as you wanted to.  Think about how good that will feel.  Think about how you'll be able to put street marathons behind you with satisfaction instead of with regret."  That debate raged for a good 4K.  In one moment of weakness, I broke stride once to walk, only for a second, and immediately and vocally yelled "NO!" and got back in stride.  In order to deal with the increasing and crushing muscle fatigue I just kept repeating to myself "Walking is failure.  Walking is failure.  Walking is failure".  I probably said it 100 times to myself if not more.  And did my best to focus on the joy of success at the finish rather than rationale for defeat.  It.  Was.  So.  Hard.

Rather than walk, I slowed to a very slow running pace but in some ways it was harder because it used my glutes more than the longer strides did.  So in the 34K-38K distance it was a lot of alternating between a very slow running pace and a less slow one.

Oh, and I crapped myself again around 35K.  Same as before.  But at this point the fatigue is so great that I just don't give a #### (pun intended).

38K-42.2K, 5:50/km (9:23/mi)

More alternating (very slow vs slow) here but at the 38K point it became so much easier mentally.  I knew I could gut out 4K more running.  It was only 4K.  Soon it would be 3K left, and then soon it would be 2K left.  I can do it.  It hurts like it has never hurt before, but I can do it.  I switched the display on my watch from pace to total time and, after doing some math, saw that 3:55 could be possible.

I was running through the city core now, and still having to slow to the very slow pace once in a while.  I thought about my wife and Dad at the finish.  Just have to get there.  "You can sit then", I said to myself.  

And then at about the 40K point I get passed by the 4:00 pacer.  What the ####?!?!  I look down at my watch and she's on pace to finish well before 4:00.  She was running with only one person by that point (compared to the dozen or so that were with her at the 20K mark).  While it freaked me out initially, I re-did the math in my head and I was still OK for a 3:55-3:57 finish if I could just keep going.  I told myself that she must have talked to the one remaining runner with her and they agreed to finish faster.  Otherwise she's a really ####ty pacer.

Finish

It felt like a sprint to the finish.  In reality it was a pretty slow pace but I gave it everything I had to close the last 200m with as much effort as possible.  As soon as I crossed the timing mats, I moved over to the side and stopped to put my hands on my knees and suck wind.  A quiet volunteer just in front of me says "there's water just a little further in from here" but I wasn't moving anywhere.  I realize I forgot to stop my watch and do that then.  And after what seemed like an eternity, I finally gather myself and literally stagger to the barricades where I see my wife and Dad waiting for me.  I put my head on her shoulder and just stopped to breathe.  After a little chat, I move back to the gauntlet and get my medal, water, and a chocolate milk.  Yum.

  • 3:56:10 (PR)
  • 307/797 overall
  • 231/512 among men
  • 28/57 among men 46-50 (yay, better than 50th percentile by one runner!)
Overall I hit my goals and the monkey is off my back.  Beat my Houston time and didn't walk.  But it was the hardest thing I've ever done athletically.  Once I get over 30K, things just go downhill for me so fast.  

With all the training I did, part of me agreed with @gianmarco beforehand that this race could have been much better than I expected.  Yet it was not in the cards.  Execution was almost flawless.  I ran slow at the beginning.  I dressed right.  I drank at the aid stations.  I took gels with each 10K.  All than and still beyond 30K I'm just a wreck.  

So even though part of me was hopeful for a surprise 3:50, I have zero regrets.  I held nothing back and did the best I could.  Aside from maybe one short 100m stretch closer to the finish, I don't think there's a moment where I can legitimately say I could have HTFU and run faster.

And either my wife/Dad/friend didn't notice/smell that I had #### myself or they were too kind to mention it.  I had a towel to sit on in the car as my wife drove us home and then right into the shower upon arrival.  And soiled clothing/towel into the wash.  

Normally I would be grossed-out but I didn't care.  I ran my first marathon.  In under four hours.  Worth it.

Epilogue / Lessons Learned

Had GI issues all night (the post-race burger, fries, and beer did not sit well) and weighed myself this morning.  Down 7lbs.  First time <160 since 1994.  

This morning I'm already longing to see my good friends, the Rocky Mountains.  I'll see you this weekend.  Time to rebuild this relationship.

For future runs, I'm going to run with my hydration vest and stock it with Tailwind.  The gels still didn't sit quite right and I found myself very thirsty in the last 30K (which is a sure sign, along with my weight loss and deliriousness at the finish, that I was dyhydrated).  So a cup or two of water every 3-5K isn't enough.

 
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Here goes, won't be as verbose as many...

Goose Pond Island 70.3

I signed up for this half right after the Rocketman back in August, after doing no other triathlons in the past couple years.  I still don't think I'll be able to put the time I'd want into a full 140.6 or an ultra, but halves are a challenging, but manageable distance.  And triathlons are just fun.  I'd do a 70.3 over a marathon every day.  Both have their challenges, but one is more enjoyable both for training and the event itself - for me. 

The original plan was to beat my a$$ to break 5.   Estimated time to do so - 35 minutes for the swim, 2:40 ride, 5 minutes total transition, 1:40 run.  Then life happens, other things take priority and I don't get the full training plan I wanted.  That's okay, train when you can and don't let training rule your life (except perhaps for a specific bucket list race).   I still trained fairly well, took the time when I could.  Best thing I did in hindsight was get the indoor trainer, to focus on intervals, power, etc over the winter, especially in the dark.  

Plan B was to swim smart, ride hard, and hang on for the run.  Some will say riding hard is a mistake as you'll pay for it on the run, and they might be right.  But I wanted to hit the swim and bike under the original goal times. 

ETA: Thursday of race week I got the local bike shop to put on a new chain, dude rerouted my gearing (he said gear 9 was off(?), which ended up making it so I couldn't get in the highest gear without it skipping.  So I rode no higher than 9, might actually have been a good thing.  Higher cadence than usual, but it didn't hurt the speed much. 

Race Day

Get up at 4, eat eggs with butter, a bagel with cream cheese, take a ####, out the door by 5.  Drive an hour to Lake Gunthersville. Arrive, setup transition, walk a bit to loosen up, get in the water to warmup a little.  Eat an apple at 6:30, take a gel just before 7.   I visit the portajohn at 6:35, right as the director is giving the race brief (so I missed it). 

Swim  (goal met)

We're in the second heat which starts 3 minutes after the first wave.  So 7:03, we're off.  The course is a simple square, two times around (sprint tri goes once around).  I didn't set my watch, as unless I put it on kayaking it wouldn't use GPS anyway in the water.  Just stayed tight on the buoys, swam steady, no real issues.  It was choppy, with the waves pushing us a bit to one direction, but overall it was a good swim.  I think the course was a little short as when I checked the watch it said 7:34, so I swam in 31 (official time confirmed later), feeling pretty good so far.  I get out using the steps to the beach, left leg cramps, but I'm able to shake it off and jog to transition.  

T1

Put th jersey top on, put on socks (I don't wear socks for less than a half), shoes, helmet, stuff a granola bar in my mouth, off I go... 

Bike (goal met)

Got to the mounting point, jump on, no issues (I had just bought new cleats earlier in the week, they had been stiff at first but worked well now).  There's nobody near me for the first half mile, I pass the first person, then keep rolling.  Within the first 3 miles I pass 5-7 people, then I wasn't looking closely enough but went over train tracks, not realizing that these tracks SUCK.  Like the track itself at the point I went over sticks out an inch above the pavement, I thought for sure I popped a tire.  But nope, good to go.  Press on, pass a few more people... pretty good course, just a couple miles into scottsboro (a small, older town), then mostly smooth roads.  Feeling good, taking a gel at mile 20 and 40.  My nutrition was the gels, another granola bar, and two bottles of my favorite mix of local honey, himalayan salt, and water.  The nice thing about out and backs, you get to see who is in front of you.  I see 7 people coming the other direction.  I pass a guy at mile 27, he stays close (I won't claim he drafted, but maybe...) mile 28 turnaround, I slow down to turn, he passes me on the inside (good for him, handles his bike well), and asks if "trailing" is ok.  I told him we can't draft in tri.  Halfway mark at 1:28, so I'm feeling pretty good with the goal of breaking 2:40.  I pass him again.  at mile 38 A dude offers a water bottle, I made the mistake of not taking it and running out of water at about mile 48.  At mile 53 I pass the last guy I see.  As I'm about half a mile from transition, a gal is running the other way (not competing) and tells me i'm in 6th.  (pretty sure the people in front of me started 3 minutes ahead of me).  2:38, feelin' great.

T2

Uneventful, get er done.

Run (yeah, well....)

Started strong, first two miles.  Legs were heavy but I'm going well and feeling okay.  Then the heat starts to bother me.  I slow down a tad, but figured I just had to keep under 8 minute miles... I get to a point where the directional arrows point left and right.  I ask the volunteer, he points to the left (I think).  I go left, somehow make it back to the transition point, like 4 miles into the race.  I ask another volunteer where the turnaround point is, he's confused (rightfully so at this point).  So I just run through transition again.  Do the same route.  I stop at an a portajohn, pause my garmin, take a long satisfying piss, hit the wrong button on the watch and accidentally delete the segment.  I saw that I was just over 5 miles in, so I figure I'll run 8 more.  Now, on the way out, I'm looking closer for the mile markers, I do get to one that says mile 7, I happen to have ran 6 at this point.  If I had been thinking clearly, I would have just gone with that, and added a mile later somewhere.  But, nope.  I do the same route as before, come back, miss the same turn (I have a mental block against it I guess) and head back towards the transition.  At this point I'm feeling a little dizzy, highly disoriented and start thinking "what are the signs of heat exhaustion?".  Between mile 1 and mile 3 is a largely shaded, but somewhat hilly, curvy segment using the camp walking trail, so I just keep repeating that loop.  The photographer is there, he asks if I'm alright, so I explain what happened, he just shrugs.  I keep passing the same aid station, so I load up on base, water, and ice.  Seems to be a couple moms and their 5 daughters, or maybe part of a girl scout troop, nice girls.  Back and forth I go... I meet a handful of people who (and I really don't know which it is) are either also confused about the course, or wonder what the F I'm doing. I explain to one guy, he kind of agreed with my choice at this point.  Finally I'm a mile from transition, watch indicates I did 7 (so 12 total), so I head back and finish.  Turned out I was the first over 40 and 5th overall.  They don't say anything, but I feel like I cheated the course (probably because I did.)  I just go to transition, take my bike and stuff and load up.  Then I hit the beverage tent, meet the guy (a 52 year old) I had passed towards the end of the bike, and we chat.  Nice guy, Guatemalan.   We chat for a while, I realize he would be first if I'm not, and I tell the director to DQ me.  

Total of 5:18, which is a PR for me. 

Overall I'm satisfied with my performance and times, but kicking myself for not paying closer attention to the map and missing the race brief.  Won't make either of those mistakes again. 

Now to find another 70.3 in October or up north... curse the heat!  :rant:

 
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Then I hit the beverage tent, meet the guy (a 52 year old) I had passed towards the end of the bike, and we chat.  Nice guy, Guatemalan.   We chat for a while, I realize he would be first if I'm not, and I tell the director to DQ me.
Man, this is awesome.  While you completed the Tri like a total BMF, I have even more respect for you because of this.  Volunteering yourself for DQ.  Props.

 
Scotiabank Calgary Marathon RR

I ran my first marathon.  In under four hours.  Worth it.

Epilogue / Lessons Learned

Had GI issues all night (the post-race burger, fries, and beer did not sit well) and weighed myself this morning.  Down 7lbs.  First time <160 since 1994.  

This morning I'm already longing to see my good friends, the Rocky Mountains.  I'll see you this weekend.  Time to rebuild this relationship.

For future runs, I'm going to run with my hydration vest and stock it with Tailwind.  The gels still didn't sit quite right and I found myself very thirsty in the last 30K (which is a sure sign, along with my weight loss and deliriousness at the finish, that I was dyhydrated).  So a cup or two of water every 3-5K isn't enough.
Good stuff man, congrats again on executing this thing so well and hitting your goals. 

Of course you know my favorite part is there in your Epilogue, and it has nothing to do with the race.  I'm jealous of your "real mountains", for sure.

I hope Tailwind works well for you.  I've always liked it, and often run with just it (no additional calories) on long training runs.

 
Here goes, won't be as verbose as many...

Goose Pond Island 70.3

Then I hit the beverage tent, meet the guy (a 52 year old) I had passed towards the end of the bike, and we chat.  Nice guy, Guatemalan.   We chat for a while, I realize he would be first if I'm not, and I tell the director to DQ me.  

Total of 5:18, which is a PR for me. 

Overall I'm satisfied with my performance and times, but kicking myself for not paying closer attention to the map and missing the race brief.  Won't make either of those mistakes again. 

Now to find another 70.3 in October or up north... curse the heat!  :rant:
Nice job foreshadowing with that "missed the race briefing" part.  Total bummer that you got "lost" out there, but good on you for doing what you could to cover the distance, and then doing the right thing and taking the DQ.  Sounds like other than that you ran a great race, should give you confidence going into your next training block and race.

 
tri-man 47 said:
And speaking of BMFs, I was thinking: The relay course and event, now, are rather plain vanilla.  Hang out on the edge of the university campus for the day and send runners off - either on what appear to be a couple of out-and-backs on paved bike trails or a 5K cross-country course.  Being BMFs, what if we shook things up a bit?

Option 1

Put all 18 legs (three for each runner) into a hat.  On Friday night, draw the first two legs so we know who has to start.  As leg 1 finishes, we draw for leg 3.  As leg 2 finishes, we draw for leg 4, etc.  The only rule is no back-to-back legs.  So for each of our legs, we won't know the timing until one leg in advance (somewhere between 20-50 minutes beforehand, depending on the course and runner drawn).  Somebody might finish by leg 5 ...somebody might not start until leg 14.  Eat, warm-up, and mentally prepare accordingly. It'll keep us on edge all day long and lead to some great stories.

Option 2

Create two pools of three runners and use the above logic.  Draw the order for pool 1 on Friday night (legs 1, 2, and 3).   Draw the order for pool 2's runners after leg 1 finishes.  This would tighten down the extreme gaps while leaving some uncertainty as to exact timing and the order of our individual legs.
I'd prefer just sticking with the original plan and having a chance to actually win something.

 
gianmarco said:
If we don't want to try and medal, then sure, sounds fun. I'm up for it.

But not running in order disqualifies us from any awards.
Yeah, let's just keep it simple and go as planned.

 
Addendum to my RR:  I mostly went music-free for the whole run, but in the last 8K I fired up the tunes to try to help motivate me.  Eddie Money made an appearance and there was some running air-guitar.  Made a point of that to fire me up when I needed it most.

 
Addendum to my RR:  I mostly went music-free for the whole run, but in the last 8K I fired up the tunes to try to help motivate me.  Eddie Money made an appearance and there was some running air-guitar.  Made a point of that to fire me up when I needed it most.
I went without music for the first 10 minutes in an attempt to keep myself from getting ahead of myself. When I knew the downs were coming to get fired up my queue was Nirvana Love Buzz - Pearl Jam Mind Your Manners - Halestorm Uncomfortable - Metallica So What - and Refused New Noise to get to the home stretch. Ripped the headphones out for the final half mile though. 

 
Did a 5k baseline last night in the 90 degree heat (12:11 pace is slow as crap but I still was happy considering I ran about 60-70% of it).

Hiked 6.5 miles this morning with my youngest which was great - we had a great time.

Most important - my leg is feeling really good.  Still not 100% and I haven’t attempted to “open it up” when running to be cautious.  But still it feels much better than before and I’m finally optimistic that maybe I’m on the road the recovery.  I’m going to take the next couple of days off while I fast and let my legs catch up.

 
gianmarco said:
If we don't want to try and medal, then sure, sounds fun. I'm up for it.

But not running in order disqualifies us from any awards.
Sure, throw some kryptonite at me!  

We'll hope Chief recovers sufficiently and go for a medal.  I hit the immediate care this morning to get another opinion on my chest cold ...got a couple of scripts and some advice, so I plan to be good to go on Saturday.

 
  On one side of the debate was "It's OK to walk, you trained hard, but maybe this just isn't your distance.  You can focus on other things in the future.  Here's how you explain to everyone why you couldn't do it..." 

On the other side was "Walking is failure.  Think about the joy of telling your wife that you ran the whole thing as you wanted to.  Think about how good that will feel.  Think about how you'll be able to put street marathons behind you with satisfaction instead of with regret."  That debate raged for a good 4K.  In one moment of weakness, I broke stride once to walk, only for a second, and immediately and vocally yelled "NO!" and got back in stride.  In order to deal with the increasing and crushing muscle fatigue I just kept repeating to myself "Walking is failure.  Walking is failure.  Walking is failure".  I probably said it 100 times to myself if not more.  And did my best to focus on the joy of success at the finish rather than rationale for defeat.  It.  Was.  So.  Hard.
This is where you crossed the mental threshold. This section gave me chills, man. :thumbup:

This is so awesome. Well done.

 
Man @-OZ- - so bittersweet.

1. Awesome race. To have the mental fortitude to "finish" the race at that junction, despite all those doubts in your mind about if you were even doing the route correctly - wow. It must be difficult carrying those 100 lb. nuts around all day long.

2. To have the mental fortitude to DQ yourself at that point - wow dude -  I couldn't be more proud of any race report I have ever read here. This speaks so highly to your character (which is no surprise since you are a Jayhawk). Just amazing of you. Wow.

 
Maybe one of these times I’ll stay with the strength training. Gonna try a Monday & Friday post run gym session this time. See if that sticks.  This is not DOMS, it’s instant. IMS. 

 
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I managed to get to 32K (the point at which the wheels fell of in Houston) but I was feeling it.  Glutes were screaming and I was starting to host a raging mental debate which would continue through the end of the race.  On one side of the debate was "It's OK to walk, you trained hard, but maybe this just isn't your distance.  You can focus on other things in the future.  Here's how you explain to everyone why you couldn't do it..." 

On the other side was "Walking is failure.  Think about the joy of telling your wife that you ran the whole thing as you wanted to.  Think about how good that will feel.  Think about how you'll be able to put street marathons behind you with satisfaction instead of with regret."  That debate raged for a good 4K.  In one moment of weakness, I broke stride once to walk, only for a second, and immediately and vocally yelled "NO!" and got back in stride.  In order to deal with the increasing and crushing muscle fatigue I just kept repeating to myself "Walking is failure.  Walking is failure.  Walking is failure".  I probably said it 100 times to myself if not more.  And did my best to focus on the joy of success at the finish rather than rationale for defeat.  It.  Was.  So.  Hard.
Awesome report. Congrats on the finish. As one that has now signed up for a full marathon for the fall, and one that hopes to run a similar-ish, I find the entire report both inspirational and terrifying! I've got a ton of work to do between now and November and reading this helps me know I can't just show up if I want to do more than just "not die" in the process. Made me almost poop my own pants just reading it in fear of what awaits! :D  

Excellent work and very motivating! 

 
I hope Tailwind works well for you.  I've always liked it, and often run with just it (no additional calories) on long training runs.
I had a couple cups of Coke at aid stations, but otherwise it was just Tailwind for me (no other calories) at my 50K a couple of weeks ago.

 
MAC_32 said:
Blossom Time 5.25

Official time 31:34/18th place/2nd AG/unofficially 5:54 pace
Jeebus.  That's flying - congrats on a well executed prep and race day execution.  Some days I wish I had 10% of the discipline and structure that you put into running. 

I think your time is the fastest 5.25 mile race time among Ran a 10K guys in 2019, but I'd need to look this up to verify. 

 
Amazing the difference a day makes. I'm not usually a limper so quickly after racing, but I bailed on my cool down Sunday because I couldn't walk without one. That continued for the rest of the day, so I didn't do much.

Yesterday morning was not surprisingly worse. Hurt to touch just about everything around both of my heels, left worse than right. The trek downstairs was one step at a time and I couldnt step near the ball of my left foot without my left heel throbbing and feeling like I'd fall. As I wrote Sunday I scratched my original plan (80 mins) for yesterday's run, but doubted whether anything was wise or not. 

I decided to head out to the parks and see if slow mud running would remedy. I was ready to pull the plug at a moment's notice, but everything got better with each passing mile. I mainly stuck to bridle trails, but I veered to some of the more tame techincal stuff too. I was liberal with the breaks, but I did about 2 hours of yard work yesterday afternoon then walked to and from the playground (0.75 miles each way) with the family last night without incident.

Now, both achilles are a little tender but dont hurt to touch anymore and everything else feels fine and seems to be functioning well. I was admittedly a little worried yesterday, but I think I'm good now. Still going to take it easy this week though. 

Tl;dr - diet, strength training, and compression socks are vital to my health, recovery, and goals. 

 
I managed to get to 32K (the point at which the wheels fell of in Houston) but I was feeling it.  Glutes were screaming and I was starting to host a raging mental debate which would continue through the end of the race.  On one side of the debate was "It's OK to walk, you trained hard, but maybe this just isn't your distance.  You can focus on other things in the future.  Here's how you explain to everyone why you couldn't do it..." 

On the other side was "Walking is failure.  Think about the joy of telling your wife that you ran the whole thing as you wanted to.  Think about how good that will feel.  Think about how you'll be able to put street marathons behind you with satisfaction instead of with regret."  That debate raged for a good 4K.  In one moment of weakness, I broke stride once to walk, only for a second, and immediately and vocally yelled "NO!" and got back in stride.  In order to deal with the increasing and crushing muscle fatigue I just kept repeating to myself "Walking is failure.  Walking is failure.  Walking is failure".  I probably said it 100 times to myself if not more.  And did my best to focus on the joy of success at the finish rather than rationale for defeat.  It.  Was.  So.  Hard.
This is everything right here.  You've successfully made the marathon your #####.  Congrats.   :thumbup:

 
Jeebus.  That's flying - congrats on a well executed prep and race day execution.  Some days I wish I had 10% of the discipline and structure that you put into running. 

I think your time is the fastest 5.25 mile race time among Ran a 10K guys in 2019, but I'd need to look this up to verify. 
Personal training and coaching definitely help. I put time and energy into creating plans for them, so applying them to myself kinda just comes naturally. Whether it's the approach to high jump, adjusting 400 m strategy based on that days weather and competition, talking through what to do in the 2-3 days before competition, etc.

Watching the success stories serves as motivation for me to do the same. Coaching our best 400 runner sticks out. She couldnt beat this one girl all year. So I suggested  going into finals she hold back the first 200. She was outside, so I said to her let her catch you. You can out sprint her, but all year you pit so much into the beginning that you cant. So stride and let her catch you then win a 200 m sprint. Which she did. 

I thought of her about a quarter mile into that race when I couldnt count how many were in front. 

 
Captain's meeting tomorrow.  If you guys want me to ask any specific questions, let me know.

Also, with the new location, format, and start time, we're hopefully going to be done by 5pm-ish.  Plenty of time to get back home and "enjoy" the evening. 

 
When it rains it pours. Pulled my car outta the garage yesterday to go fishing. Got in a half hour later after we loaded up - won't start. Car is only 3 years old. At the shop now, so hopefully this gets rectified today. 

:nutkick:

 
When it rains it pours. Pulled my car outta the garage yesterday to go fishing. Got in a half hour later after we loaded up - won't start. Car is only 3 years old. At the shop now, so hopefully this gets rectified today. 

:nutkick:
Alright - good news/bad news. 

Good news: only a battery. Will be done today.

Bad news: Ford can suck my sack. I could have done this myself yesterday, except they designed this car so the battery is tucked under the dashboard. So I would have had to take half the engine compartment out to do this. So now I have to pay 3 times as much for a battery that I would normally have done in an hour. 

Good news: I think I am on the right side of my cold, which is a miracle. Starting to feel better.

Good news: I go on vacation starting Thursday of next week.

Good news: I get to hang with you BMF'ers Saturday and have some fun.

Oh, and @gianmarco -  can you send us your address so we know where to drive to on Friday? Thanks.

 
Captain's meeting tomorrow.  If you guys want me to ask any specific questions, let me know.

Also, with the new location, format, and start time, we're hopefully going to be done by 5pm-ish.  Plenty of time to get back home and "enjoy" the evening. 
See if we can reserve a spot at the basecamp on Friday so we don't have to fight through all of the early arrivals. 

 

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