Adarq.org

thanks guys! legs definitely sore yesterday and today. ankle is feeling better, though: still a bit stiff and painful but i'm not limping. good sign. and yeah adarq that's a good point, the slowdown may have been affected by the ankle even though it didn't hurt the rest of the race.

also, meant to note earlier that my balls are chafed so bad. i forgot to reapply squirrels nut butter after the first lap on saturday and i regret that very much.

- patapsco valley 50k race: 5:30:18, 13th place
i will have more to write later, but i'm pleased overall. could not have run faster without really pushing myself, which is good to find out. tweaked my left ankle about halfway through the second loop. it didn't bother me for the rest of the race but it's a bit painful now and it's going to be stiff. oh well. i was planning to run tomorrow but i think i'll stay off it instead.

much learned.

ETA: alright, some additional thoughts.

• nutrition was pretty good. i had almost all of my two bottles of homemade gel, plus a couple of small cups of coke and a few chips and cheez its at aid stations. felt just the barest hint of stomach upset about km 44-45, but it wasn't bad and it went away. that's not the reason i faded so badly. i could have used a little more water in the second half, and also a little more salt in the bottles.
• 10 km splits were 58:42, 49:40, 1:07:46 (including a few minutes at the start/finish to change shoes at the halfway point), 1:06:50, 1:15:30. first half and second half split is stark: 2:33, 2:57. two main possibilities. the first is that i went out too hard, but while that may have played a role and would obviously be a big factor in a flatter race, i actually don't think that's it. my heart rate held pretty steady around mid-150s, higher than i meant it to be but comfortably below threshold. what did me in felt like muscular endurance. this is the farthest i've ever run by ~8 miles, and that's about when the wheels started to come off. i was also noticeably clumsier on the second lap, and it got worse later in the race, until i slowed down so much that i wasn't in as much of danger. the ankle twist wasn't the only time i stepped awkwardly. it makes sense, i wasn’t able to do as long of single runs or as many back to back long runs as the training plan i was loosely following called for. my breathing was noticeably more rapid in the final ten miles or so and stayed elevated for about 15 minutes after the finish.
• there were 1552m of elevation gain, nearly a mile. 165 feet/mile, which gets into "very hilly" territory. the route was a little different from the one i ran a few weeks ago. the sections closest to the start/finish area are particularly steep and technical, with a lot of rocks and roots. the stream crossing was fine, water cold but felt nice under the circumstances.
• the race itself, as an event, felt well organized. the trails were marked clearly, especially at junctions. aid stations were well-stocked and well-staffed. people were friendly. i didn't talk much to other runners, except one guy who i went back and forth with a few times in the second half. turned out he was running this race for the tenth time, and he's doing his 13th JFK next month!
• i do not like the asics trail shoes i bought. they aren't that comfortable and the stack is too high to be trustworthy, at least on tired legs. stupid, i knew i didn't like them and went ahead with my plan anyway. the speedgoats felt better, if still a little narrow. i actually thought briefly about not changing over, but it was nice to put on dry socks and shoes.
• i had fun.
• other than my ankle, my legs feel great now, 6+ hours after the finish. my back was a little tight at the end, and i noticed myself carrying more tension in my shoulders than i needed to. no headache, hurray.
• my marathon split was almost exactly 4:30. only noting it because it's the first time i've crossed 42.2 km!

50k is super cool man! 5:30 on feet is a crazy effort

daaang  that's awesome. great job man

those tweaks can definitely contribute a lot to the fall offs you experienced. i mean your body basically downshifts unless you try to smash right through it (which is not good to do in looong races).

and if your legs end up feeling "great" afterwards, that's some really good fitness \o/

25-10-25

Run --
w/u
11 x (3' on / 1' off) [average pace: 4:13, pretty windy so there was some variance but that was also the mode]
c/d

Total -- 14.36k, 1:16:47

Lift --
Giant set x 2
Chins
Dips
RDL
OL Calf Raise
Reverse Nord

+ 2 more sets Chins + Dips

Notes

A+ workout, felt super comfortable throughout. 100% recovered from the race, no niggling injuries other than probably left-foot plantar fasciitis that has been around for like 6-10 weeks now. Not really anything I can do about that and, from what I've read, most 'treatment' amounts to 'wait 6 months and it'll either be gone or it won't be gone'.

Also, nice to have back-to-back weeks of 100% outdoor running. Don't mind the treadmill (esp since it makes lifting convenient) BUT i think my calves/ankles/whatever find outdoor running less fatiguing? surprised by that, tbh, but I think I've seen RunningWritings say something to that effect (and in fact he recommends doing 0% incline on treadmill for that reason, which I've never tried, but will do if I go back some time)

Pretty fed up with the cheap Garmin I got to replace my lost watch. It's soooo slow to lock on for GPS even though I start every run from the same exact spot. Like come on wtf. And the interface for changing display/layout or constructing workouts is somehow even worse than the D- Coros one.

Wore weighted vest through the whole giant set, kind of fun for the RDLs.

ETA: even my cooldown pace was ~6:00/k, which is pretty exciting to me! This was a big workout (33 mins of SubT is most I've done, normally stuck to 30-31) and normally my c/d pace is around 7:00/k. Durability baby (plus also lack of heat fatigue)

last night

- run 35:18, 6.88 km
nice and easy, beautiful weather.

it rained hard earlier this week and the course is very well shaded (it's almost entirely on forest trails) so there's a chance of some mud tomorrow. hoping the stream you have to cross twice isn't that high. but weather-wise, should be perfect: 40s-50s fahrenheit, low humidity, not much sun. i haven't slept well the past couple of nights, hoping i can at least sleep for ~6 hours tonight. planning to eat a bunch of pasta tonight, go to bed, get up at 5 to eat (my normal smoothie plus i'll add a bowl of cereal for the extra calories), have coffee, and give myself time to wake up a bit before i hit the road at 5:45. packet pickup starts at 6:30 AM, race starts at 7:30. must not forget safety pins.

i'm excited, a little nervous. lfg.