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Old 10-29-2008, 06:30 PM   #1
bigpiney
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Default Race Report (a few weeks late)

This fall my goal was to run a 1/2 marathon and not suck at it. I failed.

Here come the excuses. I used a 18 week 1/2 marathon training program, but started using with 12 weeks to go, neglecting to get the base miles I needed.
Because of this, or maybe because I suck, I developed shin splints that hurt all the time. they hurt when I was just sitting at my desk at work. I was actually beginning to think that I had a stress fracture, they just ached all the time. So to combat this I did not run at all the entire week before the race.

The race I was planning on running, Always takes place the last weekend of October. They canceled it this year because of the state budget crisis and I scrambled to find a replacement race. I decided upon the Mammoth Ultra Marathon, which was scheduled 2 weeks before the other race. It is a 50k, but they had a 25k option. So I signed up for that thinking to myself that 25k isn't much longer than 13 miles. Well it is. Their version of 25 k turnout out to be around 16.25 miles. http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/ca/...s/527822561096

This also happened to be the weekend that the cold front rolled through the west. I don't really like the cold. Especially snowing, 15 degrees and gusts up to 20 mph at the 7:00 am start. It was freaking freezing. It was 12 degrees and still snowing when I finished.

The biggest challenge was to decide on what to wear. Being a slave to fashion makes staying warm a challenge. Surprisingly my feet stayed warm the whole time in about 2 inches of fresh snow. I wore thermal pants, with basketball shorts over that and then some lined pants on top. My legs stayed warm for the most part, but the wind did seem to cut through at time.

I was more unsure what to wear for my upper body. I ended up with an underarmor shortsleeve, Sleeves that that were provided as part of the race crap, a long sleeve work out shirt over that, and then a waterproof jacket that I thought had enough ventilation. Turns out it did not breathe very well and it was like the tropics inside that thing, too humid with no relief. I also wore cycling gloves, my 10 dollar pair from performance bike, and my ski mask.

The run started a bit late which was ok, it just gave me more time to sit in my car with the heater running. Really I felt good for the first 8 miles or so a d ran with a small group. As I stopped at the aid station at mile 9, I felt like I had a few more miles in me but probably not enough. My little group left me for dead at this point. What was interesting was that in order to drink the water or acclerade that they had provided, I had to break through the layer of ice that had formed on the tops of the cups. Eating GU that is cold is also like trying to suck peanut butter through a straw.

THe next 3 miles I really slowed down from my already not so fast pace. I passed a few people during this stretch that had started over an hour before me and were running the 50 k. They were moving Slow.

I ate a bunch at the aid station near mile 13. My body was telling me that it was done. After all I had been training for a 1/2 marathon, not this crap. As I was talking to the guy at the aid station, a friend, came running up the hill and stopped quickly and took off. If she could do it, then so could I. Turns out she was training for the Pumpkinman, so I didn't feel too bad when she left me in the dust with a mile to go.

I ended up finishing in 2:39. 1st in my age group. Of course there were only 2 people in my age group, but still. I was reminded that I seriously lack toughness. I should have been able to keep up with my friend at the end. But I gave in and walked a bit when she started to pull away. I tried to blame it on my lack of training and my injury, but hell if I was tougher I could have powered through.

Overall it was quite the experience and I am really glad that I did it. 2 inches of snow on the ground and the snow falling the whole time made it fun. Maybe I am tougher for it, not sure. It is making me consider doing a 70.3. And I will most likely do this race again next year, especially now that I know what I am getting myself into.



Weird thing about this whole thing. I am taking 5-6 weeks off to let my leg heal, but it hasn't hurt a bit since the run. My quads were sore the next day, but my shin which was killing me the whole week before, I haven't felt. It tempts me to get out and run, but I will stick to the bike for the next while to try and insure that everything is healed.
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Old 10-29-2008, 07:30 PM   #2
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You're nuts. I was too lazy to get out of bed to walk 3 miles with Gidget this morning because it was 40 degrees outside. I also was too tired from staying up until past 1am to watch the Lakers. Blasted EST.
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Old 10-29-2008, 08:19 PM   #3
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You finished a race in 15 degree weather and blowing snow, but you're not tough? Hmmm. Give yourself some credit man.

I don't know if you want any advice, but it seems you may have overdressed. Even in that cold, I would have just gone with the long sleeve shirt as a base and the jacket over that, just because it was snowing. That way if you got too hot, you could just put the jacket around your waist and back on if you started getting too wet. But I prefer to be just a bit chilly, so it's all personal preference. I learned the hard way about overdressing once. I got so hot I started eating snow to cool down. Not fun.

Anyway, good job. I love challenging races.
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Old 10-29-2008, 09:30 PM   #4
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wimpie.
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