Training Log Archive: Tundra/Desert

Event: The Peeeeeeeeeg
 

Checked on #142.

Stretched while waiting for James and Joe S who were supposed to man the model area but made a parallel highway error.

Flying Pig 6, Day 1: Blue. Ran at near max intensity (hr = 176..188), made few errors, but ended up quite slow. Two reasons: getting over the 50-miler (ankles still swollen), and ran in running shoes = was sliding around and had to diagonal on the uphills; O-shoes fell apart at Annadel last Sunday and Gale was not around yet.

Checked on a control site for Saturday with Mike Minium.

Put out 6 controls/units for Saturday (stands were already out there).

Control pick-up at Whip Poor Will (5 stands, bags, units). Met Eric who went out and found his compass. Me: "Why don't you pick up some, why do _I_ have to do this?" Eric: "Because you're training for the rogaine, stupid".

Blue Sprint - Splits

All that still hurts is the no-skin part on my injured foot where the tendon tape was.

Yuack! Stomach flu!

BAOC event at Annadel. Brown. Walked amost the whole thing. Won by 35 minutes (Penny ran Blue; Gary Kraght, Orange; and George Minarik was event director).

Brown - Splits

American River 50, part 1. 2500' climb for the course. Started at 9-9:30 pace, settled into 8 or just sub-8 running pace after the first hour, which was still more like 9:00 overall pace with 3-4 minute breaks I took at each aid station, plus bushroom stops. Got to the 27.4 mark at 4:09:35, took a 13-min break. The paved bike trail (with shoulder) changed into a single-track at 30 miles, and I slowed to an about 12-min overall pace. The quads started to tighten at about 5:30 but got better by 6:30; the problem was no doubt due to the sub-3 hours of sleep I got after my Amtrak adventure, and because of the stupid bicycle stuff I did the week before. At about 6:50, things suddenly unraveled. The tendon started to hurt, there were a few cramps, and I got problems maintaining balance. But until the 7-hr mark, I was continuously passing people; I was only passed by 2 or 3. I ran/walked the next 4.5 miles to the 43.2 mile aid station and declared that I was quitting. I was way off my target of sub-8 hours, not feeling very well (but not really bad), and feared more problems with the tendon. It was 76 degrees. I was still just behind the top 100 in placing.

American River 50, part 2. After having been fed about 20 g of NaCl by the aid station staff for my dizziness, I started to understand what they were saying: there was no way I could drop out at that aid station. There was no vehicle access and I HAD to go on to the finish. So I did, after an about 17-min break lying on a cot; I walked the next 4.4 miles in under 2 hours and was passed by about 150 people in the process, including some 75-year olds and a 60-year old female.

American River 50. Uphill finish from the last aid station, where I unsuccessfully tried to drop out again. I felt a ton better than 2 hours before. Passed the 60-yr old lady back in the finish chute. Overall: 10:29:12, 266/421.

Lessons from my first finished ultra:
(1) Tight is death. Must be loose. Will run lunches.
(2) There is such a thing as too much drinking. (I did about 13 liters in the first 8 hours, nothing during my final walk. I felt better and better as I was walking.)
(3) There is also such a thing as K/Na imbalance the other way (I ate probably 7-9 bananas in the process and avoided Gatorade. Bad.)