Friday: Race Day 5 - Clayton, New Mexico

It started out a good day.  I slept better than I had the other nights, and having waken early every morning to run, I had the routine memorized. So, I preped all my morning stuff the night before; made my smoothie, slept in half of my running clothes. I knew it would be cold & dark too.

I felt good and took off running at a 7:40 pace. It became quickly apparent, however, that this race course was not going to be as easy as the previous 4 days. In fact, it turned out to be the toughest marathon race course I think I've ever run.  It was held in a state park so the ground was a compolation of poorly maintained old pavement with cracks & potholes, gravel surfaces of varying rock sizes, bare rock, and dirt. Also, it was never flat, not just forward moving flat, but when I landed on my feet, they were at a slope. I was either going up or down, at varying inclines, the entire course. The course was 1.25 miles out one direction, then back to the aid station/start, then out the other direction 1.75 miles, the last 2 laps were on the 1st part of the course (1.25). So there were a total of 8 total, plus 2 extra minis.

At first, i didn't allow the course to factor into my performance. However, after about 1 mile into the race, I could see that the timing part of my run/walk wasn't going to work. I needed to start walking several of the hills, most were short and some were long. I tried to take advantage of the downhills and get good speed, but later that turned out to be an issue on my shins and possibly even a stress fracture.  As the race progressed, I completely altered my run/walk to better coincide with the uphills which made predicting each miles time a challenge. I tried to keep as many miles at or under 9 minutes as I could, but the watch frequently read higher and this only added to my discouragement.

I didn't want to decide anything about the race until the 1st quarter was complete. At mile 6.6 I was at 57 minutes and was discouraged that I didn't have as big a buffer as I felt I needed for this course. I was operating at 110% and felt like I should have gone faster.  Then everything became a mental and physical challenge. Others were passing me. The physical demands of the course made it hard to do well. Plus I had the added benefit of having run 104 miles in the previous 4 days. I was so determined to get sub-4 and at that point, I could see it was going to be an incredibly difficult goal.

I pushed through the next 6.6 miles to the halfway point as best I could, telling myself that if I could at least get a sub-2 hour first half, that would be an amazing accomplishment, but the reality was that my body was starting to give out in every area I had problems in before, plus new ones. My feet were sore from not landing flat and occasionally on a big rock that gave me a scare that I might roll my ankle, my hamstrings were stressed even though I was walking most of the hills, my shins were getting sore from running hard down the inclines,  I had a blister I wrapped in moleskin 2 days ago that felt like it was throbbing, my knees started to hurt and I was concerned about my IT bands, planters fascia was feeling tighter, muscles starting to twinge in my calves, thighs, butt, shoulders, & neck.  I had become hyper-aware of every component of my body and they were all complaining at me. Then it also dawned on me that since I hadn't been using a consistent run/walk routine that I hadn't been regular about my nutrition.

At that point, I started to over gel, over electrolyte, and drink as much water as I could hoping that I could do something to bring the misery to a manageable level and still perform at just enough.  later on in the race, I think I sounded like a birthing elephant as I strove to breath while simultaneously keep myself from up-chucking everything I was throwing into my system.  I was hoping the 5000 foot elevation wouldn't be a factor either, but i did wonder every once and awhile.

At the 75% mark, I had just crossed over the 3 hour mark which meant, I had no buffer at all left and the only way to get sub-4 was to perform better than 9:06 min/miles.  To keep myself mentally occupied, I had been going over what I would post in my blog about why I wasn't able to go sub-4.  I wanted to convey just how difficult this course was. Many runners would comment to each other about how grueling and difficult this course was.  jeremy, who had beat me in 3 of the races and took 1st in 2, was way way back.   i suppose that given how easy the 1st 4 courses were, I assumed this would be similar, but it wasn't even in the same ballpark. 

I also wanted to have some respectable statement for my blog such as, I held on for the 1st half of the last race, and then just had to let it go. Or, 4 out of 5 ain't bad.  Prior to this I had pretty much subscribed to the fact that I was going to get a 4:05 or 4:10.  Getting a 4:02 would just suck, because everyone would have thought, "If you could have just run a couple of minutes faster."  Anyone who would have thought that, I would have liked to just shove my finisher metal up their.... because they had no idea just how incredibly challenging this course was and just how bad my body hurt.

So, at the 3/4 point, I saw that I was at 3:01 and if I could run a 9:06 minute mile, I could go sub-4.  Well, unbeknownst to the general public, I had a secret plan to stop by Moab, UT on the way home and run a 100 mile race, just because it seemed like a challenging thing to do. Besides, I was passing by anyhow?  All week, I had been debating that if I felt physically well enough, I would attempt the 100 mile race because going sub-4 wasn't the reason I came down to do the 5 marathons anyhow. I wanted to check of 5 states on my 50 marathons in 50 states goal.  Going sub-4 just became a goal once I heard the race director state, "we'll see how they feel by the end of the week. I don't think they can go sub-4."  So I made a decision to abandoned the Moab 100 and put all my energy into the last 25% of this race.  Besides, the Moab 100 could have seriously disrupted my Ironman training if something had gone wrong.

As challenging as it was, I decided to push past all of the aches and pains and push myself to go sub-9 minute miles for the last 6 miles.  At each turnaround, I could see the people ahead of me fall farther back, I was progressively catching up to them.  Jeremy at one time challenged me to "catch that guy" who was in the lead, but it felt like he had me my 1/3 mile (which is an eternity).  After picking several off, I finally caught the leader with only 3 miles to finish. It helped that many of the runners were cheering me on by name and knew how many laps I had left before I finished. They cared about my performance!  I felt bad, because I knew several runners wanted to go sub-4 and this just wasn't the course for it. I thought there were going to many dissappointed runners.  I cheered them on and wanted them all to do the best they could.

Well, in the end, it turned out that a only a small handful of runners finished this incredibly difficult course in under 4 hours. And......I was the 1st.

Every participant got the round 5 days 5 states medal. Every runner who ran all 5 got the clear medal. Winners didn't any medals, but the loser of each event got a trophy.

 Race director (Clint) on the bike (above).

 This guy was from England.

Chad and me.  Chad was striving for his first sub-4 for in this series.

Injury pictures.

 ran with an ankle brace

 mosaic of bandaids to keep HR monitor from chaffing further

Moleskin on my one and only blister! Thank the stars!

After the event, some of us met down at the hotel for a final feast and to say our goodbyes.

Me, Jackie, Chad, Amber, Jeremy, and Jenna.

Once I hit the road, I was sore, tired, fed, and hot.  I pulled of to a rest stop to sleep in the car in the baking hot sun.  I neglected to put on sunscreen in the morning. I didn't think to because it was always so dark and cold when we started, but by the end of every race, I had a nice suntan.

One of my goals was to find the perfect nutrition formula for my endurance events.  It was difficult this last time because I had been running out of gels. I wished I had more jet blackberry gu and roctanes to test out. On this last race, I went through 5 bottles of EFS electrolyte, 8 Salt Tabs, 4 lemon-lime gus, and 2 EFS gel flasks (my flask, not the one from the store) with a 1:5 gel:water ratio.  My intake varies by how I feel, but I try to get something into my system, however small, every time I have a walk break. Just a small swig of EFS electrolyte is good enough. Then I take a small swig of gu gel and EFS gel every 10-15 minutes. AND a gulp or 2 of water every aid station.

Now I am just excited to get home and I switched the ankle brace from my right to the left foot for traveling. Not just a shin splint, but probably a minor stress fracture from going down the hills so hard.I know I'll recover quickly and in the end, it was all worth it.

Happy Trails!!!

Thursday: Race Day 4 - Lamar, Colorado

SHORT VERSION - 104.8 miles completed in 4 days. Oh yeah, baby!


Final Time: Their Clock - 3:48:??, My Watch - 3:49:07
Average Pace 8:44, HR 136
Course was a 3.4 Mile Out & Back on mostly gravel/dirt, some pavement

Watch Laps, Pace per Mile-Heart Rate

8:19-135, 8:37-137, 8:47-134, 8:16-138, 8:24-138, 8:15-138, 9:22-135, 8:01-138, 8:15-137, 10:08-132, 8:32-136, 8:00-136, 8:13-137, 10:35-131, 8:15-138, 10:07-130, 8:34-138, 8:22-141, 8:20-139, 9:04-137, 8:54-137, 8:34-138, 10:17-131, 8:34-138, 8:44-135, 8:05-141, last .21 @ 6:51-152

LONG VERSION

I was so exhausted last night I opted for a cheap motel. This turned out to be a really smart move. I was able to get everything organized, take a hot shower, and most importantly get dressed warm and show up to the race warm (unlike yesterday).  So I showed up feeling great and my biggest concern was if my achilles was going to stop me from running well.  I brought an ankle brace on the trip and put it on my right ankle to hinder the motion that was causing the achilles pains.

For gear, I wore injinji compression socks (with toes) and 2 layers on top. Race morning was 10 degrees warmer than yesterday.

When we started running, I felt normal soreness from running the previous days. My achilles felt well supported in the brace and after about 2 mile, it really wasn't bothering me anymore. Mentally I felt that as long as I didn't push it fast or uphills, then I should be able to keep the problems at bay. So naturally I was rigorous about using the 4/1 run/walk method to keep me going at a steady faster pace.  It turned out to be a great strategy because I was able to stop those oncoming little twinges I get in various parts of my legs while I run.  

Since it was a 3.3-ish mile out and back, I was able to get back to my drop bag about every 27 minutes. Every time I passed the aid station or restrooms, I stopped so I had about 10-12 minutes of total stop-time there. The 1st race I probably had 4 minutes, 2nd race - 6 minutes, & 3rd - 6 minutes.

I had my 1st quarter in just over 55 minutes and 1st half around 1:55.  I was nervous because I didn't know if that was a big enough buffer to hold me through the 2nd half?  Since this was a out-and-back, I saw everybody's face multiple times and said high a lot. My neck was getting sore from lifting my hand for greeting the passing runners.  On the other 2 looped coursed, I saw their backs and they saw mine. So when we would chat afterward, we often stated, "so that was you that..."  So today was different. Tomorrow is also and out-and-back.

My 2nd half was consistent and I attribute the mostly dirt course for heeling my injuries. I think the last two days on pavement were too much for my legs to handle. I also wanted to get a total time under 4 because if I got back to the hotel before 11:00, I could shower and ice bath. Which I did!

Jeremy mentioned he took an ice bath the night before and felt great so he ran similar to his first two days. A couple of new newbies joined us who were ahead of me, but I was more focused on getting a sub-4 for the 4th time rather than how I placed. Later tonight Jeremy and I were talking at the hotel and calculated that our total times were within a minute or two given that his 3rd race was slower (closer to 4:00).

I still wanted to ice my injuries, so I looked for something at WalMart. The best I could do was freezer zip lock bags and ice. Which I tucked into my socks while I drove the 2hours to the next race.

Entered the fifth and final state: New Mexico and drove to the town of Clayton.

There may be rain tomorrow, we shall see.

I went to check out the next race course and apparently it is famous for dinosaur tracks.

If you look carefully, you can see the T-Rex shadow (above).

Tomorrows course is in the background (above).

Went to the pre-race dinner event.

Then went to hotel to bizz-bazz with the other runners. No McDonalds in this town, so I needed a hotel to blog from. It's a fun hotel, lots of character.

Tomorrows event is 15 miles NW of town so there is no service. I am going to camp at the race start and fortunately there are flush toilets and hot showers!  I think tomorrow race is at a lake that we can actually swim in....let's hope!

My legs feel tons better after the ice bath. So I think starting the race tomorrow will be easier. I make just take off like a rabbit and fall back to the 4/1 run/walk method when my legs tell me to do so.  I'm fairly confident that I can get another sub-four but it will still take considerable effort to do so.

Wednesday: Race Day 3 - Ulysses, Kansas

SHORT VERSION - Finished running 78.6 miles in 3 days!

Finish Time 3:44:09,  26.23M -  Average Pace 8:34, HR 134
Course: 1.15 mile loop, pavement, 20 degrees at start (brrrr). Sun rose 15 minutes after race start.

Watch Laps, Pace per Mile-Heart Rate

7:34-154, 7:37-147, 8:25-139, 8:06-139, 8:26-136, 8:25-135, 8:52-128, 8:44-130, 8:09-131, 8:15-131, 8:35-131, 8:00-135, 8:21-133, 10:25-128, 8:51-131, 8:23-133, 8:14-133, 8:05-138, 9:02-133, 8:29-134, 9:30-127, 8:56-129, 9:11-128, 9:02-130, 8:36-134, 8:47-137, last .23 at 7:02-146


LONG VERSION

Cold, cold, cold!  It was 20 degrees out when I woke up and I had to get dressed in my sleeping bag. Fortunately, I was camping at the start line so I ran across the lawn 5 minutes before the race started. Half way across the lawn (30 seconds) and I realized I didn't have my race number (time chipped) so I had a brief panic, ran back to look for it and found it soon enough.  So I got to race start 2 minutes before "go" and was still so cold that I figured the best way to warm up was to run fast. So my 1st 2 laps were really really fast!

I wanted to try a new strategy and run 9 min, walk 1 which was another reason why my 1st laps were so much faster than I expected. I was able to get my 55 minutes in the first 6.6 miles so, I thought I could repeat yesterday strategy and get a 1:50 for the 1st half. I did, but I had to work at a 105% effort. I could tell it would take way more effort to get a sub-4 today. I was able to build a buffer in the 1st half and thought I could run a slower 2nd half (up to 10 min pace) to still get a sub-4.

My fueling method is going well: EFS gu in a flask (1:5 ratio gu:water), EFS electrolyte -1 bottle per hour (I used less of a scoop and it tasted less tart), gu gels - 1 an hour, Salt Tabs - 2 every 2 hours, a gulp of water at every water station.

Most of my potential injuries were kept at bay, except my Achilles. I could feel it tighten and swell as I ran (and now as I'm typing this blog, I can feel my right shins are sore). I plan to get some ice packs at wal-mart and take naproxene sodium.  I used band-aids for the Heart Rate Monitor strap, so I didn't have any chaffing there.

The 2nd half of the race was the same mantra I used the previous races (except now it was harder) which is basically, "If I can keep this mile under 9:00 (ideally 8:40) then I will have a finish time between 3:45-3:55.  That's what I keep checking every lap. The plus 10 minute laps are usually because I stopped to fill my water bottles and EFS gu flask.  But when I got a 9:11 and then a 9:02 and I felt like I was giving more effort, it was discouraging and I worried more about being able to continue performing well in the next race. For me, the first step of the next race feels like that last step of the previous on back to back marathons.

It's mentally difficult for me to let go of my ego and run slower, even if it's physically better for me. I want to run through the injury and have a better finish time, but having dealt with injury, I know the price isn't paid on today's race day, but rather in the weeks following. and it's especially difficult because I don't want to upset my ironman training. So, I'm having an argument between good running angel and bad running devil making a they are making a go of it.  Both have pros and cons...

So, I finished the race in 3:44:09 and I could feel the pain this time, namely in my achilles.  Jeremy, who had previously beat me (5 minutes in 1st race, 2 1/2 minutes the 2nd race) ran a much slower and I lapped him twice.  There were some "fresh legs" on the course...some new guy, who hadn't previously run got a 3:05, and there were a couple of other fresh leg runners, but I didn't care about them-because I beat them. So, once again, I was 2nd!

  Picture of me after race #3 in Ulysses, Kansas.

Went and took a long hot shower in the campground, took a nap, organized, packed, and drove off to the next race in Lamar, Colorado.  It's great not being pressed by time to get anywhere fast, and moving on a whim. The 1st four races are all about a 60 mile drive, the last is 120. But even with the time, my days are pretty much the same: wake up and run, clean and organize, find a chicken and eat it, stretch (preferably in a pool) drive to next town, shop more, find the course, find the pre-race event, find a place to sleep, do laundry, update the blog, finalize the gear for the next days race, go to sleep, wake up and repeat (x5). Everyday I have less energy to repeat this so I fear my blog posts aren't getting there proper attention. 

Saw some interesting things on the side of the road. "Slug Bug! Pig" (See pictures.)

4th state: Colorado, here I am! Everything out here is so flat and brown...if there weren't signs, I wouldn't know when I drove into another state.

Stopped at Wal-Mart for my chicken, milk, and breakfast smoothie.  Arrived at the pre-race hotel and several other runners I had previously conversed with at race were there. Swam in there pool, soaked in the hot tub and swapped race stories, did laundry and swapped even more race stories.  This is my tribe, these people think doing 5 marathons in 5 days is normal because they do multiples (7 in 7, 21 in 21) as often as they can. Granted many of them are walking or slow jogging, but in these peoples eyes, I'm the novice. They don't think I'm crazy or amazing, they think I'm the beginner. actually, many of them are quite amazing.

Sunset in Lamar, Colorado from the view of the Laundry room.

Doing my blog post and finishing up laundry.

Yes, I may be smiling, but I'm exhausted.

"There's no place like home, there's no place like home" Well, I'm not in Kansas anymore!

Tuesday: Race Day 2 - Guymon, Oklahoma

THE SHORT VERSION

Best moment of the day: For a brief second, I thought I saw Nicole! 2nd best moment, 3:43 baby! oh, yeah!


Finish Time 3:43:09 (This time it wasn't an accident!)
8:27 average mile, 26.38 miles on the watch
133 average HR.  Elevation was 850' less than yesterday.
Course was 1 mile loop on a bike path around a small lake, very mild ups and downs.

I used 4 minute run, 1 minute walk (except I frequently cheated the walks and ran partway into them, or started early out of it. So the splits will have 1 or 2 walks per split. Then some of the bigger numbers involved refilling my bottles & restroom.

The splits are as follows: 1 Mile Split/Heart Rate
8:48/132, 8:27/138, 8:42/133, 8:03/136, 8:17/133, 8:07/135, 7:40/136, 8:09/136, 7:39/137, 8:25/131, 8:30/131, 8:03/134, 8:45/130, 9:55/124, 8:43/131, 8:47/130, 9:00/128, 8:39/130, 8:37/131, 8:13/136, 8:24/134, 8:45/133, 8:38/135, 8:19/134, 8:35/133, 8:07/138,  the last .38 (7:06/147)

THE LONG VERSION

The day before, I didn't hear my alarm but woke up 15 minutes after it was suppose to ring. No panic, plenty of time.  Today, I didn't want to worry about it so I set 5 alarms on my phone, each with it's own ring, all 5 minutes apart, starting at 6am for the 7:30 race start time. I explored the area the night before (always do) so I knew I was less than 5 minutes from the race start. Also, since there isn't a time limit to the course, I could show up late and still get a finish time.  I state that so you wouldn't think I was neurotic or anything. Besides, I knew if I didn't have to worry about waking up that I would get a better rest.

So at 6:30 I heard the 5th alarm (the rooster) that has been crowing for 10 minutes. Since I'm in a tent, everyone else around me can hear it too, but they are in RV's so no biggy.  I couldn't get the phone to stop ringing which was very frustrating, so I pulled the battery out. I'm on the very western edge of the time zone, so was still dark, dawn didn't break until race start at 7:30.  I like to get to race start early to get good parking because I hate walking 1/4 mile back and forth between the car and race start when I forget stuff. Even with my later that desired start I got a good spot.

After I picked up the race bib and chatted with Jeremy, I spent the rest of the time waiting in the heated car because it was butt-a$$ cold outside. So my clothing strategy was to wear 4 layers of easily removable shirts, running tights, neck warmer, Fleet Feet hat, & HEAVY gloves. Since this was a 1-mile looped course I knew I could remove and obtain anything I needed every 8-10 minutes. I discarded the 1st layer 1st lap, 2nd layer 2nd lap, and around lap 8 I removed the 3rd layer, and had my last short sleeve lululemon blue shirt to finish the race. Around mile 15 I removed my hat and scarf, but replaced the scarf as a hat the next lap, and kept the gloves to the finish.

Started running and felt great! Decided to copy yesterday's strategy and get a 55 minute 6.7 mile time and build a buffer for later so if (when) I completely tanked it, I could still struggle to reach a sub 4.  1st 2 laps were smooth, then I felt something like a rock in my shoe and thought "oh no, blister. Do I take care of it now, or deal with it with mole skin later?" Of course I opted with the mole skin because I wasn't going to stop for a small blister.  Turned out to be something that happened earlier this year when I thought I had a blister, my feet were cracked. Wool blend socks are great for getting the sweat out, but they suck the moisture right out of my feet too. Note to self, lotion my feet.

The best moment of the day was around lap 5 or so when I looked across the lake (pond) and out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw Nicki! She was similar in height, wearing the bright yellow brooks running top, and of course adorably yet fashionable dressed. Before I had time to logically process that it wasn't her, I felt a rush of happiness flow through my mind and heart. Then logic kicked in and I wasn't disappointed she wasn't there, but I was happy that my autonomic response to seeing her was a great happy feeling, which I was glad for. I reminisced on that for awhile, since I had time to think while I ran.

By the time I finished lap10, I could tell that I was going to build about a 10 minute buffer and get a 1:50 half marathon time (again). This was good, because it meant I could slow the 2nd half down and get a 3:50-3:55 finish time. I could feel the effects of yesterdays race and I would say it was more effort to run with the same pace as yesterday. Yesterday was probably a 75% effort/feeling and today was 85% to get the same results.

I used the same gel and electrolyte strategy as yesterday, except I added 2 Salt Tabs at mile 10, I would have been using them hourly if I could have remembered to do so.  Something else that made a difference was using gu gels with caffeine, jet blackberry at mile 18.  I noticed my mind really woke up and it was easier to run, and run faster (at least I felt it was) with the caffeine gels.  I'll probably do caffeine gels as soon as I feel heavy fatigue, especially when my mental energy feels low. 

Today I was right on the edge of several potential explosive physical issues, I had to monitor several areas. My Achilles were probably the worst and I needed to make sure I never "pushed off" too hard, especially when I started running again right out of a walk break.  I monitored yesterdays inner thigh knots by making sure I didn't push the hills (barely a hill, but just the steeper uphill parts). My neck wasn't as sore as yesterday because I could drop my bottle at the aid station and pick it up again when I needed it. My hamstrings started to tighten in back around mile 21. Around this time, I started to take the full minute walk breaks, but modified that in the last 2 laps and changed to just walking the hilly parts.

Around mile 10, I knew this would could be between a 3:45 and 3:59 finish time so I shot for the 3:45 and made it.Running a looped course was a lot more fun that it sounded. I was passing slow people like crazy and constantly getting positive comments. I could jump off the pavement at anytime, and frequently needed to do so to dodge in and out, and go around the other runners. 

Around mile 7 my heart rate monitor was chaffing really badly, and around mile 9 I figured out that I could tuck my shirt underneath between the monitor and my chest. That is where the funny sweat stain above comes from.

After the run, I planned to go take down the tent and shower at the RV park, but another runner mentioned there was a YMCA in town so I went there to relax and stretch. 

 There wasn't anyone in the pool and the lifeguard said that heater broke so the temp is in the mid to low 70s. I said to him "perfect" because I needed an ice bath. I swam a few laps to get used to the water and I remembered how good cross-training feels.

Eventually I succomed to the allure of the hot-tub and started playing with camera.

I was able to stretch in the pool, and later in the gym.  Re-ice my legs with cold shower water.

Off to WalMart for my chicken.  Did you know that if a chicken has been on the shelf for like 3 1/2 hours they will discount it to almost half? $4 chicken, which I at on the roadside on my way to the next town.

Yes I'm in Kanas. Ulysses Kansas, now. Went to the pre-race dinner.

 set up camp. It is windy and forecast to be cold tomorrow morning.
Blog at McDonalds. Do a Facebook update, then off to get ready for tomorrows race.  Tomorrow is the last 7:30 am start, the last two are at 6:30am.

I'm deciding between two race strategies for tomorrow. One is to run slower at walk every 9 minutes (or mile).  in order to average an 8:45 pace above, I find that I am running an 8:00 pace and the walk break brings it up to 8:45. So I could run an 8:15-8:25 pace (easier) and take fewer and farther between walk breaks. I may start out that way, and drop to the previous method if I feel it isn't working well.  My legs are starting to feel tighter so we shall see?  Also, I'm not sure what to do about the alarm thing? I'll let you know.

Goodnight!

Monday: Race Day 1 - Dalhart, TX

THE SHORTER VERSION
Finish Time: 3:40 (race director states course was 26.4 but my watch stated 26, so I kept running)
My watch time for 26.2 = 3:42

5 Mile Laps (because the watch was set to bike and not run)
42:09 HR 134
41:28 HR 142
42:24 HR 142
42:40 HR 139
43:31 HR 135
(That's 25 miles, the last 1.2 miles in 9:53 with HR 137)
I averaged around an 8:20-8:30 pace which included the walk breaks. Since I forgot to set my watch to run and it was on bike, I couldn't ever see my average pace, only my speed.

My goal was 3:55 and HR average 130-140 so I beat that my a longshot and physically I feel OK and ready to run again tomorrow. Tomorrows strategy may be the same as today, except my watch will be set for run and I will average my pace at 8:45 so I will get closer to 4:55 finish time. I'll probably take salt tabs in addition to EFS electrolytes. And see, I notice at the end of today my face felt "salty", but i also got a respectable sunburn too!

THE LONG VERSION
Way colder than I expected. I knew it would heat up over the morning, so I planned on layers; armwarmers and short sleeves, light gloves, outer-throw away layer, and tights.  I ended up wearing a warm baselayer, tank top (marathon maniacs jersey), and biking jacket, wool socks, team blaze hat, and my Mizunos. because the course was looped, I knew I could dispose of stuff.

Race numbers were received according to the number of marathons run. I was 48 meaning there were 47 others who had run more marathons that I did. Including one guy who ran over 1000 marathons. Several there were working on getting 50 states for their 2nd or 3rd time. Experienced, aged, seasoned runners, but not fast.

The 6.6 mile looped course was recently groomed dirt/gravel around a lake. I figured I swap shoes around and Mizunos seemed best for this trail course. At the race start, there wasn't any fast people so naturally I took off in front using a 4minute run/45 second walk pace. About the 2nd mile a Boston Marathoner (evidenced by his jersey) had caught up and taken the lead. That's usually how the walk run works (and yes, eventually I did pass him).

I was frustrated when I looked at my watch and saw that I forgot to set it to run, instead it was set to bike. So the field settings didn't show pace, it showed speed - and my heart rate wasn't showing. Instead of stopping it and resetting it, I just went with it.  I went to the 2nd field setting which showed heart rate and time elapsed. It was good that I couldn't see my pace, because I suppose I would have tried to maintain a certain level. This way, I was forced to run with my heart rate which I strived to keep around 140 for the first lap.  The watch bike setting beep every 10 minutes to remind me to fuel/hydrate and the auto-lap was set for 5 miles. Something i figured out after at unfamiliar beep at 42 minutes into the run.  I figured this was a good mechanism to gauge if I were slowing down in the race.  it seemed like I completed the first lap in around 53 minutes, and my run walk method kept me next to the other two leaders who pulled me along.  (an ultra runner from Portland-Jeremy-who wore Altra shoes, and the Boston Marathoner)

I was shooting for 4:55ish and figured a 55 minute lap would provide enough buffer to slow down when my legs started to "feel the push."  I was able to keep my heart rate between 130 and 140 (average of 134) for the 1st 5-mile segment.  After I was warmed up, I felt great and it was hard to hold my heart rate down so it hovered in the 140s (average 142 for 2nd 5 miles). My second 5 miles was 41:28 so I felt like I was holding a steady pace even though my heart rate increased. 

The EFS electyrolyte seemed to be working although I don't know how much better it was than the gu brew? I used about one gu gel per lap (lemon).  When the Boston Marathoner and I were running he pointed out that we were running at  4000' elevation (forgot to check that) and that's why he felt a bit off in his breath. [I researched the elevations for the next runs-as follows: 3123, 2071, 3706, 5040]

It seemed like completed the 2nd course loop at 1:52, so I had built a small buffer. I stopped at the start/aid station and refilled my bottles and EFS gel flask.  Boston Marathon guy had started to drop back, so now it was just Portland Ultra marathoner (with Altra shoes) whose name is Jeremy, and myself out in the lead.  I was in such a rush to refuel and take off my extra layers that my sleeve caught on my gymboss and broke the clip when I removed my outer layer. My next watch auto-lap( miles 10-15) showed a 42:24 time with average heart rate of 142. I was glad to have the buffer so I didn't feel pressured to over-exert myself to get a sub-4 hr time.I did notice that my heart rate kept going up to the upper 140s and occasionally over 150 so i kept trying to bring it back down.


The 3rd lap I felt really good, plus I was running with the leader so it was hard to hold back. I got a 42:24 and could see that my speed was very consistent.I thought I would just maintain it and see what my finish time could be.  Unfortunately, I felt my first muscle spasm in my vastus medialus (just above the knee on the inside) I recalled feeling that when i ran with Nicki in SLC during Christmas break and I was cautious about landing on the snow ice. I did some stretching, but against my own council I decided to run through it at a calmer pace. I noticed that when i relaxed my ankles, the muscle didn't tighten. So I focused on that and it seemed to do the trick. I also notice that yesterday's concern about my planter fascia being overstreached wasn't a problem, I was very happy for that given that my planters fascia is what usually stops me at higher mileage. At this point, I extended my walk breaks to 1:00, and could feel the effects of the 15 second difference.

 Lap 4 (now into the final course loop) was 42:40 with a higher than desired heart rate that kept creeping above 150 so I'd have to bring it back down.  By now the Jeremy had kicked into overdrive and Boston Marathoner had dropped back. I was lapping many marathoners (always a fun, sort of, prudish feeling) and knew that I could run a 10 minute mile to meet my goal of finishing sub 4 hour.  So I dropped it down a notch, put myself into cruise control to finish without injury and give my legs the perspective of what it will be like to start tomorrows race. Having done back-to-back marathons before, I know that the 1st step of day 2 is exactly the same as the last step of day 1, so I wanted to relax my legs (mentally) for tomorrow.

A couple miles from the finish I kept thinking I was on track for a 3:53 finish time (recall that I couldn't see my pace, or distance, so I couldn't do proper calculations in my head, just ball-parking it. When the timer showed it last lap (lap 5) and I was only 1.2 miles from the finish, I saw that I was at 3:32, it dawned on my that I would break 3:45. First place was too far ahead, and 3rd place was to far back, so I waltzed on in with a 3:41, but my watch only showed 26 miles (on bike settings).  I'm anal retentive about distance, so I continued to run around the parking area until my watch said 26.2 and it had just turn over to 3:42 (3:42:07).

Oops! I didn't mean to run that fast, but I wasn't that surprised (only a little surprised).
I think I may run a similar strategy tomorrow, except I may start out with 1 minute walk breaks instead of 45 seconds. I'll have my watch on run settings and see the pace with the heart rate. I'll strive for an 8:45 average pace and see how close to 4 hours I get using that method.  I don't want to exert myself until halfway through the 3rd race, and only then if it's feasible to get a sub 4.  I figure sometime during marathon 3,4, or 5 I will need to abandoned the sub 4 goal, but I'm fairly confident that I can get it tomorrow. As long as I can keep injuries at bay, I sense I can continue running at this pace.

I hung around the race finish to see who else was even close,did some stretching then headed out of town for the next race 60 miles away in Guymon, Oklahoma. In Guymon, I found the RV park I researched, took a much needed hot shower, did laundry, set up the tent and went to town to get my chicken at WalMart. I explored the next race start area looking for good places to park and then off to McDonald's for free Internet and blogging!

Until tomorrow! Ciao!

Race Schedule and Accomplished Runners

Here is the Race Schedule.  Also, Check out the list of accomplished runners who are doing this!

March 18, Dalhart, TX, Rita Blanca Lake Park, start time 7:30am

March 19, Guymon, OK, Sunset Lake in Thompson Park, start time 7:30am

March 20, Ulysses, KS, Frazier Park, start time 7:30am

March 21, Lamar, CO, Willow Creek Park, start time 6:30am

March 22, Clayton, NM, Clayton Lake State Park, start time 6:30am

The following Mega -Marathoners have registered and will be out there on the courses:

Bill Whipp, age 68, OH, walks his marathons and has completed 320, 294 on an artificial knee.

Henry Rueden, age 63, WI, 845 marathons.

Frank Bartocci age 61, MN, 505 marathons, he has run over 30,000 miles, and done all 50 states 7 times.

Chuck Savage, age 74, FL, ran his first of 307 marathons in 1979.  One of Chuck’s goals is to run a marathon on all 7 continents, including Antarctica. 

Mike Brooks, age 67, MD, 371 marathons, he did a 491 mile race in 10 days, has raised over $40,000 for critically ill children with his running.

Cathy Troisi, age 66, NY, 304 marathons.

Kazuki Watanabe of Tokyo, Japan, 270 marathons, age 53.  Granted he is not yet a “Mega-Marathoner”, but at 53 he is just a youngster in a sport dominated by seniors and will hit 300 soon.

Two more that have yet to register but have shown their intentions to participate are:

Larry Macon, age 68, an attorney from San Antonio, TX, 980 marathons, holds the world’s record for most in one year when he completed 157 marathons in 2012. He has also done all 50 states 14 times.

Jim Simpson, age 70, CA, finished his 1000^th marathon on New Year’s Day 2013.  He is the USA champion for most lifetime marathons .  He drives to most of his marathons, camping more than 200 night a year in Walmart parking lots.  This has earned him the nickname in running circles of “Walmart Man”.

Of those  who have registered so far will be runners and walkers from 30 states, Canada, England, Philippines and Japan.

Sunday: Travel Day 3 (St Paddy's Day)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Good Morning. Found a Walmart, got my chicken. I also found a gluten free/dairy free smoothie (not Ogwalla but similar). Acquired mole skin, baby powder (for the squeaky orthotics, water, etc. I found a TJ Max and Ross too! Since I had a bit of time, I stretched out at a rest stop. Unfortunatly I tend to get overzealous with stretching before a race. In my 50 miler, I overstretched and paid the piper beginning at mile 25. I ended up taking my shoes on and off for the last 25 miles just trying to get comfortable. I used the triggerpoint foot roller and figured out how to use it while driving. Now though, I sense I may have bruised my planters facia by over-rollering them? I'll know tomorrow.

Interesting drive, didn't have radio reception for much of it. Northern NM has it's own beauty different from the other majestic scenery I traversed. As I headed toward TX, there is a lot of baron land (like E. WA) that makes driving through Eastern WA seem short, comparatively. I arrived in Texas around 4pm (I thought) but neglected that it was Central Standard Time. I lost 2 time zones in 3 days. Found the race start, went to packet pick-up and then to the gathering at the restaurant. Dalhart, TX is a small town. Only 3 radio stations total, Country (of course), Rock, & Spanish. One supermarket that closes at night and opens at 7am. And the place is much browner that the Internet photos.

I asked the race director how may were signed up for all 5 races. He stated about 105 were signed up but that includes the half marathoners too. I noticed on the Marathon Maniacs website that at least 50 Maniacs were signed up so that's a fairly good showing, I think!

At the restaurant, I could tell I was around my kind of people: others who have done Quadzilla's (4 marathons in 4 days) and an ultra runner lady who did the "double-dare" in Lake Tahoe (apparently around the 72 mile lake twice = 144 miles). It took her from Thursday morning to Sunday afternoon (78 hours-ish). She had a blister on her foot that went from her toes to her heal (Ouch!) Naturally, others wanted to run that one too, myself included. And get this, not anyone there used the word "crazy!" I was surprised at the lack of young runners at the dinner? Mostly "seasoned" runners.

I overheard the race director state that a couple of runners were striving for sub 4 hour times on all 5 marathons. He laughed and stated, "I don't think they'll be able to do it." Danger, Danger, my ego has risen! "Shoot" I thought, "I could probably do that!" But I have to ensure that I don't get injured. Now I'm sitting here in a quandry wondering if I can accomplish this feat (of feet) and not get injured? Now I'm going to change my racing strategy and attempt a sub 140 heart rate with a 8:30 run pace with walks. (Previously a Day 2 task, now being performed on day one) I just don't know what my heart rate will be at that pace so I'm now I'm going to have to see how I feel during the race before settling on a new goal. I think I will try to get sub-4 on the first one, as long as I can accomplish this without over-fatiguing my legs. We shall see. I spent a couple of hours organizing my gear, food, clothes and getting race preped. Baby powder in the shoes, deciding to sleep in a tent, or the car? Tomorrow is the 1st race day and I'll let you know how it went. Now that my ego has climbed aboard, it could get interesting. McDonald's just got crowded and someone want my table. Ciou!