APRIL 2024 Monthly Running Challenge
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01.04 1.0km 7min 7:28/km - something
02.04 1.1km 8min 7:26/km - benchmark run
03.04 3.1km 25min 8:12/km - 10 stride repeats
04.04 3.0km 25min 8:08/km
07.04 3.7km 30min 8:04/km - easy
08.04 3.1km 25min 8:01/km - 8 stride repeats
10.04 4.3km 35min 8:04/km - easy
11.04 3.0km 24min 7:54/km - fast
12.04 1.2km 9min 7:32/km - benchmark run
13.04 4.1km 35min 8:36/km - easy
16.04 3.0km 23min 7:40/km - fast
30.55km/80.5km - 12.6km behind target
Previous run was totally shite, so I tried to again today. Bit better, I was so restless though that I ran far too fast and had to walk a bit inbetween 😅7 -
Went to the doctor for my pacemaker checkup. All went well and the next checkup is in one year.
I saw my friend, P, at the lake early this morning. We ran together for about a mile.
4/1 - 2.14 Miles. Lakefront Park, 36F, Mostly Cloudy. 7:10 am.
4/1 - 1.35 Miles. Up the Hill. 48F Sunny. 12:26 pm.
4/2 - 1.19 MIles. Neighborhood. 40F, Cloudy.
4/4 - 1.35 Miles. Lakefront Park, 36F, Misty Rain.
4/7 - 3.1 Miles. Eclipse 5K, 41F, Sunny.
4/9- 3.04 Miles. Lakefront Park, 43F, Sunny.
4/11 - 3.82 Miles. Lakefront Park, 56F, Cloudy, Some misty rain.
4/12 - 1.07 Miles. Lakefront Park, 62F, Rain.
4/16 - 5.05 Miles. Lakefront Park, 41F, Sunny. Nice morning.
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Following on my my general lethargy and slow running, which I thought I’d fixed with an osteo adjustment (which has helped hugely), I had general bloods done at the GP and see I’m anemic, which explains a lot! Starting iron supplements and eating all the steak from today. Heres hoping it makes an impact before my trail half on the 28th!9
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Great running @daria0919 . That is a really cute video!
Glad it was a little better today @yirara . Nothing wrong with walking when needed.
Nice running @emptydog ! Glad your checkup went well.
@ContraryMaryMary I'm glad that you went to the doctor and had the bloodwork done. Taking the supplements and eating more red meat should get you to feeling much better by the 28th. Glad the osteo adjustment helped too!3 -
April 1 - Walked 2.25 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - Gym 17 min
April 2 - Walked 2.25 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - Doubles tennis
April 3 - Walked 1.50 miles - Ran 1.50 miles - Gym 36 min
April 4 - Walked 2.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - Gym 33 min
April 5 - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 3.00 miles
April 6 - Walked 2.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - Doubles league tennis and push mowing
April 7 - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - Doubles league tennis
April 8 - Walked 2.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - Gym 37 min
April 9 - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - Horrible crick in my neck
April 10 - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - Gym 35 min treadmill wun - neck was still hurting
April 11 - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 1.00 miles - treadmill - neck mostly better
April 12 - Walked 2.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - treadmill - tummy issues
April 13 - Walked 1.25 miles - Ran 3.00 miles - driveway laps
April 14 - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - Doubles league tennis
April 15 - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 1.00 miles - Gym 39 min - Push mowing and weed eating 1.25 hours
April 16 - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 2.00 miles - Mowing 1h7m
35.00/65 mile goal
Did a driveway run before it got too hot today. It was only 70F (21.1C). But, it was a real struggle. A lot of it was mental because I was working hard and Garmin had my pace as really slow. I cut it a bit short because of that. My avg running pace was 14:17 min/mile (per Garmin). Avg HR was 131 with a max of 155 bpm.
This afternoon, I mowed my yard - first time this year so it really needed it.7 -
Congratulations @Laurz9191!! That is an awesome PR!
@ContraryMaryMary - looks like a great place to ride and explore. Sorry about the sore bum though!
@tarun_yadavA - love the new shoes!! Please tell me you aren't wearing the orthotics with them. I learned my lesson of no correction on top of correction - it can lead to serious injury.
@Teresa502 - love the views you get on your hikes!
@martaindale - hope the race weekend isn't unbearably hot and you can have fun and enjoy yourself.
I haven't been walking as much as I should be but I haven't felt unto it when I could go and the last couple of days I have appointments preluding getting out. I was able to run agility with Hobbes last night (the entire class) and it was so fun and felt great. S I have just 10.4miles for the month so far.9 -
April Goal: 130 Miles
4/1: 3.34 miles
4/2: 6.26 miles
4/3: 6.02 miles
4/4: 6.02 miles
4/7: 13.13 miles
4/8: 3.30 miles
4/9: 6.05 miles
4/11: 6.32 miles
4/12: 6.52 miles
4/14: 10.26 miles
4/15: 3.16 miles
4/16: 5.66 miles
76.04/130 miles completed for April
I couldn't get going this morning, so it was a little after 6 when I finally got out the door. It was 72° so definitely starting to feel like summer. I was pretty slow and just had time for 5.6 miles. It was a pretty good run, just slow and hot.
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Sorry for the long delay in posting this, but finally, here's my race report.
My first post attempt exceeded the the maximum number of characters so I'm going to break this into two parts.
Part 1 of 2
Bootlegger 100 Mile (they also had a 50M race, and two 10 mile races, one of which was in the dark)
Dauset Trail System in Jackson Georgia
April 1st, 2024
Weather: 37F to 65F, low humidity, low wind - PERFECT!
Course was configured with two 5 mile loops for a 10 mile total circuit, done ten times.
49 runners entered for the 100 mile race, 45 runners actually start
32 hour cutoff overall, with a 28 hour cutoff at mile 90
Pre Race
The unfortunately premature end to our camping/fishing trip did have one silver lining...I was able to get PLENTY of sleep in the days leading up to the race, and in a proper bed, not in a tent. That was gold! I told my brother not to wake me up and I usually slept until 9:30 AM.
The day before the race we first went to he race start/finish/aid station area to get set up. This year they did something new in allowing the 100 and 50 mile racers early access to set up a base camp at the same time as packet pickup. This was an excellent idea on their part and would save us valuable time in the morning. We got their 30 minutes earlier than the setup time because I had a certain spot I really wanted, only to find out that two groups had already entered the area and one took "my" spot. No problem, there was plenty of space. It didn't take long. We just had to set up a pop-up canopy, table and a camp chair. I still planned on getting to the race early the next day to make sure I could park next to my spot but it was comforting to know that I had my base camp in a prime location.
I did my final grocery shopping, getting bananas, chips, trail mix, mini-bagels, chocolate candy, watermelon, and a few other things I can't recall. That combined with the energy bars, nut bars, cookie dough bites, Nutella wraps and gels I brought from home would make up my "fuel" at my base camp. In addition, we had a cooler for my homemade TailWind mix, plain water, ice and two celebration beers for after I crossed the finish.
I took the last several hours the day before to slowly go through all my gear, clothes, food, and supplies to try to sort things out in a logical manner. Things I knew I'd want frequently would be on the top of the table under my canopy. Things I wanted handy would go below the table. Things I might need, such as extra shoes, socks, warmer gear, extra gear, hat, gloves, spare bottles, etc, would stay in the back of my rental vehicle, but easily accessible. I'd also have a camp chair and towels under the my canopy.
I went to bed somewhat early but of course pre-race nerves meant it took me a long time to get to sleep. My alarm went off at 4:30AM. My goal was to leave at 5:45 to 6:00 am for the 10 minute drive to the site. Amazingly, I didn't hit the snooze button on my phone alarm. Up and at 'em!! I had avoided coffee for 3 or 4 weeks leading up to the race but with a goal of getting things moving before the race, the first order of business was a half cup of coffee. I'm happy to report that the coffee did it's job. Next it was time to tape my feet, nipples and the area where the clip on my HR strap rubs against my side. The only tape I had was some kinesiology tape, which worked fine for my nips and side, but it was worthless to tape my feet. I tried on my heels and balls of my feet, but it started to come off when putting my socks on so I just ripped it all the way off. There would be no foot taping for me. Normally I lube my feet up fairly well but decided to skip most of it this time, lubing up just my heels, toe tips and outside of the two outer toes. I find that lubing between my toes as I used to do attracts too much sand a grit and becomes an irritant. I did bring extra strength diaper rash cream (40% Zinc Oxide) for my feet in case it were to rain but with no rain in the forecast, I didn't use it.
All dressed and prepped, I loaded the last couple of bags into my car and headed out to the race, with my brother right behind me. Thankfully I was able to park right next to my base camp. I pulled out all my bins and bags and put them just where I wanted them, continued to eat mini-bagels to start the carb feast, and chatted with those around us. I was actually a lot calmer than I expected. In spite of my woeful amount of training (no running the last 8 weeks of 2023, and just 370 miles in 2024 prior to the race), my utter lack of strength training, and my failed intentions at more yoga, I felt pretty darn good about it.
Strategy
Last year my main failure point was clear. I just got exhausted and couldn't go on after 70 miles and 23 hours. As I mentioned, my two main strategies to combat that issue this year was better sleep leading up to the race and cutting the caffeine for a few weeks before the race. As I understand it, you have adenosine receptors in your brain and when you get tired, your body releases adenosine which slows down your nerve activity, making you tired. Caffeine has similar structure to adenosine and will block adenosine from those receptors so not only are you not slowing down, the caffeine stimulates you. But, after a long time drinking caffeine, your brain create more and more receptors to compensate. To get the same stimulation effects you need to drink more and more caffeine. On the other hand, if you wean yourself off caffeine, in two weeks or so your brain has decreased the number of adenosine receptors. This was the effect I was going for. Other than that half cup to start the day, I was going to avoid caffeine until I absolutely needed the boost in the race. I made sure to separate all my caffeine-laden gels where I couldn't accidently take them early. I also had several canned cold-brewed coffees at 250mg per can.
For the performance itself, my strategy was to cut way back on my early effort so I could keep up that effort longer before transitioning to power hiking mode. I think last year I went out like it was a normal long run and that caught up to me. This time I would start by hiking for a couple miles to warm up, then hike the up hills, run the down hills, and do 50/50 run/hike on the flats as long as I could. I would later find out that all that intentional power hike training would serve me well on this race. One thing I like about long distance racing is that your race pace is actually SLOWER than your training pace. How cool is that!
For fueling, I was going to take in 200 calories of my homemade tailwind every 5 mile loop and an 80 calorie gel ever hour on the hour. This would be supplemented with anything I found I was hungry for either at the aid station or at base camp. I was aiming for 300 calories per hour but wasn't about to calculate the actual intake. Just eat as much and as often as I could.
Ready, set, GO!
Finally the time to start is here. I've been so eager to just get going that the last few days I've been like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Well wait no longer!
I let about 80% of the runners go ahead of me then fall into line towards the back, happy to be slowed down by someone. At this point I'm simply walking slow but there are those around me so eager they almost running in place. We've got all day, and night, for that, I'm taking it easy. We soon get to the single track and its the typical conga line and now we're getting into more of a hurried walk pace. This goes on for another two miles before I decide to pass those in front of me. I'm warmed up and ready to chew up some miles. My first several 5 mile loops went as planned and I was happy with the progress I was making. At point, about half way through my first 5 mile loop I caught up to the 71 year old runner. He was plugging away and we enjoyed about a mile of conversation but he was going a bit too slow for me and I had to wish him well and go my own pace.
The course is a beautiful one, with varied terrain and scenery. Hills, valleys, rocks, roots, dirt, gravel, pine trees, deciduous trees, it was hard to get bored with the course. There was just one water crossing and there were several rocks and logs thrown in the stream if you wanted to use them to keep you feet dry. I elected to slow down and do just that since last year wet feet doomed me to huge blisters from early in the race.
Somewhere around the 12 mile mark the sun had risen to the point where if I were to run towards it, it was right in my eyes and blinded me. I decided at that point that any time that happened, I'd quit running and walk carefully to avoid tripping. Good in theory but as I rounded a curve the sun hit my eyes, I was blinded, and my right foot caught on something...probably a root..and I went flying. I landed on my forearm, hip and knee. The hip hurt the most and I thought it might be come an issue later one but within 15 minutes all the pain was gone. The worst thing about the fall was that it caused a safety pin on my bib to open up and the timing chip, which as loose and also attached to that pin, was lost in the kerfuffle. From then on, 17 more times, I had to manually tell the timekeepers my bib number and remind them that I didn't have a timing chip. A minor annoyance, but eventually they remembered me each time and all I had to do was get their attention.
All was going well and my strategy was going as planned until Mile 15ish. It was then that I was starting to feel what I can only describe as "pressure" coming from my Morton's Neuroma. It never reached the level of what I would call pain, but for the next 10 to 15 miles, it was on my mind and I was paranoid about a full flare up. Thankfully, I eventually found myself forgetting about it and at some point it was gone, never to bother me again.
Every time I finished a loop I went through the timing area, into the pavilion where they had the food and looked around to find something I wanted to eat. Sometime I found something good, sometimes not. They usually had a main food item for a 6 hour time period, along with the usual cookies, snacks, chips, candy, etc. The first main item was PB&J sandwiches. I don't mind them, but peanut butter is not something I want to eat in a race because it would be hard to wash down. For the first few laps I was grabbing chips, peanut M&Ms and the like. After that I'd go the 50 feet to my base camp where my brother had my gels laid out, would grab my bottles and refill them, and grab what ever else I wanted. Quite often I'd forget to grab something before getting back on the trail so I'd stop and quickly text him and he'd have it laying out for the next time around. I have to say, my brother is a fantastic crew.
Later on they had grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, barbecue pork sandwiches, hot dogs, soup, ramen noodles, mash potatoes, and breakfast. Unfortunately the food was a huge disappointment. They would cook everything all at once then leave it out for the next several hours getting cold. Cold barbecue is not that great. Cold hotdogs are not great. The soup, ramen and potatoes were warm but they really screwed those up too with either nasty soup, undercooked and under seasoned ramen, and pasty dry potatoes.
All was going well until Mile 40. At this point I was having a sharp pain in my right quad and my left hamstring was on the verge of cramping up. I'm used to getting muscle cramps so this was not a surprise, and I've learned how to deal with them - stop running and start walking. Many problems can be solved by slowing down I've found. So, for the next 10 miles that what I did. I was hoping to run/walk until dark but this had to be dealt with right away before getting worse. After 8 or 9 miles the cramping and quad pain started to subside, only to be replaced with lower back pain and a head ache. The back pain I dealt with by stretching and though it didn't take care of the issue, it did make it manageable. The headache was a conundrum though. I had been pounding down the Tailwind and had water with Nuun in my other bottle so I knew I was getting plenty of electrolytes. In fact, I was worried I was drinking too much. Normally I might stop to pee once or twice in a race but half way through I had already stopped 4 times and would end up stopping 7 or 8 before the race was over. So I knew I was getting enough to drink and enough electrolytes, and I turned down any pain killers. I would just have to tough that part out. I cant' recall how long that stuck around but I'd guess 10 miles.
Oh, and the chafing...that also started around mile 40. Mild at first, it got worse until mile 60 when my butt cheeks were enflamed. Though I kept on reapplying lube (Vaniply) every 10 miles, it didn't help. It was just something I'd have to block out of my mind for the rest of the race.
I should stop to mention my family at this point. My wife had asked if I'd be able to receive text during the race and I said yes, but it's highly improbable that I'd ever take the time to respond until after the race. Well she must of told everyone to send me texts because all day, night and the next morning I was getting text from her, our kids, their girlfriends, and my BIL and his wife. Every time I got one, even if I couldn't read it at the time, made me smile and lifted my spirits. That was really nice to have.8 -
Part 2 of 2
Half Way There!
Last year I reached the 50 mile mark at 14h 27m. This year I reached the 50 mile mark at...WHAT?!?!? ... 12h, 34m...nearly 2 hours ahead of last year! I was hoping for a one hour improvement. This fact gave my spirits a huge boost and I was stoked to keep pushing through the evening and night. As I went out for my next loop I ran the math in my head and thought that it might be possible to push to break the 30 hour mark. I tossed this idea around in my head for a few miles and finally came to the conclusion that there was still a long way to go, a lot could happen to blow up my plan to just finish, and pushing the pace could destroy that plan.
I finally decided to forget the 30 hour mark and actually slow it down to increase the odds of me finishing. I had a great race to this point and didn't want to screw it up. As it happened, it was just about sundown anyway so slowing down would help keep me upright rather than tripping on the rocks and roots.
For the first time ever on a trail race, I pulled out my ear buds and listened to some music. My thought was that I was going to need something to keep me upbeat and energized through the night so I'd try some music. It worked fairly well and I enjoyed the diversion.
For my first loop in the dark I grabbed my trusty headlamp and a flashlight. With the amount of roots and rocks to trip on I wanted a flashlight I could hold low to cash shadows for the hazards (headlamps cause you to lose your depth perception). I grabbed a super bright flashlight for this. I quickly found out I should have tested the flashlight for running before this. It was super bright all right, but it was so bright that it overheated in about 2 minutes and shut off. It would eventually cool down and I could turn it on again, but only for a couple of minutes. For the next 5 miles I only used it when I really needed it. Another unfortunate mistake was when I accidently increased the brightness on my headlamp so that it was burning through batteries much quicker than anticipated. I made it 10 miles before it started fading. In the past I've gone 7 hours with it. To make matters worse I didn't have any spare batteries with me or a backup flashlight. If it died, I was dead in the water until someone came by. All this conspired to force me to go slower than I wanted for lack of ideal light. I did make it back to base camp and my brother let me use his super bright headlamp, and I got another flashlight which worked much better. This allowed me to continue to on and I finally made it through the night unscathed and never had to deal with complete loss of light, though I was quite anxious about it.
It was these overnight hours where I started getting grumpy. I did warn my brother that if I started getting snippy and acting like an *kitten*, he shouldn't take it personally. Whether it was the fatigue, the darkness, the anxiety about losing light...I'm not sure. My brother even noticed it but he wisely didn't say anything about it until after the race. As it started getting back in the cool 35F to 40F temps, every time I'd stop at the aid station I'd be shivering hard by the time I got going again. I finally put on my wind breaker and a pair of light gloves which helped enough. I didn't want to put too much on because I didn't want to sweat any more than I had to once I got going.
On the way down the race I did stop at a cannabis dispensary in Missouri and bought a CBD transdermal patch. I've dabbled in CBD before and I've never found it to be of any use for running or recovery but seeing the patch I decided to get one and try it out. I put it on at the 65 mile mark, timed so that the 10 hour activation period would line up with the last 10 hours of my race. I can't say if it did or didn't help, but my back issues, quad issue, hamstring issue, and headache all went away after applying the patch. Sadly it did nothing for my chafing. They're not cheap at $10 per patch, but I might get one before my September race.
Also sometime in the night, around that time blisters started making themselves heard. I had brought extra socks and shoes, but things were going so well with my feet I didn't bother to change them. Now I was thinking I should have. They started out mild but I knew what was coming. I get deep blisters at the heel right where the back of the foot meets the heel pad, and on the balls of my feet. I think taping would have taken care of the blisters on the balls of my feet. At this point it was just my heels blistering. The blisters on the bottom of my feet would wait unit morning at the 80 mile mark to show up.
At some point in the night I passed the 71 year old again. This time he was accompanied by his 67 year old wife, who ran the 10 mile race which started in the dark. He was not looking good at all. It was clear he was under duress but he was determined to keep going. He could have stopped at 50 miles and had credit for that race, but he pushed on and he had to know he wasn't going to make the cut off. I think I was 10 miles ahead of him at this time. He was having terrible back spasms and was walking hunched over. While I admired his determination I was hoping he'd stop soon. I did tell him, no matter how his race ended, he was my hero. He laughed and said in his southern drawl, "You're too easily impressed, son"
At the 70 mile mark I was 3 hours ahead of last years pace and still feeling strong. I was fairly upbeat until I realized...I still have nearly a 50K to go and at this pace, about 10 more hours. YIKES! This is taking a LOOOONG Time!
As dawn started to break and the birds started singing their songs I got the mental boost from sunrise I had heard about. It was a new day, and I had a new attitude. Unfortunately I still had the same blisters and they were getting worse as the blisters on the bottom my feet developed. It was bad enough when they formed, about around 90 miles one of them burst and the skin flap must have folded over or something and it was a whole new level of pain. No time to stop and take care of it, that can way until after the race.
It was sometime in the morning when I started my first bout ever with nausea. It was mild, but I felt like with not much effort I could throw up. I think it was a issue of eating more than I could digest under the circumstances. I probably should have just forced the issue and started with an empty stomach but instead I just slowed way down on my eating and cut way back on my drinking until I started feeling better. The predictable result of that, however, was that by the time my stomach felt better I had gone too long without fuel and was feeling it in my legs. It just meant I had to go slower though.
I met the 71 hear old again on one of these final laps. He was all twisted up and in visible pain. He had no chance at all at a finish, but he was pushing until they made him get off the course. We both stopped and chatted for 5 minutes. He kept trying to get me to move on because I was going to finish but I told him I'd get going soon enough, that I valued our conversation more than shaving a few minutes off my time.
It was on these last few loops that my new mantra was born, "Shut up, feet!!!". I kept finding myself slowing down because my feet hurt so bad at this point. Not just the blisters, but nearly 100 miles of pounding. My feet hurt whether I was walking slow or walking fast so I might as well walk fast and I was still trying to run a bit here and there was well. SO when I found myself slowing down I'd just say, "Shut up, feet!!" and speed up as much as I could.
Now I'm back to base camp with just one 5 mile loop to go! I just want to get it over with at this point. My brother wanted to "pace" me for the last loop so I while I took care of a bathroom break, he got his hiking shoes on and off we went. I was so eager to get that last loop done that he had a hard time keeping up. I could hear him huffin' and puffin' back there. It didn't last long. After a mile or so at that hurried pace I was tuckered out and got back to a pace he could handle, and then slowed down even more than that. Just one more mile....
The Finish
My brother wanted to get video of me crossing the finish line so when the gate was in sight, he ran up ahead to get in position. He had to run across a field, then up a small hill, and into the pavilion. There were trees between me and the Pavilion so he couldn't see what I was doing, but I got a bright idea. It was hot these last 10 or 12 miles. Damn hot. Well, not for most people, but for me, at the end of a hundo, in the bright sun, it was hot. Next to that field was a pond. That pond had a beach. As I swiftly walked past the pond, a instinctually slowed down...Oh yes....I through down my trekking poles and turned right for that pond. I walk all the way in, up to my chest, then dunked myself completely into that refreshing water. Then the BURN! That pond water acted on my chafed area just like a shower would. YEOW!!! Still, it was worth it. That dunk was one of the best parts of the race. It felt so good.
I walked out of the pond, now refreshed, and headed up the hill. It was kind of anti climactic. They had taken down the chute, the gate and all the stuff outside the pavilion. The PA system was down so no one was on the speakers announcing my arrival and cheering me on like they had for so many others. The inside of the pavilion was all picked up, except for the timing equipment and a bowl of belt buckles and medals. As I approached, I could hear my brother say to the RD and the volunteers, "Come on, cheer this guy on, it's his first 100 mile race!" . They turned from their conversation and did cheer. I didn't need that but I appreciated the hell out of my brother for getting them to acknowledge me. That bit of a bummer was soon erased by seeing my nephew show up. He missed my finish but a couple of minutes, but I was touched that he thought enough to come down.
In spite of that, I was stoked! I had finished! For the first time, I went 100 miles. Not only that, but all things considered, it actually went really, really well. Almost too easy (how soon we forget the bad parts) maybe. All the pain was manageable. I never really got sleepy tired (BTW, I first took caffeine at 80 miles. And it was WONderful). I had my struggles but I either solved them, dealt with them, or ignored them. I now know what it takes to run a 100 miles. And like I've been told, it's mostly mental.
After getting final photos taken, and dripping all over the floor, someone finally asked me if I had jumped in the pond. Then I realized I still had my phone with me. A bit of apprehension until I got it out and saw that it was still working fine. Funny, though. I go for 100 miles and was moving fairly well till the end. Reach the finish line and now I'm like a hobbled old man, struggling to shuffle over to my chair. I did make it though and we broke out our celebratory beers. One of the best beers I have ever had, I must say. I sat there enjoying my reward while my brother and nephew broke down camp and put things away. My nephew drove me back to my brother's house and I went straight to the shower, then straight to bed after eat a gummy. I find they help me sleep through the pain after an ultra so I picked some up in Missouri on the way down.
I finished in 30:55:15, over an hour before the cut off.I was 18th place out of 24 finishers. 8 had dropped down to the 50 mile race and 13 DNF'd completelyI was also the second oldest finisher. There was also a 64 year old woman who finished 45 minutes ahead of me.
My 12:34:00 I had at the 50 mile mark...had I elected to drop to the 50 mile race at that point my time would have been good enough for 19th out of 45 finishers! Crazy!
That's all you get for now, I need to go to bed. I'll post some photos and video later, as well some interest statistics from my run.
I will leave you with these two photos. Me under at base camp at the 90 mile mark and the other is my brother and I at the finish line.
BTW, I'm now at 116 miles of my 150 mile April goal, all on trails.
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You’re amazing @7lenny7, an absolute legend. Sounds like you ran a pretty flawless race - just a few tweaks for next time!
I can’t believe they were packing up the finishing Shute - that is so rude. If anything, more needs to be done for those finishing nearer the cutoff - you’ve been working longer and harder than the speedsters.6 -
Morning all
Got in 5 (at 09"23).
So far so good with new shoes 🤞🏽🙏🏽
@shanaber I do wear orthotic insoles. It's more of a flat feet arch issue. According to chiropodist - unrelated to gel foam padding in running shoes@7lenny7 amazing! What an achievement! Shame the food wasn't on point. Yeah - cold BbQ. Bleurgh.
^to push up arch.
SpeAking of...
@Laurz9191 what was your pig out meal post marathon?
Speaking of marathons...
If I get a selfie of @TheMrWobbly as he runs past -does that count as a meet-up? And do I draw level with @quilteryoyo with 2 face-to-face meetups? Lol
Speaking of meet ups...
Welcome back @eleanorhawkins . Hope the funeral goes well (as well as these things can go!). Shame it's such a short trip and we couldn't get dates to align!
Finally...
@ContraryMaryMary great excuse for steaks, Big macs and pints of Guinness lol3 -
April 1 – 3.31
April 2 – 5.10
April 4 – 6.15
April 9 – 5.09
April 11 – 5.01
April 15 – 3.15 miles
April 16 – 4.03 miles
April 17 – 5.15 miles
36.99/90 Mile Goal
Not much to say about today’s run except it is done! Weather was 65F and very humid. It sprinkled rain on me on the drive into town but it stayed dry for the run.
Glad you received good news at your checkup @emptydog!
Glad you got some blood work done @ContraryMaryMary and figured out the cause of your tiredness. When I was anemic one time, the doctor advised me to take a pre-natal multi-vitamin because they typically have more iron than regular vitamins. You may want to consider those after you take all your supplements.
Thanks for the race report @7lenny7! You did amazing!!! You brother sounds like a perfect crew. Too bad the food was a disappointment. It sounded good in theory. You did a great job sticking to your plan for managing the race. Very crappy that they took down the finish line chute and all the finish line excitement had diminished but you did it!!! Congratulations!
Yes, that definitely counts as a meet up @Tarun_yadavA!
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ContraryMaryMary wrote: »I can’t believe they were packing up the finishing Shute - that is so rude. If anything, more needs to be done for those finishing nearer the cutoff - you’ve been working longer and harder than the speedsters.
Especially considering there were still SIX runners behind me. That's 25% of the finishers yet to cross. I understand they had a long weekend too and want to get home, but they have to understand that we in the back paid just as much as those in the front, and we were out there longer.
I finally got through the thread last night after posting.
@quilteryoyo and @tarun_yadavA how awesome that you two got to meet IRL! And @tarun_yadavA sounds like you had a great time on our side of the pond.
@quilteryoyo that must be tough playing doubles tennis with a partner you've never met.
@AlphaHowls I hope your mom's arm is healing well. Yikes!
@ContraryMaryMary great finish line photo!
@yirara while I won't say I prefer running in the dark, I do absolutely love running in the dark, especially when it's raining or snowing. I'd say running in the dark is on par with running in daylight for me.
@Teresa502 how much of the AT have you hiked? Is a thru-hike in your future? Beautiful photos
@TheMrWobbly congrats on your HM finish! 24,000 people?!?!? Wow! That be pretty fun to run a race in London, though I'd probably get lost just getting to it.
@emptydog great job on the 5k!
@kgirlhart sorry about your windshield. Hopefully insurance will take care of it.
@eleanorhawkins so sorry to hear about your grandmother and good luck with the new job. Where are you starting your Camino? The first year of retirement I plan on walking the Camino Frances from SJPdP.
@Laurz9191 congrats on your marathon! I enjoyed your RR. Refueling with salami sticks...that's a new one, LOL
@daria0919 congrats on 400!5 -
Recovery has gone really well. Initially the main issues were my sore back and sore feet. My back resolved in a couple of days and my feet, for the most part, took 3 days though there still was some swelling in my left foot which lasted a week. I think I'm ready to go run again at this point.
Some numbers from my race (based on Garmin, not the official clock)
Total Time: 30:56:39
Run Time: 5:43:08
Walk Time: 22:31:33
Idle Time: 2:42:02
Average Overall Pace: 18:34
Average Moving Pace: 16:38
Total Ascent: 7920 feet
Calories burned: 14,130
Est. Sweat loss: 17 liters
Average HR: 117
Estimated steps: 180,000
Last year I create two segments on Strava of the two 5 mile loops in the race. The first image is the second loop from this year and shows how my pace slowed down throughout the race. The other loop shows a similar trend so I'm only posting this one. Loop 6 this year is when it started getting dark.
The second image shows the segment time from last year for the 7 loops I finished. Even though I took it easier this year based on effort, it's nice to see I was still faster.
5 -
Some of you may recall my hallucinations last year (none this year) and one included thinking that a rabid skunk was coming out of a tree to attack me.
I found that tree this year and now feel like it wasn't such a stretch to think that in the early hours, nearly 70 miles in. Here are photos of the tree, both in daylight and in the dark. You can even see the sap oozing out. In the moment last year I thought the glistening sap was an eye.
7 -
01.04 1.0km 7min 7:28/km - something
02.04 1.1km 8min 7:26/km - benchmark run
03.04 3.1km 25min 8:12/km - 10 stride repeats
04.04 3.0km 25min 8:08/km
07.04 3.7km 30min 8:04/km - easy
08.04 3.1km 25min 8:01/km - 8 stride repeats
10.04 4.3km 35min 8:04/km - easy
11.04 3.0km 24min 7:54/km - fast
12.04 1.2km 9min 7:32/km - benchmark run
13.04 4.1km 35min 8:36/km - easy
16.04 3.0km 23min 7:40/km - fast
17.04 5.0km 41min 8:06/km - easy, then faster
35.55km/67km - 2.4km behind target
Yay, running is working again! Still not totally good, but so much better than last week. Changed the goal for this month. Not sure I'll manage as I'm going on vacation from Friday and I'll spend a lot of time either on my feet or in various transports with late evening return. But just in case: my hotel is close to the corniche, which will give me some nice running opportunity.6 -
You are doing great @shanaber ! So glad you were able to do all of agility class with Hobbes.
@kgirlhart Sounds like it is getting hot quickly. Maybe it will cool down a little again before summer hits in full. You are doing great.
Thanks for the detailed race report @7lenny7 . About all I can think to say is WOW! You are amazing. You sure don't look like you just finished 100 miles! I am amazed they had packed up most of the stuff at the end too. Was anyone/anything left for those who finished after you? Do you know how far the 71 yo went before stopping? Amazing stats. It is amazing, and a lesson for all, how taking it easier for the entire race made you faster overall. I can see how your mind would make a rabid skunk out of that tree. Interesting.
Nice running @tarun_yadavA . I say it only counts with @TheMrWobbly if he stops for the selfie and you at least speak to each other. Otherwise, I'm still in the lead.
Nice running @yirara . Enjoy your vacation and I hope you can manage a couple of runs anyway.
5 -
quilteryoyo wrote: »Thanks for the detailed race report @7lenny7 . About all I can think to say is WOW! You are amazing. You sure don't look like you just finished 100 miles! I am amazed they had packed up most of the stuff at the end too. Was anyone/anything left for those who finished after you? Do you know how far the 71 yo went before stopping? Amazing stats. It is amazing, and a lesson for all, how taking it easier for the entire race made you faster overall. I can see how your mind would make a rabid skunk out of that tree. Interesting.
@quilteryoyo I imagine that the five or six folks (RD and volunteers) who were there when I finished were there until everyone finished. I stayed at the finish for the next runner who came in and cheered loudly but after that I had to sit down and drink my beer.
The 71 year old went 60 miles. I found his Facebook page. He's been running since at least 1982. As recently as last year he did the Pikes Peak Ascent, a 13.3 mile race with 7800 feet of verticle!
7 -
@7lenny7 Wow! That sounds like an amazing race! What an accomplishment! I’m glad you made it safe and sound and had an “enjoyable “ race. I can’t believe they had taken down all the finish line stuff before the cutoff. Yes, it’s a long race, but that is a given in a 100mile race. They should at least wait until the cutoff to start packing up.
@tarun_yadavA No “one” post marathon pig out for me, but I did eat the 2 salami sticks I took 😂. My stomach always needs a good day to recover from longer races/runs. It’s more of a gradual increase in grazing. Sort to disappoint.
My legs were pretty sore on Monday. On Tuesday I had a painful but helpful sports message and today I let myself get in a little biking.
I am starting to really want to go on a run already, and so far I have signed up for 2 races (one is the Hanover marathon next year) and bought a new pair of running shoes. So yeah, not running is an expensive hobby for me.
I will take it easy this week and have to take it easy next week too to be recovered enough for the 100km bike ride. I was already back of the pack last year, so fingers crossed I can recover enough to not have to go even slower. I think this might have to do a bit with gender though. Only 300 women have signed up vs. 2200 men for the race! I don’t get it. Why are so few women here interested in longer distance athletic competitions like I am? I really don’t have an answer to this question, but it has been on my mind since I first saw the numbers.
So I’m not going to reach my April running mileage. Good recovery is more important though.
@chris_in_cal asked about running the race again, which I’ve already paid to do! So yes, I loved it! I’m not a big fan of the cheap looking wooden medals though (see spoiler). They look like something my kids might make during art lessons in school.
Thanks everyone for all your words of encouragement. They really mean a lot!
If @tarun_yadavA manages to personally cheer on @TheMrWobbly this weekend, I agree that counts as meeting IRL. @TheMrWobbly I hope your taper is going well! You’re almost there!5 -
@tarun_yadavA I just read @quilteryoyo ’s post. I agree a selfie could be helpful and “proof” of your “meeting” IRL, so maybe run with him a few meters to get a selfie in. What mile did you say you are at? Somewhere in the first half if I remember correctly?2
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tarun_yadavA wrote: »@TheMrWobbly how are we feeling??
Do you have a bib number yet for Sunday?
Picked up my race pack today.
There are not many Walkingtons in the world. Three of us are in this marathon! There is a Walkington society so I have reached out to my Dad to see if he can contact them. The chances of being able to meet in amongst 50,000 people are pretty slim though.
Fantastic run @7Lenny7 and totally love the idea of dunking in the pond at the end!
7 -
April Goal: 130 Miles
4/1: 3.34 miles
4/2: 6.26 miles
4/3: 6.02 miles
4/4: 6.02 miles
4/7: 13.13 miles
4/8: 3.30 miles
4/9: 6.05 miles
4/11: 6.32 miles
4/12: 6.52 miles
4/14: 10.26 miles
4/15: 3.16 miles
4/16: 5.66 miles
4/17: 6.02 miles
82.06/130 miles completed for April
It was a little cooler this morning at 68°F. but it was so humid it didn't really seem cooler. I ran 6 miles. I was a little faster than yesterday. Yesterday I ran 5.6 miles, and I thought about running 5.6 every day this week in honor of my 56th birthday tomorrow. But then I figured, I'm old. I can do whatever I want. So I didn't cut my run short today. Who knows what I'll do tomorrow. LOL
@7lenny7 I loved reading your race report! What a wonderful accomplishment. I too am surprised they were already shutting things down when there were still runners out, and still plenty of time before the deadline. I can see maybe if you squeaked in with 5 minutes to spare, but even then I think they should keep everything up until time runs out or the last runner crosses. You look fantastic in your photos! Hard to believe you just ran 100 miles! 6 -
@7lenny7 thanks for sharing your amazing experience!! You should be on cloud nine…
And I agree with @kgirlhart, you look great in your post run photos - hard to believe you were at it for nearly 31 hours and still looked that good. Congrats again!3 -
Here are videos for the start and finish to my race.
In this one, I'm in a yellow shirt waving to the camera as I went by. Directly in front of me you can see a short older gentleman with a blue jacket and red hydration vest. That's Shelton the 71 year old.
And here's my finish. You can see the beach in the background where I went for a cooling dunk in the pond. When I say, "That might have cost me" it's because I still had my phone in my belt but nothing happened to it.
7 -
And here are the photos with descriptions under the spoilerVarious photos from the course
Me coming in at the 50 mile mark
This was early morning the second day. I didn't pull my sticks out until the 80 mile mark so this must be at the 85 mile mark
Me at 90 miles. I'm not looking so great in this one.
I have sticks but the jacket is off, and I'm coming out of the first 5 mile loop so this must be at mile 95
Me and my brother at the finish
Enjoying the victory beer! The guy sitting next to me is my nephew. It took both of them to pull me out of that chair when it was time to go.
And the hardware
7 -
The others are right, you look fantastic- hard to believe you’ve done 100 miles. I look a wreck after 5k!5
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First post run race tonight. Went out for 5, ended up with 6.5. All felt great. I could feel a bit of something on the bottoms of my feet but nothing I'd characterize as pain. It felt great to be back at it.
9 -
Why are so few women here interested in longer distance athletic competitions like I am? I really don’t have an answer to this question, but it has been on my mind since I first saw the numbers.
Interesting question. An element might be cultural. Someone back me up here, but I think in the US over the last decade many of the larger runs are majority women.
That doesn't necessarily address your point. In Ultras, Century rides, longer events, perhaps they are still out of wack in gender-balance here too.0 -
Morning all
Got in 6.24 (at 09"16).
@TheMrWobbly nice one!
Shall download the app and add your bib number. (I'm between miles 10 and 11)
Got I think, 3 on my Strava running it... And a few other people I know doing it for charity.
Oh, and you will be running it with Dr Who, Romesh and the delectable Sports presenter Natalie pinkham
https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/24252326.celebrities-running-london-marathon-2024/
What have you got planned for post run pig out meal?
(Seeing as @Laurz9191 was a massive disappointment LOL 😂 )5
https://youtu.be/4I402wgqzG8
https://youtu.be/Aeedy4Nc9P0
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