The story begins with the sleep before the race .... its important!
I was up around 3:45 well before my 5am alarm. As is usual I hit the Hot Tub with a Coffee and enjoyed on the the quietus nights I have experienced since Winter. It was a full moon and I was hearing the Rapids in the Saugeen a km away. Hit the road around 5:15 stopping at Tims for my race breakfast. Drive time was less than 90 minutes so I arrived with an hour to spare!
The race started at 08:00 am and it didn't take long to find out that this was a fast course and I was having a blast completing the first 3 laps in 2hrs37min .... half done!!! Figured I had a 5hrs30min finish in the bag but I completely blew it when it came to managing the heat! I was drink a half liter of water and taking a gel every time I hit the start/finish. Was also taking aide station water twice a loop and started in on the S Tabs on loop 3. On the 4th loop I started to really fatigue but wasn't slowing too badly I knew I would fade but didn't anticipate it being too bad. On the 4th loop I started to see black spots and was feeling rather faint on the up hills. Temps were pushing up into the 30's and the Sun was high in the Sky and there was very little breeze. The black spots and fatigue got really bad on the 5th loop and I was way off pace. Decided to stop and take a break before heading out on the 6th and final loop. The 15 min break felt great and I thought it was enough but when I tried to run it was too much so I ended up walking most of the last 8K. There was an upside to the lat loop I hooked up with Jenny who was also walking it in so the slow Ks were way more bearable having someone to talk too. With 2Ks to go there is the biggest climb of the course I had to site down near the top because I felt like I was going to pass out....after 5 I was on my way tripping the clcok somewhere around 6hrs45min.
50K Garmin Data
50K Heart Data
The 50K recovery started almost as soon as I was done downing a bottle of water and 2 slices of Pizza. The trip home and all of Saturday Evening was spent getting ready for Sunday. I must admit then when I wrapped up the 50K I didn't much feel like coming back although I knew I would! On the way home I grabbed an large Ice Cap Supreme and a Steak Sandwich at Tims + I downed another bottle of water. At home I resisted the Beer , stuck to water and I snacked then had a box of KD for Dinner washed down with Chocolate Milk! Went to be around 08:30 downing 2 Advil and 2 Gravol. It took a little while to settle and I was wrestles for the first few hours but then I settled.
Woke up 30 minutes before my alarm debated jumping in the Hot Tub but I managed 30 min and my first coffee before heading back.
It was suppose to be even warmer on Sunday but there was a nice breeze and it didn't seem as humid so I was optimistic that I would survive. I wasn't the least bit worried about going for a time just wanted to enjoy the day and avoid the " Death March ".
Once again we were off at 08:00 am. It felt a little like where I had left off the day before so I really wasn't sure what to expect. There was no muscle pain from the day before and I only developed on small blister that I lanced. I just felt a little tired and a tiny bit Nauseous. After a few Ks things settled down. I seemed to be running a consistent pace all be it slow averaging around an 8:00 pace and I was OK with that. Fueled and Gelled just like the previous day tasking in a bit of G here and there as well as upping the S Caps. Settled in nicely after completing the first lap in a little over an hour. I was actually feeling pretty relaxed , very content and was able to get lost in my mind fairly quickly. I was surprised at how content I felt , almost giddy just incredibly happy to be out there running again. Caught up with Jenny again on the second last loop. She was running with Julie and we were all running around the same pace. We more or less stuck together through the end of the race enjoying conversation and just enjoying the day. Tripped the clock at around 5hrs29min very pleased with how the day went.
42.2K Garmin Data
42.2K Heart Data
50K Splits ... they do tell a story!
42.2K Splits
No comments:
Post a Comment