Today was day 12 of the Running
Ragged 20in20 Series. Today, we were
running on the same course as yesterday.
I like this course. It’s
relatively easy, there aren’t any roots or uneven footing, and it has nice
scenery.
Today’s weather was similar to
yesterday. Yesterday, it was 57 degrees at
the start and got up to 80 by time I finished.
Today, it was already 61 degrees at the start, and it once again got up
to 80. I handled the heat yesterday, so
I was pretty confident I could handle it today. I just had to be careful to stay hydrated.
Last night, I woke up twice
feeling unusually thirsty. The first
time, I just rolled over and went back to sleep. The next time, I got up and drank a bottle of
water.
I weight myself every
morning. My weight today was about the
same as yesterday, but only because I drank a pint of water during the
night. I probably got a little
dehydrated yesterday, but one bottle of water was enough to make up the
difference.
Having run this course yesterday,
I was looking forward to running it again.
I had no doubt I could easily break five hours again. The only question was whether I could compete
for the win. That depended mostly on who
showed up. I didn’t know if anyone would
be dropping in for a day with fresh legs.
As it turns out, nobody new was
running today. I took the lead as soon
as we started running. At first, I
noticed some discomfort in my knee. I
may have started too fast, or it may have just been a matter of warming
up. Within half a mile, I was no longer
noticing my knee.
A week ago, all the leaves were
still green. Now, they’re starting to turn.
In some places, you can see a
difference from one day to the next.
These trees, for example, had much more color today than yesterday.
By the end of my first lap, I
not only had no discomfort in my knee, but I realized the Achilles tendon that
felt tight yesterday wasn’t bothering me today.
For the rest of the race, nothing hurt.
It’s possible I felt better today than I did on any other day of the
series.
I finished my first lap in just
over 22 minutes. That’s about as fast as
I’ve started any of these races. I wasn’t
really trying to go out fast. I was
running at a pace that felt comfortable, and I was taking walking breaks in the
same places where I took them yesterday.
As I started my second lap, I
didn’t see anyone else returning. Where
was everybody?
I made it almost to the first
turn before I saw any other runners coming back. At this point it was obvious that I would be
the only one breaking five hours today.
I could just run the whole race at my own pace.
My second lap took about the
same time as my first lap. After that, I
stopped paying close attention to my lap times and just enjoyed the race.
I usually carry a camera for
the first lap or two and then put my camera back in my drop bag. I wasn’t taking as many pictures today, so I
kept my camera with me. I wanted to have
it just in case I saw a deer again today.
Most of the course is shady,
but there was a long section alongside a meadow, where we were out in the
open. I was in my 4th lap when I first
noticed the warmth of the sun as I ran by the meadow. It wasn’t hot yet, but this is where I would
feel hottest later in the race.
Yesterday, I had lots of
opportunities to talk with other runners when we were running or walking at the
same pace. Today, it seemed like I might
run the entire race by myself. Toward
the end of my 5th lap, I came alongside Jim, who was running the half
marathon. Jim and I are from the same
suburb, but we haven’t had a chance to talk before. I ran with Jim for the rest of that lap and
all of the next lap.
By the time I was done running
with Jim, I was already half done with the race. I was on pace to finish in 4:30, but I
expected to slow down in the second half.
I thought I would get hot and start taking more walking breaks. In particular, I thought I might want to take
a walking break next to the meadow, where it felt hottest.
It did get hotter, but that was
partially offset by colder air on the lowest part of the course, where we run
near a few different swimming holes. As
the wind blows over the icy cold water, the air gets cold. Yesterday, there were a few isolated spots
where I would feel cold drafts. Today,
that whole end of the course felt cold. It
felt refreshing. By now, the temperature
was in the 70s, but the air at this end of the course may have been 30 degrees
cooler.
I certainly felt hot on other
parts of the course, but it was never that long before I got back to the cool
section. That kept me from ever feeling
too hot.
After eight laps, I realized I
hadn’t taken any pictures in a long time.
I finally stopped at the aid station and put the camera back in my drop
bag. Why carry that extra weight if I’m
not using it?
In the second half of the race,
I probably slowed down by about 30 seconds per lap. I wasn’t feeling the need to do any extra
walking, but I wasn’t running as fast on the warm side of the course. I was also spending more time than usual on
bathroom breaks. I was drinking more
Gatorade today, and eventually it started going through me.
As I got into my late laps, I sometimes
started to feel tired on a slightly uphill section next to the meadow. I got through this section by reminding
myself that after that soon, there would be a nice easy downhill section. Then I’d be in the cool end of the
course. Thinking about the easy parts of
the course made the difficult part seem like it wasn’t that bad.
I ran my 11th lap in 22
minutes. That was as fast as I ran in
the early laps. I think I was already
anticipating the last lap. As I started
my last lap, I realized this was going to be my second fastest race of the series.
Often, I’ll pick up the pace on
my last lap. People can always tell when
I’m finishing, because they can see me accelerating. Today, I didn’t do that. In fact, I walked a little farther on my last
walking break. As I resumed running, I
had no desire to pick up the pace. Maybe
I was finally getting tired, or maybe I was afraid. I felt a hint of soreness in some of my
muscles. If they felt sore during the
race, they’d feel more sore tomorrow. I’ve
yet to have a race in this series where I started with tired legs. I didn’t want to start now.
I ran somewhat conservatively
for the rest of that lap. It wasn’t as
fast as the previous lap, but I still had my second fastest race of the series. I finished in 4:34:16. I’m not sure how long it was before the next
runner finished. I was at least two laps
ahead of everyone.
It was only after finishing
that I felt really hot and thirsty. I
drank the rest of my Gatorade and then drank two cups of chocolate milk. I was covered with sweat.
I went back to my car, took off
everything except my shorts and singlet and put on a pair of flip-flops. Then I walked to the nearest swimming
hole. It was about a third of a mile
from the aid station.
This swimming hole has a beach
on one side, and there’s a shallow section that’s roped off. Beyond the rope, it drops off quickly. The deepest parts are 45 feet deep. I waded in as far as I could without getting my
shorts wet. Then I slowly walked back
and forth in the cool water.
It wasn’t as cold as I was
hoping. Where the water was deepest, it
probably felt icy. In the shallow end,
the sun was warming up the water. It was
cool, but not as cold as it could be. I
stayed in the shallow end, because I didn’t want to get my clothes completely
wet.
I stayed in the water until my
legs were starting to get pink and felt cool to the touch. Then I put on my flip-flops and walked back
to the car.
By the time I got to the car, I
noticed a painful spot on the top of one toe.
It looked like a blister formed there and then tore open. I saw an abrasion on the top of the same toe
on the other foot. I don’t know if it
was friction between my toes and the flip-flops or if some grit from the trail
got in there. Going wading may have helped
my legs, but it didn’t help my feet.
Hopefully those two toes won’t become trouble spots.
When I got back to the hotel, I
also did all my usual icing, stretching and massaging. I’m not currently noticing any soreness in my
legs, so hopefully wading in the cold water helped. If nothing else, it helped cool me down after
the race.
Did I run too fast today? Probably.
Will I have tired legs tomorrow?
I’ll have to wait and find out.
In the meantime, I’ve finished 12 races and just have eight more to go.
Race Statistics
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 4:34:16
Average Pace: 10:28
Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:
417
Minnesota Marathons/Ultras:
70
Series Statistics
Races Completed: 12
Under Five Hours: 12
Average Time: 4:42:50
Wins: 8
No comments:
Post a Comment