Outstanding races formationflier, CarmelRunner, Cheevers, and Hank !!!! Nice reportage..it's fun to read these successful testimonials to LHR/MAF training. re walking on water..legions have seemingly concluded that Obama possesses the capability.. LG1 That's my pace, floating downstream, per usual..

nicely done, cfkid! Do you think you overhydrated or were you just nervous?

nicely done, cfkid! Do you think you overhydrated or were you just nervous?

I would guess that it was over hydration. I had been drinking alot for the past couple of days, plus had about 12 oz of OJ at 6 AM. On the course, I had another two 4-6 ounce glasses. But, still I'm ok with that. I'd rather take the hit for too much hydration than the performance hit for dehydration.

well done cfkid

Wow wow!! What a weekend for racers! Great job Hank, Cfkid, Jesse, and Carmel! You are all amazing. Thank you for the race reports. I arrived in Napa a few days early. I refrained from drinking wine the day before the race. On race day it was about 42-45 degrees. Cold for me! I woke up early, had one glass of water, one of coffee, and two cheese sticks 3 hours prior to race time. At race time, I started verrrry slowly knowing I had 2 miles of uphill to do. I was definitely near the end of the pack. At one point, I'm sure I was last. About 1/2 a mile into it, I could hear people all around me gasping for air. Some were already walking/hiking. One girl said, "This is way harder than I thought it would be." It was a lot of single track so it was difficult to pass people. I decided to just hang back and not sweat it. I expected about 800 feet of elevation over 2 miles. um...no... After two miles, I got ready for some downhill.....NOT! By 3 miles, we were still going uphill and some little downhill sections here and there. I got lapped by some pretty intense 10K'ers that made me giggle a little. By mile 4, I looked at my Garmin and thought, "crap...it's already been 1 hour!" Right then, we had some pretty intense downhills. I loved this part! I've always been a fan of downhill trails. I feel very comfortable stream crossing and rock hopping. So, I sped up a lot! I was happy to see some 7:30 and 8:30/mile pace. I was expecting 2+ miles, and before I knew it, I was at the start again and ready for my 2nd loop. I was shocked. My garmin said 5.34 miles. I drank a cup of watery gatorade and thanked the volunteer and started again. My thought was "thank God this race is short." LOL! Loop 2 was harder. I started it out with a really cool guy named Rick. He was 72. He had ran 100 marathons (in 29 years!) and was working on 100 1/2 marathons. This one was #64. He planned to run one per month and would finish in 2011. Amazing! We ran/hiked together for quite some time. I hiked most of the uphills this loop. I didn't even try running uphill for most of it. I felt great! I couldn't have pushed much more, but didn't slack either. I just stayed as steady as I possibly could. By mile 7, I drank my first swig from my water bottle. I had been training without water or GU. I didn't need it. That felt great too. At about mile 8, I told Rick I was going to start running again. We crested a hill at that point. He wished me well and then fell down! I stayed for a minute or so to make sure he was ok. He assured me he was fine and encouraged me to go on. I knew I only had a bit more to go, so I turned on what little speed I had. Once the downhill started again, I saw a lot of hobbling from people. I was really excited that all my downhill training had paid off. I had worn my knee brace just to be on the safe side, but my knees were holding up beautifully. I had no pain, and nearly no weakness in my thighs from overexertion. I think some were finding the downhill really difficult. I know from hiking, that intense downhills are as difficult as uphills. I am sorry I didn't practice more uphills, but I'm not sure it would have made a difference on this race for me. When I knew I had about a mile or so left, I sprinted as much as I could. I slowed down when I need to. I felt like I still had a lot of gas left in the tank. I passed a woman who looked like she was having a bad leg cramp. I asked her if she was ok and if I could do anything to help. She said she was ok. I also passed a man who looked really bad. I asked him if he was ok. He said he was out of water. I offered him mine, but he would not take it. I tried! I turned the last corner and saw my husband, the kids, my BIL, his wife, and my nieces. I shouted hello to them and they all started cheering and jumping up and down. It was so sweet! I finished strong and energetic at 2:27:10. My goal time was 2:30 for this course. Yay me! This was, hands down, the hardest run I've EVER been on. I was so proud of the way I felt then, and feel today. I know I trained in a very healthy way. It looks like in my age group, I was 10 out of 19. I can live with that. I really think trail running is my niche. I just loved every minute of it. I did my best to cheer people up on the trail. Some of them just looked so miserable. It was tough! I think anyone who finished what they signed up for deserves applause. After I ate handfulls and handfulls of food, I got very cold. My husband said my lips were blue. I drank about 1/2 gallon of watery gatorade and headed to the car for my clothes. My HR was really high during this race. It ran between 150 and 180. I found myself trying to interpret whether or not that meant my training had been good or bad. I finally gave trying to figure it out. I do know that feel wonderful today, and I felt wonderfuly yesterday. I also felt really strong the entire time on the trail. Never once did I feel like stopping or did I feel miserable like I did in the past. So, I don't know if I blew it or not. I had fun. I know that! I'm going to read some sections in the Maffetone book again, and slow down for another month. I don't have anything planned again until Fall.

Way to go Stacy! I enjoyed the report and it makes me want to return to Napa for a run instead of the usual taste testing treks.

dcv2002, Me too..that is to say, i'd go about it in a similar fashion, if it was'nt for the fact that i'm a perpetual 13 m/m maffer. Seriously, congratulations on a well run tune up! If i'm reading your bio correctly, you appear to be on the threshold of a sub 3 mary. From my perspective it isn't a question of if, but of when. Nice strateegeery !! Best in Beantown. LG1

Awesome race and report, Stacy. That's a great time for a trail half-marathon. Keep going! --Jimmy