Notes
Perfect day to race and an almost perfect course to PR if the weather cooperates. I’ve never ran a race
in more perfect conditions. The only challenge with the course is that you need to navigate the tangents but you are in the state park for the entirety of the race. The only tricky part is when you get to the campground area when you run switchbacks but they are fairly long (about .25 of mile) and the entire race is pavement. Went out with Cremer was going to runs 8s for as long he could…just like me. But we started off just a bit hot. After 3 miles I told him I was going to back off a bit to lose some time and get back to an 8 pace but that never happened either. At 6 I tried to get a water and Gatorade but the gal at the station dropped my water on the transfer and then the gal handing out G aid missed me again. After a bathroom room break I knew I had gained some ground so wasn’t worried. The challenge was that I still ran an 8 flat. Too fast again. At the next aid station, I stopped to get a full cup of G aide and H20 and then kept on. The loops felt great, and I felt strong through 5 laps but the wheels came off quickly. Once I stopped to walk around at 23 it was all over. No goal time, no PR, and I just wanted to quit but the sting of the Sugarloaf DNF was still fresh so I trudged on.
WHAT WENT WRONG
After the race Fro asked me what I thought went wrong. Was it the training and no 20 milers? Was the hydration issue early in the race? What happened?
Getting up at 4am for a 7am race in Mass is rough but I think there are several lessons here. The biggest was pace. I THINK I NEED TO RUN THE FIRST 6 miles at 49 minutes. There is no question in my mind pace was a factor. Doug and I even talked about it at length the day before but I continued to ignore my lessons. Secondly, I think the mental process of having some 20s+ for me is really important. My training in the fall of 2017 wasn’t as good, I didn’t feel as good, yet I pulled off a PR. Moving forward I think the psychology of a 2-20s, 22, and a 24 is the way to go. I also loved the alternating 55 and 63 mile weeks of the Hanson’s Plan and will steal elements of that if I decide to do this silliness again. If there is a next time, I’ll also try to do more work with strength work 2x/week for 30 minutes per session.