Pre-Race Mentality
Usually, I would be excited and anxious about running a half, but there was something weird about this one. Maybe it is the fact that school starts in a couple weeks and I am not even close to ready with the two courses I am teaching. Maybe it is also the fact that the half was not the be-all-end-all of my training, it was simply a waypoint for Chicago. It's humbling to think that in the coming weeks, I am scheduled for long runs of 18 and 20 miles.
Monday-Wednesday
Business as usual during these days. I did not alter my diet or running plan. For this week, I rested on Monday (after my 16 mile Sunday run). On Tuesday, I ran a hard/fast 4 miles in the pouring rain (it felt good). After my run, I hoped in my car and drove 7 hours to Akron, OH.
Wednesday was spent in Cleveland, OH, as I had several meetings prior to the start of the Society of American Archivist (SAA) Conference. I did not run on Wednesday morning. Truth be told, I was exhausted from driving on Tuesday and I'm not the biggest fan of running in areas that are foreign to me.
Diet control when you are on the road is also difficult, but I did my best. Alas, this is sometimes easier said than done unless you pack all your meals, which I did not. What else is there to do when you are cruising along the IN-OH turnpike but eat out of a bag and drink some caffeine to keep you awake? Also, the rest stop options in IN are not that great: McDonald's, Hardees, and some Burrito place.
Thursday
I'm in Cleveland. I thought about running, but the hotel bed was very comfortable and it was raining outside, so I opted to rest again on Thursday. Today, however, I do start preparing for my race.
Everyone has heard of the "need" to carb-load before a long run, half-, or full-marathon. Often this can be interpreted as a big carb meal the night before. In addition to this meal, I start adding carbs to my diet a couple days before the race. Nothing too wild and crazy, but I do not shy away from extra breads. For example, for breakfast on Thursday, I had the buffet at the hotel, which involved a few scrambled eggs, some diced potatoes, a few slices of bacon, and a couple slices of French Toast. During my drive back to Milwaukee, I had a plain white bagel that I had brought with me on Tuesday, followed by a blueberry muffin and another plain white bagel, both of which I bought at a rest stop.
Friday
Usually, I do not run the day before a race. I like to rest and stay off my feet as much as possible. Today was different because I had not run in a few days. This morning, I did a short 3-mile jog just to loosen up the legs and get my head back into it. The run felt good.
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| Friday morning run before the half-marathon. |
Normally, for breakfast, I would just have a bowl of cereal (or some oatmeal) with some blueberries, but today I switched it up to three scrambled eggs, an English muffin, and a banana. A couple hours later, I had some graham crackers; and for lunch, I had a tortellini pasta salad. I ate some more graham crackers and a cup of yogurt in the afternoon before leaving for Madison. The name of the game is to stockpile carbs and proteins before the race ... and drink plenty of water.
The Night Before
The night before a long run or race, I try to eat a healthy dose of protein and carbs. Jody and I lucked out and found a great Italian restaurant near our hotel room: Osteria Papavero. I had a great dish of tortellini stuffed with cheese and topped with smoked salmon and diced zucchini. A perfect pre-run meal.
Saturday (Race Day)
Until a few weeks ago, the morning of a long run I would usually eat a half of cup of oatmeal, with a tablespoon of brown sugar, and a few blueberries, craisins, or a banana. The kicker is, I would have to eat at least 2 hours before I ran or else I would experience stomach cramps. If I waited, I was fine, but if I ran too soon after eating, I was miserable and would have nasty side stitches.
The cool thing about this breakfast is that I only have to wait for an hour before I hit the pavement. Also, this is a perfect meal for when I am on the road, such as in Madison or Chicago. Bring the bag of bagels, the jar of peanut butter, and a knife, and I am good to go.
Soon after waking up at 5 AM (the race started at 7 AM and we planned to leave the hotel room a bit after 6 AM), I ate my plain bagel with some peanut butter. I also had a banana and drank some water before we heading towards the starting lines (the half and 5K started at the same time but at two different locations).
The Race
My first thoughts after the gun went off at 7 AM: "I probably should have peed before the race started." But one of the most frustrating things about races are the long lines at the port-a-potties. I decided that because this was not going to be too serious of a run for me that I could stop at one of the port-a-potties along the route (there were at least two at every water station that occurred about 1.5 miles). Luckily, my bladder held for all 13 miles and I did not have to stop (I overheard one runner saying that her stop cost her 8 minutes).
My goal for this race was to focus on my pacing. If you recall, back in early May, I "crashed" during the Door County Half-Marathon because I went out too fast and because I lacked sufficient fuel in my system. I wanted to avoid a repeat of this incident. To do this, I planned to run the first few miles at about a 10:40 min/mile pace. After about mile 4, I would gradually increase my pace and see how close to a 10:00 min/mile pace I could reach by the end. Here is what happened:
Yes! I succeeded in my plan!
What was awesome about the race was that my second half was much faster than my first half (what is called negative splits) and my last three miles were the fastest three miles of the run. Also, I felt extremely strong during the whole race, in part, attributed to my pacing, and in part do to my fuel.
When I run a long-run, I run with a fuel belt that has two small water bottles and one to two gels. Gels are those energy things that some people say taste like cardboard and are nasty to eat. They are usually high doses of sugar, carbs, and in some cases, salt. I have found a few flavors that I like and do not mind eating them when out for a run over 10 miles. They do make a difference, especially if they are taken before one runs out of gas.
In Door County, I took my one and only gel at about the 7 mile mark. It turns out, that I needed another at the 10 or 11 mile mark. For Madison, I choose to have one at the 6 mile mark and was prepared to take another at the 10 mile mark, but I never took the second one. The reason for this being that I felt really good with just one in my system. By the time I hit mile 10, I was going strong and by mile 11 it was too late for any gel to do me any good (they take about 1-2 miles to kick in).
Besides the gel that I took, I only drank water during the race. Most races offer Gatorade and water, and Madison was no exception. I have never practiced running with Gatorade. I have run with a small squirt of Propel (made by Gatorade but with a slightly different formula) in one of my water bottles, but this is different, so I skip the Gatorade tables. Instead, I grabbed water at 4 of the 7 stations. This was enough to keep me going without cramping or feeling like I was depleted.
My official race stats:
While I did not set any PRs, I was very pleased with the outcome.
I paced myself extremely well and, once again, felt strong throughout the entire run. I cannot stress this sensation enough. Unlike Door County, at Madison, I never felt like I was going to crash. In fact, with Madison, about a half mile before the finish line, there was a short, but rather steep hill. A hill that more than one runner (myself included) cursed at upon encountering. With a grimaced face, I motored up this hill as many runners slowed to a walk.
What's even better is that my grimace turned to a smile when I saw Jody at the top waiting for me. Once I reached her, she ran with me for a short time before turning aside and letting me sprint to the finish line. What a great experience!
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| In the corral, waiting for the start. About 10 minutes after I took this picture, it would be a sea of runners. |
My first thoughts after the gun went off at 7 AM: "I probably should have peed before the race started." But one of the most frustrating things about races are the long lines at the port-a-potties. I decided that because this was not going to be too serious of a run for me that I could stop at one of the port-a-potties along the route (there were at least two at every water station that occurred about 1.5 miles). Luckily, my bladder held for all 13 miles and I did not have to stop (I overheard one runner saying that her stop cost her 8 minutes).
My goal for this race was to focus on my pacing. If you recall, back in early May, I "crashed" during the Door County Half-Marathon because I went out too fast and because I lacked sufficient fuel in my system. I wanted to avoid a repeat of this incident. To do this, I planned to run the first few miles at about a 10:40 min/mile pace. After about mile 4, I would gradually increase my pace and see how close to a 10:00 min/mile pace I could reach by the end. Here is what happened:
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| Madison Mini-Marathon, mile splits and route. GAP is the Grade Adjusted Pace, which "estimates an equivalent pace when running on flat land, allowing the runner to compare hilly and flat runs more easily. Because running uphill requires extra effort, the Grade Adjusted Pace will be faster than the actual pace run. When running downhill, the Grade Adjusted Pace will be slower than the actual pace." |
What was awesome about the race was that my second half was much faster than my first half (what is called negative splits) and my last three miles were the fastest three miles of the run. Also, I felt extremely strong during the whole race, in part, attributed to my pacing, and in part do to my fuel.
When I run a long-run, I run with a fuel belt that has two small water bottles and one to two gels. Gels are those energy things that some people say taste like cardboard and are nasty to eat. They are usually high doses of sugar, carbs, and in some cases, salt. I have found a few flavors that I like and do not mind eating them when out for a run over 10 miles. They do make a difference, especially if they are taken before one runs out of gas.
 |
| Gels. |
Besides the gel that I took, I only drank water during the race. Most races offer Gatorade and water, and Madison was no exception. I have never practiced running with Gatorade. I have run with a small squirt of Propel (made by Gatorade but with a slightly different formula) in one of my water bottles, but this is different, so I skip the Gatorade tables. Instead, I grabbed water at 4 of the 7 stations. This was enough to keep me going without cramping or feeling like I was depleted.
My official race stats:
 |
| I'm too lazy to photoshop my name and replace with "Average Runner." |
I paced myself extremely well and, once again, felt strong throughout the entire run. I cannot stress this sensation enough. Unlike Door County, at Madison, I never felt like I was going to crash. In fact, with Madison, about a half mile before the finish line, there was a short, but rather steep hill. A hill that more than one runner (myself included) cursed at upon encountering. With a grimaced face, I motored up this hill as many runners slowed to a walk.
What's even better is that my grimace turned to a smile when I saw Jody at the top waiting for me. Once I reached her, she ran with me for a short time before turning aside and letting me sprint to the finish line. What a great experience!
 |
| Post-race picture with Jody. |
Good post and great job on the race! That Jody girl sounds awesome too!
ReplyDeleteYou’re making remarkable strides towards Chicago! Who would have thought it’s so much more complicated than tying your shoes and stretching before you start pounding the pavement. Fifty-three years ago the only suggestion from Lou’s track coach was for runners to “Bring a small bottle of honey to drink a couple swallows 10-15 minutes before the race.”
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