A Better BT Winter Run Report

I figured I better give you a better race report since E has put me as a link on her BT50k race report. Time to step up.

if you recall in my prior post I had partied hearty at OU with my son the weekend prior. Too much beer, too little sleep, too much college food, too little intelligence....equals.....head cold. So with that type of setup I wasn't sure how the run would go. Here is what I sent my coach and will post as well interspersed with additional comments. A little disjointed but still worth posting.

Ouch.....my muscles are sore. I had to check my watch but my HR averages were all above 160. Even as I started the run my HR was high and I attributed it to 1) being sick and 2) taking medicine....Sudafed to combat the clogged head.

Unsure of the HR based upon those two items I decided to run how I felt.....and I was feeling pretty good. Not good enough to keep up with Rudy Sroka or some of the 50k guys, man can they go, but still at a good pace. Rudy is a world class cyclist, head mechanic at Bike Authority, and an all around great guy. His wife got him into duathlons and he has excelled in that as well.

So I was taking it easy until the first set of hills. Aggresive walking up the hills and downhills that were on the verge of being out of control. Quick mind and quick feet make for a successful downhill run.

I walked most of the hills and was able to recover my HR quickly once I started running again. I really didn't run into problems until the final leg back from Pine Lane (second loop of course....8 miles). My calves started to cramp on me pretty good. I admit that I have not been stretching them very well but I felt I was hydrated enough. I took gatorade at the aid stations and was also drinking my fuel belt bottles. However, I may want to look into getting a bigger water bottle pack.

The hills, especially steps, were taking their toll on my calves. I stopped once to stretch them but didn't stop long because I didn't want to loose my momentum. There was also a competitive friend of mine, Bill Marut, whom I really wanted to stay in front of. I'm wondering if there is something else besides hydration that could lead to muscle cramps in my calves. My calves are the only muscles that I have ever had cramp up.

BT Half Marathon summary

Brandywine Aid Station 22:06 / 162 ave HR
Boston Store Aid Station 19:08 / 170 ave HR
Pine Lane Aid Station 40:14 / 169 ave HR
Finish at Boston Store 38:47 / 170 ave HR

I negative split each loop which I was totally stocked about.

Now you (coach) told me to be in Zone 3, maybe 4 on the hills. Let 's look at my zones again.

Zone 3 154 - 160
Zone 4 161 - 167
Zone 5 168+

I guess you could say I overdid it. No wonder my legs are sore, even though not as sore as they could, or should, be. One bad side affect of the race is a tender ITB on the right side, yep the one I always have trouble with. I may replace running with eliptical or more bike time.

I told my coach the I would look at the schedule she would put together for me and make adjustments where necessary. If I am still stuffed up I will skip the swimming. Swimming with a stuffed nose and snots floating out is just wrong.

So my coach called me after reading my e-mail. She was happy with my results and agreed that the cold and drugs were affecting my heart rates. We also talked about hydration. It reminded me that I was sweating pretty good during the first half of the race. At the middle of the two loops we were back at the start. I peeled off one shirt under my jacket because I was wet underneath. So I guess I was sweating too much and not replacing the fluids well enough. Most definitely a possible cause of the cramps. I must remember to drink more during my races, especially the running races.

The good thing is that coach added a second rest day this week. She knows the effort I put in and proper rest is needed right now. We will also be expecting to see good dividends down the road from the hard training race. I am feeling stronger but must take care of the ITB.

Okay......this is a good post. More detail from the Winter Run.

Game.........On............