Pre-Race Syndrome

I'm actively working on not freaking out about my first 100k in less than 1.5 days. Between school, work and life in general, these race jitters have been very distracting. But staying in my comfort zone and not signing up for races that challenge me would just be boring. So technically, I choose to be freaking out. Yeah, I'm so smart.

Overall, I guess my nervousness is a good thing because it means I am not taking the race and my success for granted. And how could I...it's 62 miles worth of fun, but I have never ever run this long before.

If you have a race coming up soon, you probably know what I'm talking about. Pre-race syndrome, or PRS for short, presents with a variety of symptoms, including (but by no means limited to): strange dreams that seems to center around missing race start, showing up without shoes, getting lost on the course or forgetting how to run; a desire to eat every carbohydrate source (and other things) in sight; frequent mention of the words "taper" and "sucks" in the same sentence; a heightened affinity toward talking about two or three-letter phrases such as BQ, PR, LSD, DNF, HR, XT, ITB etc as well as an almost uncontrollable desire to say "screw it, I'm going for a run. Now."

I have an acute form of PRS. I have spent countless hours coming up with the perfect race strategy, calculating distances and projected paces between aid stations, as well as the number of calories I should be eating at each point of the course. Naturally, I expect to throw my plan out the proverbial window by about mile 10, maybe even before that.

You can do all the mental preparation in the world, but at the end of the day, the best plan is to start running...and if problems arise, to suck it up and keep running. So, that's plan B. And plan C. And D, E, F...

Dear Rio del Lago 100k, I'm coming to get you.
Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!!!

Sneak Peek: Rio del Lago Course

It's been a busy few weeks. I haven't been blogging about running because, well, I have actually been running. And swimming. And biking. And eating...lots. But I want to talk about the running. (Shocking, I know.)

With the Rio del Lago 100k approaching all too fast, a group of us took a trip to Folsom Lake last weekend for a fortysomething-mile course preview. Since it's an out-and-back course, it was simple to cover the course without actually running the full length of the race distance. A good thing, since some of our group are prepping for the 100mile race. (I'm still very content with my 100k ticket.) 

Right away, I was 'pleased' to discover that the course elevation profile I had scrutinized and analyzed so carefully, was in fact, not for the course I will be running. Bingo.

Nevertheless, I am now even more excited about this race. The course is beautiful and I am happy to report that there is a relatively good chance I will not be eaten by a mountain lion. 

-Photos courtesy of the amazing Donny Hall-

The course passes through all kinds of scenery, terrain and plant life. It is truly difficult to get bored and the single tracks aren't technically challenging - even for someone as uncoordinated as I am.

(note: I did manage to mess up my ankle a little, with less than 0.5mi to go on day 2...but that really takes some unique talent)

Jumping into the lake / river with shoes and clothes is obviously highly recommended if you're looking for a truly spiritual experience. 

Not scaring me. Nope. Definitely not. Ok, maybe a little.

I had a rough start to the first day of running. Settling into a good pace and getting hydration / nutrition right was proving difficult. I was achy, constantly dehydrated and unhappy. Solution? Do what you would never do (especially with hydration challenges): take ibuprofen (Motrin) at mile 13. I knew my kidneys would hate me, but I got very lucky. Soon enough, I felt like I had super powers. 

Until...

Random lesson: do not mix Hammer Perpetuem in warm water and proceed to chug it. I can hardly explain just how bad of an idea this was at mile 20. 

This weekend was also my first time trying Hammer Perpetuem Solids. What they say is true - it sticks in your teeth, it's hard to chew and all the flavors taste the same. It is functional food. It is easier to carry around than the powder (which you need an extra water bottle for) and keeps better in warm weather, but chewing a single tablet takes a way too much effort for 33.3 Calories. 

The second day of running was far better than the first - my legs and whole body felt a lot better. Given I spent most of the prior afternoon eating, my glycogen stores were smiling. I was eating far less during the run than normal and felt really great. 

Tip: back to back long run days can be tricky to manage. Eat and drink more than you normally would both during and after your training on day 1 to prepare for the demands of day 2. Done right, day 2 is more fun than day 1, even if you felt exhausted at the end of that first run.

This is another back-to-back weekend, though with less mileage. 18 miles done today, 20-22 planned for Sunday morning. 

And then, of course, there is labor day...happy running!