A week before the race the temperature was supposed to be in the mid 50's and sun. The week before temperatures took a nose dive and fell to the 20s. Friday night it snowed on the southern part of the island. From the sounds of it the 100 milers had quite a chilly night. That morning the temperature was brisk 27 degrees, but at least it was sunny.
Given the "fun" time I had at Moab I was bound and determined not to repeat the same issues that I had. I was determined to keep to my fueling schedule and keep my attitude in check the best I could. I had also made a shift to move from my Altra Superiors to my New Balance Minimus MT 10's. I have been training almost exclusively in my MT 10's but was hesitant due to their minimal padding to use them on a distance over 20 miles. I stressed over it but my dad was going to be at the White Rock aide station, so I figured I could change shoes if needed.
We started off and everything was very familiar. We headed out and up the hill and I started reminding myself to slow down and to not push too hard. I fell into a good pace and surprising enough I kept running. Heading through the first loop I reminded myself to stick to my fueling schedule and to keep eating solids. That always seems to be the key for me. I ran the switchbacks on the split rock loop trail and just kept going. I was surprised at how well I felt.
By the time I had reached the starting line to begin my second loop I was starting to feel it a bit. In the back of my head I started wondering if I was heading for another hard bonk. I met my dad who was awesome enough to meet me at the aide station at the gate. I probably spent a little too much time talking with him, but I was happy to see him there. I remember heading back out for the second loop and having the argument to run or walk that first up hill. I decided that I would just "try" to see how far I could get running. Surprisingly enough, I almost made it to the top.
It was about at the beacon knob trail head that I could feel the extent of how hard I had been pushing myself. Two guys passed me and it made me feel like I was standing still. I was mad at myself, and promised at that point that I wouldn't let the mental aspect get the best of me this time. Coming up to the Split Rock Aide station I was feeling better, but still not as good as I wanted to. I kept focusing on fueling, music, and talking with others when I could.
By the time I had made the loop I was experiencing a new feeling. Maybe it was all the attention to fueling and my mental state but I felt fantastic. Not wanting to jinks myself I headed out and kept my head forward just doing what my body told me to do. By the time I hit the upper White Rock loop I just let it go. I could see people ahead of me and I wanted to pass them. I pushed, it felt like I could chase down anyone. It was completely new to me. Seeing times below 9 then 8 and hovering in the 7n's. Mentally I was freaking out but loving every second of it and I only had one small hill to the finish line.
Heading up I could see my family there. I love that feeling. I see there faces and it almost brings me to tears. Its probably the one thing that I look forward to the most when I race. I finished, what a great feeling. It was a huge personal goal for me and a great confidence builder.
Now for the moral of the story. I felt so great that I just continued with my training with out any regard to how my body was feeling. I pushed harder and tried to do more than I should have. For the most part I avoided injury but in reality it put me into burnout mode. I should have been taking the time just to cross train, relax and just be with my family. But two weeks after I could feel it. It was not the best for a mental state. I tried to ignore it but on my long run it hit me like a ton of bricks and I felt like I was right back at Moab. Lesson learned. Now to get my mind right again and back on track. Fortunately I have Ragnar Trail coming up in a few weeks. I am looking forward to hanging out with some good people and having a good time before the final push for Squaw Peak.
I also managed to get some recon in from Big Springs. Looks like Windy Pass still has a good amount of snow on it.
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| Windy Pass from Big Springs |
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