Two weeks to Race Day!

I think I will start this post similar to others who take a break from posting regularly.  Between work, kids, increased training miles, and my own special skill of laziness, all conspired to keep me from posting regularly.  The guilt still existed, just not the time or desire.  Considering I rolled out of bed at 4:30am on a Saturday so as to get my long run in, I think I will forgive myself, this time.  

After a nice, relaxing weekend this last Saturday and Sunday at the Kansas Speedway, taking in the racing spectacle with the fellas, I returned home to a couple more days off to recoup and recharge.  As anyone who has trained for a race has experienced, most of the difficult training is now complete.  The next couple of weeks are dedicated to some speed work to stay sharp and trying to avoid the dreaded taper madness. 

Ahh yes, the taper -- the time I both dream of during the difficult training phase and equally dread, for all the right reasons.  Taper madness, for me, usually takes the form of hypersensativity to every ache and pain.  Wait, was that a stress fracture?  Or maybe I just pulled a muscle?  I never start with the little stuff or the simple things.  Nope, I jump right into the crazy territory and I am convinced that I have managed to do something to myself that will prevent me from finishing my goal and wasting all of my hard work.

Even when I know this phase is coming, I still battle in my mind to keep the madness away.  Of course, I have help at this task.  My family gets to share a little of my madness as I share the newest ache or pain with them along with my self diagnosis.  I am a doctor after all.  Maybe not a medical doctor, but who is splitting hairs (wait, did my hair just start to fall out?).  My wife, who really is a medical doctor,  seems to use just enough tough love to keep me in check (I secretly think she enjoys the tough love a little to much) and manages to help me get through this phase and make it to the starting line.

Speaking of which, I need to get out there today and put in a fartlek workout and maybe a few miles on the bike . . . wait, was that my knee? 

Until we chat again . . .

BONK! (really)

Sometimes I just have to relearn lessons.  Based on the lessons from this weekend, apparently I periodically need reminding of those things I have already learned but forgot.  Saturday was one of the days . . .

Saturday is go long day.  The long run was scheduled to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 miles.  I slept in after the baseball game and fireworks Friday night because it felt good.  I tried to convince myself (and others) that I slept in to avoid the light morning rain, but who am I kidding?  I didn't feel like getting out of bed.  After assembling the necessary tools of the trade, I finally made it to the trail head at about 10 am.

I knew I needed some fuel to power my run, so I threw down a couple shot blocks before I left the house and brought along two packets for the run.  I usually only need on package for a run less than 12 miles, but my thought was "two packets don't weigh that much and better to be safe than sorry." Famous last words.

The run started out just as expected, nice and easy.  I kept focusing on staying loose and slow.  The plan was to fuel at miles 4 and 8 with the possibility of picking up the pace around mile 6.  I also opened the door to going further than 10 miles.  About two miles in I began to feel uneasy.

Instead of spending much time trying to figure out what was going on, I continued to focus on the run and plan.  Soon, I was losing steam and finding it difficult to keep the pace--I was bonking!  I continued to attempt to run through it, unwilling to alter my plan.  Finally, when I thought I might pass out, I made the decision to fuel earlier than planned. 

I slowed to a walk and took down some fuel.  I first thought 4 shot blocks were enough, but when I couldn't feel the effects and I tried to run, I consumed three more. So, after using up almost all of my fuel within the first three miles, I resumed my run with all the vigor I could muster. I did complete 11 miles total which feels like a success under the circumstances.

I do remembered a previous run where the same thing happened.  I recall thinking, "next time I need to fuel quickly so it makes it into my system as soon as possible to recover quickly."  I wish I would have remembered that little tidbit at mile 2, instead of mile 11.  Oh, well.  Next time I will try to eat more for breakfast and take in fuel as soon as the world starts closing in.  Hopefully.