It's Race Day!

Yes,

Even though I get all of Friday to chill, sleep, and save my energy.... I am still having the "night before a race" jitters.

Can't sleep.

So, I start this post exactly 24 hours before the race starts. A nap is definitely in order during the day tomorrow... today... whatever.

Reflections

I like to look back on the year right before each season. I look at what has changed, where I have gone, and where am I going.

It has been 7 months since finishing Superior. The day after the race I was laying in my bed, and I started reading "Slow Burn" by Stu Mittleman again. I read the part on nutrition, and realized I needed to change something If I were going to continue running ultras.

Simply put, I slowly started eliminated carbs, and didn't worry a whole lot about anything else. My body was forced to start burning fat, and I lost weight right away, even without running. I had this idea that carbs were actually slowing me down. Could run far on minimum carbs?

On that day, I also realized my season was over. The popliteus muscle in the back of my knee was messed up. That was more painful than the bee stings. I spent the next 2 months recovering from that, and getting my quads back. I decided I was going to go back to low heart rate for a few months to re build.

The other thing I decided to do that day was periodic weight training, or core training. I was off and on with this, but I am starting this season with a slight glimmer of a six pack. More importantly, all of my organs are held together now instead of bobbling around.

So I feel like a new man.

And now it is time to race.

It has been a long 7 months.