Reflections and recovery

First off, a few pictures care of Zach's wife

Me at mile 27. Happy camper.


Hmmmmm, where is the runner attached to this belt (he was in the can)


I can't use my hands... will you please give me a retie while I drink this yummy coffee? This was around 5am.


Mile 42. Not a happy camper. A confused race director was looking at me thinking "The runners ahead of you said you never passed them". Yeah, I know. I took the scenic route. I can't feel my hands.


5.7 miles later. Ahhhh... warmth.


If you want to see more pictures from the event, check out Zach's pictures at
http://picasaweb.google.com/zach.pierce/2009Zumbro100#

or, Londell's pictures at

http://picasaweb.google.com/runallday/DropBox?authkey=Gv1sRgCPfMwOfztY_P8QE#

One of the odd things I have found to happen after ultras, is memory recollection.

I am remembering things now about the race which I didn't remember Sunday.

This race did bring some new success for me.

1 - I had almost no blisters. I thought I did during the race, but realized it was only my feet feeling really raw. One tiny one below my ankle, that's it.
2 - No chaffing. None. I am now a firm believer in compression shorts and shirts. I wore a skin tight tank top under my clothes during the whole race, and only put body glide on the nipples once (right before the start). I have had some severe chaffing in the past
3 - I didn't glycogen crash. Probably because I did not have much in me to begin with. My fuel problems resulted more from the inability to use my hands for about 4 hours, than what I was eating. My down times were more fatigue, sleepiness, and a mild electrolyte imbalance toward the end.
4 - I did not get dehydrated! First time in a race in a long time. I was always able to "to the business", and I was not consuming copious amounts of water. After the race, I did not have the bloating and chills usually associated with dehydration.

I think #3 and #4 I can attribute to following Stu Mittleman's advice with eating. I did not worry too much about what to eat on the days leading up to the race (and race day). I just avoided simple carbs. I need to read up on food and the water needed to metabolize that food. I think this has been my downfall in the past (too much water being used for non-hydration purposes).

Side effects from this race -

My sleep clock was really messed up for a few days. I slept about 11 hours Saturday night, but only 6 on Sunday night. I was sleepy for a few days.

My body is recovering but, not ready to ramp back up. I did 5 miles (super slow) on Monday, and 8 on Tuesday. I was going to run this morning, but the engine feels stalled. No big deal.

What needs to be done between now and Ice Age -

1 - Hills. My legs eventually gave up on the final loop due to the hills. I was stopped dead in my tracks in the mid 50's, going up a hill. It was the same spot I saw Pierre, but he was about 40 miles ahead of me. I can chalk this race up as one huge hill workout.

2 - Hills.

3 - One 30-40 miler. I will probably do this on the Chippewa course the night before the race (I am not racing, I am helping).

4 - A few tempo runs.

5 - As much core work as I can handle until about 5 days before the race.

Ice Age is gearing up to be a great race. Wynn Davis is signed up, along with some other fast guys (and girls). No doubt the winners will be under 7 hours, the question will be by how much.

Good luck to all who are running Trail Mix this weekend.