JIM'S 1ST RR REPORT
I was only able to finish half the marathon at IMLP this year and 20 miles of last years IMMD. I'm looking for revenge this Oct 1st at IMMD! I have a pool where I can leash myself to a post and completed the 90 min swim. I'm a swimmer so this was never really an issue. I drove my bike about 10 minutes and started a two loop course for three hours and a "bike special needs stop" in between for the second three hours. I froze seven bottles and had 7 just cold and all in insulated coolers in my truck. along with my nutrition. I also froze several small containers of chocolate milk for energy and rewards. I had two bottles on my bike frame, 2 in holders behind the seat, and two in back shirt pockets. Each three hour leg was across a 3 mile bridge, with the only up and down hill, and 15 mile loops on the other side. While I only average a bit over 15 mph on the bike I checked myself every hour so my Garmin would tell me how I was doing. I also decided I'd go for 100 miles (I've done 112 in RRs, but that was 4 years ago).
I say my biggest issue is the smaller toes on my left foot from a decades old dislocated big toe (I hate the school nurse who saw the toe position and asked if it hurt. It didn't so she snapped "get back to class!") I trim the nails and put Vaseline on the three smallest and a foam tube over the middle toe. I've changed bike shoe pads but none are a silver bullet so I had a Dr. Sholes doted insert I've used several times. I used calf compressions and arm coolers. I should have had a bottle of water for my hydration and to cool my arms a bit. I learned. Hours 1-3 had me at 15-16 mph (%FTP around 65 and cadence in the low 70s). I felt I could do this all day. Of course in the head wind I'd loose but when I realized I was in a tail wind I'd get up in the 18-22 mph range. Foot pain came and went. I aimed to not take ibuprofen until after hour four. I generally was able to peddle as I took in hydration (FRS, Red Bull, Gatorade Endurance, Nuun tablets, and Coke) and nutrition (Gues, stinger chocolate wafers, shot blocks, FRS G-force chews). I'd put more in on my Garmin numbers but my receiver is a replacement and I don't think the basic data for the numbers is correct. I've done a bike test but not recalculated my base yet. Hours 4-6 were a challenge and somehow I dropped to a bit below 14 mph on two of the hours(?) I didn't do as well on nutrition in the later hours. I stopped to pee three times (and did a bit of small toe massage that seemed to help) and the last one was deep yellow so I drank at least every 10 minutes from that point on. Toe pain was back in the last hour. It took me 6.5 hours to get the 100 miles.
Toe pain usually eases up on the run but I have an interior left knee pain but it goes away in about 10 minutes on runs. I start at approximately 135 paces and move up to my goal of 145 - 150 paces which generally puts me in the registered upper zone 2. I do a bit over fours miles per hour. HR was usually in the upper zone 2 but would occasionally sneak up to high zone three! Not sure I look forward to next weeks 18 mile training day.
Drove home, cleaned up, feet up, hydration, more chocolate milk and i was kinda normal in two hours. Will start Saturdays four hour workout shortly.
Comments
Good inspiration for my 114 mile/8200' race rehearsal tomorrow.