My Journey to 50 miles (2nd attempt)... (comments welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

Hoping for positive news. Make sure to take it easy upon returning to run. You haven’t missed much time. So don’t try and make up for it.

 

[GollyGadget]

The most important thing is to get to the start line healthy. Take whatever recovery time you need when you're sick so that you can get back to 100%.

 

[disneygpa]

Really hope you both feel better soon

Hoping for positive news. Make sure to take it easy upon returning to run. You haven’t missed much time. So don’t try and make up for it.

The most important thing is to get to the start line healthy. Take whatever recovery time you need when you're sick so that you can get back to 100%.

Thanks everyone! Other than tomorrows T-pace run everything I have left on my plan should be pretty easy. I'm going to go ahead and try the T-pace run and see how it goes. If it feels bad, I'll just do an easy run and call it good. I managed to go out and get my EB run done this morning and it went pretty well. I think I'm on the mend.

Donna is getting a little nervous about the shoulder surgery. Everyone that's had it says it's super painful to recover from. But I keep telling her she's tougher than all of them!! We both did find it weird that they aren't going to repair the torn bicep. Apparently, that is considered cosmetic surgery?!! Go figure.

 

[disneygpa]

So! This is the beginning of the last week of training. Only a few easy runs left.

Donna's surgery went well. She's recovering fairly well. She says today (Monday) has been the worst day. She is feeling drained and is tired of trying to do things left handed. The pain hasn't been super bad for her. Overall she's doing well. But I think she's mostly tired of being broken and wants to get fixed.

Sinuses are still a little funky following the cold. It only gets bad when I bend over or when I'm running. Then my nose gets a little on the runny side.

Last Wednesday the 27th. T+D 149. 4 miles @ EB + (no) strides. Cold must have still been a little bad. I made a note about my nose still running. Run was good. No real issues.



Last Thursday the 28th. T-pace run. T+D 146. Well, this one started off on the wrong foot. On my hard runs I try to eat a granola bar w/ peanut butter before I run. I forgot to eat it. I had a GU at 3 miles or so and lots of water/gatorade mix. I really like the T-pace runs. I'm not sure if my next training plan will include them but I definitely like them!



Last Friday the 29th 3 miles @ EA. T+D 147. Tried a new pair of socks out today. They will be going to Goodwill. I ended up with hot spots on both heals. Fortunately no blisters though! Run was easy.



Sunday the 1st! It's freaking October already! Wow!! 4 miles @ EA. T+D 149. Took off knowing that I could get wet and Florida didn't disappoint. Started off about 3 minutes into the run with a light sprinkle and by the end of the first mile I was running through puddles 2 inches deep. Those FL downpours are no joke. Fortunately there wasn't any lightning. Run was easy and I made a note that the knee was nearly pain free. For some reason my Garmin recorded 490ft of elevation gain. I'm pretty sure that I could run from here to Tampa and not have 490ft of elevation gain.



Today the 2nd! 6 miles @ EB+(no) strides. T+D 143. I'm really hoping that the weather might cool down just a bit before this coming Sunday. Run was good! I made a note that the knee was pain free after the run. But as I sit here typing it's a little achy. Very little but still a bit.

 

[disneygpa]

This week must have been taper week because every little ache and pain seemed to flare up at one point or another and even some new aches and pains that I hadn't felt before.

The weather has cooled a bit down in FL. I haven't felt like my skin was boiling during a run in at least a couple of weeks! Yay!!

Wednesday the 4th. 4.5 miles @ EA. T+D 143. Nice easy run. According to my Garmin VO2 max increased one point today.



Thursday the 5th. 3.5 miles @ EB + (no) strides. T+D 147 The only thing of note was that I ended up running in the rain again. Not a nice gentle cooling drizzle. A full-on FL dumping. Still a great run! I decided between the rain and the fact that I race in a few days to not try the strides again.



Friday the 6th. 2.5 miles @ EA. T+D 146. Nothing really to note except that this is my last run before the race on Sunday.



And that brings to a close another @DopeyBadger training plan. If my calculations are correct, I did 93% of plan. I missed a couple of runs because of laziness and then I think 3 with the wicked head cold. I feel like I've made a lot of progress during this training plan! Other than the slight ache in the left knee I feel like I'm in pretty good shape... I think.

Rock n Roll half is on Sunday in Clearwater FL. I've never been to the Tampa area, so we are heading over fairly early Saturday morning, hit the running Expo and then spend the night. I'm still debating on taking an Uber to the race or go down and try to find a parking spot in an unfamiliar area. I think I'll make that decision after I see how the Expo parking goes. The plan is to do a little sightseeing Saturday and then again, a little more on Sunday after the race if Donna is up to it. She's doing pretty good so far. Pain has been pretty minimal, and she's really done a good job of keeping her shoulder still.

I'm a little nervous about this race. The last half I did for time was 2019. Every other race I've done since then was just to survive or I've run it with Donna/grandkids. I love running races with her but this one is going to be just for me. I don't really have a game plan other than to try and maintain my half pace and enjoy the scenery and hopefully good music as much as I can.

 

[RuntheMouse]

I'm a little nervous about this race. The last half I did for time was 2019. Every other race I've done since then was just to survive or I've run it with Donna/grandkids. I love running races with her but this one is going to be just for me. I don't really have a game plan other than to try and maintain my half pace and enjoy the scenery and hopefully good music as much as I can.

Enjoy your race! With a good training block behind you you’re going to do great.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Ease into the race pace. It's more fun to go slow at the start and finish fast, then it is to start fast and fade to the finish even if the final time is the same either way. Have fun!

 

[striker1064]

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[azrivest]

Have fun! Hope you get nice weather

 

[Naomeri]

Good luck!

 

[GollyGadget]

Enjoy your victory lap!

 

[NYC_MW]

Enjoy!

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Good luck!

Ease into the race pace. It's more fun to go slow at the start and finish fast, then it is to start fast and fade to the finish even if the final time is the same either way. Have fun!

^ THIS. I have made the mistake of starting out too fast in the excitement, and yeah, don't do that

 

[disneygpa]

Thanks for all the encouragement!

If I had one word to describe the race itself it would be "frustrating".

But first the plus side.

The weather was amazing! T+D was 123, nice cool breeze when we weren't in amongst the buildings. The scenery was nice as we ran across three causeways and along the Gulf coast. The causeways will come in later as a problem.

I got to Coachman Park pretty early as I realized parking was going to be an issue after attending the expo on Saturday. I took a nap in my truck until about 45 min before race time. Then I got out and started walking to warm up, then did some warm up stretching and followed that up with a some short very slow jogs up and down the closed street. After that I went back to my truck and had a granola bar and peanut butter and hit the important bathroom break.

Next I headed to the start corral. I was in the 6th corral and it was already packed by the time I got there. I squeezed into the back of the pack and tried some deep breathing to relax. For some reason I was really anxious about this race. It took about 20 minutes for our corral to make it to the start line and by the time we started I felt like I needed to potty again. I guess I may have drank too much water pre race.

Ease into the race pace. It's more fun to go slow at the start and finish fast, then it is to start fast and fade to the finish even if the final time is the same either way. Have fun!

I really should have read this prior to the race. The initial start is a gradual climb up the first causeway. I felt like I was running pretty well and finished my first mile at 11:00. This was a little fast, about 28 seconds. I made up for it by having to stop at the potty again during the second mile. Apparently I wasn't the only one as it took a bit to take care of that. The second mile ended up considerably slower because of the wait.

Miles 3-9 went pretty well. I settled into a decent pace and I was feeling pretty strong as I ran up the 3rd causeway. As I crested the causeway my right calf started to cramp. Well fudge, this wasn't good. I tried to run through the cramp and I was doing okay on the downhill side of the causeway. But, there was another uphill following the causeway. Going up that hill both left and right calf decided to start cramping. I stopped and stretched them and this helped for a bit. But I knew that at some point I would end up being mostly a walker if this continued.

I had plans to meet with Donna prior to 9:30am at a location that was along our path and at the end of the road going to our hotel. A quick aside on the hotel. We stayed at The Belleview Inn. Originally built in 1897, it was beautifully remodeled and had an amazing history of celebrities and politicians as well as a great story about how it had been moved 300 ft and turned 90 degrees. The only downside to the hotel was, no restaurant and the pillows on the bed were horribly uncomfortable which led to a rough night of sleep especially for Donna and trying to keep her shoulder propped up. If you're ever in the Clearwater area and need a place to stay, I'd recommend it but bring your own pillow.

I was able to push through the 10th and 11th mile in decent shape. I met up with Donna just after our 9:30am agreed time. I'm really happy she waited for me. After I left her I was basically run walking the rest. I would run until my calves would cramp and then walk until the cramp went away. The walks eventually become longer than the runs. I was extremely frustrated at this point. I felt strong, the weather was great, my breathing had been great but, my cramps just wouldn't let me run for long.

I finished unofficially at 2:42:53. I gotta say I'm pretty disappointed with my time. I felt like I was ready to run under 2:30. And the fact that I felt good other than the cramps made the run even more frustrating. Sigh.....



So, what to do now. Well... first I feel like I need to figure out how to keep my calves from cramping. Strength training, hydration, stretching or is there something missing from my nutrition? Maybe I need to do all of the above. I just don't really know at this point. Suggestions would be appreciated.

I still want to run the 50 mile race. I've already reached out for a new training plan. I'm going to start run/walking which should help me be successful in finishing the run.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Miles 3-9 went pretty well. I settled into a decent pace and I was feeling pretty strong as I ran up the 3rd causeway. As I crested the causeway my right calf started to cramp. Well fudge, this wasn't good. I tried to run through the cramp and I was doing okay on the downhill side of the causeway. But, there was another uphill following the causeway. Going up that hill both left and right calf decided to start cramping. I stopped and stretched them and this helped for a bit. But I knew that at some point I would end up being mostly a walker if this continued.

Describe the cramp to me. Do you think it's fatigue induced or a lack of electrolytes induced? Based on below, I'm thinking fatigue.

I finished unofficially at 2:42:53. I gotta say I'm pretty disappointed with my time. I felt like I was ready to run under 2:30. And the fact that I felt good other than the cramps made the run even more frustrating. Sigh.....

I think the GAP of the pace played some role. The GAP vs AP difference was 4-17 sec for the race depending on which Strava profile I look at. The race was either 26-57 ft/mile (350-700 total feet) which is a lot more hills than your recent 9.5 miler on 9/11 at 92 ft (or 9 ft/mi). So the race was much hillier than you're used to even on the low end. Goal HM pace was around 11:18 + a little for the temps. But adjust 4-17 sec/mi on the GAP and you're looking at aiming for 11:25-11:40 to be around the same as flat.

These are some Strava Premium members around the same pace as you and they show the GAP difference.





Mile 4-10 sticks out as the challenging part of the course. So the 10:58 min/mile you ran in Mile 4 was more like a 10:30 min/mile actual pace on flat ground. That's just a hair above 5k pace for you. So you really overcooked the legs on the hills and then you suffered hard afterwards. So the cramps you experienced were likely fatigue induced and not nutrition based.

 

[disneygpa]

Describe the cramp to me. Do you think it's fatigue induced or a lack of electrolytes induced? Based on below, I'm thinking fatigue.



I think the GAP of the pace played some role. The GAP vs AP difference was 4-17 sec for the race depending on which Strava profile I look at. The race was either 26-57 ft/mile (350-700 total feet) which is a lot more hills than your recent 9.5 miler on 9/11 at 92 ft (or 9 ft/mi). So the race was much hillier than you're used to even on the low end. Goal HM pace was around 11:18 + a little for the temps. But adjust 4-17 sec/mi on the GAP and you're looking at aiming for 11:25-11:40 to be around the same as flat.

These are some Strava Premium members around the same pace as you and they show the GAP difference.

View attachment 800409

View attachment 800410

Mile 4-10 sticks out as the challenging part of the course. So the 10:58 min/mile you ran in Mile 4 was more like a 10:30 min/mile actual pace on flat ground. That's just a hair above 5k pace for you. So you really overcooked the legs on the hills and then you suffered hard afterwards. So the cramps you experienced were likely fatigue induced and not nutrition based.

I definitely feel like it was fatigue. I didn't realize that the causeways were nearly 100ft each and that we would be crossing 3 of them. The added elevation gain was kind of a surprise. Post race I think it would have been wise to power walk the uphill of the causeway. In between the causeways the run was basically flat with the exception of the uphill on mile 10. My Garmin recorded 400ft of elevation gain. I couldn't find an elevation profile pre race as this was the inaugural run there wasn't much info out there on it.

I don't really think it was hydration or fuel. I'd had no problems with the exact same fuel/hydration during the 9.5 mile training runs in significantly hotter T+D. And like I said. Other than the cramps, I felt strong. Which is probably why I feel so frustrated by the outcome.

 

[GollyGadget]

A few tips for next time, find some hills to run in your daily runs. These don’t have to be “hill” workouts but just running easy up hills regularly will help. I currently live in a very flat area so it can be a hassle but I try to be mindful of finding some elevation weekly.

Second, even if it’s the inaugural, most races will post a route. You can plot that out in Google maps to find the elevation. This way you’ll know what you’ve signed up for and can be better prepared.

 

[disneygpa]

A few tips for next time, find some hills to run in your daily runs. These don’t have to be “hill” workouts but just running easy up hills regularly will help. I currently live in a very flat area so it can be a hassle but I try to be mindful of finding some elevation weekly.

Second, even if it’s the inaugural, most races will post a route. You can plot that out in Google maps to find the elevation. This way you’ll know what you’ve signed up for and can be better prepared.

Thanks for the suggestions. I definitely think I'll need some hill training in the future. I have a very similar causeway near the house and I think I'll start doing at least one of my weekly runs down there.

I know I'm going to sound old here. But, how do you see the elevation gain on Google maps?

 

[azrivest]

how do you see the elevation gain on Google maps?

If you map out a walking route on Google maps, it'll give you the estimated elevation:

 

[GollyGadget]

I can never find the elevation for walking so I always use cycling. Below is a screenshot of biking directions from the library to the local university. The elevation change is right above the actual directions.