I can blame a poor showing on the fact that I did a sprint triathlon the day before this trial. Or I can say that I was sick for almost a week and a half before the run.
Or, even, I could stick it to the fact that I was still running up till three days before. Well, despite how legitimate this laundry-list of reasons may be, not one of them is an excuse.I knew better than to do a tri the day before. I know to give myself at least a full weeks rest. I also know that if I've been sick that I need to push back the date for an upcoming trial. In short, I trained harder not smarter. Cliché, I know...but there's a lot of truth in it.
So here's how Trial III brought the hurt:
The day began at six AM when I woke up in Alexandria, LA. I spent most of the morning mulling around the house and gradually getting my stuff together. I finally got back to Baton Rouge around five and quickly got my nutrition ready and then headed out the door for Mass. After a beautiful Palm Sunday Mass, Dave, Brian and I headed off for Natchez while rocking to various techno mixes.
We officially started running just before ten o'clock...a little later than we'd planned for, but then again we were going to be running all night anyway, so it didn't really matter.
Nutrition:
I've got a problem with this side of the race and in a big way. Yeah, I've nailed down the formula for what my stomach can handle, but I don't always want to eat. Pat Fellows has assured me than on race day he will be taking charge of this and demanding that I eat ever half hour, like it or not. I didn't eat nearly enough on this run. I had a huge bowl of pasta pre-run, but during I only went through a few chips, two bananas, some peanuts, a Pediasure, and some Dr. Pepper.
Night Life:
Running through the night is very odd...especially on the Trace. I'm essentially running through the woods. I couldn't see more than maybe 15 feet in front of me, so I heard EVERYTHING. We saw (heard mostly) deer everywhere and there was one very nerve-wracking encounter with a skunk on the side of the road. Also, the Park Service had apparently prescribed a control burn along a section of the road this night. So to add to the already slightly creepy sensation of running through the woods at night, we were now running through thick clouds of moon-lit smoke. I think Dave was more nervous than I was, but all in all a very memorable evening.
The Toughest Hour:
Hour 5:30-6:30 was brutal. I could tell at the starting line that my legs were a little bit tired. I could still feel the affects of doing the sprint triathlon the day before, but was optimistic that it wouldn't be a big deal and that a nice easy stride would eventually lull the tired sensation away. Well, at mile 30 I knew I was in trouble. My legs were more than slightly wary and I wasn't very sure how much longer I would last. When we reached mile 32, I found out. My quads would seize up on me and then suddenly release, leaving me unable to stand very well. So Dave and Brian confered on the situation and decided that we needed to call it an evening. I climbed into the back of the truck, dejected, and promptly fell asleep as we headed back to Baton Rouge.
What We Know:
We made the right decision by throwing in the towel. Really, this run was to acclimate to running on the Trace at night. After six and a half hours, we had a good idea of what to expect. Continuing to run while I was hurt wouldn't do anything constructive. It would only increase the amount of time I would need to heal and possible screw up me being ready on race day. We know that I can get close to 50 miles and beyond. Killing myself on this night would have just made things worse. However, let's not pretend like I feel good about this. Save yourself some trouble and don't even begin to try and console me...it ain't happening. For better or worse, this was the right thing, but I still feel terrible about it.
This week is nothing but rest and mild bike rides. We start again next week with more training and the beginning of tapering towards April 25th. Not to sound too Doomsday-ish, but the end is near.
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