Back to Work

I just discovered a wonderful side benefit to dropping out of a race - you don't really have to recover! Other than sore quads (from my lame attempt to "pound down the hills"), I feel no different than had I run a long run. I'm both happy and disappointed by this. Happy because I would have hated to take a three week taper and then have to take a week recovery for nothing, but disappointed because that means that I went all the way to Wisconsin for my long run :)

As this is the first week of summer, I have been sleeping in and running/walking/swimming later than my normal 5:20. This pattern will probably continue through next week as my husband is having surgery at Mayo, so we will spend most of the week in Scottsdale. I'm just going to have to be flexible and run when I can. Since I don't have another race planned until October (unless I can find something within driving distance), I'm not in a huge rush. It's kind of nice, but I'm feeling a little antsy. By this time last year, I'd run a marathon, a 100 miler, and a 24 Hour. I'm searching race calendars, hoping to find an ultra close by, but so far nothing. Living in the southwest allows you to run 365 days a year, but that doesn't mean that anyone wants to come down here to race! I may have to call Ronda and get some ideas on putting on my own running camp. She does one with her friends every year and it always sounds like such a blast. It would be a fun way to break up the training cycle until October.

On the learning front, I definitely figured out that I have to come up with an electrolyte drink I can stomach if I plan to run trails. The aid stations are just too far apart to rely on pure water. I hate sports drinks, so as a result, I only drink water and take E-Caps. I definitely think this contributed to my problems at KM100. My body just couldn't absorb so much straight water. I know this is one of those, "Well, duh!" things that has been talked about ad nauseum on the List, but I've always just used plain water and never had a problem. The key differences at other races, though, were that, a) conditions weren't so hot and humid; and b) I had access to aid much more often so it was much easier to correct a problem before it got serious. At KM, once I figured out I was in trouble, I had several miles to go before I could change my strategy. On trails, those several miles take a LONG time. Not only did I need more electrolytes, I also needed more calories. Anyway, for the next few months, I'm going to sample different sports drinks and see which one doesn't make me want to hurl! My next race is a 24 Hour, so it won't matter as much, but I'd like to figure it out during the hot months so that I will know for next time - not that I will ever run another 100 mile trail race :)

When you get a chance, hop over to Jamie's blog. She is in her final prep for Badwater. I am so excited for her! As I've mentioned, I really think she can win overall. She is such a tough runner, really focused and smart. I think it is going to be so fun to follow!

Happy running!