Never say never,
It was EPIC! Here are my running thoughts.....
- easier than I thought physically
- more mental than physical
- sleep is overrated
- have a group to do it with, even virtually, we had 7, and the texts were motivating, funny and kept us all going.
- strength training helps! Between our Gladiator BINGO and Squatober the extra strength was key to feeling solid all the way. My quads were never blown, just fatigued.
- rest a few days going into it, not off but dial it back a bit
- try and bank sleep, especially the previous night.
- you will have to do laundry
- use multiple shoes; I cycled through 3 pairs
- mix up your surfaces, I did 3 on trails, and those felt so good.
- stay in the moment, don't ask, "how many more runs do I have?"
- take 5 min to foam roll, hypervolt, stretch after each run
- mindful hydration. Post EVERY run, I drank 24oz with 2x NUUN tablets.
- after the 9:30pm and 1:30am- drank 150 cal Vega protein shake- 30g protein and amino acids
- buy or borrow Normatec's - they definitely helped!
- Epsom salt bath, I took 2, and that was helpful
- don't ever sit more than 30 min or you will regret it
- carb-up / calorie up the week of, as you do for an Ironman
- laugh a lot
- have a good headlamp and reflective gear, its DAF at 1:30, and we had a full moon
- lube your feet. NO blisters. I used Aquaphor before every run,
- pace yourself; if you feel restless or like, this is too easy, crush the last 4,8 or 12 miles. We went hard mile 40-44 and then enjoyed the last 4.
- We started at 5:30pm on a Friday, so we finished Sunday afternoon. I definitely recommend a start time around this time, finishing midday is great, you can celebrate, go out to eat and enjoy the experience. Versus starting at 4:30AM and finishing at midnight, you will not sleep right away, and it's anti-climatic to finish so late.
- Plan to do laundry or have 12 outfits + 12 pairs of socks + hats/hairbands - nothing dries out in 3 +hours.
- know your body, especially your gut. My running belly is sensitive; you will see by my food log, nothing too crazy, and I had 0 GI issues and no blow outs, which is a slight miracle for me.
Here is how it went down
I mostly went for flat runs; I live in all hills and thus drove to many runs. The night runs, I ran from home. Pacing, this is around my Ironman run pace, so all-day comfortable pace, I let the fatigue come on its own.
I slept 10 hours Sunday night and woke up stiff and tired. I swam and walked the dogs and felt too much better! Starving all day, much like post-Ironman.
Monday night, another 9 hours, and then went for a short run this AM. I am feeling pretty good. Spin on the bike, and I feel even better.
