Rhett

Death Valley Trail Marathon

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Location:

Lake Havasu City,AZ,

Member Since:

Sep 29, 2008

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

23 marathons

6 Bostons (2007-2011, 2017)

3 Half Ironmans

2 Ironmans

3 50 Milers

1 Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim

Marathon PR:

     2:59:00 St. George 2008

     2:58:03 Boston 2010

 1/2 Marathon PR:

     1:25:41  Havasu Half 2009

     1:24:09 Painter's St.George 2010

 Half Ironman PR:

      5:25:02  HITS Havasu 2014

5K PR:

       18:23  LHC Turkey Trot 2014

        18:22  LHC Turkey Trot 2017

50 mile PR:

        7:56:14 Avalon50 2016

Short-Term Running Goals:

Break 3 hours again

Doing it a Boston would be sweet!

It was sweet!

UPCOMING RACES

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

Have fun!

 

Personal:

Married

4 kids

Optometrist

 

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Salomon Sense Pro 4 Lifetime Miles: 320.00
Salomon Ultra Pro Lifetime Miles: 387.00
NB 1500 V6 Lifetime Miles: 219.00
Adizero Pro Lifetime Miles: 57.00
Hoka Clifton 8 Lifetime Miles: 346.00
Brooks Ghost 14 Lifetime Miles: 343.00
Brooks Ghost 14 #3 Lifetime Miles: 163.00
Inov8 G270 Lifetime Miles: 20.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
7.0035.200.000.000.0042.20
HyperSpeed3 Miles: 13.00Addidas Bostons Miles: 28.20
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.009.000.000.000.0013.00

TM MP Tempo run

2 mile warm up @ 8:00

9 miles mp @ 6:40

2 mile cool down @ 8:00

13 miles 1:32:00 

Still recoverining from the fast half 9 days ago, but felt pretty good once I got into a rythm.

PM- 30 minutes jump roping in my Vibram 5 fingers.  That really worked my calfs big time.

HyperSpeed3 Miles: 13.00
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Lower body weights

Ab and core work

12 minutes stair speed intervals at which time my left calf started hurting (probably from the jump roping last night) so I quickly stopped and switched over to the elliptical for 20 more minutes.  That felt much better.  With my marathon coming up this Saturday, I figured I better not press my luck.

PM- upper body weights and ab work while watching the Cougs dismantel TCU

Comments(8)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
1.000.000.000.000.001.00

Today was mile repeat day.

I started with my normal warm up.  My left calf felt a bit tight, but I figured it would loosen up as I warmed up.  Instead it only seemed to get worse, so I aborted todays run just past the one mile mark.

Elliptical 20 minutes

Stationary bike 40 minutes

Iced my my calf when I got home.  It feels fine now walking around the office.  I hope it is just a little muscle strain that will be better in a day or 2.

Comments(8)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Still feeling a slight twinge in the left calf walking this morning, so I avoided all calf work today.

Lower body weights, minus calf work

Ab and core work

30 minutes stationary bike

Comments(6)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
2.000.000.000.000.002.00

I decided I better go out for an easy test run this morning, so I did 2 easy miles.  I was really worried at the start, but I never had any sharp pains or much pain at all in the calf.  It did feel funny though.  And I definitely had the feeling that if I had started running fast, something might pop.  I'll say I was at 80% this morning.  If I can get another 10% improvement by tomorrow morning, I should be good to go for a nice easy flat (I'm now glad they had to change the course to the flat one.) marathon.  I'll just have to be really carefull that if it starts to hurt, I stop immediately.  I hate taking a DNF, but it would be better than being laid up for the next few months.  Anyways, I'm heading to Death Valley this afternoon.  I'll report back after I get home.

Addidas Bostons Miles: 2.00
Comments(10)
Race: Death Valley Trail Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:08:53, Place overall: 5, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.0026.200.000.000.0026.20

As many of you know, I strained my calf pretty good on Tuesday and was not sure if I was going to race this race.  Friday morning I gave it a 2 mile test run, and I was still not sure if I was going to race.  I knew this wasn't a goal race and I definitely did not want to cause any serious injury.  

All day Friday I kept changing my mind if I was going to race or not.  I must have definitely decided to race or not to race 20 times.  I also had the option of switching down to the 30K, which I decided to do a few times as well.  I figured I better carb load since I could be possibly running a marathon the next day.  As I ate I laughed that I might just be making myself fat, since I might not run.  Pancakes at IHOP was my carb loading dinner.  YUM!

We made it to Death Valley about 8 pm  and settled into our little hotel room.  After getting in bed I laid there debating on wether or not to run.  I decided I would get up in the morning for a test run and that if it felt the same as it did when I ran Friday morning, that I would not run and would just spend a fun day with the family in Death Valley.  If it felt better than it did Friday morning, but not 100% I would do the 30K, and if it felt 100% I would do the full marathon.  As I dosed off, I fully expected that I would be doing the 30K.  

I slept really well and then got up about 5:30 and went for my test run.  To my utter surprise, I had zero pain or tightness or discomfort of any kind.  I even did a few sprints just to make sure and it was all good.

Doone and the kids dropped me off at the race and I met some nice runners.  Runners have to be the most friendly people in the world.  It's like you are instant buddies with all these people you've never met before and will probably never meet again.  They bussed us the the race start.  We were running the alternate course on a dirt/gravel road that runs through the lowest place in northern hemisphere.  It was very flat, but the road was seriously rutted and the gravel rocks were big and hurt your feet.  It was hard to ever land properly.

I had no real goal except to get in a good training run, have fun, not injure myself, and not be sore the next day so I could continue my Boston training.  My game plan was to find someone running a nice easy pace and run with them.  I did just that, running with a nice guy from LA.  We were hitting pretty consistent 7 minute miles and I was surprised when we hit the turn around at 1:32:00 and we were tied for 4th place.  We headed back and our pace picked up a bit, running in the 6:50s until at the 20 mile aid station I missed the water and stopped and went back to get some.  By the time I got going again he was a good 50 yards ahead of me.  I thought about speeding up and catching him as I was still feeling good, but then my mantra "Training Run" popped into my head and I decided this was a good time to let him go and just coast in for the final 6 miles.  I did just that averaging a little over 8 minute miles for the last 6 and finished in 3:08:53 feeling really good and happy with my effort.  

I ended up getting 5th overall and 2nd in my AG.

I spent a fun afternoon with my family seeing Death Valley.  We decided we needed to come back when we had a few days to spend.  The kids had a blast that morning playing in the sand dunes and doing a few other things.

My legs feel great today.  I have absolutely no soreness or discomfort anywhere.  And I am still amazed how my calf improved overnight.  I'm going to be careful with it the next week or two though. 

Addidas Bostons Miles: 26.20
Comments(17)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
7.0035.200.000.000.0042.20
HyperSpeed3 Miles: 13.00Addidas Bostons Miles: 28.20
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