Rhett

Weekly review 

1 week

It's race week!  I love the pre-race feeling of race week, nervous yet excited, happy to be getting extra rest but missing the training, checking the weather constantly, making packing lists, and feeling lean and mean. I'm happy to report being as close to health as ever before a big race. My ribs are improving still and won't effect my race unless I start coughing a lot. My legs feel great though. 
 

This past week I got in 35 miles finishing with a 12 miler in the mountains. I also rode my bike trainer 4 times for a total of 2 1/2 hours. 3 of those rides were in around 100 temps, trying to build my heat tolerance. 
 

This week will be nice and short with a rest day Friday and the big race, 50 miles on my 50th birthday Saturday!!!!
 

5 days

AM. I got in a nice little 6 mile run with a litlle over 500 feet elevation gain.  I kept the effort on the hard side of easy.  It was a good shake out run to start off race week.

PM. I thought about a spin on the bike trainer but decided to just relax and do some core, stretching, and massage tonight. 

4 days

AM. 15 minute spin on the bike trainer to get my blood pumping for the day. 
Lunch. 2 mile walk. Felt nice. 
PM. 3 1/2 mile mountain hike with almost 1000 feet elevation gain. 

3 days

AM. 45 minute spin on the bike trainer.  My left calf felt a little tight last night so I decided to just ride today and give my calves a break.  It's feeling pretty good right now. Tonight I'll just do some core, stretching, and massage.

2 days

AM. 4 mile hilly tune up run. Everything felt good!! Now I just have to show up and run the race. We'll be taking off early this afternoon and heading to Albuquerque tonight. Then tomorrow Doone and I will head over to Los Alamos. 
 

1 day!!!!!!

Its race day eve!  I'm feeling healthy, fit, lean, and ready to race. 
After sleeping in this morning, I ate a large breakfast then went down to the hotel fitness center for a quick easy 15 minute spin on the stationary bike followed by some stretching, then massage with my massage gun. 
 

I'm just chilling in my room watching sports center right now. Soon I've got to pack up and we'll head to Los Alamos. We're in Albuquerque now. 

Race Day... Jemez Mountain 50....miles or kilometers?????

All started off well.  I felt 100% and strong.  It was a beautiful morning.  I ran nice and easy.  I stayed with my hydration/nutrition plan that I had practiced in all my long runs leading up to the race.  The climbe up the black diamond ski slope at mile 16 was killer.  It took a full 30 minutes for one mile and that was without stopping.  Then I got to desend. I did wipe out once but didn't hurt myself too bad.  I was still feeling good and taking it easy through 25 and then around 26 all of the sudden I got nauseous.  I sat down for 5 minutes and gathered myself and then continued on.  The next 8 miles were brutal climbing out of a canyon with the sun beating on me.  I ran out of water at mile 31 and still had 3 miles to go to the aid staion.  I was walking slowly and threw up a couple times.  I finally made it to the mile 34 aid staion and hoped to sit down for a while and gather myself and continue on, but the nausea just got worse and I couldn't stop throwing up so after an hour and a half at the aid station, I called it a day.  Doone was able to drive and pick me up at the aid staion and we went back to the hotel where I continued to feel nauseous and throwing up for aboout 6 more hours, then I was suddenly fine. 

Sunday morning I woke up feel super hungry but otherwise fine.  My legs are not sore even a little bit.  I'm just perplexed as to why this keeps happening on race days when I training I ran farther, faster, using the exact same nutrition/hydration with no problems at all.  It's very frustating.

I did go 55 K for my 50th birthday!!!