Buttsweat Towel© season has begun

100F, S 13 mph. When I got in my car to go to the race at 8pm, it was 104, but apparently just a nice cool 100 for the 9pm start.

This race had 3 and 6 hour options. There were maybe 60 people total, with the majority probably doing 3 hours but the 6 hour race had quite a few too -- lots of Marathon Maniacs came out for a rare Friday marathon. There was a 1-mile course (which was refreshingly accurate by my Garmin) and the goal was to complete as many laps as you could.

The big question mark for me was how do I pace myself in 100-degree heat? I mean, I knew it would be a lot slower than MP, but how much - 30 seconds, a minute, 90 seconds? My battle was trying to feel out a pace that wouldn't kill me, but still not waste too much time.

The race started at a nice slow pace and I was in the lead pack of 6 for the first 2 miles. I was relieved no one was going fast because I might have been stupid enough to follow. Actually the pack broke up a little after that; 3 guys dropped back, 1 took off, and me and Ironman (he was decked out in Ironman gear, complete with skimpy Ironman-labeled shorts) ran together for the next couple miles until I dropped him at a water stop. For hydration, it was good we had a 1-mile loop because there was an aid station every mile. At this point I was taking 1 cup each time around. It felt miserably hot but the pace felt doable so far.

Miles 8-14: 8:11, 8:11, 8:16, 8:13, 8:30, 8:42, 8:29. About the time I started this portion, the timing people told me I was in the lead, so either the guy in front dropped out or he was in the 6-hour race. Right after that I heard someone come up right behind me. Ironman had caught back up. He stayed on my heels for a mile, then passed me. I sorta tried to keep up but it felt like too much so I let him drop me. At this point (mile 12-ish) I was getting thirsty and tired too. I started walking through the aid station each time, grabbing 2 or 3 cups and walking while I guzzled them down. With this new approach, miles 12-14 were slow, as I took it easy running too, but I managed to get a bit of a second wind.

Miles 15-22: 8:13, 8:06, 8:15, 8:11, 8:22, 8:29, 8:38, 8:32. I was 1:56:xx at 14 miles and saw that there was a chance I could finish 22. Picked up the pace for a few miles and started to overheat. I was giving myself little pat-downs to make sure I was still sweating, and I was getting a bit dry. And crusted with salt. Anyway, heat-induced apathy set in and I slogged to mile 21. Then they told me that I could run mile 22 since I started it before 3 hours. I was devastated that I had to do another mile. Like, completely crushed. Anyway, I finished behind Ironman, but he kept going - he was in the 6-hour event! So, I had myself a (somewhat hollow) victory. Kudos to the 2 guys who ran faster and farther. So I got a gift card to Academy worth a little more than the race fee - bonus!

When we finished, they announced the temperature was 95. Somehow that felt cool at the time. I drank a ton of liquids after I was done. I felt as if I had run a marathon, but fortunately today my legs aren't marathon-sore. Just long-run sore. I guess the heat helped in that respect -- slower miles = quicker recovery. I weighed myself this morning (after I thought I re-hydrated) and I was at 143. The lowest I have ever seen in my adult life is 148, so kind of freaky. I probably wouldn't do another run like this, but I'm glad I did this once.

Buttsweat Towel© season has begun

Summer Solstice 3-hour Endurance Run