posted Oct-09-2007 08:11 AM               

The weekend before last I ran my longest training run before the upcoming marathon, 21 miles. I ran the 21-miler in the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, along some of the dirt forest service roads. I worked out a 3-legged sort of out and back course that had me passing by the same intersection 3 times, so I wore my hydration belt with 4 8-ounce water bottles on it, and left both water and Gatorade at the intersection for refills as I passed by. Being Vermont I ended up with a bit over 1600' of climbing and, of course, 1600' of descending. I finished the 21 miles in about 3 1/2 hours. I was pretty tired, but not wiped out, and after cleaning up and eating a snack I strapped on my backpack and hiked about 3 1/2 miles along some old fire roads and then bushwhacked up to the ridge to connect with the Long Trail / Appalachian Trail and join my friends and fellow GMC members at Kid Gore Shelter to do some trail and shelter maintenance for the rest of the weekend.

I felt good on Sunday and hiked back out to the car with only the most minimal soreness. But after sitting at my desk at work all day on Monday, my left Achilles tendon was stiff and sore so I held Monday's run to a slow 2 miler. On Tuesday Jodi got stuck working late, then when she got home she still had to finish packing for her Wednesday morning flight to Mexico where she would be working through Sunday, so both our runs were cancelled as I helped her get her gear and other stuff together and finish up last-minute arrangements before she left.

The rest of the week should have been easy to get my runs in, but I had a bad week at work and I guess I just don't function well when my routines are changed, and I ended up blowing off all of my runs last week. I also can't be bothered cooking when it's just for myself. When I was raising my daughter I always cooked in order to provide her with a good meal. When Jodi is home I'll do my share of cooking because it's for the both of us. But when I'm home alone, it seems like way more trouble than it's worth. So half of my meals last week ended up consisting of a bagel and a beer or something equally as nutritious. On Friday night I did order a pizza, but consumed it accompanied by a couple more beers.

So Saturday morning dawns and I'm off to Hollis, New Hampshire to run the Applefest Half Marathon. It's a fall marathon in New England - cool, crisp days, beautiful foliage, rolling New England hills. Only it's not cool and crisp; it's hot and muggy. The race doesn't start until 10am, and I finished breakfast around 5:30. By the time we line up and the race starts, it's hot and I'm thinking how hungry I am.

The race uses chip timing, but there is only a finish mat and no starting mat. This always annoys me, because if I line up half way back where I should probably be based on my pace, I'm going to lose at least 30 or 45 seconds just getting to the starting line. So I line up closer to the front. It's a downhill start, so when the race goes off I start way too fast. I'm not worried about this as I know as the terrain levels out I'll settle back into my own pace, and I do. I'm feeling pretty good at the start, but a few miles into the race I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, I'm hot, and my heart rate is way too high. At this time it should only be in the high 140's, but I'm up in the mid-160's. When my heart rate is this high I feel funny, and I keep slowing down trying to bring it under control. I walk every water stop, drinking some and pouring more over my head. By the halfway point I don't even pretend that I'm enjoying anything about this race anymore. Then the hills start. I know I can run up these hills, I just have to ease up my pace a bit. But not today. The first steep hill totally kicks my butt and I find myself walking along the edge of the road. Damn! From here the race comes down to just enduring untilt he end. I keep checking the mileage and can't believe how much further I have to go. Each mile is slower than the last though my heart rate is still going up. Finally, the high school comes into sight. I think I'm sprinting the end, but it's not much of a sprint. I usually pick off a runner or two here, but not today. Finally, I'm over the finish line. I notice that I just made it under the 2 hour mark. And here I was hoping to break my NYC PR of 1:53:21. Ha!

I have to walk around and around the chip removal area for about 5 minutes before I can even sit down, but finally I do and manage to remove my chip. Then I'm off in search of Gatorade and water, and something to eat. There's no way I can stand in the long line at the refreshment tent, so I grab an apple crisp then go around to the end of the tent and grab a bottle of Gatorade. I lie on the grass in the shade for a good 15 minutes, then finally feel like I can eat. Still, it takes most of an hour for my heart rate to get back below 100.

What a dufus. A week of poor nutrition, poor hydration, and no exercise, and I go out on a hot day and try to run a half marathon. I think I got what I deserved, a day of suffering and pain.

Well, at least it wasn't the Chicago Marathon!

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I almost forgot the results!

1:59:29 gun time, 1:59:25 Garmin time.
353/968 OA
35/66 AG

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Allen Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com

[This message has been edited by affreeman (edited Oct-09-2007).]

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posted Oct-09-2007 01:59 PM            

You didn't mention the actual temps, but I assume it wasn't pretty.

I think we all need races like this to "learn" and re-learn what works and what doesn't work. So it actually was a success, even if unpleasant.

IP: Logged

posted Oct-10-2007 01:38 AM            

Take care of that Achilles now...

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choover

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posted Oct-10-2007 03:00 AM            

I ran the Portland Trails 10K in September and this was the case. To further complicate matters the race started on a rather narrow path. I casually mentioned to a runner next to me that I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't a start mat. Sometimes personal records and such come down to a matter of a few seconds.

I think if a race is going to have chip timing then the extra expense of having a start mat is worth it. At least it is to me.

That Half Marathon sounds like it was a real character builder. I had one of those when I ran the CHaD half marathon in August.

Hang in there!

IP: Logged

posted Oct-10-2007 08:03 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by enkephalin:
My guess (with my extremely limited experience with these things) is that it was mostly the heat/humidity sucking the life out of you. Second maybe to working on the wrong 6-pack the night before. I think the lack of runs the preceding days probably had little effect.

You didn't mention the actual temps, but I assume it wasn't pretty.

I think we all need races like this to "learn" and re-learn what works and what doesn't work. So it actually was a success, even if unpleasant.

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I agree that the heat was the main culprit. I'm not certain, but I'd guess the temps were mid-80's and it was quite humid. Also, the race didn't start until 10am so the sun was high in the sky. The organizers claimed the course was at least half in the shade, but I have my doubts. I finished with a pretty good burn on both shoulders, and this late in the year I don't think I'd get that from just an hour of October sun.

I also think that being so long from breakfast added to my dilemma. I should have brought a bagel or somethign to eat an hour or so before the race. And, of course, I should have laid off the beer Friday night and arrived better hydrated.

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Allen Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com

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posted Oct-10-2007 08:28 AM            

I've never done Applefest, mostly because the reports on the hills have sort of scared me off. I can do hills, but I don't have to like them! I'm glad I wasn't there in Saturday's heat...

Your 'tune-up' the week before sounds like one heck of a workout! It may be a good thing that you took some days off, just to recover from all that.

Almost any runner should back off their planned race pace to some extent when the conditions are hot and humid. Your body can't sustain your anticipated pace and stay anywhere near as cool as it should in those conditions, so your heart rate will elevate more than in good weather. So the heat, combined with your lack of adequate nutrition and poor hydration over the week preceding the race most likely did you in. But it was just a race, and you didn't get hurt, so take some learning from it (it sounds like you've already done that), and move on. What's next?

Jay

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posted Oct-10-2007 08:47 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Coastwalker:
What's next?

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Next is the Marine Corps Marathon. The "tune-up" you referred to that I ran the week before Applefest was my last and longest long run before the marathon. The Applefest Half was the beginning of my taper, with strict orders from the coach at my marathon training group to "run, not race" the half. But that's just impossible. Once the gun fires and the runners run, I'm racing, even if only against myself. Well, okay, I'm racing against myself and that guy that is _just_ ahead of me and who I know I can pick off if I try just a little bit harder.

I think this taper is going to drive me bonkers. Our upcoming long runs are 8 miles this Saturday, 6 miles next, then the marathon the next weekend. But the schedule has worked so far, so I am committed to following it.

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Allen Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com

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posted Oct-10-2007 03:11 PM               

Good luck at your marathon!

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Holly

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posted Oct-10-2007 03:56 PM            

I don't like to start that late either on days that might be hot, but Applefest has only had 2 hot years in 10 years and the other one was mid to high 70s the only year I got to run it.

The temp on the course was 83 to 88 depending where you were.

The 10 AM start is pretty much the best that can be done given the parking/shuttle requirements. People come from over 30 states to run it and while the locals can get their butt in gear. People from away don't always get there as easily.

The hills of AF are real but read the course description on the website. www.applefesthalfmarathon.com On a normal day the course is just challenging. I ran Baystate in 99 and it was just as much of death march that year.

As to start line mats for chip timing. Like it or not there are two reasons most chip races don't have starting line mats. The fact that "most" races don't have starting line mats should be an indication that it isn't an RD conspiracy.

First, having mats at the start is much more expensive and how much more depends on the width of the start.

You can get away with a normal set at the finish because runners are spread out as they approach and they aren't more that 2 or 3 wide at most at the finish.

A normal set is a primary mat and a backup mats about 15 to 20 feet behind the finish line.

You can take the finish mats to the start and have both mats side by side to give you width but even that is normally barely wide enough for a start.

If the start has no back up those mis read chips will default to gun time and then you have some runners who complain their buddies time was OK and theirs was gun time.

Applefest is very narrow and Applefest's attitude is quality so it is not going with go with no back up.

The other issue with using the finish line mats and moving them is that sometimes it takes a bit longer to get the chip recording mats and computers all working and synced up. If you use the same set of mats you create a failure window of breakdown, move and re-setup that doesn't exist for a normal flow. Good races happen because RDs avoid failure points.

If you can have mats at the start that you can use and breakdown and not have to use them at the finish, you don't run a risk.

Now, even if you offer to pay extra money and convince the RD to have the extra mats, there is a stopper which makes all of that meaningless information. There is not enough chip timing mats and computers in any geographic area for all the races that want it. On big race weekends (lots of chip races) the only way to have extra mats is to have them flown in and that is $$$$$$$$.

A big, large cash sponsored race like BAA half, hartford, CCM and some others can afford that, Applefest has to work mostly with entry fees.

It can take years for a race to even get the chip equipment to it's race. AF had to wait years to get chip equipment there and it was only because some other chip race changed it's weekend a few years ago.

IP: Logged

posted Oct-10-2007 05:07 PM               

I ran the relay this year but ran the full half the previous 2 years. The heat and definitely the humidity was a huge factor for me. Within the first two miles, I felt overheated and had to ease up on my pace and readjust my goals. I was extremely thankful that I had decided to do the relay this year, and also that I decided to do the first leg of the relay!!

I was able to see almost all the runners finish, and I can tell you that the runners finishing before the 2 hour mark were few and far between, compared to the steady stream of runners after 2 hours. I also saw more than one person receiving medical aid at the finish.

This is an extremely well organized half, probably the best one I've ever encountered. I'll be back next year.

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posted Oct-11-2007 09:18 AM            

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posted Oct-11-2007 10:11 AM            

In fact you have convinced me that this is a race to consider for next year!

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posted Oct-11-2007 10:28 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by La Tortuga:
In fact you have convinced me that this is a race to consider for next year!

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I think I will run it next year, too. I need to redeem myself.

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Allen Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com

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