Stalking 50

+1, too too.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Me likey too!  Nice work, Mark.

Thanks, Michele! I have been puzzling over the slowdown this spring, and I think it was because I was in the middle of my build period. I was asking my body to do different things. Now it has adapted.

ounce wrote:+1, too too.

Thanks, Oz! Aside from what I wrote above, I also think this test today is an advertisement for the benefits of taper, as well as proof that it was not such a bad idea to let my body run at even lower heart rates these past couple of months. In fact, it may have helped.

Looks like things have come together nicely!!!  Good work!!

PS...I'll take the 58 and muggy

Nick Morris wrote:Looks like things have come together nicely!!!  Good work!!

Nick Morris wrote:PS...I'll take the 58 and muggy

Thanks, Nick! So far, so good. We'll put the whole philosophy to the test on Saturday! (Gulp!)

At the moment, I'm trying to not get too twitchy as I search the house for appropriate items to use for drop bags. And then deciding what needs to go in them, then second-guessing, etc. Good times!

Oh, the 58 and muggy worked out pretty well this morning. I wasn't wild about the winds, but it probably helped keep me a little cooler, which may have ended up helping more than hindering me.

The forecast for Saturday are, either: low of 43, high of 81; low of 47, high of 68: or low of 48, high of 72. Sunny in all instances but otherwise all over the map.

It is YOUR race week!
• You have trained well - rest and get your drop bags ready.
• The weather will be what it will be.
• You know what happens when you start a marathon too fast - the end result is exponentially worse at an ultra.
• Let them take off fast and just relax as they scurry away.
• Easy pace, on time hydration, electrolytes and fuel will get you to the finish.
• You WILL have a bad patch sometime during the race, but it is not forever - kick your butt and keep going!
• Did I mention keeping track of hydration, etc.? Be careless and you will pay a serious price!
• Get from A to B and don't worry about your time (well, finish before the cutoff you lazy guy!)
• Shoot a little video report after the race and then write a detailed (as detailed as Wendy-style) race report - oh, wait you ARE a reporter - now PROVE IT!
• Have fun and I want more details when we visit next month!
• Be smart.

And don't fall down.

Yeah, that too!

charles.moman wrote:It is YOUR race week!
• You have trained well - rest and get your drop bags ready.
• The weather will be what it will be.
• You know what happens when you start a marathon too fast - the end result is exponentially worse at an ultra.
• Let them take off fast and just relax as they scurry away.
• Easy pace, on time hydration, electrolytes and fuel will get you to the finish.
• You WILL have a bad patch sometime during the race, but it is not forever - kick your butt and keep going!
• Did I mention keeping track of hydration, etc.? Be careless and you will pay a serious price!
• Get from A to B and don't worry about your time (well, finish before the cutoff you lazy guy!)
• Shoot a little video report after the race and then write a detailed (as detailed as Wendy-style) race report - oh, wait you ARE a reporter - now PROVE IT!
• Have fun and I want more details when we visit next month!
• Be smart.

All great advice, Charles, thanks! I've been thinking my way through the course, reminding myself to take fuel, fluid and electrolytes on my schedule -- not the aid stations -- and then use the stations for restocking fuel and fluid. It'd be easy to fall into the trap of changing well-practiced rhythms to match whatever is happening around me on the big day. That would be a huge mistake.

ounce wrote:And don't fall down.

Well, yeah. There's that.

charles.moman wrote:Yeah, that too!

I've been pretty fortunate when it comes to trails lately. I caught a few roots with my toes on the training run and actually took a spill (first time in years), but wasn't the worse for wear. I need to remember to stay focused, pick up my feet and remember to look where I'm putting them down!

Maybe a helmet for the second half of the race? 

mul21 wrote:Maybe a helmet for the second half of the race? 

 

Walk: 3.76 miles

Weather: Sunny, mild. 66 degrees

An easy walk with Alita and Alec on the Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway while we had a local tranny guy check out our car. It was a nice trail, similar to the Salmon Creek Greenway.

My taper week schedule is a little off (I did my last longish run on a Sunday rather than a Saturday), so technically this was supposed to be a rest day... but oh well. This week is all about keeping loose and relaxed.

On the tranny: The guy said the mechanism itself was fine, but that there's a problem in the controller that'll cost a bunch of hundreds of dollars to fix. I can live with that - we were worried the whole transmission was going to be shot, which would mean a new car. We've got 211,000 miles on this baby, and we still like it!

Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles

Weather: Sunny, mild, muggy. 61 degrees, 90% humidity. Gear: Bare Feet, shorts, T. Fuel: Grape Nuts and coffee before. Nothing during.

My plan for race week called for 4 yesterday, 3 today, 2 tomorrow. I walked about 4 yesterday (without a rest day between my last sorta-long run), so I decided to do today's 3-miler barefoot. The more I keep my focus on form, the better off I'll be come Saturday. I let the HR stay below my MAF level, which felt right, and the run felt pretty good.

I know that before some marathons, I've felt totally discombobulated in the week before. Not so much this time. I wonder if that's a reaction to having less intensity/speed in this type of buildup. Saying that, I've still got a couple of miles tomorrow... we'll see how that goes.

Lest there be any mistake that I'm not nervous... my HR before I started this morning was about 69-70. A bit more amped up than the mid-50s, eh?

Average HR for entire run: 133

Getting ready to head out soon, and I'm not sure how plugged in I'll be.

Taper is proceeding apace. Engergizer Bunny mania swinging to bone-crushing anxiety. There are a few other things competing for attention right now, as well (house getting painted, transmission work on one of our cars, 16-year-old neighbor girl missing), so I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. Must. Keep. Breathing.

We're meeting our relatives near Crater Lake (once they get their generator fixed, another distraction) this evening. We'll visit the park tomorrow, then head up to the race site on Friday. The race itself is on Saturday. We may return that night, or the next day.

The race site itself lacks cell phone coverage, so I'll be off the grid. The folks doing the timing say they'll post results on my Facebook feed, though it's hard to say when the results will appear.

I'm sure I'll be able to check back at least for a day or so more. But just in case: Thanks to all of you for your interest, friendship and support. You're the best!

Good luck Mark.  Run well but more importantly enjoy the day.

Our weather is cooling down after today so it sounds like you'll have good weather.

nkrichards wrote:Good luck Mark.  Run well but more importantly enjoy the day.

Our weather is cooling down after today so it sounds like you'll have good weather.

Thanks, Nancy! The forecasts are all settling into agreement on cooler temperatures. Low- to mid-40s early Saturday morning, warming to the upper 60s to lower 70s. Might be a little chilly in the morning to start, but that's easily remedied.

Good luck, Mark!  We will all be waiting for news with baited breath.  

Good news about the cooler temps, we will be getting a few days here as well with lows in the high 60s - I hope it lasts through next Sunday when I have a half marathon coming up.

Easy Run: 2 miles at 4,400 feet 

Weather: Sunny and warm. Gear: Altra Instincts

Last shakeout run, after a four-hour drive to Central Oregon. Easy jogging and walking on dusty trails. 

Now it's all waiting....

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Good luck, Mark!  We will all be waiting for news with baited breath.  

Good news about the cooler temps, we will be getting a few days here as well with lows in the high 60s - I hope it lasts through next Sunday when I have a half marathon coming up.

 Thanks Michele!

This RV park we are in for the next two nights has wifi, so I will be able to check in. 

Another bonus? The altitude here is higher than where the race us being run. That can't hurt. Come on body, adapt!

Good luck, Mark!

So, what's the altitude there at base camp?

Good luck, Mark!  Can't wait to hear all about it!!!

Best of luck, Mark.  Will you be the 'man in the field' for the newspaper, reporting all the chills, spills, and the agony of da-feet? 

Most of all, have a good time!     

Michael Enright wrote:Good luck, Mark!

So, what's the altitude there at base camp?

Hey, Michael! We are currently at 4,400 feet. We're visiting Crater Lake today, which has an even higher elevation. The race elevation varies from about 3,400 to 4,200 feet. 

KathyK wrote:Good luck, Mark!  Can't wait to hear all about it!!!

Thanks, Kathy! I'm sure there will be some good tales to tell. 

ounce wrote:Best of luck, Mark.  Will you be the 'man in the field' for the newspaper, reporting all the chills, spills, and the agony of da-feet? 

Most of all, have a good time!     

 Thanks, Ounce! I think I think the newsie in me will be too distracted for full coverage.

Good luck, sir!!!  You are definitely ready!!

Mark B wrote:Easy Run: 2 miles at 4,400 feet 

Weather: Sunny and warm. Gear: Altra Instincts

Last shakeout run, after a four-hour drive to Central Oregon. Easy jogging and walking on dusty trails. 

Now it's all waiting....

 I've been scarce on here of late, but I had to check in before Mt. Hood.  Good luck! And I will definitely swing by next week for the race report!