It has been a whole year since I started my blog, hard to believe. This is where it all started last year- at the USATF 50K National Championships. And this year I am back at Caumsett Park NY on the same course.
That means 10 more 5k loops and 20 more out and backs. That may sound like a lot but the race is getting less and less long to me. It was still long.
I was less nervous the few days before the race this year but that didn't help me to sleep at night at all. I get so worried about not being able to sleep that I pretty much kill all my chances of falling to sleep. It got so bad I even went to the doctor so I could get put on sleeping pills, but I stopped taking them the night before my race so I wouldn't feel groggy the next morning and got a total of about 20 minutes of sleep. I hate, hate, hate people who tell me that if I want to get a good nights sleep try exercising. Wow, is that what I have been missing? Well I have only run 10 miles in the past 3 days so no wonder I would be sleeping only about a 1/3 of a night- that is like a 1/3 of a day. No! it's exercise that keeps me up in the first place! I also hate people who start snoring a couple seconds after they hit the pillow. And that means most boys I have ever known, and also my cat. Ahh to be a simpler creature, if only...
Anyway I got enough nerves race morning to make up for any shortage. I don't know if nerves stay in your legs bouncing around but that's what it felt like for the first couple laps. I tried to calm myself down by lying ( to be an ultrarunner means you must lie to yourself- constantly) to myself that I was not really nervous but it was like trying to sleep all over again.
I don't know if that explains how I can run a 3:46 30 mile in a time trial and feel pretty good, and then run a 4:01 50k in a race and feel very sore and tired but I don't have another explanation. I am glad that I could still run a PR (by 2 and 1/2 minutes) in such a long race where I felt badly for most of it. I held off running really slow except for one lap or so which was better than last year. I ended up 5th whereas last year I was 4th but this year had a stronger field. Still I missed getting lapped this year by about three seconds!
I was a little disappointed though that my time did not closer match my time trial time and that I feel so sore afterwards when I ran slower. Shouldn't that be the other way around?
Still I was happy to get a 50k PR and my fourth All American medal. And even though I was hurting we walked around New York for several hours that night so good practice for the 24 hour huh? I'm most glad that I have a coach who supports me and puts so much time and effort into me, thanks Joel!
right after start of the race
my time shot
with our friend Joe Gray, winner of the men's race!
I have red gatorade all over my face
us in Manhattan, I no longer have gatorade all over me, yay!
That means 10 more 5k loops and 20 more out and backs. That may sound like a lot but the race is getting less and less long to me. It was still long.
I was less nervous the few days before the race this year but that didn't help me to sleep at night at all. I get so worried about not being able to sleep that I pretty much kill all my chances of falling to sleep. It got so bad I even went to the doctor so I could get put on sleeping pills, but I stopped taking them the night before my race so I wouldn't feel groggy the next morning and got a total of about 20 minutes of sleep. I hate, hate, hate people who tell me that if I want to get a good nights sleep try exercising. Wow, is that what I have been missing? Well I have only run 10 miles in the past 3 days so no wonder I would be sleeping only about a 1/3 of a night- that is like a 1/3 of a day. No! it's exercise that keeps me up in the first place! I also hate people who start snoring a couple seconds after they hit the pillow. And that means most boys I have ever known, and also my cat. Ahh to be a simpler creature, if only...
Anyway I got enough nerves race morning to make up for any shortage. I don't know if nerves stay in your legs bouncing around but that's what it felt like for the first couple laps. I tried to calm myself down by lying ( to be an ultrarunner means you must lie to yourself- constantly) to myself that I was not really nervous but it was like trying to sleep all over again.
I don't know if that explains how I can run a 3:46 30 mile in a time trial and feel pretty good, and then run a 4:01 50k in a race and feel very sore and tired but I don't have another explanation. I am glad that I could still run a PR (by 2 and 1/2 minutes) in such a long race where I felt badly for most of it. I held off running really slow except for one lap or so which was better than last year. I ended up 5th whereas last year I was 4th but this year had a stronger field. Still I missed getting lapped this year by about three seconds!
I was a little disappointed though that my time did not closer match my time trial time and that I feel so sore afterwards when I ran slower. Shouldn't that be the other way around?
Still I was happy to get a 50k PR and my fourth All American medal. And even though I was hurting we walked around New York for several hours that night so good practice for the 24 hour huh? I'm most glad that I have a coach who supports me and puts so much time and effort into me, thanks Joel!
right after start of the race
I have red gatorade all over my face
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