Showing posts with label race report. Show all posts
Showing posts with label race report. Show all posts
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Ironmaster's Challenge 50K Race Report - 2014
If you took a peek at my training schedule this spring, it would have been obvious that the Ironmaster's Challenge 50K was my first "A Race" of the 2014 season. As is very often the case however, things don't go as planned. Despite not having the best training going into the race, KNOWING this fact on race day was critical in ensuring a fun, albeit painful outing in the PA Woods.
The start and end point of the Ironmaster's is Pine Grove Furnace State Park, right where the Appalachian Trail passes thru. It's located in a valley so you can bet on some good climbs during the course of 30+ miles in this region.
If you think of it like a half pipe, the 50K course starts at the bottom of the "U", goes up one side, down, then up the other, down, then up the first side and finishes back down at the bottom of the "U". For a detailed visual on what I'm referring to, please see my amazing handy work using the hugely under-rated Snipping Tool from our friends in Redmond.
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| Bad-ass drawling skills |
There's pretty technical (class 2-3) climbing and questionable "trails" for the first 2 miles, ending at a gorgeous viewpoint known as Sunset Rocks where some backpackers had positioned themselves for a rude awakening on a Sunday morning.
Living within 15 minutes of the race definitely gave me an advantage knowing what was in store for the first few miles. Thankfully, I was smart about it and took it conservatively out of the gate through mile 4 or 5. If I hadn't, it would have been a much less enjoyable day.
I'm not going to be dramatic about the whole thing though...other than getting lost several times and just being unprepared (training wise), things went really well. No stomach issues, no injuries, I made some new friends, caught up with some old ones, and managed to capture a good chunk of the adventure on video!
And finally, there are certain aspects of every race (that charges an entry fee) that are pretty much expected: some sort of swag item, a bib, course markings, etc. This final section is meant to highlight areas where the race went above and beyond expectations, as well as where it fell short. This is a new section for my race reports, but I think I'd like to give it a name. Something like "Buzz Lightyear and The Sloth"....we'll see if that sticks.
Buzz Lightyear
- Post race celebrations and atmosphere. Full on meal + free beer = WIN! Plus having it right at the "L-shaped" mansion with a bunch of picnic tables so everyone can hang out and cheer on the finishers was very nicely done.
- Results were up on Pretzel City Sports within 24 hours! Without chip timing!
- Nice, classy tech shirts with a unique color, but not overly loud
The Sloth
- The course was marked really well in some places, and quite poorly in others. Almost everyone I talked to post-race had described at least one incident in which they were lost (personally, I veered off course twice). Runners don't need markings every few feet, but we DO need them clearly at EVERY possible intersection! Even faint side trails! Just put one little flag on the course just after the intersection to let the runner know they're still on the right track and there is one less thing to worry about.
- Aid stations weren't as well stocked as some other ultras I've run with around the same turnout. This wasn't a big deal though, and I'll let it slide a bit cause the post race grub was nice :)
- Mile Markers 22 - 25 were wrong. 22 should have been 23 and 26 didn't exist. Now that I'm writing this, it really seems trivial, but in the mind of a runner who's been out there for 5+ hours, it's a HUGE difference between being at mile 24 or 25.
Training leading up to the race:
Monday: rest
Tuesday: brief 1.5 mile recovery run
Wednesday: 11 easy trail miles
Thursday: Commute on bike (8 miles total)
Friday: rest
Saturday: 2 mile flat hike
Race Gear List:
Buff
Race Shirt from the Philadelphia Half
GoLite Mesa Shorts
Darn Tough Vermont Socks
Hoka One One Stinson Trail
Ultimate Direction SJ Vest 1.0
Garmin Fenix
RoadID
Garmin Virb Elite Action Camera
DIY Monopod
Race Nutrition:
Greek Yogurt, Cornbread, and Coffee for Breakfast
Water refills at almost every stop
Clif-type bars or Stinger gels roughly every 30-45 minutes
About 1 SaltStick pill per hour as I felt cramping coming on
Questionable orange-drink at one aid station
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Buck Ridge Burn Trail 1/2 Marathon Race Report 2014
Being literally 15 minutes drive from my front door and in the scenic Michaux State Forest, I had no excuses not to run this race.
The Buck Ridge Burn half marathon and 5K was held on a gorgeous spring morning on 4/6/14. Beginning and ending right at the Appalachian Trail Museum and the adjacent Pine Grove Furnace, you couldn't ask for a prettier setting in the South Mountain Region.
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| Courtesy: www.cnyhiking.com |
Now in its 4th year, RD's Bill Bechtel and Jennifer Henry put on the perfect, low-key trail running event with help from an army of well-trained volunteers.
Appalachian Running Company served as the headquarters for all pre-race packet pickups and such on the Saturday prior. I'd like to note that walking in the door at 9:04AM, I had the honor of being the first to pick up their packet! (Pretty sure that deserves a selfie high-five)
I had a few friends run this race last year and enjoyed it, but I had no idea I was in for such a treat.
Training during my "layover" week between half marathons was few and far between, and had no intentions of putting in much mileage because of how hard I pushed the second half of The LOVE Run, sustaining speeds I'm just not used to doing recently. This lack of mileage was also due in part to the constant rain we received here in Central PA that week. Said rain set us up for a wet and muddy run for the Buck Ridge Burn...just enough to make it fun!
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| Plenty of mud out there today! |
With countless stream crossings, varied scenery and terrain, this race is great for the seasoned trail runner or people looking for a good running adventure. I would not recommend this run for road runners uncomfortable with sketchy footing for hours on end. To see a good example of what I'm talking about, see around the 2:00 minute mark of my video posted below.
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| You got a little something on your cheek... |
I wish I had more photos to share, but the video took up all my attention!
And finally, there are certain aspects of every race (that charges an entry fee) that are pretty much expected: some sort of swag item, a bib, course markings, etc. This final section is meant to highlight areas where the race went above and beyond expectations, as well as where it fell short. This is a new section for my race reports, but I think I'd like to give it a name. Something like "Buzz Lightyear and The Sloth"....we'll see if that sticks.
Buzz Lightyear
- Plentiful aid stations for only a half marathon distance with tons of fruit and other sweet treats, gels, and various liquids
- Speaking of food, the post-race spread was great! (see video)
- Price: it was only 40 bucks.
- Extremely well marked course
- Lastly, and most impressive...Results were up on Ultrasignup the same day! Without chip timing!
The Sloth
- I would prefer a higher resolution course map on the website (such as MapMyRun or Garmin Connect) so individuals who live closeby can get out on the course prior to race day. Or if seeing the actual course isn't an option, have a better idea of elevation and terrain so they can do some race-specific training wherever they live.
Training leading up to the race:
Monday: 4 mile hike
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 7 miles moderate on BRB course
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Rest
Race Gear List:
Buff
Race Shirt from the Frederick Half
GoLite Mesa Shorts
Feetures Men's Light Cushion Quarter Socks
Brooks PureGrit
HTC One
Spibelt
Garmin Fenix
RoadID
Garmin Virb Elite Action Camera
DIY Monopod
Race Nutrition:
Banana, Nature Valley Bar, and Coffee for Breakfast
Water @ every stop
About 4 Power Bar chews around mile 7
Monday, March 31, 2014
The LOVE Run Philly Half Marathon Race Report
In its inaugural year, the Philly LOVE Run Half Marathon(held by CGI Racing) was a spectacular success despite the challenges involving weather. My experience went a little something like this...
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| It's always sunny in Philadelphia... |
Saturday:
The day before the race I went out on a solo trail run which in hindsight was pretty stupid given the chance of injury as well as risking fatiguing myself right before the race. It all worked out in the end though, I had fun, got in some good vert, and enjoyed some nice views:
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| Hawk Rock |
Continuing with the "being dumb" theme, nutrition for the remainder of the day was well, less than ideal. The only thing I did right in this department was constantly sip water all day, probably getting in 100+oz. I mean, that'll offset my stellar pre-race dinner of Loaded Fries, Fried Cheddar Broccoli Bites, BBQ Wings and diet soda...right?
The weather was crappy all weekend, hovering in the low to mid 40's and constant rain at varying degrees of intensity. But the 2 hour drive out to Philly was uneventful and I arrived at the expo around 2pm. Getting to the expo was a little difficult, even after arriving at the convention center; LOVE Runners had to navigate through the labyrinth of Gospel Singing Conventions and Karate Competitions.
Being its first year, the expo pretty much blew me away. It felt like I was at a race expo for a big city marathon (albeit a little smaller in square footage). There were hundreds of volunteers and everything went as smooth as it possibly could.
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| Signing the LOVE floor |
The remainder of the evening consisted of a healthy dose of Curb Your Enthusiasm on demand, and the aforementioned junk food "dinner".
Sunday:
I slept very comfortably on my sister's couch till the 6am alarm sounded, and I hit the snooze, twice (pretty sure the lousy weather had something to do with this). By 7:30am she was dropping me off along the Ben Franklin Parkway, and into the cold, spitting rain that would linger throughout the day.
Being 30 pounds over my ideal racing weight, there was no way in hell I was going to PR this race, so it was more about having fun with the other runners, as well as testing out my new monopod and Garmin Virb during a race. I was still going to give it a solid effort, but I knew there was no point in trying to average a 7:30ish pace for 13.1 miles; that would have led to lots of pain, and possibly vomit...ummm - no thanks.
Having done the Philly Half in 2011, I knew the basic gist of the course layout and while I'm not a fan of out-and-backs in races (or training runs for that matter), it was a well designed run, giving the runners a chance to pass by LOVE park twice in the earlier parts of the race.
Most of my camera work was done in the first half with the idea that fatigue would be setting in by mile 8 and all I'd want to do by that point was finish the run. That plan was solid, especially considering the downpour that started around mile 9.
Happy with the way my legs and lungs felt at that point, it wasn't out of the question to step up the pace a bit and I ended up with a considerable negative split. It's also an amazing mental boost to be passed by just a handful of people in the final 30 minutes of a race. The rain seemed to pick up in intensity as we neared the finish, and I crossed the line at 1:48 according to the gun. My chip time ended up being 1:46 something: about 10 minutes off my PR, which was pretty much what I expected.
Next up was medal time, then grab some post-race grub and try to get warm! I definitely would have stuck around the finish area for longer if it wasn't for the weather.
After a quick drive back to my sister's place in South Philly and a shower, we headed to The Industry for brunch and ran into a group of ladies who had just finished the race as well. One of them had just finished her first half in around 2:15! Other runners continue to impress and amaze me with what the body and mind is capable of. Which is one of the biggest reasons why I run...to find my limits. But we'll save that for a different blog post.
Hopefully I'll be capable of back-to-back half marathons again, cause I got one this coming Sunday!
Thanks to CGI Racing and all of the volunteers who made this race possible, and certainly very memorable.
Keep on the lookout for my race video on YouTube later this week!
!!!!UPDATE!!!!
Video has been published!
As always, here are all the details from the run:
Training leading up to the race:
Monday: 8 miles moderate, trails
Tuesday: 4 x 800m @ HM pace (8:00/mi) with 400m recovery jogs
Wednesday: 4 mile sunset run/hike, leisurely
Thursday: 1 mile flat walk
Friday: Gentle Yoga
Saturday: 5 miles moderate, trails
Race Gear List:
- HTC One in sandwich baggie
- RoadID
- DIY Monopod
Race Nutrition:
- Clif Bar and Coffee for Breakfast
- Water @ every other stop
Monday, February 24, 2014
2014 Fuego y Agua 50K Nicaragua Race Report: The Unexpected
"Expect the Unexpected"
This phrase is frankly, bullshit. I prefer something more along the lines of "Be Flexible" or "Adapt or Die". To me, these provide a clearer directive. In an 50K ultramarathon consisting of a volcano and sweltering 90° F heat, one thing you most certainly need is clear direction...and maybe some water.
As many runners do, in the late months of the year I began scheduling races for the following calendar year with the intention of including a couple "destination races". This is a term I use for a vacation centered around a race (geographically, for the most part). Throwing several ideas of locations out to my non-running sister, we were surprised to find a trip to Nicaragua was actually the cheapest overall option out of 3 (which included 2 domestic races). Of course...I made a spreadsheet to get to this number ;p
TripName
| ExpenseType | Amount | Notes |
| Nicaragua | Flight | $ 375 | PP, American, Philly to Managua, 1 stop |
| Lodging | $ 700 | Estimate, could be much less, depending on where we go. Staying on the island is cheap ( < 50 US /night), Cities are more comparable to US hotel prices. | |
| Ground Transport | $ 75 | ?? Approx. Seems pretty cheap | |
| Activities | $ 200 | ?? PP | |
| Food | $ 200 | ?? PP | |
| Total: | 1550 | ||
| Florida | Flight | $ 235 | PP, Dulles or Philly, United, 1 stop |
| Car | $ 317 | ||
| Gas | $ 100 | Conservative Estimate | |
| Lodging | $ 700 | Estimate, could be much less, or much more, depending on comfort level. | |
| Food | $ 350 | PP | |
| Activities | $ 200 | ?? PP | |
| Total: | 1902 | ||
| Texas | Flight | $ 350 | PP, United, BWI, 1 stop |
| Car | $ 272 | ||
| Gas | $ 125 | Conservative Estimate | |
| Lodging | $ 700 | Estimate, could be much less, or much more, depending on comfort level. | |
| Food | $ 350 | PP | |
| Activities | $ 200 | ?? PP | |
| Total: | 1997 |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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| The mighty dual-volcano island of Ometepe |
If I would describe the next surprise as less than a miracle, it'd be a lie. It turned out that not only was our hotel (Villa Paraiso) the hub for the race activities on Saturday, our cabin (#1) was no more than 100 feet from the start/finish line! If it weren't for the busloads of other participants arriving at 3AM on Saturday morning, I could have easily slept in until 4 or so and still had time to packet pickup, breakfast, and gear prep! I felt blessed.
Rocking my treasured "The Blerch" shirt, I joined about 200 other waiting participants in the humid pre-dawn stickiness for a couple minutes, then we were off! Along the beach, headed south towards Volcan Maderas.
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| Just before the start |
Roughly two miles in at the base of the volcano, we hit the first aid station where I stopped briefly and gulped down something that I can't even recollect...hopefully it was water.
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| Great view from about half way up Maderas, looking north over the isthmus to Concepcion. |
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| "FUN" is spelled M-U-D |
It was basically like trying to make your way through a parking garage packed full of SUVs which had been smothered in olive oil and mantequilla. This was the first point when I noticed I may have been the only participant with handheld bottles in lieu of a backpack. Free hands are necessary for this run, period.
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| Foggy Lagoon |
What came next was certainly the hardest, most draining part of the run: Nicaraguan heat with little to no breeze. The final 18 miles of the course followed a perimeter road, circling Maderas counter-clockwise from around 9 o’clock to 12. While there were aid stations roughly every 10K (thank god!), 6.2 miles was much to far to keep the spirits up, pounding endlessly along a primitive dirt road in Central America.
The sun was beating down so bad at one point, that I had to cover my head and neck with something other than my baseball cap so I picked up the next thing I saw along the (often) garbage strewn road: a nasty old wife-beater that could have easily served as a nut rag in its former life. Clearly, I wasn’t thinking clearly…I had hit my first wall and was now in survival mode.
During the final 3 miles, we were back on paved road and in civilization. With barely 2 miles to go, I hit wall number two and simply needed to sit on a shaded rock roadside. During this much needed 5-minute break a few friends from earlier named Flint and Margaret egged me on to join them for the last stretch and I noted that I’ll see them soon. Whether that was after the finish line or before was up for debate. I still needed another couple of minutes to regain some sort of will to push on.
To my surprise, I caught up to the pair just as we entered the final 2 or 3K of beach running to the finish line. It was a joyous time filled with high-spirits while Flint desperately tried to get other runners to join us for a big group finish.
At 3:18pm, over 10 HOURS after the start, my raggedy, wife-beater toting ass crossed the finish line.
Next up were 4 things, in this order:
- Medal
- Piss in the lake
- Chair
- Toña
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| Me, rocking the Blerch shirt, Flint and Margaret closing in behind |
Gear List:
- Hoka One One Stinson Trail
- Smartwool socks
- Ultimate Direction Handheld bottles
- Brooks night life jacket (not used)
- Adidas cap
- 2 spibelts
- GoLite shorts
- Blerch shirt
- Garmin Fenix watch
- GU Roctane Gels
- Power Bar energy chews (roughly every 30 minutes between gels and chews)
- Clif bars (when hungry)
- Cookies, watermelon, pringles, saltines @ aid stations
- Salt pills, roughly 2 per hour after mile 12
As always, here’s the Strava activity (but unfortunately since my watch crapped out, I borrowed someone’s with a similar time from Garmin Connect)
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Blues Cruise 50K 2013 Race Report: A story of survival
In a word: the experience was HUMBLING.
In another...it SUCKED.
With a single loop ultra, relatively flat (on paper), and only an hour and fifteen minutes from home, signing up for the 2013 edition of the Blues Cruise 50K Ultramarathon seemed like a no brainer. It was held on a warmer than average Fall Sunday, 10/6/13, starting around 8:35AM.
Named as such because of its location: Blue Marsh Lake west of Reading PA and interestingly enough, this area is maintained and managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Despite the current US Gov't shutdown, the show still went on. Along with many other runners, volunteers, and family, I was pleased to hear this news in the days leading up to the race. Kudos to the Race Director for keeping on top of that crucial business!
I didn't know much about this race before the start other than it was mostly singletrack, and was supposed to be a pretty good "beginner ultra". For some reason I thought that was equivalent to saying it was "easy", an idea that left my mind early in the race.
Being fairly close to home and a pretty late start, I decided to head out from home around 6:30AM instead of trying to find housing near the race. When I arrived at the foggy lake side, there were already considerable lines for packet pickup and the 5 porta-potties available near the start. I had around 45 minutes until the race began, plus the lines moved along nicely so no worries.
Looking at some times from previous years it seemed the course was pretty quick, so my strategy was to maintain somewhere between a 9:00/mile and 10:00/mile pace, and see how that went. As always, I was using my Garmin Fenix along with Magellan HR Strap to record data for quick feedback during the run, as well as analysis later on.
The race started at a quick pace as expected, and didn't get into true singletrack until nearly a mile into the course...nicely designed.
Albeit a bit rocky, I was able to allow gravity to take care of business on all the downhills, and taking it easy on flats and uphills, maintaining a solid 9:30-10:00 mile for first few miles. After the first 10K it really leveled out and it was comfy ticking off the miles around a 9:00/mi pace through mile 10.
Even though my legs felt a bit sluggish, I pretty much ignored it believing it was simply gonna take some time to loosen up. Little did I know that the fatigue was from overtraining the prior week:
Sunday: 23 easy
Monday: Easy 6 + 10x10sec hill sprints
Tuesday: Specific Endurance Intervals: 3 easy, 6 x 800m @5k pace w/ 2min active recov., then 3 easy
Wednesday: Easy 7
Thursday: Easy 5
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest
I'd never done that type of mileage the week before a long race and now I know why.
With my physical and subsequent mental state waning, my memory is pretty poor from the final half(ish) of the race so other than the general statement about it "sucking", here's what I can recall.
The final 4.5 miles after the last aid station were all a mental game, constantly checking down at my watch, seeing the miles tick down. I don't know if it was the coke or the endorphins, but I actually remember feeling pretty energetic during this last stretch!
Some final thoughts:
- I sweat like crazy, especially when it got sunny and into the 80's in the afternoon
Personal Nutrition Notes:
Gear list:
See you on the trails later. I'll be resting up for a few days before getting back to training for the JFK 50 Miler next month.
As always, here's the link to the activity on Strava.
In another...it SUCKED.
With a single loop ultra, relatively flat (on paper), and only an hour and fifteen minutes from home, signing up for the 2013 edition of the Blues Cruise 50K Ultramarathon seemed like a no brainer. It was held on a warmer than average Fall Sunday, 10/6/13, starting around 8:35AM.
Named as such because of its location: Blue Marsh Lake west of Reading PA and interestingly enough, this area is maintained and managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Despite the current US Gov't shutdown, the show still went on. Along with many other runners, volunteers, and family, I was pleased to hear this news in the days leading up to the race. Kudos to the Race Director for keeping on top of that crucial business!
Please Note: the vast majority of photo credits in this post go to:
I didn't know much about this race before the start other than it was mostly singletrack, and was supposed to be a pretty good "beginner ultra". For some reason I thought that was equivalent to saying it was "easy", an idea that left my mind early in the race.
Being fairly close to home and a pretty late start, I decided to head out from home around 6:30AM instead of trying to find housing near the race. When I arrived at the foggy lake side, there were already considerable lines for packet pickup and the 5 porta-potties available near the start. I had around 45 minutes until the race began, plus the lines moved along nicely so no worries.
Looking at some times from previous years it seemed the course was pretty quick, so my strategy was to maintain somewhere between a 9:00/mile and 10:00/mile pace, and see how that went. As always, I was using my Garmin Fenix along with Magellan HR Strap to record data for quick feedback during the run, as well as analysis later on.
The race started at a quick pace as expected, and didn't get into true singletrack until nearly a mile into the course...nicely designed.
Albeit a bit rocky, I was able to allow gravity to take care of business on all the downhills, and taking it easy on flats and uphills, maintaining a solid 9:30-10:00 mile for first few miles. After the first 10K it really leveled out and it was comfy ticking off the miles around a 9:00/mi pace through mile 10.
 |
| Having some fun early on in the race |
Even though my legs felt a bit sluggish, I pretty much ignored it believing it was simply gonna take some time to loosen up. Little did I know that the fatigue was from overtraining the prior week:
Sunday: 23 easy
Monday: Easy 6 + 10x10sec hill sprints
Tuesday: Specific Endurance Intervals: 3 easy, 6 x 800m @5k pace w/ 2min active recov., then 3 easy
Wednesday: Easy 7
Thursday: Easy 5
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest
I'd never done that type of mileage the week before a long race and now I know why.
With my physical and subsequent mental state waning, my memory is pretty poor from the final half(ish) of the race so other than the general statement about it "sucking", here's what I can recall.
- The "Love and Marriage" theme from Married with Children was stuck in my head for about 10-12 miles on the back half of the course; the tempo seemed to work well with my "death shuffle", and the thought of sitting on a couch like Al Bundy sounded oh so good during those long lonely stretches in Penn's Woods.
- Coke tastes good after running for 4 hours in the humidity!
- Some badass dude named Scott who's run a few 100 milers seemed in great shape and was good conversation for a mile or two around mile 16
- I was loving the eye candy at the Octoberfest aid station!
- Definitely got Chicked and Geezered* multiple times around mile 22
- Thinking..."I don't remember this many hills on the elevation profile"
- My freaking watch lost satellites from mile 20.55 to 22ish
- On a decent hill climb around mile 23, I had two options: Cry, or Sit. I luckily found a stump to rest on, somewhat saving my masculinity.
*same as getting Chicked, but rather than a female, it's some wise old dude running a much smarter race than you
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| Bombing a downhill around mile 12 |
 |
| Don't confuse that with a smile...pretty sure I'm just holding back the tears. |
 |
| MMMMM...Aid station goodness |
 |
| We shared the trails all day with bikers, horses, hikers and other runners |
 |
| The leader coming through the finish in amazing time! (3:45:10) |
 |
| Finish area scene |
 |
| DONE! (5:43:38) |
Some final thoughts:
- I sweat like crazy, especially when it got sunny and into the 80's in the afternoon
- AMAZING aid stations! They'd take care of each runner like we were royalty!
- I seem to remember lots of bridge crossings
- I didn't fall! Or stub my toes!
- The course was much more hilly than I expected
- I didn't have any GI issues
- There were no mile markers (not a big deal for me, but maybe others without watches)
- As promised, the course was 95% singletrack, which was simply beautiful!
- Good quality swag: T-Shirt, Hoodie, and Hat
- Great food after the finish: potato pancakes, grilled cheese, soda, chocolate chip banana bread, etc...
- I seem to like bullet points today
- All in all an extremely well run race that I would highly recommend!
- I seem to remember lots of bridge crossings
- I didn't fall! Or stub my toes!
- The course was much more hilly than I expected
- I didn't have any GI issues
- There were no mile markers (not a big deal for me, but maybe others without watches)
- As promised, the course was 95% singletrack, which was simply beautiful!
- Good quality swag: T-Shirt, Hoodie, and Hat
- Great food after the finish: potato pancakes, grilled cheese, soda, chocolate chip banana bread, etc...
- I seem to like bullet points today
- All in all an extremely well run race that I would highly recommend!
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| The Octoberfest Ladies cheered me up a bit after a rough day! |
Personal Nutrition Notes:
- Coffee, Banana and Chobani Greek Yogurt for breakfast
- GU Roctane Blueberry Pomegranate Gel 15 minutes before, then every 30 minutes, or Power Bar Gel Bites at 60 minute intervals
- Pretzels, Twizzlers, and Grapes at aid stations
- Coke at final two aid stations
- 4-5 Salt Stick caps periodically from mile 20 on
- 3-4 full refills of water in bottles, at least 1 cup of water at each AS
- Whatever crap I could stuff in my face after the finish
- Garmin Fenix
- Magellan HR Strap
- Road ID bracelet
- Brooks Hat (white)
- Tech race shirt
- GoLite Shorts
- Nike Socks
- Brooks Pure Grit
- Two-pocket SPIbelt
- 2 Ultimate Direction Handheld Water Bottles
- Bandaids on nipples
- Body Glide on inner thighs
- Small sandwich baggie with toilet paper
As always, here's the link to the activity on Strava.
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