I wanted to document some of my
after thoughts from yesterday's race, for future reference.
Someone commented to me that If I
had known about the conditions and outcome, that I might not have ran the race after
all. It made me think, because if I knew the weather was going to be like that
and I wasn't going to be close to a PR, I think the only thing I would have
changed would be my race plan and perspective. I would have taken it easier and
enjoyed the route with more stops and had a good "long run." However,
I am so glad I raced it! Kam fist convinced me to run the race in the first
place so I could gain more experience in this distance, and then to apply to
SGM.
Lessons learned from Ogden
Marathon
1. Wetness does not equal blisters. Wetness with heat produces
blisters! Not a single blister on my toe. That is extremely rare for me but now
I know why, there was no heat:)
2. Unless it’s a hot race, I don't need to hydrate at each stop.
Every 6 miles works for me.
3. GU's with the consistency of frosting are just stupid,
especially when they are near frozen. Gels are so much easier to take! Also,
frozen hands will not open them or let you turn on your player, have it all
planned out and ready. Also, for me, Gu's without caffeine are fine, but Gu's
with Caffeine are great... always, even at the start;)
4. No trainers, only Kinvara's/racing shoes next time. It really
felt quite a bit more taxing over the distance with heavier shoes.
5. Just tell my family to see me in the last couple miles or at
the finish line. What a headache to spectate most canyon marathons for most.
It's fun to see friendly faces in the first half, but so not necessary compared
to those last daunting miles when you really need the support the most.
6. Muscles can warm up in cold weather to a certain degree, but
not if rain is in the equation. I totally discredited the rain and the cold
factor yesterday. I was certain I would warm-up quickly. That was totally wrong
and quite the opposite. There was no way to do it with constant rain, wetness,
cooler temps and wind. Muscles just won't work under those conditions. I
learned this wearing the thinnest top I could find with shorts. I should have
been wearing a long sleeve shirt or arm warmers, gloves, and tights. That would
have at least given me the option down the road to shed clothes. That was the
most important lesson I learned yesterday. Also, keep my shoes dry with bags
tied around them at the start. A poncho would have been brilliant! I was severely
unprepared and ignorant.
7. I needed to be more aggressive at the start and go with the
ladies that I knew were not going to blow up at the end. As smart as it
is for others, I just don't race well when I hold back and try to negative
split. It sabotages me mentally and makes me stale when the time comes to push.
I would rather go out with the other ladies and either die together or succeed
together. In the back I am always alone and not always successful in my plan. I
really should have gone out faster than I did.
8. I do better with splits to follow rather than going by feel. I
did horrible at that yesterday and my mind wandered often rather than staying
on task every mile. However, I do admit that not following the mile splits
really did make the miles go by faster, even though I suffering.
9. Give back and keep pacing others. Until it's given back to you,
you never understand the how helpful it is in those final miles. A pacer in the
last miles makes an amazing difference.
10. I was more prepared for hills than I thought. I was less
prepared with tempos in my training. I also need to weight lift more. My arms
are among the sorest on my body. I'm not sure if it's because I was frozen and
tense or if they need to be conditioned more. That is something I defiantly did
not consider as an important part of training this training cycle. Maybe it's
an anomaly.
11. I tapered and rested too much leading up to Saturday. I was
sick so I didn't have much control, but in the future if I am healthy, I do
best with less taper and downtime. No doubt a balance is needed here.
12. Always take the following Monday off of work. Done.
13. Everyone has a bad race. Waaah, then get over it. My experience
is not worse than anyone else’s, just my perspective and maybe that's what
needs improvement. Learn and move on to make room for great things in the
future. For the record, I have not cried. Also, I have learned different ways to get down the stairs, post marathon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AowAqHO3GhQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mIOGryLgks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNQxjO4Njaw http://www.youtube.com/user/acornstairlifts?v=leTEArgHd7Y I'd really like those last two installed in my house!
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