The countdown
I admit the posts on this blog have gotten a little too Crow Pass intensive the last few days but it is the only thing on my mind (I mean, besides the TDF). But with two days to go, we have officially stopped running for the final taper - the cherry on the 15 week sundae of run/rest/run that will hopefully culminate in a good race day (and time).
So I'm anxious. I am thinking about water, I am thinking about what I am going to eat and when (currently - 0.6 L of Perpetuem an hour before the race, 1 shot of caffeinated Hammer Gel just after the pass - I don't want anything even remotely solid in my stomach for the climb, then non-caf Hammer Gels and Clif Shotbloks every half-hour or so), and how I am going to feel.
We did our last training run yesterday at Kincaid and it didn't feel as great as I had hoped. My right hip has been sore lately and it flared up a bit during the run. I also felt slightly drained but I think it has more to do with being absolutely sick of running at Kincaid than with how my body feels about running. The mid-week training runs for the last couple of weeks have alternated between Kincaid (dirt) and the Coastal Trail (pavement) to induce a training ennui that I hope a spirited race will erase.
The race start should be interesting to get the juices flowing - the official start time is 7 am on Saturday morning with a mandatory pre-race meeting at 6 am. The trailhead is a little over an hour from our house so we will probably leave sometime between 4:30 and 4:45 (yes AM). Meaning we have to get up around 4! So bad? Not per se. After all, it is the night BEFORE the night before the race when sleep is the most important (that's tonight - I am sleeping in tomorrow) so even if I sleep only 4-5 hours on Friday night, it should be fine. And I work best in the morning.
So some pre-race visualization, lots of carbo loading (including beer), and last minute stretching and we are off! (And I need to remember to set the alarm!)
So I'm anxious. I am thinking about water, I am thinking about what I am going to eat and when (currently - 0.6 L of Perpetuem an hour before the race, 1 shot of caffeinated Hammer Gel just after the pass - I don't want anything even remotely solid in my stomach for the climb, then non-caf Hammer Gels and Clif Shotbloks every half-hour or so), and how I am going to feel.
We did our last training run yesterday at Kincaid and it didn't feel as great as I had hoped. My right hip has been sore lately and it flared up a bit during the run. I also felt slightly drained but I think it has more to do with being absolutely sick of running at Kincaid than with how my body feels about running. The mid-week training runs for the last couple of weeks have alternated between Kincaid (dirt) and the Coastal Trail (pavement) to induce a training ennui that I hope a spirited race will erase.
The race start should be interesting to get the juices flowing - the official start time is 7 am on Saturday morning with a mandatory pre-race meeting at 6 am. The trailhead is a little over an hour from our house so we will probably leave sometime between 4:30 and 4:45 (yes AM). Meaning we have to get up around 4! So bad? Not per se. After all, it is the night BEFORE the night before the race when sleep is the most important (that's tonight - I am sleeping in tomorrow) so even if I sleep only 4-5 hours on Friday night, it should be fine. And I work best in the morning.
So some pre-race visualization, lots of carbo loading (including beer), and last minute stretching and we are off! (And I need to remember to set the alarm!)
posted by Aaron Ostrovsky at 4:34 PM
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