Sustained Effort Over Winter
If it was just one thing to take away from the training period from October onward leading to this race, it would be just sustained effort if may be for not any improvement but no decline, in spite of the harsh winter months and multiple days of runs on treadmill.
What was the original plan and how it got transformed
After a nice show in Portland in October 2016 and on target performance at Seattle Marathon in November and a self supported 42k around lake sammamish, the target was to try and get as close to 3:02 as possible, but as the winter got set in and i slowly ended up shortening my long runs, just unable to bear the brunt of crazy cold weather outside in spite of the heated gloves and sock, the weather was just putting the whole training out of jinx. As much have i experience the crazy 40s C in hyderabad, this was -5s and -6sC which was in the other end of the spectrum throwing the HR all over.
At some point in time when i had crazy futile attempts at the time trial getting horrible numbers, i almost decided that i would skip this race altogether, i had not booked my flight and accommodation until after new year. With my left ankle starting to behave odd due to cold weather, i almost decided to call it quits out of the race. Contemplating that thought over runs, i wouldn't want an anomaly in my running attempts, Touch wood never had to back out or DNF in any race in the 8 year period, just to keep up the record i just went ahead and set in all reservations, which will make me committed. Come 2nd week of January where it turned out to few days of 50sF i felt that the ankle pain was just due to the temperature, the warmer the day, my ankle was fine, with my race being at CA, i was least bothered about it. I thought i shall stick to my 3:05 goal and see how it goes, though my time trial nor my MAF test didn't say that at all.
Tapering time came and Run walk run long runs at TT pace regained in me some confidence, that i could still perform decently. last few sessions of track workouts made me even comfortable, so held up to the positive mindset and set out to the race.
Pre-Race Day
Had to step out of the house early on at 5:15 AM for a 7:30 flight to SNA, with having yoga done all the previous week, was feeling much flexed. Getting the rental car, drove to the hotel and then on to venture out to have my first ever Rice intake in last 4 months, just to have the mental feel of loading in some carbs :), headed to the expo, it was nicely set up in a beach, with awesome views and at 70 F it was perfect weather to venture out without a winter wear after months of heated gear training. Quickly collected my bib, just roamed around the expo for half hour. There seem to be so many races happening in and around LA and Orange county, you could do it full time :). One unique thing that made me pondering was this funky looking shoe at the expo, didnt try to explore much, but thought of sharing it for folks to be just informed http://amplasport.com/. After all the vibrams, i see a lot of Hokas, which seems to be the gifted high heel for gender insensitive population :), now i see this funky shoes, heights of marketing.
Found varieties of VW old vans lined up, was interesting to watch a few.
drove to LA to meet up with my old friend, spent some quality time meeting him after 5 years, around 7 drove back to hotel, quickly ventured out to get my last workout before the race, a MAF run for 30 minutes, done and headed out to have my Carb loading dinner. Unavoidably had to settle down only for a 10 PM bed time, all set with my race logistics.
Race Day
Alarm was set for a 4:30 AM rise and quickly be done with the morning duties, i was still feeling full hence stuck with having a banana and drove to the shuttle parking spots 2 miles away from the start line at 5:15 AM. It was a hassle free ride to the point and the school buses shuttled between the parking spot and the start line. Was at the start line at 5:30 AM, a clear 1 hour before the event start. Quickly used the honey bucket, ventured into the gear check-in tent. The temperature was expected to range from 50 to 53F which is around 11 C, which was awesome weather considering the treacherous -3 and -5C and windy, rainy seattle weather in the past few weeks. At around 6 AM, 30 minutes before the start, had a dose of Beetelite with 250 ml of water and got to my running attire, checking in the bag. Ventured out of the tent to brave the chill climate to get used to it.
Went out for a half a mile jog and a quick 6 sprints to hike up my heart rate and get warmed up, before i could complete they had already started with the national anthem, had to quickly rush to the front line to be along with the 3:05 pacer, who was the first pacer in the queue. We started along with the same wave as the elite runners in the crowd, just after the wheelchair start. Sharp at 6:30 AM we crossed the start line with the same confidence as any other race, ambitious enough yet doubtful of what could happen wrong before we finish.
Mile 1 to Mile 10
Mile 1 to mile 10 was the strongest we were as a pacing group. the original plan was to start along with the 3:05 pacer and stick to them as much as possible and if i feel any better, thought i would push to see if i can get any better from Mile 23, i knew well at the start, that was way too ambitious of a thought for myself, considering the slack in training over the winter months and how my lower leg responded to workouts, yet i was positive and start on a high note. First couple of miles was along the Pacific Coast Highway all along the seacoast with awesome views of the beach and wide open roads and pleasant weather to start with 53F, which was awesome. Since the whole course was a pretty flat one, there was no need to save some time in bank except for to accommodate the extra distance we may run due to running in a big group. for a 3:05 finish the average pace to maintain was a 7:04/Mile, boom the first few miles were in 6:50s, it was a pretty flat or slightly going down, hence no complaints absolutely, we were a whole 20 person group running along with the 3:05 Pacer, after a 2 mile we turn right to get into the city roads, with a slight incline before we hit the 5k mark crossing 5k in 21 minutes and change, by then my left calf was already starting to behave odd, which was always a case due to the weak ankle, which over a period of time when getting warmed up, fades out, which was the case this time as well.
To be frank i was already physically prepared to fall off the pack and see what it may come, but i was more or less certain i would drop back significantly if not for sticking to the group. Mentally was pushing myself and decided to keep up the group, right after that we hit a uphill, i was determined to keep up with the group come what may, recalling the previous weeks TT run walk run, i was sure that i could do it, stuck to the group, we started to rock and roll, even hitting a crazy 6:38/mile going downhill, only to which we had to climb back at around 8th mile, the Pacer was doing a great job to make us concentrate on the cadence and not on the speed up the hill and the whole group slowed down a bit, yet we were under our time split and well up the hill, that was the second and the last hill in the whole course technically.
As we hit mile 9.5 we were back to the Pacific coast highway, wide open roads, which i recall from last year which had heavy headwind and sunny, this time we were welcomed by the strong headwind, but the pacer was all in for asking us to work together, soon i fell back and started drafting behind the pacer, occasionaly dangled with the pace sign balloons from the wind.
Mile 11 to Mile 20
The weather was so pleasant, free from cold wind, rain and no sun either, what more can you ask for, for after training from the Pacific Northwest. We had a 180 degree turn around point which we expected to be helped with some tail wind, which was slightly there, but had no impact on how we performed. It was all great till mile 13, which is the half way mark which crossed at around 1:33 or so, i remember around the same distance last year, i had my lace to tie and lost my pacing group last year, so i was determined to stick to the group as much as i can. Soon after that around we had a small climb, where i physically did not feel anything different. examining my logs, i see my Heart rate has spiked from well below my MAF range to 180 and has not come down much at all till the end.
Now we were back to the city streets, where there were enough half marathon folks in the opposite side and local residents cheering all of us, that euphoria kept us going, we were now reduced to group of 5 people from a 20 member group, we were already loosing people, i was so silent, not uttering a word, just conserving every bit i can all along. There was no reason for HR to spike there, since i didnt feel anything physically i was all good. At mile 18 we were again heading north, this time along the bike trail adjacent to the beach sand, we could hear the waves and surfers enjoying surfing happily. But my focus was just to stick to the group as much i can. now we were just 4 folks and i wished i do not drop off soon, it was flat all along until mile 21, hence i thought i would be able to keep up.
Mile 21 to Finish
Not sure if it was the spike in HR which i realize as after the fact, but my calves were really tight, i could literally fell that so much that i was not able to push any further, every step i could feel my calves, little after around 20.3 miles i had to back off a little and when we were around mile 22 the pacer was a clear 40 second ahead of me, i could slowly see that they were drifting apart. i just wanted to keep pushing as much as i can, didn't want to slow down. I ended up walking a short stint of 30 secs to see if i feel any better, i was able to get back to my breathing rythm, but the legs felt the same, i was determined to run at least another 3 miles pushing as much i can and then see what i could attempt.
Mile 22.5 we again turned around running south towards the finish line, that was a clear 4 mile remaining, i thought i should be able to finish in a decent time without damaging my finish time too much. By now all the mile markers were around half a mile off target, so i was always assuming that i was ahead of the mile markers, but in reality it was those extra distance that i ran made that difference, at mile 24 i had 2:51, which meant 1 had 16 minutes to cover another 2.2 miles to get a 3:07 the equivalent of what i got at portland. which means i run a 7:40 or so for next two miles, so i started to push hard, kept going as fast i could push, not worried about any of the calve pain.
But when i could see the 26 mile marker it was already at 3:08, which clearly told me that i was not finishing anywhere near, i had an easy .4 miles to cover, which would take 3 to 4 minutes, i started to sprint with all i could regain and crossed the finish line strong finishing it at 3:11.
Consolation
Obviously i was not satisfied with my performance, but once i ended up my workout, i saw the awesome message of my running best VO2 MAX number of 60, which had jumped 5 ml/kg from my previous best, which was something to be happy about, which means my aerobic system has improved, though enough to be spent more with my strength training, which is a clear indicator. Was also satisfied with consistent >=90 Cadences all along the race. Also i am just in consolation that i am just 30 secs slower than my previous best,deducing the extra distance i ran. Even otherwise this is my second best time, i shall take it with a pinch of dissatisfaction given the slack of training i had during the winter months.
Hope i would get my strength training added more and come back stronger to build up on my improved aerobic base. Time to detox... :)
STATISTICS
GRAPHS
MILE SPLITS
GARMIN ACTIVITY
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1559867835
STRAVA ACTIVITY
https://www.strava.com/activities/856538888/embed/c38cef74bf8ab6de1a9761bde62cf48c3e1953ae
NUTRITION AROUND RACE
If it was just one thing to take away from the training period from October onward leading to this race, it would be just sustained effort if may be for not any improvement but no decline, in spite of the harsh winter months and multiple days of runs on treadmill.
What was the original plan and how it got transformed
After a nice show in Portland in October 2016 and on target performance at Seattle Marathon in November and a self supported 42k around lake sammamish, the target was to try and get as close to 3:02 as possible, but as the winter got set in and i slowly ended up shortening my long runs, just unable to bear the brunt of crazy cold weather outside in spite of the heated gloves and sock, the weather was just putting the whole training out of jinx. As much have i experience the crazy 40s C in hyderabad, this was -5s and -6sC which was in the other end of the spectrum throwing the HR all over.
At some point in time when i had crazy futile attempts at the time trial getting horrible numbers, i almost decided that i would skip this race altogether, i had not booked my flight and accommodation until after new year. With my left ankle starting to behave odd due to cold weather, i almost decided to call it quits out of the race. Contemplating that thought over runs, i wouldn't want an anomaly in my running attempts, Touch wood never had to back out or DNF in any race in the 8 year period, just to keep up the record i just went ahead and set in all reservations, which will make me committed. Come 2nd week of January where it turned out to few days of 50sF i felt that the ankle pain was just due to the temperature, the warmer the day, my ankle was fine, with my race being at CA, i was least bothered about it. I thought i shall stick to my 3:05 goal and see how it goes, though my time trial nor my MAF test didn't say that at all.
Tapering time came and Run walk run long runs at TT pace regained in me some confidence, that i could still perform decently. last few sessions of track workouts made me even comfortable, so held up to the positive mindset and set out to the race.
Pre-Race Day
Had to step out of the house early on at 5:15 AM for a 7:30 flight to SNA, with having yoga done all the previous week, was feeling much flexed. Getting the rental car, drove to the hotel and then on to venture out to have my first ever Rice intake in last 4 months, just to have the mental feel of loading in some carbs :), headed to the expo, it was nicely set up in a beach, with awesome views and at 70 F it was perfect weather to venture out without a winter wear after months of heated gear training. Quickly collected my bib, just roamed around the expo for half hour. There seem to be so many races happening in and around LA and Orange county, you could do it full time :). One unique thing that made me pondering was this funky looking shoe at the expo, didnt try to explore much, but thought of sharing it for folks to be just informed http://amplasport.com/. After all the vibrams, i see a lot of Hokas, which seems to be the gifted high heel for gender insensitive population :), now i see this funky shoes, heights of marketing.
Found varieties of VW old vans lined up, was interesting to watch a few.
drove to LA to meet up with my old friend, spent some quality time meeting him after 5 years, around 7 drove back to hotel, quickly ventured out to get my last workout before the race, a MAF run for 30 minutes, done and headed out to have my Carb loading dinner. Unavoidably had to settle down only for a 10 PM bed time, all set with my race logistics.
Race Day
Alarm was set for a 4:30 AM rise and quickly be done with the morning duties, i was still feeling full hence stuck with having a banana and drove to the shuttle parking spots 2 miles away from the start line at 5:15 AM. It was a hassle free ride to the point and the school buses shuttled between the parking spot and the start line. Was at the start line at 5:30 AM, a clear 1 hour before the event start. Quickly used the honey bucket, ventured into the gear check-in tent. The temperature was expected to range from 50 to 53F which is around 11 C, which was awesome weather considering the treacherous -3 and -5C and windy, rainy seattle weather in the past few weeks. At around 6 AM, 30 minutes before the start, had a dose of Beetelite with 250 ml of water and got to my running attire, checking in the bag. Ventured out of the tent to brave the chill climate to get used to it.
Went out for a half a mile jog and a quick 6 sprints to hike up my heart rate and get warmed up, before i could complete they had already started with the national anthem, had to quickly rush to the front line to be along with the 3:05 pacer, who was the first pacer in the queue. We started along with the same wave as the elite runners in the crowd, just after the wheelchair start. Sharp at 6:30 AM we crossed the start line with the same confidence as any other race, ambitious enough yet doubtful of what could happen wrong before we finish.
Mile 1 to Mile 10
Mile 1 to mile 10 was the strongest we were as a pacing group. the original plan was to start along with the 3:05 pacer and stick to them as much as possible and if i feel any better, thought i would push to see if i can get any better from Mile 23, i knew well at the start, that was way too ambitious of a thought for myself, considering the slack in training over the winter months and how my lower leg responded to workouts, yet i was positive and start on a high note. First couple of miles was along the Pacific Coast Highway all along the seacoast with awesome views of the beach and wide open roads and pleasant weather to start with 53F, which was awesome. Since the whole course was a pretty flat one, there was no need to save some time in bank except for to accommodate the extra distance we may run due to running in a big group. for a 3:05 finish the average pace to maintain was a 7:04/Mile, boom the first few miles were in 6:50s, it was a pretty flat or slightly going down, hence no complaints absolutely, we were a whole 20 person group running along with the 3:05 Pacer, after a 2 mile we turn right to get into the city roads, with a slight incline before we hit the 5k mark crossing 5k in 21 minutes and change, by then my left calf was already starting to behave odd, which was always a case due to the weak ankle, which over a period of time when getting warmed up, fades out, which was the case this time as well.
To be frank i was already physically prepared to fall off the pack and see what it may come, but i was more or less certain i would drop back significantly if not for sticking to the group. Mentally was pushing myself and decided to keep up the group, right after that we hit a uphill, i was determined to keep up with the group come what may, recalling the previous weeks TT run walk run, i was sure that i could do it, stuck to the group, we started to rock and roll, even hitting a crazy 6:38/mile going downhill, only to which we had to climb back at around 8th mile, the Pacer was doing a great job to make us concentrate on the cadence and not on the speed up the hill and the whole group slowed down a bit, yet we were under our time split and well up the hill, that was the second and the last hill in the whole course technically.
As we hit mile 9.5 we were back to the Pacific coast highway, wide open roads, which i recall from last year which had heavy headwind and sunny, this time we were welcomed by the strong headwind, but the pacer was all in for asking us to work together, soon i fell back and started drafting behind the pacer, occasionaly dangled with the pace sign balloons from the wind.
Mile 11 to Mile 20
The weather was so pleasant, free from cold wind, rain and no sun either, what more can you ask for, for after training from the Pacific Northwest. We had a 180 degree turn around point which we expected to be helped with some tail wind, which was slightly there, but had no impact on how we performed. It was all great till mile 13, which is the half way mark which crossed at around 1:33 or so, i remember around the same distance last year, i had my lace to tie and lost my pacing group last year, so i was determined to stick to the group as much as i can. Soon after that around we had a small climb, where i physically did not feel anything different. examining my logs, i see my Heart rate has spiked from well below my MAF range to 180 and has not come down much at all till the end.
Now we were back to the city streets, where there were enough half marathon folks in the opposite side and local residents cheering all of us, that euphoria kept us going, we were now reduced to group of 5 people from a 20 member group, we were already loosing people, i was so silent, not uttering a word, just conserving every bit i can all along. There was no reason for HR to spike there, since i didnt feel anything physically i was all good. At mile 18 we were again heading north, this time along the bike trail adjacent to the beach sand, we could hear the waves and surfers enjoying surfing happily. But my focus was just to stick to the group as much i can. now we were just 4 folks and i wished i do not drop off soon, it was flat all along until mile 21, hence i thought i would be able to keep up.
Mile 21 to Finish
Not sure if it was the spike in HR which i realize as after the fact, but my calves were really tight, i could literally fell that so much that i was not able to push any further, every step i could feel my calves, little after around 20.3 miles i had to back off a little and when we were around mile 22 the pacer was a clear 40 second ahead of me, i could slowly see that they were drifting apart. i just wanted to keep pushing as much as i can, didn't want to slow down. I ended up walking a short stint of 30 secs to see if i feel any better, i was able to get back to my breathing rythm, but the legs felt the same, i was determined to run at least another 3 miles pushing as much i can and then see what i could attempt.
Mile 22.5 we again turned around running south towards the finish line, that was a clear 4 mile remaining, i thought i should be able to finish in a decent time without damaging my finish time too much. By now all the mile markers were around half a mile off target, so i was always assuming that i was ahead of the mile markers, but in reality it was those extra distance that i ran made that difference, at mile 24 i had 2:51, which meant 1 had 16 minutes to cover another 2.2 miles to get a 3:07 the equivalent of what i got at portland. which means i run a 7:40 or so for next two miles, so i started to push hard, kept going as fast i could push, not worried about any of the calve pain.
But when i could see the 26 mile marker it was already at 3:08, which clearly told me that i was not finishing anywhere near, i had an easy .4 miles to cover, which would take 3 to 4 minutes, i started to sprint with all i could regain and crossed the finish line strong finishing it at 3:11.
Consolation
Obviously i was not satisfied with my performance, but once i ended up my workout, i saw the awesome message of my running best VO2 MAX number of 60, which had jumped 5 ml/kg from my previous best, which was something to be happy about, which means my aerobic system has improved, though enough to be spent more with my strength training, which is a clear indicator. Was also satisfied with consistent >=90 Cadences all along the race. Also i am just in consolation that i am just 30 secs slower than my previous best,deducing the extra distance i ran. Even otherwise this is my second best time, i shall take it with a pinch of dissatisfaction given the slack of training i had during the winter months.
Hope i would get my strength training added more and come back stronger to build up on my improved aerobic base. Time to detox... :)
STATISTICS
GRAPHS
MILE SPLITS
GARMIN ACTIVITY
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1559867835
STRAVA ACTIVITY
https://www.strava.com/activities/856538888/embed/c38cef74bf8ab6de1a9761bde62cf48c3e1953ae
NUTRITION AROUND RACE
- Veg fried rice with generous tofu with peanuts for lunch the day before at 1 PM
- Potato filled Pasta with basil with pamesan cheese for dinner at 9:30 PM the day before
- 1 Banana and 100 ml coconut water at 5 AM, 1.5 hours before the race
- 1 Banana 1 hour before the race
- BeetElite 30 minutes before the race start
- 1 Salted Caramel Gu gel with water 15 minutes before start
- 1 salted caramel Gu gel every 30 minutes then after with water
- Vitalyte electrolyte sips every alternate aid station along with water
- doused my head with water every alternate aid stations as well to keep down my core body temperature, which helped as well
- FastandUp Recover 15 minutes after race with 250 ml water
- 200 ml Trumoo choclate milk, 1 orange and 1 banana 25 minutes after race
- 500 ml water overall within 1 hour of the race
One thing came out so clear, running that extra distance is a big no no, but you wont realize until you have done it so clearly, so have to factor for that in the race timing, and increased emphasis required with strength training, and build up on the aerobic improvement realized from after the last race till now.
CHANGES IMPLEMENTED AFTER OCTOBER 2016
- Off Sugar and all derivatives of it in any form
- Substituted it with Raw honey for usage in Tea.
- Absolutely no rice, in no different form either like dosa/idly either, obviously 2 or 3 cheat days due to lack of food options on those days
- Weighted vest training
- High speed training on treadmill
- Continued diet of Fruit smoothie with coconut milk/berries/raisins/dates for breakfast
- Continued lunch of all veggies, spinach/brocolli/cauliflower/tofu/mushroom, spiced with black pepper and salt for all days with no cheat days
