Georgetown to Idaho Springs Race Report
I saw a fellow runner putting out her clothes the night before complete with bib pinned onto shirt. I thought that looked like I good idea and decided to do the same. I prepared a post race protein carb drink with a 1:4 ratio mixed it and put it in the freezer. I planned my nutrition for the race and this time brought a fuel belt that only holds one bottle. I have yet to find the perfect hydration system and it kind of depends on the race but I really hate not having water when I want it and or nutrition.
At this point I have done four half marathons. The first was canyon lands and I woke up that morning with laryngitis. To which my friend commented you don’t need your voice to run. The day before that race I found out my mother in law who lives in Moab has cancer. She is doing well now after having a kidney removed but it was a stressful couple of days.
The second was the Leadville heavy half. This was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. And it took me 6 hours and 6:08 to complete. It was 15.75 miles and at 10200 ft. It was hard and thrilling and I can’t wait for next year.
The third was the NUTS half in Utah. This had a bit of elevation gain and loss and was much harder than I expected but was fun even though I saw two rattlesnakes and got off track this took me 5 hours and 18 min I think.
So all that did not shake my confidence for the GTIS half. My 4th half marathon but second road type half marathon. All those hard trails and technical terrain not to mention the possibility of being discouraged by my slow times on the trails could have brought me down but they didn’t. …Well they might have for a moment. I have had some new awareness that I need to celebrate my successes no matter how small. I knew that trail running makes me a better overall runner and that the altitude training runs have also helped me. The GTIS is downhill, so they say, after some uphill at 8500 ft. Other things that come to mind that worked for me. Eating 2.5 to three hours before the race seemed to help me quite a bit. Planning post race nutrition was also something that worked for me as I heard that this is an ideal time for the body to accept fuel for the next activity and if planned right can be super effective instead if the normal food binge or should I say abnormal food binge post race. Runners edge Boot camp has also helped me feel stronger. Close to the finish line David, the runners edge coach was cheering people on this is a good time to get the cheering as it give you a boost to give a final push!
Treating any body issues right when they come up before they reach injury status if at all possible also worked well for me such a chiropractic treatment, acupuncture and regular massage all work in my favor. I did run GTIS with an injury but it was not running related. I have been much more consistent during the week with my training. The messages I tell myself during a race or run have changed over time:
I’m running my own race
I’m an athlete
I have perfect form
I am strong
I am relaxed
Long runs they are my favorite especially since I don’t take them at race pace but at a much slower pace with the idea that I’m stretching out my energy for the long haul and I don’t care how long it takes me. So technically Georgetown was my second road half. I first thought I improved by 13 min then 12 then when I got the official results it turns out the be 14 min, 2:49 was my time. Which according to my calculations is an 8% improvement. Lately I have been running without an ipod. I think it’s safer but also if I can run with or without one I think I’m better trained than I am if I’m dependant on one. It was one less thing I had to worry about and I was able to hear the car barreling down the road during the race. This race was a lot of fun but I missed Roberta. She has some serious jet lag and was unable to run. I brought her bib just in case she was able to show up and totally forgot that the timing chip was attached to the bib so she ended up getting identical results to mine ….. Sorry Roberta. I’m slowly learning what works for me personally. My hope is that my stories will motivate even one person to give it a whirl! It is something I thought about for years before I actually tried it and may not have ever tried it if it had not been for the run walk method. (Thanks Jeff Galloway!)
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