Back on the Trail Again!

It's been awhile, So Sunday was the Hobo 50k. It was the 3rd in the 4 race series of the Illinois Grand Slam trail series.

Not sure how it was going to go, because I have been pretty lazy since my Great Illini IM race three weeks ago.

So I meet up with one of the Chia runners, Brian, to do some representing for the club.

The normal start was Race director saying "GO".

I started off at 10:00 min pace a tried to hold around a low zone 3 heart rate. It was two 15.5 loops with one water crossing. I actually ran pretty well the 1st loop, very minimal walking on the hills and felt pretty strong most of the time.

Then the dreaded second loop. Just tried to keep a descent pace and walked a little bit more on the hills. I was waiting for some cramping to creep up on me. But it never did happen. I did start to feel all the twist and turns on my ankles a little more. But I got through it pretty well. The thing about racing for 5+ hours, there are always good and bad moments and have to keep reminding myself of that.

But I must say the last 5k was not to fun. Walked a little more and was hoping to break 6 hours for the 1st time at this trail ultra distance.

With a finishing time of 5:44, I got myself a 15+ minute PR. Felt pretty good about that, since I trained less and pretty much ate apple danishes for the past 3 weeks, then get a PR. I might have to stick with this training plan.

Overall the race was pretty good event, the aid stations was pretty sparse, but had HOBO stew and a HOBO beggars tin cup as our finishing award.
(me and Brian after the Finish)

And yes they even had some apple strudel danishes for post race goodies. So I will be back.

Great Illini Full Distance Triathlon...

It has been a week since I have done this IM type of thingy, so here goes a brief race report.

The swim:

I think there were over 70 racers that showed up for the Full Distance event, another 200 who raced the Half distance event. So I figured it would not be a washing machine like IM swim's usually are. So somehow I started in the inside and just tried to keep a steady pace. It was a two loop trip, for a small group I sure did get hit a couple of times. One guy tried to swim into me, not once but twice, I looked up and he was alot older than me, so I didn't get to pissed about it. It was actually a relaxing swim for me, but I had a hard time staying in a straight line, veering off very wide at times because I had less people to guide off.

I actually thought I had a good swim, but 1:36:57 was a slow IM swim time, all the bikes were gone in my age group rack, that is never a fun feeling. Going to have to work on it alot harder next year and trying to swim straight in my races.

T2: 04:12

I had decided to put on my bike shorts over some running tights and applied some "butt creme" for the long ride. I did hear some teenagers or little kids in the background so I felt a little uncomfortable sticking my hand down my pants to apply the creme, but you do what you got to do right?

Bike:

I actually was not sure how this would go, my longest ride going into this was 89 miles over a month ago. So I knew my "bonking" was coming, just not sure when it would happen. Everything was going well than I started to slow down considerably around the 25 mile mark. I looked down and CRAP my tire was half flat. What to do? I actually made the decision to just pump a CO2 cartridge in the tire and see if it would hold up. So that is how I rode. Every 20+ miles or so I checked my tire, just to make sure it was still inflated, so getting off the bike was a routine I was getting into. Hmm, maybe I should have changed my tire, but I went with the moment.

Well after mile 80, I knew this coming, I was getting tired and my legs were cramping and the bike ride became a little bit of an ordeal after that. But I made it through even with one close encounter with some old lady driving her car trying to pass a car who was also passing a cyclist heading right towards me, WTF.

Bike time was 6:48:17.65 (16.5mph).

T2: 03:44.85, transition went alot smoother and just went with my cycling bandanna instead of my lucky IM hat for the run, ahh yeah I think I should have worn my hat.

Run:

After the bike, I saw I was at 8:33hrs, so if I had a decent run maybe I could finish at 13 hrs. But that quickly faded after mile 3. I had no more energy on the run. I was getting tired and not sure what was happening. Just did not have the legs to run. So loop 1, 2, and 3, became an real ordeal, a test of my mental resolve for sure. Just trying to run to each aid station was my goal. Tried changing my nutrition and "yelling at my myself", "happy thoughts", even double espresso Cliff shots. I just could not run long periods at a steady pace. Then my last loop came, it was starting to get dark and I was tired of being out there. So CRAP, WTF, it's dark out here, I needed to run, GOD DAMMIT!! and so I did!!! Not a great pace, but my best split time for sure was in the final loop. So in the darkness of night I ran in with a marathon time of 5:06:43 (my slowest IM marathon time).

Finish time was 13:39:56! In the grand scheme of things not a bad time actually, but felt I should have done better. But then again I didn't put in half the work I did to get a 13:07 at Iron Man Wisconsin in 2007. So I'll take it.

I do have many thoughts these days after finishing the Great Illini Full Distance triathlon. It was less frills than the corporate M-dot IM races. But it was well run and I did not get lost along the course. No 10+ volunteers waiting for you at the finish line, I had to actually go get my finisher's award myself. But maybe one day I will be back, because above all else it was a well organized triathlon race.

But I have to say, I was a little disappointed with my results, but upon reflection I trained less than 10 weeks for this and just wanted to have a respectable finishing time, so I did accomplish that goal.

A Goal that started with a podcast I listened to about a person who completed a 100 mile ultra Marathon and Iron Man race in the same year.

I thought to myself, I could do this. So with a grin on my face, I guess I did it. Now with one or two smaller goals for the rest of the year, I look forward in accomplishing these things as well.

Seriously, this stuff HURTS?

My finisher plaque says "I Endured The Great Illini (2.4 swim, 112 bike, 26.2 run)"

Boy, was it ever!!! I tested every ounce of my endurance and sheer willingness to just keep going forward.

I was under trained mentally and physically for the race. I knew it, but wanted to give it a shot and see what happened.

But I did have some race goals, I thought I could go under 13 hours, I guess my mind was thinking one thing but my body decided something else.

I had some mechanical bike issues, cramping issues, and at the end felt like hurling all the espresso gels I consumed during the run.

But I finished in 13:39:56..

6 people in age division, 6Th place, woohooo, tough crowd, I guess. No matter..

I didn't hear "Bubba your an Iron Man" when I crossed the finish line.

But feel like a DAM sore one. So I'll take it.

Race report coming soon, but for now I need some rest both physically and mentally. While trying to get ready for a 50k Ultra in 3 weeks.

"GAME TIME"

It's "game time" this weekend. Not sure what to call it, an Iron Man race, a 140.6 triathlon, whatever it will become it will be a long "ASS" race for sure. And that's how I'm going to treat it.

I started to train for this 10 weeks ago and see how it would it turn out? But I must tell you I wish I had more time. 10 weeks is not enough time to train for a 10+ hour triathlon.

But adjustments were made, most of my "ASS" pain that travelled down my leg has for the most part subsided. A big celebration on that..

I had to stop running for two weeks to make it go away, so my marathon run after cycling 112 miles will be quite interesting to say the least.

The course is pretty much flat and the weather is looking good. What else can I ask for.

Two loops swim,

Two loop Bike,

Four Loop run course,

Sound easy enough? Okay not that easy.. But I will get through it and do my best.

"A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more." ~ Steve Prefontaine

Life is good, because after this weekend I'm back on the trails for somemore Ultra fun.

Good luck to all my bud's racing IronMan Wisconsin on Sunday!!