Monday, December 27, 2010

12 Days til Bandera...

It's taper time....and I need it!  I went out for a 15 miler on Sunday and was dragging myself along.  Today was a rest day and then it's all mellow running and rest days from here on out.  I need to allow all my aches and pains to heal up so I hit the start line refreshed and ready to roll.

I'm thinking about a goal time and I'm settling somewhere in the 11:15-11:45 range.  I chatted with Nick Clark, who set the course record (9:16:57) there last January, and he agreed that a sub-12 would be a realistic goal for me.  My plan is to run as much of this as I can.  I will let the rocks dictate when I walk, but I have not trained for hiking at all, so I know running will be more comfortable.  My hope will be to get through the first 50K loop unscathed before the real race begins during the second.

For fueling, it's no surprise that I've settled on an EFS liquid shot plan.  One 6 oz. shot (400 calories) mixed with water in my 20 oz. handheld.  I will plan to drink one bottle every 1.25-1.5 hours.  I also stumbled upon these cola flavored PowerBar Gel Blasts.  If you haven't tried them yet, you need to.  All that Coke goodness packed into a portable treat.  There are nine chews in a pack and each one provides about 21 calories.  I plan to eat 1-2 every 30 minutes starting on my second loop.
Energy Gel Blasts

6 comments:

  1. I haven't tried the cola flavored ones but I do like the strawberry banana ones! They are YUMMY! You'll be fine since your race is in January but I had a crummy realization in my August half last year when they were all melted together and melted to the package!

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  2. Thanks for the heads up Mallory. Sorry to hear about the mishap during your half. In Bandera, heat could definitely be an issue, so I'll have to think through the melting problem if it ends up being hot on race day. It could also be below freezing out there! I've tried the raspberry ones too and think they're delicious.

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  3. Best of luck! 50k laps? I suppose it's important to be feeling good at the 50k mark. I would have to drop of my car keys at the 25k mark and pick them back up at 75k. Otherwise I would be driving to the nearest Taco Bell instead of starting lap 2.
    You've trained tough so you should be tough. Run Well!

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  4. Oh man Matt...don't be putting ideas in my head. Yeah, starting that 2nd lap will be a mental hurdle for sure. I'm hoping after a few miles, I'll start counting down the remaining miles and that will motivate me to plug along.

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  5. I'll have to give those a try...the caffeine could help too. You're going to do awesome at Bandera!

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  6. Thanks Aaron. One week out and I'm starting the mental gymnastics that come along with a taper.

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