I DNFed the Bear 100 for three reasons. The first was a back injury. Before the 2017 Night Moves marathon, I hurt my back pumping up an air mattress and ran the marathon, in pain every step. The injury persisted, at varying levels, for over a year. It felt okay for the first of the Capt'n Karl's races, but by Colorado Bend it hurt and kept hurting through the Bear.
The second was burnout. I started to feel emotionally drained that fifth race of the season, Colorado Bend. Looking back to 2013, I had four good races before burnout. I think a good rule moving forward is no more than four races a season.
The third was not being in the moment. I was in the process of finalizing an agreement for a new job while in Utah, and my mind was there, not the race. I can't run 100 miles unless my mind is dialed.
Thus, I made it 30 miles at the Bear then dropped.
I took two and a half months off. I healed, recharged, and started running again in December. The plan was to run a couple of marathons, Houston (my best road marathon, 3:41 in 2012) and USA Fit (my first marathon finish in 2011). Switching to road would be a change of pace after years of trail. As I am making progress in life, it's kind of nice to revisit the past.
These races would be in preparation for the Jackalope Jam 72 Hours. I plan to run about 36 hours (I have to teach class on Saturday which is why I'm starting the 72 Hours on Thursday). Wanting to avoid the time and distance pressure of another 100 miler, I'm just going to see how many miles I can get. With 100 miles in my heart.
I didn't get in a 20 mile training run before the race, which is always my minimum for proper training. Running 15 miles one weekend, I got tired and said I would do 20 another time, which I never got around to. Mistake!
The Race
Cold on race day, I enjoyed the atmosphere of a big city marathon wearing my hoodie, cap, and gloves. I had been running eight minute miles in training, Going out at a comfortable rate, I stayed under nine minutes a mile through mile nine, when my legs started hurting. Slowing, I changed the game plan, just trying to run every step. Which I did.
Splits
| Split | Time Of Day | Time | Diff | min/mile | miles/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5K | 07:33:31AM | 00:26:36 | 26:36 | 08:34 | 7.01 |
| 10K | 07:59:47AM | 00:52:52 | 26:17 | 08:28 | 7.10 |
| 15K | 08:27:08AM | 01:20:13 | 27:21 | 08:48 | 6.82 |
| HALF | 09:03:45AM | 01:56:50 | 36:38 | 09:40 | 6.21 |
| 25K | 09:29:04AM | 02:22:09 | 25:20 | 10:27 | 5.75 |
| 30K | 10:01:15AM | 02:54:20 | 32:11 | 10:22 | 5.79 |
| 35K | 10:37:05AM | 03:30:10 | 35:50 | 11:32 | 5.20 |
| 40K | 11:13:10AM | 04:06:14 | 36:05 | 11:37 | 5.17 |
| Finish Mat | 11:28:38AM | 04:21:43 | 15:29 | 11:21 | 5.29 |
Reflections
I was able to stay focused on one mile at a time and keep on running. My back is in great shape, hardly hurting. After the race, my right ankle was a bit inflamed, so I waited eight days before running again. I was busy at TCTELA anyway.
The post-race satisfaction is always worth it!
Next up is USA Fit. I'll see if I can improve my time. It will be another training run for Jackalope.
