Race week finally arrived, and my schedule called for two short shakeout jogs of 45 and 40 minutes. At least I got one of them in! The race went well; I was once again humbled by Torrey the speed-demon, who entered the race with nothing but cross fit and its 400 m sprints under his belt for the past couple of months.
Here's the week:
Tuesday: easy 45 on the treadmill
Wednesday: 15 miles on the bike
Saturday: Tamalpa Headlands 50K
Totals: 35.79 miles, avg HR 154, Weight 195
I got to the start line well rested, with no niggles. Overall the race went extremely well. My new nutrition strategy of Tailwind in my hydration pack supplemented by aid station fare and ginger chews also worked to my satisfaction. I had one brief low spell where my stomach sloshed, and I'm pretty sure I bonked in the last mile and a half, but I finished strong, in the top half of the field. The course was beautiful, and the volunteers were remarkably supportive. I noticed a marked difference between this club organized race and the for profit races I have run: more laid back and more fun. No medal, jut a tee shirt, beer and pizza. I really enjoyed hanging out with friends after my finish.
Mixing in at least one day of biking a week looks like it will be paying fitness dividends, and my weight continues to improve. I should be down to race weight by North Face. This week is a mix of recovery and continued endurance training, with a three hour run kicking off a ten day vacation next week. I'm looking forward to running in some coastal rain forests in various parts well north of here.
Keep your eyes open for the Tamalpa Headlands 50K race report, which will be up as soon as I can gather the race photos.
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