July 01, 2011
What to eat/drink day before the race?
Last year for the July 4th race I cramped up in the middle of it, I really would like to avoid that this time. Trying to make good time while it feels like a bunch of swords are piercing your stomach isn't a whole lot of fun. Right now I'm planning for pasta the night before and am just hoping for the best but any help would be appreciated.
In the meantime running is going well. I've been able to move my daily jog to 5.6 miles and tomorrow I plan on doing a test run jog of 2 miles as a smimulated race out on the pavement. In the meantime I hate not eating junkfood, I have a huge sweet tooth and to pass up on it hurts so much. I usually go to my buddy's house every 4th on the beach and there's an ice cream place right across the street. After the race I may have to head there before going to the party. It sounds so good right now.
I'm a competitive person so to beat 13:15 would mean a lot and I also have a couple bets going on this. So the tentative plan is tomorrow to run 5 miles in the morning followed by a 2 mile simulation at night. On Saturday I plan on running 5.5 miles and on Sunday another 2 mile simulation leading in to Monday. It should be interesting.
In the meantime I went to Pittsburgh this weekend to see 2 Sox-Pirates games. PNC is such a nice ballpark and we had great seats for both games. I was thinking about this earlier but as sad as it is I wouldn't chose Fenway park as a place I wanted to relax and watch a ballgame. Much of what makes that stadium great is the atmosphere and the history. However the seats are extremely uncomfortable and if two random teams were playing there I wouldn't go unless I had any interest. In the meantime newer ballparks like camden yards, jacobs field, PNC Park, Yankee Stadium, etc are all very nice places to kick back and watch a game.
In Pittsburgh we played this course, Cranberry Highlands that was in great shape and just an awesome course. The picture below is the 3rd or 4th hole and is a great par 3. With water on the left and behind the hole with it being 80' downhill. I came up short and left of the pin, duffed my chip then 2 putted for a bogey. Still a sick visual.
Won't blog again until after the 4th, for all the Americans have a fun and safe 4th of July. To the Europeans, run well.
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Worry gives a small thing a big shadow.
- Swedish proverb
8 Comments:
sandr1x posted on July 01, 2011 at 05:04 AM
Hi, mate. What's that "simulation" thing about? Interested cuz like running too.
CalvinLinus posted on July 01, 2011 at 06:14 AM
Hey, be careful to not put in to many hard miles this close to your race. You should probably start a short taper so that come July 4 you will feel rested and your legs will be light and not still recovering from your previous workouts.
Remember you train to race, not race to train. The race is your top priority!
Best of luck with your goal and I hope you run sub 13!!!
veloblank posted on July 01, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Glad you liked PNC Park. I was there on Saturday night for my first Pirates game. I'm a Phillies fan transplant but treat the Pirates like my home club now. I'm proud to take 2 of 3 and to boo Ortiz.
I haven't played Cranberry but it looks like a good course. How much for the round?
bosoxx34 posted on July 01, 2011 at 12:54 PM
@ Sandr1x, simulation is just my way of saying running 2 miles like I would in a race, unfortunately there's nothing cool or special about it.
@Calvin good point, when I got back from Pittsburgh I expected my legs to feel sluggish but my Monday 5 mile was by far my easiest. I may just run 2 miles from here on out and possibly take the day off on Sunday.
@Velo Yeah PNC park and the fans were great. I bet the Pirates over 67.5 wins this year so I've been following them closely, they're a fun team to root for. Cranberry was 67 I believe for 18 and a cart, evidently it's only 35 if you're a resident which is an absolute steal.
kennycalhoo posted on July 01, 2011 at 13:57 PM
Pre-race foods: The biggest thing? Don't overdo it with the carbs. People always carb load, but you also don't want a problem out on the course...that can be the worst.
I also am a big fan of popping an immodium before the race too, although that can dehydrate some people.
But other than that, just a lot of water, relaxation, and a good night of sleep. And some bland pasta.
everytime!!! posted on July 01, 2011 at 18:58 PM
the simulation 2 miles isn't the best idea for an upcoming 2 mile race. Instead run at about your race pace and slightly faster, but break it up. 4x 800 in 3:15 with 1:30 rest or 1 mile in 6:30 then 800 in 3:15 and 2 400s a little faster like 1:20 or so to get a little pop in the legs. If you keep the rest 2 mins or less it should be a good simulation of what you can expect to run in the race. Keep the 2 days to the race easy and 4-6 100 meter strides. good luck.
bosoxx34 posted on July 01, 2011 at 19:33 PM
Awesome, thanks for the advice everyone.
bosoxx34 posted on July 01, 2011 at 20:22 PM
Also I was thinking about popping an immodium but my number one concern was dehydration so I'll just roll the dice.
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