Pikes!! 21min faster than last year but I still have room for improvement. 3:47:48. 368/1707 OA, 60/531 F, 10/66 F25-29 (my birthday is 2 weeks too early).
Shorts and tri top; didn't carry anything warm. It was hot.
12oz handheld amphipod bottle. Breakfast: 1/2 banana, 1/2c almond milk, strong black tea. 10min pre-race: 1 tri-berry gu. During race: 6 raspberry powerbar gummies before Barr Camp; 2 cola flavored ones after. I didn't feel like eating in the second half and just put one in the side of my cheek and it took about an hour to get each one down. Yuck. Refilled water bottle with water and added pieces of nuun electrolyte tablets. Whatever was left in my stomach was regurgitated right after the finish line as usual for hard races for me.
A buddy of mine passed me in the flatter section between No Name and Bob's Road (Mile 5ish) and I thought that I would never see him again. He passed me when I was feeling good on the flat section that was my strong suit. However, just after the 2mi to go sign (Mile 11ish) there is a really long switchback and I thought I saw the back of his shirt on the other side 1/3mi away. I had just finished a really awful mile, but I felt better all of the sudden and started gaining. Got it with 3 switchbacks to go and finished ahead by 9 seconds. That hurt, but there is lots of room for improvement and I will be back next year. I predicted it would be a close race, but that was crazy.
I felt pretty good on the W's. I think I went a little too hard because I don't think I was running as fast as I would have liked to on the first flatter section. I didn't miss it by much since I felt much better on the second flatter section. After Barr Camp I felt gradually worse until 4-to-go when I felt horrible. I felt horrible until about 2-to-go and then I felt better. No good reason, I just don't really like that section of the course. My muscles were my speed limiter, not my lungs but they didn't cramp as badly as they did last year. My hamstrings and lower back just gradually got more and more sore as the race went on. I ran more this year than last year above treeline. I made an effort to run at least a few steps on all of the flatter switchbacks above Barr Camp except for the period where I was feeling awful when there was no running. I may have slightly improved my hiking pace over last year as well.
This year: Barr Camp 1:49; Barr Camp to A-frame :49; A-frame to top 1:09 = 3:47
Last year: Barr Camp 2:00; Barr Camp to A-frame :50; A-frame to top 1:19 = 4:09
Training on Pikes. For 2011, I didn't have much more training volume than 2010, but I did a lot more hiking at high altitude.
In preparation for next year, I will make a good effort to include more core/strength/stretching. I know it will help me a lot... I think I raced a good race for where I am. I could improve the nutrition a bit. I usually like the powerbar gummies but I really didn't want them after Barr Camp and had no other options. My water w/ nuun worked well (I think my stomach didn't cooperate at the top because I didn't drink enough above treeline). I thought about carrying a bigger water bottle this year and maybe I should have. My little one is more comfortable though. I am well aware that I would be faster if I trained more consistently...
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