A Post-Kiawah open letter to my feet, legs and aerobic system
Gentlemen,
We’ve just finished the Kiawah marathon and now is the time to reflect on your performance. Alas, with a 3:31, we did not qualify for Boston today. However, I have word from the cerebral cortex that our chin is up, and the outlook for the future is still unflinchingly positive. This being said, we must dole out praise or scorn where justified.
The Feet
Another excellent job. You have endured the pounding of the marathon with no ill effects, discomfort, blisters, or pain of any kind. There are more Thorlos socks in your future.
The areobic system
Once again, you have performed above and beyond the call of duty. You had a near perfect race and easily could have propelled us to an ultra. You should write a book. Can we have your autograph?
And now for the legs.
You started well, but your perfromance from miles 17-20 left much to be desired, though at that point we were still on track. From that point things got worse. We feel betrayed by your lack of verve, strength, and endurance. Are you angry? Have we offended you? Perhaps you should have channeled these feelings into something more productive, like going faster despite the pain. This may sound blunt, but without honesty, how will we grow?
At least you also avoided any injuries. thanks.
Sincerely,
Dean
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December 12th, 2006 at 10:08 pm
Dean –
Give your legs a break (not literally). Could it be that they just did not have enough fuel to sustain that blistering pace. I say if your not eating enough gel (apple cinnamon carb boom http://www.carbboom.com) to make yourself sick (or at least very sick of gel) you are betraying your legs. According to the carb boom web page:
During the run : Eat your first gel one hour into the run. Consume subsequent gels every 30-45 minutes thereafter.
For Charlotte I ate one at miles 6, 12, 18 and 22. Yes I did have some trouble keeping them down but my legs held up reasonably well. At first I was a little freaked at the weather forecast but it turned to be a great day to run. It was cool and sunny with just a slight breeze. The course was hilly but none of the hills were steep or long. The accommodations were first rate (I stayed with Jim). It was pretty fun. I got to hang out with Jim and a couple of guys from work ran it so I ran with them some.
My legs are feeling pretty good today. I think I’m going to give them a try tomorrow just to make sure everything is still working…..
How are your legs feeling?
December 13th, 2006 at 8:30 am
Yeah, I’m chilling out this week. My legs feel great.
Pre-Race and race fueling will be a major point of emphasis for me at Myrtle Beach. I think I did ok at Kiawah in this regard, but there is much room for improvement.
I’m glad you had a great time at Charlotte!
– Dean