johnsjar

You just can’t predict how you will feel and perform before a race or a training run, no matter how much training or experience you have. Of course you can make much better guesses with experience but you never really know how it will go.

I would have thought I would not finish my 32 km today, or if I did I would have performed relatively badly because I only got 4 hours sleep last night for various reasons which I won’t get into.

I still felt a bit sore from previous training (from both running and karate), and I well remembered my last attempt ended in failure. On the plus side I did have new shoes.

Anyway, I was up at 4 AM and drank two cups of strong coffee. I had two slices of toast with almond butter on them plus a power bar product that has 23 grams of protein in it (not Power Bar brand). Then I was out the door for my run at 6 AM. It was quite cool, about 10 degrees and partly overcast with the occasional light sprinkle of rain on me. I fell behind my 8 minute plan by about three minutes at the 4 km point, but then I achieved a negative split and finished the 32 km in 4:09:37 for a 7:48 pace. And I lost a minute or so defending myself from a vicious attack by two large dogs! No damage was done thankfully and I managed to act and look the dominant one. But this is still very upsetting, especially when I was pretty much blind-sided by them as I was making the last sprint home which was just under 2 km away.

At this point I think I can probably finish the marathon. I ate as soon as I got home, since consuming a nutritious meal within 20 minutes after exercising leads to greatly improved recovery times. Protein and carbs are the best for quick recovery and there is no better combo than a chocolate milk for that, although I also had some bread, cheese and salmon.

And yes, I am now heading off for a nap. Oh, and I forgot to mention that my hydration pack which carries two liters works well (Gatorade); I had enough left over to maybe finish a marathon I think, possibly because of the cool weather. I also took electrolyte caps. E-zone I think.