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markc7

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About markc7

  • Birthday 07/06/1980

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  1. Usually after a race like this I would come home and write a race report right away. But I just don't feel like it this time around. This was one of my very best races ever, but I had to push myself very very hard to get the time that I did. Although I'm ecstatic about my performance, I'm just too tired physically and mentally to really get excited about writing a race report. So here are some random notes. Course was a 10km loop through the forest, about 50-50 single and double track trail. There were two long uphills, and several very steep downhills. It wasn't terribly technical, but the route had lots of twists and turns, so it was always interesting. In a fixed time race, the winner is whoever runs the furthest. In the case of this particular race, if two people reach the same distance, the higher placing goes to whoever reached the distance first. Events were 6, 12, and 24 hours long. At the start of the race I saw a runner with a "Go Vegan!" Organicathlete.org jersey. I didn't get a chance to talk to her, though. I drank HEED (Hammer Gel's sport drink) for the first 50 or 60 km, then decided that I would never touch the stuff for the rest of my life. After 9 laps I couldn't eat anything anymore, so I switched to all liquids (water, coke, ginger ale, Red Bull, veggie broth). The trail was busy for the first 6 hours, almost deserted after 12. On my 13th (?) lap, I didn't see another runner the whole way. My first lap was 66 minutes. My longest lap was a little over 2 hours. My last lap was about 1 hour 30 minutes. It started to rain after about an hour. It was pouring rain for about four hours during the day, then eased off in the evening. For most of the night, there was just tree rain. On my first nighttime lap I heard two animals, probably coyotes, fighting in the forest just off the trail. I heard snarls then one animal yelping in pain. I sprinted the rest of the way to the next aid station. My calculations got fuzzy the longer I ran, and at around 2 or 3 in the morning I became positive that I wouldn't reach my 160km goal. I am still not sure how, but I convinced myself to continue on anyways. At 140km a friend offered to run with me for the rest of the race, and he helped keep me moving during that low point. At 150km, when light started to appear on the horizon, I realized that I had plenty of time to do my last lap. But I knew that I run better on my own than with a pacer, so I thanked Neil and continued alone. There were only two aid stations on the course, but they had some of the best volunteers ever. Cameron, a young guy who had signed up for the 24 hour and who usually races all the ultras in Ontario every year, had recently broken his foot and decided to come to the race anyways as a volunteer. He was an enormous help. Liz and Henri at the other aid station were very friendly and on every lap I looked forward to seeing them there. I ran without music until my last lap, when I put on my "Hard Running" playlist, a bunch of loud, uptempo songs that help me run fast. I turned it up loud enough that I wouldn't hear myself grunt in pain with each step. I didn't get very many blisters, but I do have one kinda nasty looking blood blister. They didn't slow me down though. I wore the same outfit the entire race. Didn't change my socks, shoes, hat, shirt, bandana, or shorts the whole 24 hours. The 6 and 12 hour runners got a post race BBQ with veggie burgers. We got post race oatmeal. And we had to run through the BBQ area when they were eating their burgers and they wouldn't give me one. I know: I had bought some junk food to gorge on for after the race, but had grossly overestimated my appetite for beer and sweet foods. I still ate a whole bag of Oreos, though. If someone had told me in April that I would break my 100 mile PR twice in 2008 and go under 24 hours, I would have laughed in their face. Breaking 24 hours for 160km (100 miles) was one of my lifetime ultramarathon goals. I am going to need to take some time to adjust to this and then figure out what I want to do athletically after this. I feel a little adrift. In a good way, but it's still kinda strange. Three runners tied for distance with 160km, but the other two completed their 16 laps ahead of me, so I technically finished 6th overall. My friend Ian had a terrific race, finishing second overall with 182.5km. " title="Applause" /> That's all for now.
  2. 160 km in 23:32, 4th overall, 2nd out of 4 in my age category. One of my best runs ever. I need to sleep now. Report sometime soon.
  3. Thanks, I hope I make it to 160 as well, but given the course and the time of year, I don't know if that's realistic. But even if I don't make it, I'll go down fighting. There is usually a fair bit of stuff for me to eat at aid stations, but I do bring some of my own anyways. Here's some of the stuff that I brought with me to a race a couple years ago: http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k123/markc7/100_0761.jpg For the race this weekend, I'm going to have alot less stuff with me, and I'll just try to make do with what they have at the aid stations. If that means spending the whole 24-hours eating cookies and potato chips and fruit, then that's what I'll do! I don't keep track of calories or anything, but I do eat alot, at least until my stomach starts acting up.
  4. This weekend I'm running my third ultramarathon of the year. It's a 24-hour trail race. The goal is for me to run as far as possible in a single day, starting at 8am Saturday and running until 8 on Sunday. The course is a 10km loop through the forest. Based on my performance at the 100 miler in May, I might be able to come close to breaking 160 km in this race. BUT, it's August now and alot will depend on the weather. Also, fixed time races have a completely different psychology than fixed distance races, and I don't always thrive in these races. My previous experiences in fixed time races were a 6 hour race (50km) and a 24-hour track race (121km), both in the summer of 2004. Here is the website for the race. As you can tell, it's marketed as a bit of a quirky race. Should be alot of fun. Mostly I'm just doing it for this awesome t-shirt. http://www.dirtyrunnerproductions.com/images/did-dirtygirls-big-300.jpg
  5. False. I can't imagine that things will get lots better overall, though there probably will be lots of improvements in some areas. True or false: the person below has discarded all their Nalgene bottles over fears of toxic residue.
  6. False! I have tried it but am not a big fan of spirulina. True or False: The person below me is within 10 pounds of their goal weight.
  7. Welcome! I'm sure you'll find the answers you are looking for here.
  8. Welcome aboard! It's frustrating when non-vegans give us crap for our diets. Just keep reminding yourself of your reasons for being vegan, and eventually that stuff won't bother you as much anymore. Good luck!
  9. On Friday night I went for an hour long run in the woods with a friend of mine. We're both doing an ultramarathon this coming weekend, so this was our last chance to get in some night training. I'm getting excited.
  10. Interesting slide show of different types of athlete's bodies and stats. Deena Kastor is absolutely incredible.
  11. I went for a short night run in the woods tonight with a friend of mine. It was only an hour long, but had some pretty decent hills. My shoulder was still sore from yesterday, but didn't interfere with the run at all.
  12. My abs are nowhere near what they were last summer, but I'll throw this pic into the ring anyways. http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k123/markc7/00004a.jpg
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