tortoise vs Vermont Heat Wave

Ken B · Postby **Ken B** » Tue May 22, 2012 2:08 pm

I had an uncertain start after a night where I was awakened with stomach cramps a couple times. I did have some cramping during the race and threw up a bit at the 25 mile mark. Likely the heat. This race was like April's Boston Marathon on steroids. Okay, I expected the hills ( and there were many!!) , but the heat was brutal - 70'S F at the start and 85 F in the shade at the finish. My aim in running this race, now that I am confirmed in the JFK 50 Miler in November, was to practise pacing and nutrition.
I ran/walked a 4/1 pattern in the gently rollong hills sectionsthe first half alonfg with walking uphill and running downhill on the numerous steep ( and often long ) hills but was still too quick. Thus I ran/walked 3/2 on the flatter portions of the latter half and walked the uphills. My targer time was 5:30 to 5:45. Chip time was 5:28:00. That said , I was all over the place time wise. First half was a bit over 2:33.
This was only the second year of the race, so the director and his people had no experience in dealing with these conditions. They were superb. The arranged for all aid stations from about the 10 mile point on to have ample supplies of ice. That one thing alone allowed me to finish. They also added a few more ice/water stations . In addition , the people living along the route were out with ice and water as well as a number of hoses sprayinbg us as we ran. One lady had a spritzer bottle which she used to spray our faces and heads. wonderfiul!\
The volunteers at the aid stations were the best of any race I have run.The Girl guides must have volunteered as there were a LOT OF 9 TO 12 yr old girls who were so supportive and energetic. They helped me wrap ice in my buff and place it around my neck. ( at several aid stations!!) Also one station had added ioce to the cups of water and it was cold! Lovely!
So :
Pros: - this is a very interesting ( although extremely hilly ) course
- the director and his committee of volunteers
- the aid station volunteers
- the numerous first aid cyclists who were consistently checking on me and the other runners
- the finish area had a food tent - lots ot varied food items including chocolate milk and ice cream cones
Cons:
- the heat
- only one shuttle bus to return runners to the start area and it broke down.

So - what did I learn? I have to work on my nutrition. I took one drink of eload by itself, a gel with
either eload or water and a rice krispy square with water each hour. I did have some stomach discomfort but that may have been due more to the heat. I will continue to work on nutrition and hydration over the summer.Also I really have to work on my pacin g.

Spirit Unleashed · Postby **Spirit Unleashed** » Tue May 22, 2012 5:25 pm

Nice report.

Protein should be worked into you fuel, not just sugar. Believe me, you'll hate even thinking about sugar later in an ultra.

Ken B · Postby **Ken B** » Tue May 22, 2012 6:08 pm

UltraSpirit wrote:Nice report.

Protein should be worked into you fuel, not just sugar. Believe me, you'll hate even thinking about sugar later in an ultra.

This is why I would like to keep up with you at least for awhile at the Ottawa Half. Any and all advice will be much appreciated. See you Sunday, Laura. We can meet at the fountain ( anyone can direct you there! ) before the race.

chunkymonkeymelonhed · Postby **chunkymonkeymelonhed** » Tue May 22, 2012 8:34 pm

Great job getting that one done Ken! Reading about the volunteers and spectators made me

(Yay for kind people with hoses and spritzer bottles

).

Sandra · Postby **Sandra** » Wed May 23, 2012 6:19 am

Great race, esp.under those hot conditions!

Robinandamelia · Postby **Robinandamelia** » Wed May 23, 2012 8:13 am

Wow that sounded rough! Congrats for making it through. Well done.

Habs4ever · Postby **Habs4ever** » Wed May 23, 2012 8:52 am

So cool when the community comes together to help out.
Good report.

HCcD · Postby **HCcD** » Wed May 23, 2012 8:55 am

Another mary in the books for ya, Ken .. well done ....

Jwolf · Postby **Jwolf** » Wed May 23, 2012 9:14 am

Sounds like quite the scorcher.

Nice work on adjusting your pace goal and getting it done, ken.

La · Postby La » Wed May 23, 2012 11:19 am

Congrats on another marathon under your belt.

DJHL · Postby **DJHL** » Wed May 23, 2012 8:32 pm

Congratulations on getting through another marathon under such tough conditions.

Doonst · Postby **Doonst** » Wed May 23, 2012 9:07 pm

That's quite a story Ken. Well done to complete it.

I can't take Eload for more than 2 1/2 hours or so, I switched to Heed.

Ken B · Postby **Ken B** » Wed May 23, 2012 9:11 pm

Doonst wrote:That's quite a story Ken. Well done to complete it.

I can't take Eload for more than 2 1/2 hours or so, I switched to Heed.

I will have to try that while traing for the JFK and see how it works. Thanks.

UltraQueenga · Postby **UltraQueenga** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:54 am

Good job toughing it out in the heat, ken! You're building your heat tolerance and it's good training for the rest of the summer and the next weekend. Ottawa is going to be a scorcher for sure, but by then you should be better at handling the heat.

Nutrition during hot weather is a tough one to figure out. Anything too sweet or chocolatey tastes awful and your digestion is generally unhappy.

I find that lemon drops and mints/throat candy are a great way to stop my mouth from drying out and cleaning my palate. I always carry them in my hot weather ultras and the mints also help settle the stomach. A new flavour to add to your diet.

Good luck and keep on truckin'!

Hammie · Postby **Hammie** » Thu May 24, 2012 10:05 am

Congrats on a smart race under tough conditions!