I'm on taper. I'll run a little Wednesday or Thursday night...but a little and just as a reminder to my legs. I seem to find my body handles race day if I taper for a little longer then the average Joe.
A week and a half ago my insulin pump died. It was like it was having a seizure of it's own. Buttons systemically quit working, etc. and it was a nostalgic weekend. From losing the pump for the day to not having up-to-date basal rates at the house. Two notes here for myself.
#1 - It's probably a good idea to be able to fall back on insulin shots if ever necessary. Don't forget where you've come from!
#2 - For goodness sake keep an up-to-date copy of your basal rates in the supply closet. Get one printed every time you see your Endo.
So, I'm reviewing and preparing for this weekend. I've had a few daunting realizations during this period. One being the following statement on Marathon Guide dot com..."Ankle-twisting, knee-popping, quad-burning, face-planting, diabolically relentless climbing... in other words, GREAT!!!! Thanks to all of the support staff and organizers. I have run 40 marathons and this was by far the hardest course, but the most beautiful I have done!!" This along with an 3 time IM and ultra trail running friend, I run with Wednesday nights, saying that M3 was definitely the hardest on her list has me laughing a little at myself. I am not a seasoned athlete/marathon runner in the slimmest, and yet I somewhat naively sign-up for this behemoth. HA!!! That settles it...I've proven to myself that I've got more than one screw loose.
Details, details. #1 - I WILL finish this 14,000 ft elevation gain and drop marathon. It will not kill me and my diabetes management will work. It's just a long trial run! Enjoy it.
#2 - I'm estimating 6 or less hours, but we'll just see about that won't we.
#3 - Think about this for a minute. I'll be packing about 3 qts of water, 2 (6 count) pkgs of PB&J crackers, 2 full gel flasks, Endurolite, 1 insulin pump, one full bg meter set-up, cell phone, and the bladder pack that's going to carry all of this. Now, the cell phone may be a little much, but it's a necessity in my mind. Think about what kind of weight this is going to be, roughly 8 lbs. Now think about the weight of what the average Joe will be carrying. You could easily drop 1-3 lbs depending on the individuals level of dependency on aid stations. Over 26.2 miles that starts to make a difference. So, I'm gonna have to work harder and maybe in the future learn how I could lean down a little. I may even only carry 1.5 qts of H2O and just refill between aid stations, but I need to think about that.
Any thoughts to share here?
Good luck! That sounds like a lot of fun. That sounds like a lot of water to carry, but I'm not going to try to give you any advice, not having done the course myself.
ReplyDeleteAsk your friend who has done it about your plans.
I would say remember when you are leaving aid stations #3 and #8 that they are the only ones with fluids. (I wonder what they have at the aid stations without fluids?) You may want to top off.
I'm not quite to the point yet, where I'm breaking down what's at each station and where it is on the run, but I had better get moving you're right. My friend is a solid source of info that's for sure. We both did the event last year. Thanks Jerry.
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