View Full Version : Race Reports/Encouragement/Kudos - October 4th and 5th
Big Vic
10-02-2008, 04:32 PM
Saturday, October 4th
4 – amykab (Amy) Race for the Cure 5K, St Petersburg, FL
4 – MickeyHead (Chad) Applefest, Hollis, NH
4 - princessrunner (Lisa) Applefest 1/2 marathon; Hollis, NH
4 - Pungodingy (Angie) New Hampshire 10K; Bristol, NH
4 – thndrmatt (Matt) Atlantic Coast Triathlon, Fernandina Beach , FL
4 - twoWDWfools (Liz) and DH tiggerspal222 (Patrick) 5K 5 Parks Family Walk and Run, Itasca, IL
4 – Zwoman (), DH (Michael) and DH's boss (Dave) 2nd Annual SeaWorld Shamu & You Family Walk, San Diego, CA
Sunday, October 5th
5 – Caseydilla (Casey) Rock the Rock 1/2 Marathon, Red Rock Canyon, NV
5 – MiaBanda (Michelle) Cowtown 1/2 Marathon, Sacramento, CA
5 – scoolover (Scott) Leaf Peepers Half; Waterbury, VT
5 - 1/2marathonpixie (Barbara) Maine 1/2 Marathon; Portland, ME
5 - SilverE (Steve) Maine 1/2 Marathon; Portland, ME
5 – tracyz (Tracy) Leaf Peepers Half Marathon, Waterbury VT
5 - twoWDWfools (Liz) and DH tiggerspal222 (Patrick) Fall Color 5K Run/Walk, Lisle, IL
5 - msblrobs (Sara) Army 10-Miler; Washington, D.C.
5 - CynthiaCindy (Cindy) Army 10-Miler; Washington, D.C.
:jumping1: GO! WISH Team GO! :jumping1:
postesf
10-02-2008, 05:29 PM
Have fun everyone!!!
I forgot to even add my event until I saw the thread. DH, SIL, DN and myself are doing a 5K in Selma for Railroad Days on Saturday.
GO WISH TEAM!!!
:banana: :cool1: :dance3: :cool1: :banana:
Stacie
Kristi1357
10-02-2008, 08:23 PM
:woohoo: Go WISHers, GO!:woohoo:
:love: Especially Chad - you are going to kick some booty at Applefest! :cheer2:
hockeygirl
10-02-2008, 08:27 PM
Good Luck to everyone racing this weekend!!!!
mkymsehi
10-02-2008, 09:16 PM
Wholly cow, ThunderMatt's at it again. What is this, week 14 in a row???:lmao:
Go Caseydilla & Sherbert (I mean Michelle).
MiaBanda
10-02-2008, 09:26 PM
Thanks Old Man! (I mean Jeff.) :thumbsup2
Go Casey, Go! You are just the 1/2 Marathon Mama!
:cheer2: GO WISH TEAM!:cheer2:
Tiger Lily 03
10-02-2008, 09:49 PM
Go WISH Team!
Have fun and tell us all about it!
princessrunner
10-03-2008, 07:58 AM
Best of luck to everyone racing this weekend!!:thumbsup2
Of course that especially goes out to all the Applefesters, Chad, Amybeth68, ScoJo15, momof2minnies and myself!!!! WOO HOO for us!!! :woohoo: :woohoo: :dance3: :woohoo: :woohoo:
twoWDWfools
10-03-2008, 09:02 AM
Go Team Go!!!!!
Everyone have great races and more importantly a good time!
KeenHo
10-03-2008, 11:06 AM
Hi,
I am running the Delaware Distance Classic 15K this Sunday, October 5 in Wilmington, DE.
WISH ME LUCK! I am hoping for a new PR for this course and this distance!
:grouphug:
Howard
GOOD LUCK TO ALL RACE PARTICIPANTS THIS WEEKEND!!! :cool1: :dance3: :yay: :banana: :cheer2: :worship: :thumbsup2
BigFanOfTheWorld
10-03-2008, 03:37 PM
Hi,
Team Sweaty Yeti will be participating in Down Syndrome of Louisville's annual Buddy Walk 5k on Saturday, Oct. 4. All three of the Yetis that ran the EEC will be there, as well as a few of our honorary Yetis. Looks like great weather for the run. Wish us luck.
Chris
escape
10-04-2008, 03:52 PM
Can't wait to read some reports!
Go, WISH, GO! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:
princessrunner
10-05-2008, 04:32 PM
Back from Applefest and here is my quickie race report...
The Hollis course was a toughie to be sure, the hills in the last half were brutal to say the least. But the company I had was beyond awesome. Linda (momof2minnies), Chad (Mickeyhead), Amybeth68 and Scott and our wonderful scream team of Kristi and Zack, Joanne (Groovygirls), Cindylou and my super DH.
First of all, I have to say that Amybeth, you are my new hero. She toughed it out from mile 8 on with horrible calf cramps and we managed to pull together and earned a new PR, she more than I because she really sucked it up and kept going when most would have quit. Scott, thanks for "pacing" us!! I had been looking so forward to meeting you both and it was well worth the wait. Amybeth, anytime you want a partner, you just call!!!
Secondly, Chad, what can you say, wow!!! Everyone make sure you ask Chad how flying fast he is!!
And last, but certainly not least, Joanne, you and your family are the best. They opened their home to my DH and I. Their hospitality is wonderful. And they really are a very special family. Though I do wish you had been able to run with us, what you did is appreciated beyond words.
So, you are all wondering now that you have read the PR part right...
Old PR from Great Bay-2:18
New PR from Hollis-2:12:47 yes an entire 6 minutes off the old time.
Thanks to Scott and Amybeth, I crushed my old PR and now have great aspirations of running even faster in the future. It was great talking and laughing with them even through the tougher parts of the course. Amybeth, I hope you got that massage that you deserved so well.
Anyone looking for a challenging well run and worth the trip half marathon, this is the one. Hollis Applefest 2009.....
escape
10-05-2008, 05:00 PM
Wow, Lisa! That's screaming fast! :cool1: :banana: :yay: :woohoo: :worship: :worship: :worship: :thumbsup2 :goodvibes :3dglasses :woohoo: :yay: :cool1:
MouseDogMom
10-05-2008, 05:13 PM
CONGRATULATIONS LISA!!!! :banana: :yay: :dance3:
Jackie
amykab
10-05-2008, 05:35 PM
:cheer2: :woohoo: :yay: Lisa!!!
My little report on the RfTC...
My RfTC 5K was awesome. Weather was a 10, temps in the upper 60's, no clouds, low humidity. My running legs showed up and I PR'd (Garmin showed 36:50 at 3.1 miles. This was not a chip timed event). Actual distance start to finish was 3.2 (37:30). Either way a PR for me. Negative splits for the first time ever (12:30, 11:50,11:30). I jogged the entire way (a first for me) except for water stop 1 and a minute at mile 2.5. Tried to run water stop 2 and that was a a disaster. I think I could have gone sub 36 minutes, but the first mile was spent weaving in and out of people who didn't line up where they were supposed to. They only said like 5 million times that if you had a stroller, you needed to line up behind the walkers, but there were still strollers starting in the middle of the pack! This 5K had about twice as many people as the 5K at Disney that I did in May. At least.
It was incredibly moving to see all the survivor shirts and all the people racing in memory of or in honor of someone. I forgot my camera and locked my keys in the car (luckily DH came to the rescue).
thndrmatt
10-05-2008, 06:40 PM
Another week, another race report!
Saturday was the Atlantic Coast Triathlon, a half-ironman length (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) event in Amelia Island, Florida. It would tie for the longest triathlon I've ever completed, a distance I had completed only once before in May 2007 at Disney. There was also an Olympic distance race held at the same time on the same course with earlier turnarounds and different wave starts.
With perfect timing, the sun rose directly over the ocean where the swim was located about 2 minutes before my wave started. They started all the men, then all the women, then lastly all the "special" groups which were Clydesdales, Athenas, Relays, and myself and a few others in the Military division. I knew I'd get clobbered by my age group as usual so I figured I'd try something different.
Starting in the last wave also helped in that I was bumped very little after the initial chaos since there was no one to chase me down. It was a triangular course, diagonally out, straight across, diagonally back. The current was just weird, it almost felt like two of the legs were into it instead of one. I constantly was bobbing and grabbing air when I went to pull. By the end I almost felt a little nauseous... er nauseus... er nautious... er SICK. It might have been because it was by far the longest I've swam in the ocean and thus salt water versus the fresh water of Bay Lake at Disney. Ooh I also must mention it was my first time in a wetsuit for a race (the other races the water was too warm for them to be allowed), and my bluseventy Helix performed admirably. Was quite nice to float without trying, especially for someone as poor a swimmer as I. I have to give the credit for my faster time to the wetsuit. I was excited to see more people behind me as I got out though! Last year at Disney I was 1:02:58 for comparison.
Swim: 51:47, 132/145 Overall
A pretty decent distance up the shore and across the sand and down a path led to transition set up in a parking lot. Not being on grass helped things a bit, and although I was worried about removing the wetsuit that went pretty smoothly. The Helix is designed for a quick exit and worked great. I'd forgotten my towel so put my socks on wet which led to issues later, but managed to cut some time off last year's 6:25, even with the added wetsuit process!
T1: 4:45
The bike was pretty interesting. I'd been doing 25 mile bike legs the previous two weeks, so I felt great up until that point on this course, and then started noticing that I was tiring. It was mostly flat with only one big bridge, but the second half of the course was a loooong out and back to the south, and with the wind out of the North that made for a taxing road back to T2. Was fun to see everyone on their way back when I was on the way out and vice versa. The leader was finishing the last out and back section when I was starting, which put him about 22 MILES ahead of me. :eek: Stopped a couple times to check on a clicking sound my bike was making with each tire rotation but never did figure out what it was. Strove to maintain a 20mph pace but the last section just slowed me down too much. Stayed positive though as I knew I was taking a huge chunk off last year's 3:11:58. DW was there at T2 having finally woken up and had gotten a little cheering section together with volunteers hanging around so that was fun. Funny thing was the fact that the Olympic race was basically over with almost everyone having finished the much shorter distances. And I still had hours to go.
Bike: 2:50:02, 19.8mph, 81/145
The second transition went pretty smooth, funny enough I got there the same time as the guy who had the spot right next to me on the rack, so it felt like we were "racing" to see who could get out of there first. Hindsight being 20/20 I should have changed socks at this point, as my bike ones were soaked and I had a spare pair of Thorlos. Time was a little slower than my usual 2:00 which I'll attribute to moving slower due to the longer ride and soaking in the atmosphere a little bit. Still also much faster than last year' 4:40 when I spent some time stretching out the cramps that had accumulated on the bike.
T2: 2:11
The run was actually a great course. The first three miles were through the picturesque little houses of Amelia Island in an out and back, which unfortunately was in typical brutal sun. After that though we turned into the state park, and the vast majority of the remainder of the race was on completely canopied paved roads in great shade. Couple of low points for me were at mile 3.5 or so when I saw DW near the finish and knew I had a retarded amount of miles to go as I finished that first loop, and then about mile 6. This was one of the only sunny sections of the state park as we finished an out and back portion, and my times had really started to suffer. I tried to just tell myself that I had walked basically the entire run leg last year, and I'd already ran further than that whole race combined. I started putting in walking intervals, and ended up running maybe 80% of the race overall I'd guess. The aid stations this late in a long triathlon are godsends, I just love dumping ice water on my head, it's such a shock to the system. I was taking gels about every 3 miles initially then every 2 for the last couple, and that worked out pretty well. The cramps which I always fear started creeping in about mile 3 but I really focused on taking the right amount of calories and gatorade in and between that and the added walking intervals I managed to never cramp up! :cool1: It was really scenic and I made sure to walk the only real undulations on the course while running the downhills, so that really helped me take time off last year's 3:00:26.
Run: 2:34:54, 11:49/mile, 110/145
All in all I feel great about the race. Better yet I could walk today. Highlights for me were of course finishing a race as long as I had ever run, making great improvements in time on all three legs, and best of all having a great time doing it. Last year's 7:26:25 was crushed.
Overall: 6:23:39, 3/5 Military, 79/101 Male, 107/145 Overall
I really can't fathom the concept yet of taking an entire HOUR off my PR at this distance. :scared1: I guess when I actually stick with a training schedule good things happen! Time to update the siggy! :woohoo: Oh, and the top 5 in each age group got some kind of award, so technically I got one just for showing up, we'll have to see what they mail me!
Been enjoying everyone's else's reports this week, looking forward to reading more! And next up (not done yet!) is the Cypress Gardens mini-tri on Saturday (600yd swim/10mile bike/5k run) and then the RFTT on Sun. Can't wait to see fellow WISH'rs at a race finally!
Edit: Oh and how could I forget the bling! All finishers of the half got a triangular shaped medal in this design with a blue and green colored ribbon, unique shape and color looks great on my rack!
http://www.drcsports.com/races/act/grfx/actst.gif
KeenHo
10-05-2008, 08:22 PM
Hi guys!
I ran the Delaware Distance Classic 15K this morning and made a fairly decent showing. I didn't "blow the doors off of it" but I did PR, and for that I am happy. I PR'ed on the distance and on this course. It was a hot race... very steamy. Here are the stats:
Miles: 9:35
Time: 1:20:06
Pace: 8:34
I won't bore you with the splits, however, I started with 7:23, 8:05 and 8:08... then it went downhill from there. My worst split was a 9:12 though which isn't too shabby in my book. I think in my age group for men (45-49), I was about 21 minutes behind the first finisher. Those guys are fast.
Matt~ Great effort as usual! :worship:
thndrmatt
10-05-2008, 10:08 PM
Howard: You looked at my 15K PR in my siggy before you ran the race didn't you! Grrrr... This board continues to be a great source of motivation for me! :laughing:
postesf
10-06-2008, 09:09 AM
Congrats everone!!! Look at all those PR!! Way to go!!! :worship:
I did the Selma Railroad Days 5K on Saturday. No PR for me, but is ok. I mainly walked it, but ran for 2-3 min each mile and was able to maintain a 14 min pace. It was nice out and overall a good race. We were close to last as there were mostly runners, but I tried not to let that bother me too much and just stay positive.
Stacie
Caseydilla
10-06-2008, 10:44 AM
Congratulations to everyone who raced and PR'd this weekend.
Matt, you are amazing doing back to back tri weekends!! Wow!
Yesterday I ran the Rock the Rock Half Marathon in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.(just outside of Vegas) Everyone that I know who has ran Red Rock warned me that it is not a PR kind of race. I knew going into it that it would be hard with the 1000 foot elevation climb that went with it.
So, the race starts and it's still dark and in the 40's.(it was 102 degrees a few days ago :rotfl: ) I'm freezing in my shorts, tank, and lack of gloves. I was shaking cold but knew it would pay off when the sun came up. This was my first cold run in a looooooong time. I just didn't want to lug around cold gear knowing that I would warm up later. The first 6 miles of the run were very hard, my pace wasn't that great, and I realized that these were the most difficult hills I've ever done.
I don't know what happened after that but something snapped when I made to a sign that said "you've reached the highest point on scenic drive". It was so beautiful and quiet up there. I wish I had my camera on me for that. I was running alone at that point since all the runners had spaced out by then. The mountains all around were an amazing sight from up there, especially the red rock ranges. My pace picked way up and I didn't let down until the finish. I've never pushed it like that before but it felt great to PR on a course that most people said wouldn't happen. I ended up finishing in 2:09, my previous best half time was 2:18. My husband was waiting at the finish with my kids.
Here are some pictures.
Red Rock area, I was somewhere up in those mountains when I was on my running high. :laughing:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a14/luvmytalia/rr4.jpg
At the finish
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a14/luvmytalia/rr3.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a14/luvmytalia/rr2.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a14/luvmytalia/rr1.jpg
KeenHo
10-06-2008, 11:34 AM
Howard: You looked at my 15K PR in my siggy before you ran the race didn't you! Grrrr... This board continues to be a great source of motivation for me! :laughing:
Matt: Actually I hadn't... thank you for calling my attention to it though. I think I have a new set of benchmarks to shoot for! :lmao: :rotfl2: :rolleyes1 :thumbsup2
Actually, I feel really great that I can "hang" with someone as strong, young and talented as you are (time wise). I am sure this will pass. However, for the time being, I'll just enjoy it and wish you the best in attaining new PR's in the future.
Casey~ Woo Hoo! Great race! It looks like a beautiful and challenging area to run. I am sure seeing your family at the finish was icing on the cake. Congratulations on your new PR!
Howard
twoWDWfools
10-06-2008, 12:42 PM
Wow! Lots of PRs! Congrats to everyone who got out there this weekend!!
Had a 5K yesterday at the arboretum but it was not a good one. I pulled something in the back of my left leg on Sat afternoon and it was worse than I thought apparently. Felt ok yesterday morning when I left the house but realized as I was warming up and stretching that it still hurt. The course is hillier than I'm used to which also did not help and the temp was 42.
There were about 1300 runners and walkers and I set myself behind the runners but before the strollers. Was doing ok but around mile 1 both shins were screaming and my left calf was getting tight. At mile 2 my entire left leg cramped up the back. You know the kind where a muscle tries to make your ankle meet your butt and fast? Never could get it to completely release so had to slow walk the last mile.
Decided with ToT coming up did not want to over strain it so just backed off and enjoyed the walk thru the arboretum. Figure it was bound to happen sooner or later just glad it was a pretty place to walk when it did.
The event itself was very well run and the volunteers were fantastic. Location is just beautiful and think I'll go back there to do training (can bike there as well).
Lexxiefern
10-06-2008, 12:43 PM
Matt - Awesome race!! I look forward to hearing about all your races on sunday morning!
Casey - Beautiful scenery! And WOW on the time! Have you always been a runner?
Howard - WTG on the PR!! Looking forward to seeing you at Goofy again in January!
Stacey - Great Job on the 5k :banana:
Amykab - WTG on the PR!! Congrats!
Lisa - Great time on your half! That is cool that you were able to run with other WISHers!!
Thanks for sharing everyone!!
Becky
AmyBeth68
10-06-2008, 12:59 PM
Congrats to everyone, you guys kicked butt this weekend!!!! Howard, Matt, AmyK, Caseydilla...WOW....speedy half!!! :goodvibes
APPLEFEST HALF MARATHON RACE REVIEW!!!
What a beautiful day we had in Hollis, NH. I'll just post some thoughts on the race...
Weather: gorgeous, low 60's, sunny, breezy. Absolutely perfect.
Race Organization: Best I've seen. These guys sure know how to organize an event that is designed for the runners, not the cash flow. Being able to hang out in the HS gymnasium was HUGE. Use of indoor restrooms HUGE!! Showers available. Masseuses on site for FREE before and After!!! Just perfect. Thanks to the race group that put on quite a show.
Water Stops: Well manned...lots of water...gatorated a few times. VERY friendly volunteers.
Crowd Support: This is a relatively small New England farm town, but boy do they come out and support the runners. The kids with their own little water stops, the locals standing along the course cheering us on with kind words. The BEST crowd support came from our VERY OWN WISHERS. THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH to...Kristi, Cindy Lou, Angie, Lisa's husband....I know I'm missing some but I can't tell you how incredible it was to see you all there. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! :grouphug:
Course: It is a beautiful scenic course featuring tree lined streets, farms, beautiful farm houses, a view at every turn. It was an absolutely LOVELY place to run. The hills...OH MY....the hills. This course is challenging to put it mildly. I train on hills...and this course STILL kicked my butt.
Companions: THANK YOU SO MUCH to Scott and Lisa. You guys were angels out there. They stuck with me, and I told them to go on, but they stuck with me when my leg cramps caused me to have to stop and stretch, walk, stretch some more :(. Unfortunately I had been sick with a pretty bad chest cold/bronichitis deal all last week. I was taking medicine and I think the meds totally dehydrated me. So even though I was drinking water, it wasn't enough. Horrible calf cramps started at mile 6/7, my lips were cracking and dry, I could feel the dryness in my mouth and the cramps kept getting worse, especially on the killer hills. I know I cost us EASILY 3 minutes off our time...we were on par for a 2:06 at the halfway point, but I couldn't maintain the 9:30 pace that we had managed until that point. I'm so happy that Lisa (Princessrunner) got her well-deserved PR on a kick-butt course. But I know she would have been much faster. That's the sign of a true friend :). I also know that Scott could have tore up that race course and finished a half hour earlier LOL...but as always he stuck by my side and helped keep Lisa and I on pace for what amounted to a PR for both of us. It was also so great to met Linda (momof2minnies) out there and congratulate her on a great race at the end! It's a total gut it out course...and I'm VERY impressed with Chad's screaming fast run Saturday. :worship:
Post Race: The best part about Applefest is the incredible amount and type of food they offer. Apple Crisp, Apple Pie, Apple Cider, home baked goods, bananas, apples, yogurt smoothies, water bottles. I could go on. YUMMY!!!! By far THE BEST food spread I've ever had at any size race. Incredible! :thumbsup2
I finished in 2:12:36 which is my official watch time. Clock had us at 1:12:45 but it took a bit to cross the mat.
I would highly recommend this race to anyone who wants a big challenge. They are strict about iPods, strollers and walking. They close the course at 3 hours flat. Otherwise, it's a great opportunity to get out there and push yourself. I have to admit that we were the slow ones in this race as most runners seemed to be pacing much faster than 10 mpm. We were in the back of the pack for sure at 10:08 mpm.
We received a cool half zip tech shirt and a funky little apple medal this is sooo adorable! :)
AmyBeth68
10-06-2008, 01:07 PM
Oh...and one more thing...oddly enough I'm MORE SORE today than I was after GOOFY last year. Hard to believe??? I guess it was the dehydration and cramps. After the race my quads and calves were in spasm...and I was getting sharp pains in both legs. I woke up with sore shoulders, sore back and both legs so sore that walking stairs has been brutal. Again...I did NOT have this reaction after any other half marathon or full marathon LAST year. :confused3 And I felt I was extremely well-trained leading up to the event. I did two 13 mile Long Runs the weeks prior and I did them ON HILLS! I was running 20 plus mile weeks plus working my full schedule, including biking/spinning 3 times per week. I know my body was prepared, but getting sick really had a huge effect on my overall performance and recovery. Just thought I'd pass that along. If you are sick drink much more water than you would think...it will help you race day and definitely help with recovery. I learned the hard way :(.
hockeygirl
10-06-2008, 05:29 PM
WOW! A great weekend of racing for everyone!!!!
Lisa--Great job on your PR!!!! Sounds like you all had a great time at the race!
amykab--Great job! The RfTC races are always amazing to me, glad to hear you had a great day and a great race!!!
Matt--You never cease to amaze me with all of your racing endeavors...another weekend and another AWESOME race!!!
Howard--Congrats on the PR!
Stacie--Great job on your race! It sounds like you had fun, and that is what matters most! Keep up the good work!
Casey--Great job on your race! Talk about nice scenery, not sure it gets much better than that!!
twoWDWfools--Sorry to hear your calfs and shins were bothering you during your race..WTG for sticking with it and finishing the race! Good job!
Amy--Congrats on a great race! Sorry to hear you weren't feeling well and had to deal with those cramps, but great job for fighting through it and finishing with a great time!!
thndrmatt
10-06-2008, 08:45 PM
Just thought I'd throw in my post-race recovery process to those who have soreness or cramping issues. I've gone to a pretty regimented strategy which has done me very well this year. I generally only take 1 day off post race and am back into a normal run or bike or even both the 2nd day (note for marathons this is out the window, 3 days off is the norm with a real short run the 4th day).
Immediately post race your job is to eat everything in sight. :banana: This shouldn't be difficult. :rotfl: Also important is hydrating, although after an initial bottle of sports drink to recover electrolytes I go straight to water for the rest of the day.
Continuing to walk around for an hour or so is usually the next step as I wander around congratulating others, watching finishers, colelcting bling and so forth. I try not to stay in one place for too long, just keep it movin.
Back at the hotel or your house as the case may be comes the fun part, Icing. We fill the bath with cold water and I get in, continuing to fill it until my entire body from the waist down is underneath. We then take four, count em, FOUR HUGE bags of ice (the kind you can get at gas stations) and dump them in. Only once they are all in does the clock start. 15 minutes of pain mostly. I wrap towels around my shoulders to keep me from freezing so I don't have to lean back on the cold tile. If you used enough ice by the end you should still have a whole lot that hasn't melted yet. The water should be so cold that even once you drain it the leftover ice just sits there and you have to run the hot water to wash it down. :scared1:
Immediately following the ice bath I quickly move to an area for the next step, Elevating. Be careful getting out as the numbness will make it tough to move quickly. I usually lie on a bed with my legs propped up on a bunch of pillows while I watch tv. Anything that keeps your legs above your heart. Some people sit with their legs up a wall and their body in an L shape but that's a little extreme for me and makes it harder to watch tv. Another 15 minutes of relaxation follows.
The purpose of both of these is based on most of my research which seems to agree that the cold constricts the blood vessels and essentially forces out the blood that has been pooling in your legs all day as you ran around upright. Sort of a cleansing or something. The elevation continues that process.
I then am blessed with a DW willing to thoroughly massage both legs, always saving the feet for last, which depending on the length of the race always seems like a godsend in itself.
Using this process I've managed to do races on a weekly basis, and you can too! I also do it after all the double digit long runs when possible. During the winter my pool isn't heated so that works well as an ice bath, brrr!
Now I must caveat this, everyone has different strategies for recovery. I actually have spoken with some people who insist that a hot shower does them best after races. With my experience it seems like they're doing themselves more harm than good. Note also I do eventually take a lukewarm shower to get the sweat off (DW wouldn't be pleased otherwise), but that's only well after all the rest of this process in order to allow for the ice to do its duty.
Give it a try let me know how it goes for you!
KeenHo
10-06-2008, 09:06 PM
Matt:
Here are my Running PRs, something for you to shoot for. I think this is only fair:
5K-24:23 (August 13, 2008 - my last 5K race)
15K-1:20:06 (October 5, 2008 - Yesterday)
Half Marathon-1:50:08 (September 21, 2008 - Three weeks ago)
Marathon-4:41:03 (May 21, 2006)
5 Miler- 44:18 (May 27, 2006)
10K-I have never run an official 10K.
I hope this can inspire you to kick my keester and beat these times.
Good luck!
Howard
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