To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

Awesome race and wow you and G are really really good at predicting your race times!

Thanks! Got lucky that some of my assumptions ended up cancelling each other out.

I can't believe you predicted your finish time within 5 seconds of what it actually was! G is going to have to start playing defense with you when she makes her guesses.

I also cannot fathom running in snow while wearing shorts.

She's probably going to start predicting within a second of me to try and block me.

That temp was my jam. Never hot and never cold.

Great job in less than ideal conditions!

I may have to steal your fueling strategy with a Maurten gel ~40 minutes and Tailwind ~58. I think in my last HM (a PR) I did an E-Gel around mile 9 or 10 as it started to get a little harder/challenging.

Thanks!

Maurten 320 at T-15 min, Maurten gel at 40 min, Tailwind at 55-60 min, and then another Tailwind (which I didn't take) at about 15-20 min before finishing.

Great job!

Thanks!

Awesome job!

Thanks!

Wow! So impressive! I can't imagine running on the snow/ice like that.


Do you always drink liquid IV race morning? It was a random Costco buy for us a few weeks ago and I haven't tried it yet.

It definitely wasn't enjoyable, but thankful that it wasn't the full 11-13 inches.

Yes, I do drink liquid IV before every race. I also drink it before hard workouts, and most weekends when I don't eat prior.

I love Liquid IV and when I drink it the night before a run I feel really, really good on the run. Don't know if it's coincidence.

My only bone to pick is with the name: Aren't "regular" IV's, liquid? Did you ever see anybody get a solid IV? Or a gaseous IV? It should be called, like, "Oral IV" or something. "Potable IV". I don't know.

Congrats on a great race!

Thanks!

I know this is not the point of this thread, but I agree so much! Call it PO IV or something, just not that.

Amazing job as usual, Billy!

LOL! Thanks!

Way to go!!!

Thanks!

Amazing! Congrats!

Thanks!

 

[striker1064]

and then another Tailwind (which I didn't take) at about 15-20 min before finishing.

Interesting! Do you notice a difference that late in the race when you do take it? From what I've read, most nutrition needs about 15 minutes before it starts to benefit you.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Interesting! Do you notice a difference that late in the race when you do take it? From what I've read, most nutrition needs about 15 minutes before it starts to benefit you.

If the purpose of the consumption that close to the end of the race is for actual carbs, then you are correct that it's likely too close. But there is some research about the receptors in the mouth that send signals to the brain that "carbs are coming". So it allows the body to "use" those carbs that aren't actually available yet. The idea is that you can just swish and spit the liquid carbs if desired because all you're trying to do is hit the receptors in the mouth.

 

[avondale]

Congratulations on a great HM!

 

[nancipants]

If the purpose of the consumption that close to the end of the race is for actual carbs, then you are correct that it's likely too close. But there is some research about the receptors in the mouth that send signals to the brain that "carbs are coming". So it allows the body to "use" those carbs that aren't actually available yet. The idea is that you can just swish and spit the liquid carbs if desired because all you're trying to do is hit the receptors in the mouth.

I’m torn between posting the “SCIENCE!” Bill Nye gif, Ted saying “whoa,” or Marty McFly saying “that’s heavy, Doc.”

 

[DopeyBadger]

Congratulations on a great HM!

Thanks!

I’m torn between posting the “SCIENCE!” Bill Nye gif, Ted saying “whoa,” or Marty McFly saying “that’s heavy, Doc.”

 

[dis_or_dat]

I remember finishing my last half on slippery mud, can't believe you were able to get such a great time on a difficult surface like ice/snow and after covid! Excellent job!

 

[DopeyBadger]

I remember finishing my last half on slippery mud, can't believe you were able to get such a great time on a difficult surface like ice/snow and after covid! Excellent job!

Thanks! Been meaning to go back and add this picture of what the snow/ice looked like. This was not the course, but was in my backyard later that week in a similar condition to the bike trail.



Sometimes hard frozen snow, sometimes slushy snow, sometimes nicely packed, and sometimes clean path. All sorts of situations just all mixed up and hard to tell what was what as you ran through it.

 

[DopeyBadger]

2023 DopeyBadger Spring Racing Season Prediction Contest: Parkinson's Half Marathon
Original Post

Current Standings after the First Call HM:

G's lead has shrunk. It looks like a three horse race, but a couple missteps by the leaders could lead to some tightening of the series. There are officially two race remaining: Parkinson's and the Non-Cancelled HM later this month.

Parkinson's Half Marathon

The Parkinson's HM is being held on 4/15 at 8am. It's a local race for me. The weather is predicted to be decent, maybe a touch warmer than expected for this time of year.



T+D of 108-115 during the race, low wind, and a chance of rain. The chance of rain is good in that it could bring clouds, but bad because the course is on crushed gravel and can get quite sloppy when wet. Thankfully it looks like quite a dry week leading into the race.

I've run the HM twice before in 2013 and 2015. 2013 was my very first HM and it was an officially short course with a finish of 1:55:35 (projected at about 2:00 if the course was 13.11 miles). In 2015, I ran it in 1:55:19. It's also similar but not the same as the Hot2Trot HM from 2021 when I ran a undertrained 1:49:08. As for the course itself, they've changed this up a little bit since I last ran this.



The website claims it has a total elevation of 321 feet. They got rid of the large hill at the start, moved the start location to a local park instead of the trail head, but the location of the turn-around on the trail ends up being roughly the same. Looking at my Garmin trace from 2015 compared to this 2023 data seems to confirm that it's probably reasonably accurate. So we'll go with 321 feet for the 13.11 miles at 24.5 ft/mile gain. That's slightly lower than my normal training route which is close to 30 ft/mile and much less than the Jack/Jill route of 45 ft/mile. I would estimate the course will cost be about 3-5 seconds per mile from flat.

As mentioned before, unlike First Call which was on a paved bike path, this course is crushed gravel. It's usually an issue when it rains, but otherwise it's usually decent. Without rain there won't be as many bike grooves in the trail. So I don't think it'll slow me down too much.

As for fitness level, I feel like I'm close to pre-Princess levels now. I did a 120 min run on Saturday at 8:21 pace with HR of 131. And on Wednesday of this week I completed "The Michigan" which touched HM pace (6:46), 10k pace (6:27), and 5k pace (6:13). Although while difficult, "The Michigan" never really forces you to run at long durations it's the cumulative effect of the workout. It simulates the rigors of racing without being a race. I feel like my fitness is in a good place, and probably slightly better than it was for the First Call HM.

My guess is a 1:32:00.

Current Guesses

1:31:31 - @MissLiss279
1:31:47 - @LSUlakes
1:32:00 - Me
1:32:20 - @azrivest
1:32:34 - @JAMIESMITH
1:32:50 - @Jules76126
1:32:58 - @eminemilie
1:33:15 - G
1:33:30 - @kps7795
1:33:33 - @flav
1:33:47 - @Naomeri
1:34:28 - @FFigawi

 

[Naomeri]

1:33:47

 

[FFigawi]

1:34:28

 

[MissLiss279]

1:31:31

 

[kps7795]

1:33:30

 

[flav]

1:33:33

 

[Jules76126]

1:32:50

 

[DopeyBadger]

I purchased a pair of the new Vaporfly Next% 3. I won’t wear them for Parkinson’s but possibly at Non-Cancelled.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

1:32:34

 

[azrivest]

1:32:20

 

[DopeyBadger]

G bounced around on this one. She said 1:33:30, then changed to 1:33:33 after a few minutes, and then went with 1:33:15 as her final. She said my 1:32:00 was too aggressive.

 

[eminemilie]

I’m going with 1:32:58