Thursday, July 14, 2011

2011 20in24 Prep - Heat, Sleep, Eat, Eep

Early bedtime tonight! Last good sleep before the race.
20in24 - Saturday @ 10AM until Sunday at 10AM

Here's what you should know.

Heat
I've put myself through every brutal hot day so far this year. Running, biking, walking.
And the race is now supposed to enjoy mild weather in the mid-80's with low humidity.
The means temperatures at night will be in the 60's.

While I'm glad I pushed the heat acclimation, I learned something:
My body is not made for heat.

It is made for cold.
But, I give props to anyone who can thrive in the heat.
I sweat too much, drink too much (water), and slow down too much.
I welcome this well-timed break in the heat!

Sleep
I've gotten more sleep in these past few weeks than any other time this year.
Most of that is thanks to my guardian angel pushing the sleep topic.
But, I also read that increased sleep 2 weeks before an ultramarathon leads to better results.
Works for me.

What I did:
If I got to bed after 10PM, I forbid myself from visiting the gym at 5AM the next day.
Yes, that meant less gym. But I think it also meant a softer taper.

Eat
On race day, I'm planning to drink Ensure after every 8.5 mile loop until I exhaust my supply (9 cans).
I like that Ensure contains a large amount of wide spectrum electrolytes.
With as much as I sweat, I need them.

The race aid stations also supply ample food and drink.
I'll be sticking with whatever sugar-free electrolyte replacement drink they offer.
See. My teeth don't have much enamel left.
And while I've never had a cavity, they are extremely sensitive to sugar.
Gotta be sugar-free.

Eep
Oh boy am I nervous!

I'm worried about the pre-race health check.
They're gonna complain about my blood pressure.
I even tried 15 minutes of meditation today (a little late I know).
When you're tired, it's not meditation, it is head nodding, head whipping back, head nodding, head whipping back...

I am worried about surviving the next 36 hours without injuring myself.
When I play Dad, I am always at risk.

And the last Eep.
Putting together my race supply checklist today, my nervous stomach was doing somersaults.

So here it is.
I give you my stomach tumbling checklist (completely fulfilled just a few minutes ago).


Check List

Food
  • Ensure, old and new, refrigerated 
  • Medium Size cooler 
  • Source of ICE, Wawa 
  • 6 PowerAdes 
  • Gum 
Medicine
  • Vitamin D 
  • Baby Aspirin 
Toiletries
  • Toilet paper 
  • Antibacterial Spray 
  • Antibacterial Gel 
  • Vaseline 
  • Baby Powder 
  • Toiletry Bag  
  • SUN BLOCK 
  • Chapstick 
  • Deodorant 
  • Tooth Brush 
  • Toothpaste 
  • Mouth rinse 
First Aid/Blisters
  • Moleskin 
  • Athletic Tape 
  • Tough Strips 
  • Blister Pads 
  • Rubbing Alcohol 
  • Nail Cips 
  • Little Scissors 
Reflective
  • Headlamp with fresh batteries 
  • Extra batteries 
  • Reflective bracelets 
  • Reflective hat 
  • Reflective VEST 
Race Clothing
  • Sunglasses 
  • Handheld bottle (x2) and holder 
  • Homemade legionnaires cap 
  • Regular running cap 
  • Saucony singlet 
  • 4 technical t-shirts 
  • Tri Shorts 
  • Compression Shorts 
  • All running shorts 
  • Race belt 
  • Little race belt bag 
  • Wrist bags 
  • All running socks 
  • 2 pairs of running shoes – New and ProGrid 3’s 
  • Orthotics – Old and New 
Street Clothes
  • Pre/Post-race – boxers, normal shorts, t-shirt and Nike Cap 
  • Non-running shoes 
Electronics
  • Kodak Camcorder 
  • Cell Phone 
Extra Stuff
  • Chair 
  • Car keys 
  • Wallet/ID 
  • Home-made Gaiters 
  • This is Gonna Hurt - book
  • Towels (soap?) 
  • Safety pins 
That's it! Did I forget anything?
No? Then, just insert RUN.

5 comments:

matthewreinsmith said...

Good Luck!

ihaverun said...

That is quite the list. I'm glad to see SUN BLOCK in all caps. And I'd like to see pics of the homemade items!

"I sweat too much, drink too much (water), and slow down too much." Sounds exactly like me. Except I also have to pee too much. Hope the weather is kind to you tomorrow.

So, so proud of you getting a little extra sleep. If I get a little extra tonight, will that help you? My goal bedtime is 8:30 in honor of you.

And your meditation sounds good to me. Better than nothing, right?

These last 36 hours playing dad would probably have been a little safer if you weren't being such an awesome dad tonight at a father/son campout. But I'm guessing it will be totally worth it. If not for the father, at least for the son.

My tummy is doing some tumbling itself for you. So just leave the nerves to me and have fun, be safe, be smart, be awesome, and all the other cliché things I should say before an event like this. But I mean them.

Unknown said...

That's a huge list. There is no way that you could have forgotten anything, assuming that you're getting your bib and timing chip there.
Yes, playing dad sounds rough - almost as rough as playing mom. In some circles, it could be considered an Olympic event: whoever lasts the longest without a child having a melt-down.
Hope the race is going well.

Anonymous said...

All Eep here.

[Awaiting race report, so I know you're OK.]

Erin Conley said...

Okay, I'm calling you out now on slacking with the blog. I'm back to blogging now...so where are you? Hoping that all is well with you and your family. Post soon and let us all know what races you;ve been doing lately!