I’m running the Midstate Massive Trail race tomorrow which I’ve done for all three years it’s been around.
The first year I ran the 50, last year I DNFed the 100 and I’m back to try again. However, I’m going in with a lot of negative feelings/issues:
- I have Shingles, which at minimum is an itchy rash on my side but I’ve also have some slight flu-like symptoms on top of that and a swollen inguinal lymph node.
- Because of the confusion about diagnosing 1), I essentially stopped training a month ago. So I’m massively undertrained and 10 pounds heavier than I usually am.
- I also have some minor shin splints from doing a tough workout on Monday, but hopefully that is gone by tomorrow.
On the positive side:
- I did 21 days on the Finger Lakes Trail three months ago and I honestly feel like it made me stronger, particularly my hamstrings. Uphills are barely noticeable in my walks.
- I actively walk hills every day as part of my routine to get out of the house.
- The weather is supposed to be between 50 and 60 all weekend which is amazing race weather. If the temperature gets close to 70, I start having heat issues (which sounds sad, but it’s true).
So I’m going to try this race even though I have very low expectations. I’ll consider it a success if I:
- Don’t fail like I did last year (from nausea, nutrition issues)
- Either complete the course or get swept from the course by missing cutoffs
In the latter case, I really want to focus on not burning out and pacing and working with my body. So even if I slow down, I really want it to be gradually and not a “need to stop for a couple hours”. Last year I was really not happy that I was a wreck only 20-something miles in for some reason I never figured out. I managed to somewhat recover after that, but it was just a “let’s see how far I can get” rather than a “let’s do this thing” mentality. I want to be chasing cutoffs with a fast walk pace but still comfortable.
Some prep I’ve done for this race (for future Ryan to look at):
- Only had two alcoholic drinks for the week before the race
- Slightly cut down caffeine
- Shifted to carb-heavy meals 2.5 days pre-race, but still had relatively normal looking meals
- Massively increased water intake
- Tried to sleep more several days before
- Easy work days on Thursday and Friday
Because the weather will be cool I’ll be wearing a long base layer with shorts and my larger running backpack. I’ll have poles the first half and drop them with Terrill if I make it to the second half.