Grant Park 8 Miler - Run


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Dayton , Ohio
United States
ORRRC
45F / 7C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 1h 15m
Overall Rank = 34/132
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 8/15
Pre-race routine:

I had a head cold over the previous two weeks and hadn't been running much. I needed to run 12 miles so I thought I'd do 4 before the race and then run the race.
Event warmup:

So yea. After a ton of snow it warmed up and everything was nice and melted and muddy. They eliminated a creek crossing which brought the race down to 7.7 miles. And instead of getting 4 miles in I got 2 miles in pre-race because the conditions were HORRIBLE. It only got worse from there.
Run
  • 1h 15m
  • 7.7 miles
  • 09m 44s  min/mile
Comments:

This sucked and it was my own fault.

I seem to require a higher caloric consumption while running than most people. For example, in my marathon last fall I ate 7 GUs over the first 20 miles. So with a starting time of 1PM I was ready to eat some GU during the race since I skipped lunch. Everything was great until I hit Mile 3 and reached for a GU and realized they were still in my car. Awesome.

Add that to the fact that on the second loop the trail had become a mud pit, my shoes had zero traction, and I was still congested from my cold ... let's just say I should have stopped after the first lap, ate some cookies and chili, and gone home. It also didn't help that my back problems began to act up after 8 miles of constantly almost falling.

Oh well.
What would you do differently?:

Eat. Wear shoes with traction. NEVER EVER RUN A TRAIL RACE AGAIN.
Post race
Warm down:

I ate 3 cups of chili and some cookies. Then I threw away my shoes because I forgot to bring a garbage bag. They were my Ironman 2010 shoes. I shed a single tear as I tossed them into the dumpster. My feet froze on the way back to the car. The culmination of a series of poor decisions.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not being able to HTFU.

Event comments:

That's two years in a row Grant Park has kicked my butt. Maybe I'll wise up next year.




Last updated: 2014-01-15 12:00 AM
Running
01:15:00 | 07.7 miles | 09m 44s  min/mile
Age Group: 8/15
Overall: 34/132
Performance: Bad
Course: I'll have flashbacks if I think about it
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Bad
Mental exertion [1-5] 1
Physical exertion [1-5] 1
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5