Hi Zap, I just ran my first
Hi Zap,
I just ran my first ever half marathon, on trails. It was also my first real trail run. I trained only on flat roads since I don't have trails nor hills in my area. I don't know how my experience would translate to a full marathon or to someone with proper trianing but it can give you an idea.
First of all I want to say that I am hooked to trail races and long-ish distances and I can see a trail marathon in my future, probably next year. I signed up for my first marathon (on road) before running that half and now I think I don't care for it that much anymore, i'd rather run trails.
Footwear:
I ran most of the race in my Merrell Pace Gloves. It allowed me to really enjoy the downhills and take them faster. Barefoot down the hills I kept thinking of Nate and his sliced feet and even if my race was mostly on dry ground the fear made it not enjoyable. The flats and uphills were really nice barefoot. Since switching between shod/unshod was so time consuming and annoying I think in the future I will race in the Merrell...and maybe train barefoot if I ever get opportunities to train on trails.
The Merrells were getting too hot for my liking after 3+ hours but that probably because i'm used to the comfort of running barefoot. I'm wondering how trail huaraches would work for me, with the alternate tying method since I cannot stand the string between my toes.
Bugs:
My race is knowned for its annoying horse flies. I had one near my head for at least 4 miles but it didn't bother me. I put DEET bug repellent on my leg because I was afraid of ticks and someone gave me a mosquito wipe for my face. I should have known better to not put stuff on my face. Mosquito repellent hurts when it leaks in the eyes with the sweat.
Hydration:
I carried a belt with a water bottle that I refilled at each of the 4 water stations. I could not have done without it on such a hot day. I carried a few Nuun tablets to add to my water. I did 1 bottle of pure water and the rest with Nuun. Also I tried to hydrate well the day before and the morning of the race. The belt has a convenient pocket to carry all sorts of useless things (nutrition, Nuun tablets, mosquito wipes).
Nutrition:
I totally messed up. I did normal meal the day before and didn't eat anything the morning of the race, I didn't feel like it. The race started at 10am and I had a banana 1h before. I carried a few Larabars in my belt and some hard honey-ginger candies. I tried to eat the bars during the race but really had to force myself. I consumed only 1 bar and 1 candy but I could feel I needed more. I want to stick to 'real' food so I didn't want to try gels. On training runs I don't eat but my training runs were all on flat and much shorter.
Elimination:
You probably don't want to know about that but it was important to me. On top of the fact that food was really unappealing that morning, I had that semi-conscious worry to run with too much weight down my intestine and it would make the run unconfortable and create the need to eliminate. Liquids were not a problem. I sweated so much that my liquid intake was just keeping up with that. And I would not have had a pb stepping off the trail for a few minutes if my bladder was too full. It may not be an issue for other runners but it got me thinking a little too much.
Hills:
I didn't train on hills. I don't have hills near my house. And I didn't specifically train for that race, it was almost a last minute decision. So during the race I walked many many hills, much more than what I expected. All people around me were doing the same. Before the race I read a few times the chapters on hills in Chi Running and it made a lot of sense to me to not run uphills on my toes (using mostly calf muscles). I used his technique even when I walked and try to use my arms more but my upper body was not trained enough. Overall, I used muscles that I don't normally use but I also noticed that different sections of the trail used different muscles, giving other muscles a chance to rest. That effect seem to be more pronounced on trails than on road. I think with proper technique and by alternating different speeds it's possible to run for much longer periods of time on trails.
Lenght of the race:
I ran for 3h 18 mi. I had no cramps or pain during the run. I did feel out of breath and had to walk but I never felt like moving was difficult or painful. I felt a little weak and tried to eat but I should have tried harder. I believe that with proper nutrition I could have kept running for longer than that. I used my Garmin to evaluate how much I completed and how much was left. There is no mile marker on the trail, so it helped that I new approximately how far I was from the next water station and from the finish. I had asked the race director ahead of time for the location of the water stops. His measurement did not match my Garmin, the first water stop was almost 1 miles further away than what he said, but it was good enough to get a rough idea.
I also looked at the results from previous years. I looked up the name of some of the finishers and looked up their time at a local 10 miles road race to compare with my training time. Based on that I was expecting to run for just about 4h but I apparently underestimated myself. I had calculated the average pace needed to finish in 4h and my Garmin was consistenly display a faster average pace and that was encouraging. I may run without computer in the future but for my first distance race it was a great psychological help.
Recovery:
After the race I drank some more water and Nuun, ate 1 Larabar, 1 hot dog and went home for a 'normal' day. I should have planned a recovery meal, maybe a recovery shake for just after the race or for later that day. The next day I went for a short run and was fine. 2 days later I had 1 sore spot on 1 leg. The soreness lasted for several days and I worried but considering my lack of training on hills I don't think it was bad. Maybe some Ibuprofene would have helped? I always forget that drugs can sometimes be useful.
Good luck with your training, and your races. Be sure to keep posting your progress and experience.