On Friday, I went up to Tahoe for another training weekend. Taking into account the entire Friday through Sunday span, it was a great weekend:
- Swimming in the lake on Sunday morning, mountains in the distance, crystal clear water surrounding me, sun shining down … that was nice.
- The bike loop was challenging, with a hill repeat on Brockway Summit proving that our legs and lungs are strong and capable.
- Tahoe in the summer is spectacular, and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to go up and admire it so many times this summer.
- It was a casual weekend, rooming with 5 others at a teammate’s aunt’s house in the country, lots of good food, laughter, and discussing training and digestion issues like athletes do.
These were all good things. But in the middle of it all – there was the bonk. It didn’t ruin the weekend, but it sure put a damper on Saturday’s fun.
After Saturday morning’s 49-mile ride, a single loop of the IMLT course with a Brockway repeat, starting and ending at Squaw, we set out for a long run along the Truckee River Path, the IMLT run course. The calendar called for 14 miles.
On Friday, I purchased a Camelbak to wear on self-supported rides, and though it’s not designed for running, I decided to try it on the run course too, since we were told initially that we would have minimal support (i.e., no water stop). So I set out at about 11:30 am with my nutrition in my jersey pockets, a hand-held water bottle and my pack. The sun shone, the air was warm, and with the first step, all oxygen seemed to leave the air.
Wow, elevation really impacts my run!
I managed 4:1 run/walk intervals for the first few miles, but I was running pretty slow and sucking down the water. I drained my hand-held within an hour. I took in salt, too, and had a couple extended walk breaks to eat pretzels, but I could tell my nutrition was faltering, and so was my run.
It was Spring Break in the river, with hoards of college kids and families tubing and lounging, splashing and partying. They were having a very good time. I was not.
One of the coaches also out on the run told me the head coach would be setting up a water stop, but that we left too early and missed it on the way out. With the expectation of a refill on the way back, I drank what I needed, and peered around each curve expecting a Team table with big, cold, refreshing jugs of water. It did not appear.
I got myself to the 7-mile turnaround, but noticed that my pace slowed and walk breaks got longer.
By mile 8, I noticed my pack was getting lighter, sloshing less. I missed that comforting sound.
By mile 9, I started rationing. I didn’t take in food, because it would make me thirstier. I ran more slowly. I took light sips that barely refreshed.
At mile 10, I was dry.
Without water, I really couldn’t eat. My nutrition had already suffered, and now I abandoned it all together. I stopped running, started crying (without tears) and tried to come to grips with a parched 4-mile walk back to Squaw.
Others on my team ran out of water, too, but they were resourceful enough to ask strangers along the path, to ask at a café hidden in the tubing rental area, to get the refills they needed to carry on. I was not resourceful. I was loopy and pathetic and crying. I walked and cried and gasped for air. I knew there was a water fountain at the entrance to Squaw, just under 2 miles from the end, and I plowed ahead with that saving grace as my only goal.
Right at the water fountain, the coach had set up a water stop, located at about mile 12 of the 14-mile run. This seemed like poor placement to me, but I took the refill and continued my death march to the parking lot. After getting about 1/3 of the bottle into me, I tried to run some more, but I had intense nausea, some intestinal distress, and my legs tried to cramp. I continued to walk with occasional 30-second run intervals back to the start.
I reached blessed mile 14 at the same time as another teammate, and when he asked me about my run, I broke down in tears and sat crying the parking lot for 10 minutes. That helped, as did the Gatorade and protein drink I shoved into me. The burger and tater tots I had after cleaning up and calming down were also quite good and restorative.
This was a pretty big bonk. I managed to keep moving, but the 14 miles took me 2:41 to complete.
On race day, there should be plenty of water on the course, but there’s no telling if something else might cause a similar breakdown. I could have a bad reaction to food, I could wear myself out too much on the bike, I could have an emotional meltdown. It was helpful to know that I could get it done anyway. With a minimum of 7 hours to complete the run course on race day, I will have time to take a moment to let my stomach settle, take in the calories I need, and then continue moving.
Just because you WANT to lay down in a ditch and take a nap doesn’t mean you HAVE to.
Saturday was a challenging day, but even so, it was confidence-building: more brain-training, more muscle memory of perseverance.
IMLT Countdown: 45 days.
Week 38 Mileage
Monday, July 29 Swim - 1 hour, 3000 yards Tuesday, July 30 Cardio - 40 minutes (elliptical) Wednesday, July 31 Run - 1 hour 15 minutes, 6.7 miles, 1300 ft elevation gain (crazy hilly trail run) Thursday, August 1 Run - 35 minutes, 4 miles Cardio - 35 minutes (elliptical) Friday, August 2 Swim - 55 minutes, 2664 yards Saturday, August 3 Bike - 3 hours 15 minutes, 49 miles, 3674 ft gain Run - 2 hours 40 minutes, 14 miles Sunday, August 4 Swim - 50 minutes | Totals: Swim - 2 hours 45 minutes, ~7000 yards Bike - 3 hours 15 minutes, 49 miles Run - 4 hours 30 minutes, 24.7 miles Cardio - 1 hour 15 minutes Total - 11 hours 45 minutes |