Blooms to Brews 2014

Race Report – Blooms to Brews Half Marathon

Woodland , WA

April 13, 2014 – 8am start

Preparation for the race:  I was cleared to start running on December 4th with an MRI that showed my hip had healed from the femoral head stress fracture diagnosed August 8th.  I started very slow walking 2 miles – three times a week through most of December and January.  In February, I upped my game and added HIIT workouts 2 times a week (Tuesday and Thursday am).  I also started running 3 miles twice a week.  By the end of February, I was running speed intervals Wednesdays and a long run on the weekend.  My longest run was 9 miles done 2 weeks prior to the race. 

Nutrition:  I eat Paleo with some grassfed cheese and the occasional organic corn or heavy cream.  Most HIIT workouts and runs were done before breakfast so I ate a banana prior to workout.  Took water on longer runs but did not fuel mid-workout. All post-workout fuel was consumed at the next regular mealtime, which usually included a sweet potato. 

The night before:

            Meal:  Hamburger with bacon on ½ an acorn squash and watermelon.

            Bedtime:  9:30 pm

Race Day:

            Wake:  6:30 am – My alarm was suppose to go off at 5:30 but didn’t.  So frustrating!!!!

Breakfast:  2 bananas, ½ of a sweet potato loaf, and ½ of an Epic bar.

I had to be at the race start at 7 am to pick up my bib.  Then I went back to the car to stay warm until race time and finally had a moment to eat breakfast.  I was really excited to start this race.  I wanted to see how my body was going to react and if I was on the right track as far a fuel.  My goal was to finish around the 2-hour mark and not kill myself.  I was lucky to get to run with a friend – Amy Campbell who is a much fast runner than me but was willing to take it easy and have some great conversation instead.  The conversation kept my mind off the mileage until around the 8-mile mark when we hit the gravel section of the course.  Right before this I ate ½ of a That’s It bar  and started to notice the blisters in my arches that had kept my mileage down during preparation.

The gravel section was a killer and was hard on my body.  I was really glad when we got past it around the 10-mile mark.  Then we finally got to see a few fields of tulips – they were really beautiful but I was disappointed there were so few!  The body really started to complain about mile 11 and thank you Amy for continuing to talk and not asking anything from me in return.  I was so happy to see the mile 12-mile marker and know we were almost home.  I was amazed at how little I had left in the tank at the end.

I have a history of blood pressure issues after races.  In the past I have fixed this with food and sports drinks but most of those options were out with my new nutrition plan.  I spent about 10 minutes post race just cooling down and getting my heart rate down.  The next step was drinking water to quench my thirst and elevating my legs.  I was amazed at how much better this made me feel.  The post-race food at the event was bbq sandwiches.  I had just the bbq with a fork and a couple of oranges – perfect. 

I said my goodbyes to Amy and my other new friends and went back to the hotel to shower and hit the road.  Back at the hotel, I spent another 10 minutes with my feet elevated because I knew I had a 3-½ hour car ride ahead of me.  During the car ride I drank water and ate an amazing very dark chocolate bar – 84% cacao and with sea salt.  I have to say that it will be my new post-race treat because it hit the spot!  I made it home for dinner and amazing steaks with the family.  It was shocking how well I felt – no blood pressure issues and my hunger was under control.

Race Specifics

This was a small race with just over 400 participants.  The mood was very friendly and encouraging.  The course was well marked but we were running on roads open to traffic with little volunteer traffic help at crossings (since there was very little traffic for most of the course – it was not a major issue).  The aid stations were well placed all with water and Gatorade and the volunteers were very encouraging.  The race was chip timed and the after party included BBQ sandwiches, beer and a DJ.  The course did have some beautiful views of Columbia Rive and Horseshoe Lake and a few fields of tulips. 

Results

2:06:41 – 182 overall and 40/108 in my division.  This was not a PR but I only have done one race faster so I feel that this was a great result!

Total Fuel

Before:  2 banana, ½ sweet potato loaf, ½ Epic Bar and water

During: water and ½ That’s it bar

After: water, ½ That’s it bar, BBQ pork and orange smiles

Drive home: water and Blackout Dark Chocolate Bar

Dinner: Steak and salad

Takeaways

1.     I am definitely going to continue my training regimen.  I didn't kill my body and I was still ready for the race.  I need to be more consistent with my runs – making sure that I do 2 per week.  I also need to work at getting my mileage up.

2.     I loved my breakfast but I didn’t include any slow burning fuel.  Next time it will be 2 bananas and the sweet potato loaf but with some butter. 

3.     The Blackout Bar is a definite for post-race treat!