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October 23, 2006
If You Want To Know What I'm Thinking...
..read on, with caution. It ain't too pretty. I've officially worked myself into a tornadic madness of prerace worry and self-doubt.
#1. I suck at running and I'm unprepared for this challenge. I must be crazy to think I could run 31+ miles well. I should have done, like, 17 more long runs and 14 more hill workouts. Seriously, who do I think I am?
#2. All my shoes suck, so I might as well race barefoot. I don't know what the hell to do about shoes. Currently, every shoe I own makes my feet hurt. Whatever I wear this weekend is going to make my feet fall off.
#3. The race sucks because I now have to do it alone. I was going to have company in crime out there on Saturday. Unfortunately, my company sprained an ankle on a trail run last week. While I've now acquired my own mini-cheering section, I have no one to share the misery with anymore.
#4. My race plan sucks as I have no idea if I'm capable of it. I want to run a pace that puts me in the top 3 of last year's results. Who do I think I am planning to do this? I have nothing similar with which to compare and predict my abilities. Thus, alternatively, I might die at mile 27.
#5. It sucks that I'm addicted to Gatorade. This will be the second off-road race that I have run that serves Heed drinks at aid stations. I train with Gatorade, so it creates an annoying logistical problem to provide myself with Gatorade. What is this Heed crap anyways? Should I be training with it?
Sigh, I know I'm being childish and silly. I'll come around and out of my funk in a day or two. I'll race this race and it'll be what it becomes. The world will proceed on. Actually, I think it will be kind of fun, if I could just stop worrying.
Posted by Meghan at October 23, 2006 7:28 PM
Comments
EECkk!! You are a ball of worry
Breathe. And smile :)
Good luck!
Posted by: Audrey at October 23, 2006 8:45 PM
ah, yes, the taper blues. Sucks, don't it :)
Well, as you probably know, it's normal to have all of these feelings, and pretty much everyone feels that way before a big event! Not that it makes you feel any better, of course...
And, here's a link to Heed.
It's a more natural sports drink, with different sugars and sweeteners than the usual sports drinks. It uses Maltodextrin as your energy source, instead of a simpler sugar. Gets away from Blue No. 5 and stuff like that, too. I like it, but I tend toward the "natural" food stuffs anyway.
I am still learning the whole science of simple sugars and such, but here is a quote from the Hammer site (www.hammernutrition.com):
"Simple sugars such as sucrose, fructose and galactose double the osmolality, draw fluids and electrolytes from the exercising athlete's system, across the stomach lining, often inducing gastric stress, cramps, flatulence and premature fatigue. Sugar is defined as a monosaccharide or a disaccharide. The shorter the chain length a carbohydrate is, the higher it raises the solution osmolality in the stomach. Simple sugar must be mixed in weak 6-8% solutions or they will sit undigested in the stomach and not pass the gastric lining, possibly creating sour stomach, cramps or flatulence. Maltodextrin is a multiple of sugars hooked together, allowing from 18% to 24% solution immediately in transit to the liver where it is turned back to the energy cycle as muscle glycogen. The Amylose-Amylopectin content of maltodextrin and potato starch are very similar in their chemistry to human stored glycogen. Therefore the gold-standard carbohydrate source for energy drinks, bars or gels originates from longer-chain carbohydrates (Maltodextrins) because more caloric volume crosses gastric lining with less distress to the competing athlete. "
Um, translation? Well, the little bit I've learned is that simple sugars (Gatorade, PowerAde, etc.) are not the best choices for endurance athletes. They are just not intended for that usage -- all marketing efforts aside!
Anyway -- just get through the pre-race funk and by Saturday you'll be up to the task. No one ever feels prepared for a big race like that.... do they? :)
Besides, it's the self-doubt that will push you to run faster, and farther, to erase the doubts. This doubt is what will fuel you to kick some butt on race day! Use it to your advantage!
Good luck! Those of us out here on the internet believe in you and will be cheering for you!
Posted by: anne at October 24, 2006 10:20 AM