Adding Up, Subtracting Down

It's hard to know what to take away from last weekend. There are the obvious things, like start a little slower next time, try stressing the downhills more and do other exercises to try to mitigate the IT band problem I suffered, come up with a different solution than gels (I've decided they are too messy and, after awhile, too nauseating to bother with). The harder part is the psychological part.

When you run a perfect race you know it. You can feel that you set the right pace, made the right decisions, and there's nothing you could have done to finish any faster. When you don't run a perfect race, you know that too.

While I'm obviously happy that I finished, I am a little disappointed that I didn't finish sooner. Given the circumstances (my first 50K, an unexpected injury), I think I should have expected to come up a little short, and most folks would tell me that I should be more than satisfied with completing my first ultra. I guess I'm not like that.

When I don't live up to my own expectations, when I feel I can do better, it sits in the back of my mind and gnaws at me. It bothers me. I start plotting. I want to go back and do it again, I want to show myself that I can meet certain challenges.

Maybe I should be more realistic with my expectations. Maybe I'm being a little too melodramatic and this is just the one-week low spot that occurs after big races.

Okay, so what's next? My plan was that if Skyline went well I would sign up for Dick Collins Firetrails 50 miler in October. While I think Skyline went well enough (despite my misgivings above), I'm worried that my IT band won't be back in shape soon enough to keep my workout intensity at the level it should be in time for October. I've decided that if I'm not doing hilly trails with no problems by the weekend after next, I don't think I can be ready and I won't sign up. Maybe I will volunteer for trail crew or something.

I still want to do a 50 miler soon, but I'll do a 50K if there aren't any 50 milers coming up after Firetrails. The San Jose Rock 'n' Roll half-marathon is coming up too, which might be a fun little diversion, especially since the only elevation change is when the road dips to go beneath an underpass (meaning that it won't aggravate my IT band).

It's funny that I've started to think of a half-marathon as a fun little diversion. I guess I have taken some things away from last weekend after all :)