Qu'est-ce que C'est? 12 Hour Race Recap




It was HOT!

The end.

No really, it was so freaking hot the entire day.  From the start at 7:00am to the end at 7:00pm it was just hot.  Even the slight breeze that started towards to the end of the day felt like a hair dryer.


So enough complaining.


I knew it was going to be hot.  What I did not know was that I would have so much support from my family and friends.  I am still overwhelmed by the number of people that came out to cheer me on, run with me, bike along with me and crew for me.

My coach (Coach Greg) came out and crewed for me for over 12 hours!  He kept me hydrated and fueled during the race and gave instructions to everyone else as to what I needed if he was busy.  My wife stayed busy following all his orders (okay, she followed most of his orders - that's pretty good for Jen).


My wife was awesome.  She came out early, crewed for me, took care of our son, left for a little while to get our stuff ready for our weekend trip and then came back for the rest of the race.

My son ended up running six laps with me and completing 6.2 miles.  The coolest thing was that Alex (the race director) let him put his name on the leader board and counted his laps.  He even made a finisher's plaque for him at the end of the race!


I had someone running (or riding) with me on almost every lap other than the first three hours.  I hope I don't miss anyone (and there is a good chance I was hallucinating some of this), but I want to list all the people who did laps with me: Missy M., CSR, Tammie (MPTC Head Coach), Michael (Peyton's javelin coach), Steve W., Annie D., Tony, Shane M., Robert M., and Peyton!

There were lots of people who drove by cheering too (not going to try to do that list - but I do want to say thanks!).

Our local paper came out and did a pretty funny story on the race (Post & Courier).  There really could not be any other type of story when you have a race director like Alex...


I had planned on running 62 miles (100K sounded cool), but after the first 3 hours with 90 + temps (and rising) I knew I would have to adjust my goals.


After 50K I had a three lap lead on second place and decided to just let him dictate the pace.  When he picked it up I matched him, when he rested I rested.  Only at the end did I push a little harder to ensure I finished with 50+ miles (that sounded cool too).


I dealt with calf cramps once again, but was able to keep them under control (they were always on the edge of locking up though).  Coach Greg tried to rub them out, but my left calf locked up so bad when he touched it (and I cried out like a baby) I decided to just deal with it until the end (damn that hurt!).


Other than the heat and the calf cramps, I felt great.  I really think the double long runs were the best part of my training for this race.  I just need to add in some faster miles in the middle of them to help minimize the cramping.


I am really hoping I get a chance to do Alex's other 12 hour race in Brevard, NC.  It would be nice to trade off the heat for some hills...

2 comments:

  1. It was nice spending some time with you Noah. Good job!

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    Replies
    1. Hey Robert! Glad I got to run with you for a while. Hope we can go for run around here sometime - when its cooler and its not a one mile loop :)

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