Training Log Archive: PatrickGarcia

https://www.strava.com/activities/717792996

Pacing my good friend Donnie through RRR from Fish Creek until Rainbow Saddle. I had intended to go all the way to the finish, but as we got off the last aid station, my hips which had been starting to cramp 15 miles previous, began to spasm to the point where going down the road, I just couldn't turn it over. Add that to Donnie starting to smell the barn and laying it down a bit and I was dropped about 5 miles from the finish. I did my best to be quiet and let him go without noticing me and it worked. He didn't realize I was gone until someone from the hare race came up on him and they raced each other to the line.

After I pulled out, I fell over with the cramps and laid in the middle of the road for about 20 minutes. Then I realized that I could crawl my way to the gondola! Best gondola ride ever!

Not sure exactly what to tie the cramping to, but I have my theories. Perhaps the most reasonable is that this year I have not done running volume, and specifically, almost no slow and grinding hiking. Then going into almost 15 hours of almost all grinding and hiking my hip flexors just couldn't handle the load. That and I think pacing for this amount of time in a race like RRR, you just never do what your body thinks I should be doing. Obviously I was fresh and my legs wanted to run up Fish Creek, but at that point Donnie was trying to break some severe dehydration from the Emerald Mountain section so we were slow and his calves were cramping like mad. Same sort of thing with the long downhill to Spring Creek. I'm running much slower than I would normally because I'm not 55+ miles in like him so it takes work to run at his pace.

All that said, I'm glad I did it. He was way behind his splits from 2015 at Long Lake, nearly 2 hours at some points, but he rallied up on Wyoming trail big time and made almost all of it back. Never underestimate determination. So great to be part of it.

Back halves of hundreds are an interesting human experience. We had long chats, lots of laughing, but also hours of total silence. Long sections where he was leading and setting the pace, and a few sections where he was really hurting and I'm trying to drag his pace up. For me pacing is about where to find these differences. When your runner is doing well, get the fuck out of the way. Let them dictate pace, conversation, etc. When they're hurting, be subtle and push as hard as you can for as long as you can and manage their walk breaks. Allow them, but ease them out of them as well.

I think, as always, I love/fear 100s. I don't think they're particularly fun in the normal sense of fun. I also understand that it's not the reason most of us (myself in particular) do them. There are instances in 100s that are fun, and these are the things that last with you and allow you to sign up for another. Also, it is more proof to me that I only have so many more in me. There is no way that running 100 miles is "good" for you. They take an enormous toll on the body regardless of how fast or slow you go.

C • RAD! 2

4x 10 reps:
22.5# Fly
50# Dumbbell Shrug
50# Dumbbell Pull

Bench Reps:
10 @ 145#
8 @ 150#
6 @ 155#
4 @ 160#

5 @ 135# Cool down

4 x Circuit w/no rest:
20 curls @ 20#
10 push ups

https://www.strava.com/activities/712026849

Did all the maths yesterday. Looks like a nearly 100K pacing gig coming up Friday. Should be "fun".

4x 10 reps:
22.5# Fly
50# Dumbbell Shrug
50# Dumbbell Pull

Bench Reps:
10 @ 145#
8 @ 150#
6 @ 155#
4 @ 160#

5 @ 135# Cool down

4 x Circuit w/no rest:
20 curls @ 20#
10 push ups