We started in waves based on bib number. This was to minimize bottlenecks on the course. Given that there were more than 450 participants on a course no more than 5k long this was essential. Of course there was no way they could eliminate bottlenecks completely on this course. All this means is that the first people out on the first wave had a chance to move through the course considerably faster. But so what? Under no circumstances would I be in danger of winning the the race.
They counted twenty obstacles, including some wall climbs, tires, water, and some fantastic mud. It also included running up a hill and along a trail. So maybe it should only be counted as 18.
I opted to do the run in my five fingers shoes, rather than my normal running shoes. This was absolutely the right choice for me. I was able to zip through the thickest mud without losing my shoes, do my climbs and scrambles more easily, and swim through several of the water obstacles almost without noticing I was wearing shoes. I only saw one other person who made the same call on shoes and they definitely got a lot of comments.
I'm not really sure about the etiquette on mud run obstacles. I tried to avoid cutting ahead of people it seemed mostly rude, sometimes dangerous and occasionally impossible. I felt much better jogging past people between the obstacles; there were a lot of folks who mostly walked.
I finished the thing with relative ease and had, I will claim, as much fun as anyone on the course. I think I should do another one of these things.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
WYLD!
So here is an event that is a real change of pace for me.
Who: Northwest CT YMCA
What: The 2012 Wyld Mud Run
When: June 30th 2012
Where: John A. Minetto State Park
Why: A fun change of Pace
This was my first ever Mud Run and the first time the local Y organized a mud run Overall I thought it was pretty great.
Who: Northwest CT YMCA
What: The 2012 Wyld Mud Run
When: June 30th 2012
Where: John A. Minetto State Park
Why: A fun change of Pace
This was my first ever Mud Run and the first time the local Y organized a mud run Overall I thought it was pretty great.
Friday, June 29, 2012
heat
I could really feel the heat on my run yesterday. I don't think it was over 90 and yet the heat really had an effect. A 4.6 mile run is on the upper edges of what I will undertake without water breaks. I might, under some circumstances, stretch it out to 6. But since it is long-ish for a run with no water stops I need to be that much more careful about being fully hydrated before I head out.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
a few more
Maybe the weather will permit me a lake training session today. At this point I'm not to worried about training volume. I would like to keep a fairly regular training schedule and get a few more chances to work on feeds from the kayak.
Monday, June 25, 2012
focus
I did my speed work today. Only I wasn't thinking about swimming fast. I was trying to pay attention to my body position and my stroke, especially the entry. It felt very demanding. Definitely very good conditioning. But I didn't ever feel like I was struggling to make the interval. Afterwards I threw in 200 yards of butterfly. One lap at a time, but one lap at a time is how you build.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Not-so-super Swim
The campsite where we stayed was on the north side of John's Pond, right next to the town beach where the race is held. So it was easy to make breakfast and then stroll right over to the start. My trouble was, it was a hot night, and I woke up thirsty. I didn't figure this would be a problem. They would have water before the race. Well, I was wrong about that. This was not a disaster, I just jogged back over the campsite in order to refill some water bottles. But I'm not sure I got enough water into me before the start of the race.
The course is a half-mile triangular loop course. That means 6 times around for the 3.1 miles. Six times around and a little bit more. There was a 1/2 mile race as well as a 1 mile race. Everybody starts at once and swims on the same course. Needless to say things are a bit crowded at the start, The 5k and the half mile starts together with an in water start. I waded in about waist deep as we lined up and I thought the was was cold. I wasn't really expecting cold to be a problem for me in this race.
They blew their siren and we were off. Considering the mass start it wasn't all that bad. No bad collisions, no kicks to the face. I decided I would do my count from the tetrahedral buoy furthest from shore. So I counted "one" as I made that turn. Since this was an acute triangular course all the turns were sharper than 90 degrees. I felt like my turns were sloppy and slow. I was surprised that I still found a few 1 milers on my third loop. I was just beginning to think that the course was too small for things to really open up when suddenly I found myself alone. There was a large gap ahead and a large gap behind.
Despite the simplicity of the course I still had a little trouble with navigation. The entire course was marked by three buoys, and on the longer legs of the triangle the next buoy was very difficult to spot. This usually meant several strokes of breaststroke while I located the buoy and got myself pointed at it. The buoy was just too small of a speck for me to see with a quick sighting. I was consistently drifting to my right on the way out and to my left on the way back in. That matches the direction of the wind so maybe my drifting isn't all that mysterious. By the time I was on my second loop I was amazed I could have ever thought the water was cold. I was hot. I actually had that feeling of being a little too warm that I usually only get during a pool workout.
Near the end of my fifth loop another swimmer blew past me on the turn. I figured this guy is already coming in for the finish maybe I can see where he goes. But I lost track of him and so I started my last loop without knowing where exactly the finish line was. I kept looking for my oomph. I wanted to put on a little speed for the finish. But I just didn't have it. I moseyed on in to the end of the race and swam right past the finish, because I didn't know where it was or what I should be looking for. My official time: 1:35 something. Considerably slower than my previous 5k races. I'm disappointed with my finishing time but after all I only have two other races to compare it to. At this point I can hardly even guess what the problem is. Was I slightly dehydrated? did I sleep poorly? Was my navigation adding a lot of distance? The title of this post is my feelings about my swim.
The course is a half-mile triangular loop course. That means 6 times around for the 3.1 miles. Six times around and a little bit more. There was a 1/2 mile race as well as a 1 mile race. Everybody starts at once and swims on the same course. Needless to say things are a bit crowded at the start, The 5k and the half mile starts together with an in water start. I waded in about waist deep as we lined up and I thought the was was cold. I wasn't really expecting cold to be a problem for me in this race.
They blew their siren and we were off. Considering the mass start it wasn't all that bad. No bad collisions, no kicks to the face. I decided I would do my count from the tetrahedral buoy furthest from shore. So I counted "one" as I made that turn. Since this was an acute triangular course all the turns were sharper than 90 degrees. I felt like my turns were sloppy and slow. I was surprised that I still found a few 1 milers on my third loop. I was just beginning to think that the course was too small for things to really open up when suddenly I found myself alone. There was a large gap ahead and a large gap behind.
Despite the simplicity of the course I still had a little trouble with navigation. The entire course was marked by three buoys, and on the longer legs of the triangle the next buoy was very difficult to spot. This usually meant several strokes of breaststroke while I located the buoy and got myself pointed at it. The buoy was just too small of a speck for me to see with a quick sighting. I was consistently drifting to my right on the way out and to my left on the way back in. That matches the direction of the wind so maybe my drifting isn't all that mysterious. By the time I was on my second loop I was amazed I could have ever thought the water was cold. I was hot. I actually had that feeling of being a little too warm that I usually only get during a pool workout.
Near the end of my fifth loop another swimmer blew past me on the turn. I figured this guy is already coming in for the finish maybe I can see where he goes. But I lost track of him and so I started my last loop without knowing where exactly the finish line was. I kept looking for my oomph. I wanted to put on a little speed for the finish. But I just didn't have it. I moseyed on in to the end of the race and swam right past the finish, because I didn't know where it was or what I should be looking for. My official time: 1:35 something. Considerably slower than my previous 5k races. I'm disappointed with my finishing time but after all I only have two other races to compare it to. At this point I can hardly even guess what the problem is. Was I slightly dehydrated? did I sleep poorly? Was my navigation adding a lot of distance? The title of this post is my feelings about my swim.
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