Monday, Apr 9:
I went to the Charlotte Running Company's Shoes & Brews New Balance + Lenny Boy run this Monday. The course winds all around the neighborhood next to the shoe store. It was hillyl, too. I was still feeling it from the Spartan races over the weekend, but I'm competitive and can't help wanting to do well even on training runs. Plus, I didn't know the route, and therefore had to keep up with the pack in front of me to not get lost. I hung on for dear life and made it back. I mean, I could've used my phone to find my way back no matter what, but I wanted to do the official running route. It turns out that it's marked on the roads, but I didn't know that going in.
4.4 in 33:14, 7:47 ave, though it felt much harder.
The store is maybe the coolest running store I've seen. They have a 2-tap bar right inside, and the corner of the store that's a bar is decorated with lots of cool running paraphanelia. It's like how I'd decorate a running-themed bar if I had one. We got beers afterwards, plus raffles. New Balance had also been there with demo shoes (880's, size 7). It was good to have its cushioning on the roads, since I normally like soft surfaces. A little more narrow of a shoe than I'm used to, though. It was nice to try a new route today and experience the store.
Thursday, Apr 12:
6.0 in 48:51, 8:09 ave, 2 degrees of incline. A hectic few days at work. Legs relatively fresh, despite body not feeling that energetic. Needed the stress relief. Stretched and foam rolled beforehand.
Saturday, Apr 14:
Whitewater Center trail run. 10.1 in 1:56:04, 11:27 ave. Figure 8->Carolina Thread-> Main -> tiny bit of parkway. First time wearing the Brooks Mazama. Wore Prism shades for the first time, too... it was partly cloudy. The glasses actually make cloudiness brighter and sunnyness darker, pretty interesting. Had nutrigrain and electrolyte water beforehand. Upper 70s at 4pm.
Rolled right ankle once, but not all the way, so it was ok. Shoes were light, roomy, with good ankle stability and grip. I could've forced myself to run further, but I didn't want to overdo it before the Tuckfest races.
Monday, Apr 16:
45 min Strength Session
- Pullups: 6 strict + hang + 10 semi toes-to-bars, and later, 5 perpendicular.
- Crunches: 450/side
- Plank: 3 + 3 min
- Single Leg Squats: 2 x 65 not deep
- Pushups: 15 + 5 hard - still recovering from burpees?
- 6 in: 75 + 75s
- Adductor/Abductor Leg Lifts: 75 / 145
- Russian Twists: 50
- Assorted dumbell rows
TUCKFEST
Tuckfest is a 4-day festival that celebrates the outdoors lifestyle, with competitions from various sports, music, live music, and demos. This was the first year that I've been able to make it. You pay a single registration fee, and you get to do as many competitions as you like! They do medals for top 3 M/F. I wanted to take advantage of as much as I could soak in.
THURSDAY: Tuckfest 4 mi Night Trail Race
I started my Tuckfest with the Thursday night trail race. It was my second night race (Iceland in December being the first), so I'm still new to it. I saw some Spartan regulars there, which was nice.
We started out at 8pm (at sunset), when there was still light out. We didn't need headlamps for the first mile or so, but they were definitely needed for the rest. After a short stretch on the parade loop, we went into Figure 8. It felt crazy going that fast on the winding single track. I imagine that this is what mountain biking may feel like. You had to be very alert the whole time going at those speeds, since turns were constantly coming left and right, and you were dodging trees. It was adrenaline-filled.
Not much congestion, which was good. After Figure 8 came North Main. I used my light belt for the first time. It worked fine. One thing to note is that unlike with a headlamp, it won't turn where your head is looking, so a few times, I manually turned the lamp towards where I was headed next, if it hadn't been time for my hips to turn yet. The angle of the light was fine, though, and the Ultraspire was very bright.
The last part was really dark, and got a bit eerie at times, running through the woods alone, when gaps between people had grown. I ended up finishing 2nd, far behind (like 4 min behind) a girl with a Stanford jacket. A sports bra was fine during the race, but afterwards, it was cold. They had a toasty firepit going, though. I didn't stay for night 1 of the music afterwards, since I was cold and wet from sweat. I also wanted to rest up for the next evening's race!
It was a fun way to kick off the weekend. A novel experience. 4.0 in 35:31, 8:53 ave.
FRIDAY: Tuckfest 5K mi Twilight Race
There was a half marathon earlier in the day, at noon. To do it, though, I'd have to drive 30 min there, be there at least 30 minutes before the race, run for maybe 2 hrs, stay another 45 min for awards, and then drive 30 min back... it would pretty much take most of the day. So, I decided to save it for the Twilight race, which was held at 7:30pm. It was about a mile shorter than the previous night's race, so I figured that I could probably finish in about 30 min, which would still be at 8pm, when it had been light out the previous day. Therefore, I didn't go with a headlamp.
We took South Main for this race. I wasn't sure that a podium was guaranteed this time. There were some reasonably fast looking people. 3 waves, self-seeded. I started near the front, was passed 0.75 mi in, but passed back at around 1.25 mi. It was a flatter course than the previous day, so I'm surprised that I was slower, even with better lighting. Maybe it was due to the energy that I spent the previous night.
Since I had a good lead, though, and placement was all that mattered, I could've backed way off and reserved energy for the weekend's races. However, I'm too competitive and can't let myself do that. I came in 9th overall among chipped racers, vs. 18th overall the previous day. I red-lined again. It was chilly after the race again, but I came in with a long sleeve tee as a warmup shirt this time, so it was slightly less cold. I warmed myself by the chimney fire. I again chose not to stick around for the music. The next race would be in the morning.
3.1 in 27:39, 8:55 ave.
SATURDAY: Tuckfest Flatwater Kayak Race
They had a Quarter Marathon trail race at 8am, and a Flatwater Kayak race at 9:30am. I could've potentially done both, but I wanted to guarantee a spot in the kayak race. It's not often that you get a chance to jump into a kayak race like this. I know I can do well at running events, but I've always been curious about how I'd do at other endurance events.
They had plenty of spots available for the race, but it was good that I didn't over-exert myself before the race, anyways. There were a good number of participants. We had 2 options: 1x1.25 mi loop, or 2x1x.25 mi loop. There was even an open water swimming event before the race. It was cold, and apparently, the currents were strong, too. Even some seasoned vets bailed shortly after jumping into the water.
I decided to go for the 2 loop option, hoping that my forte would lie in endurance. Apparently, all of the other women went for the 1 loop option. I think I was third after lap 1? But since I was the only 2-lapper, I ended up being 1st anyways for the 2-lappers. The currents weren't terrible... not much different from what I consider normal for kayaking. It was nice that everyone was required to use the same USNWC kayaks. We were all on an even playing field. That's why I've never been that tempted to try anything bike-related, like triathalon or cycling. Those are sports where spendy equipment can give you faster times. It's not cheap, either. I could see myself really getting sucked in. I do as it is, with the cheap sport of running, so I can only imagine where I'd take it with biking.
Anyways, the race started going upstream up half the length of the island, then downstream, turning around at a sandbar, then going back upstream... times two. It was fun... a nice little workout for the morning. I could spend the rest of the morning enjoying the festival. The crowds got huge.
2.5 in about 45 min.
Afterwards, I did a Bell's Brewery Scavenger Hunt, taking photos based on a sheet of clues. Beer-related fun!
I also watched deep water solo seeding and a 13-lap kayak & SUP race. I don't know how those guys manage to stay upright on the channel!
SUNDAY: Tuckfest Flatwater SUP Race
The fourth day in... lots of Tuckfest so far. Now was the final stretch. There was a 5K trail race at 8:30am, but I opted for the 9am SUP race, for the same reasons as yesterday. This time, people were encouraged to bring their own SUPs. I used one of the Whitewater Center's. Maybe half of the people brought their own, though. The Whitewater Center had new ones for us to use, which was nice.
I went for the 2 loop version again. I've only SUPed 2 other times before, even though I have my own plastic one. Nobody who brought their own used a plastic one, though. I'm not familiar with the differences in SUPs and what contributes to speed. My main goal was to not fall into the water in front of all the serious SUPers. One kid close to me did fall in when a wake came in. I had to catch my balance a few times, but I stayed dry. It was tough, and I felt like I wasn't moving very fast given the effort, but I made it... dead last, but I'm satisfied with the effort that I put in. Who knows how much good gear helps, but even the others with rented SUPs did much better than I did.
2.5 mi in 50:12.
To finish my Tuckfest, I watched more competitions... mountain biking, citizens slalom, and bouldering. They had a 1-hr Survival 101 class, too, which was good.
