50K aftermath

Now that it's almost a week after the 50K I've had more time to think about how things went.  While I am still disappointed that I didn't at least break 5 hours, I think I gave it pretty much all I had.  But something very unexpected happened out of the whole thing;  I was selected as the USATF Athlete of the Week!  It's quite an honor, with the list usually filled with Olympians and World Champions.  And it wasn't an easy week either!  NCAA had their Cross Country championships, so some good performances there to contend with.  Here's the article:

http://www.usatf.org/News/Race-Walker-Erin-Taylor-Talcott-named-USATF-Athlet.aspx

There are a few factual inaccuracies (my time and that I set a national record.  I already have the national record with my 4:33:23) but it was very nice. 

Another thing I was thinking about was how tough a lot of the people out there were on race day.  Everyone has goals and dreams and hopes for what they'd accomplish.  It's hard when something like the weather gets in the way of your race plan.  I saw a lot of people going out smart and still hurting from the heat.  I saw some people succumb to the heat.  And I saw some that were going to finish no matter what.  So here's my nominations for the most amazing/gutsy/stick-to-it-iveness performances I saw out there.

Darlene Backlund is no stranger to the longer events, getting out there and strutting her stuff with the best of them.  Having just turned 70 she was out there to prove something, a big something!  And boy did she, and in style!  No 70 year old woman has ever raced a 50K, at least until Darlene!  I was lucky enough to witness Darlene finish, with such a huge smile on her face!  As she then proceeded to wibble-wobble for some timey-wimey (anyone catch the reference?) across the line, then hit the ground with leg cramps.  What a champ!  I'm so amazed by all she does and continues to do. 

For the men I had a hard time deciding, but I'm going with Matthew Forgues.  Matt is no stranger to race walking, having been quite successful in his younger years.  However we haven't seen much from him in the last few years.  I will admit that I was quite surprised to see him on the entry list, and entered in the full 50K no less!  But he went out smooth and smart, I think just about on pace to hit the 50K Olympic Trials qualifying time.  I'm not sure at what point it was, but eventually the heat did do a number on him (as it did everyone!).  But he never gave up!   I could see he was determined to finish, and he did!  He finished his first 50K after not racing in quite a while in 90 degree temperatures!  I'm super impressed.  That type of mental fortitude to me means he could be a fantastic 50K walker.  I really hope that he continues and focuses on the 50K!

Dave and I were able to use some of our recovery time working on the bunkhouse, and I'm so happy that we have all the siding done!  I'm done being up on ladders and scaffolding for a while for sure!  And we got it done on what will probably be the last nice day of the year.  Whew!

There's a turkey trot held every year in Cortland that we like to do.  It's a 5K, really flat, pretty fast, and they have great race shirts.  This year we didn't know if we'd want to do it four days after a 50K, but we signed up for it figuring we could just do it as an easy walk if we needed.  We ended up pushing it fairly hard and doing quite well!  The time on the clock showed 24:10, but it seems a fair number of people's watches were showing it being short.  But we figure, even if it was the shortest that some watches were showing it that effort was still a sub 25:00 5K.  I'm pretty darned happy with that!  Still feeling just a little tired, but really pretty good.  I'll be ramping training back up starting next week.  Then the week after that I go to train for two weeks with Ian in South Carolina, so that'll be two really solid weeks of training. 

I have 12 weeks before the 50K Olympic Trials.  I have goals of what I want to accomplish and a plan of how to do it.  I just need to get out there, put the work in, and work as hard as I can.  No excuses, no slacking off, no giving up.  Twelve weeks of being tough and working hard. 

50K recap

Holy macaroni, what a day!  I am so happy to have retained my 50K title!  While my time was waaaaayyyyy off what I was hoping to do, there were a few things that went very, very well that I am incredibly happy about.  I made the whole race without a single warning or caution!  I've been working really hard the last few years on my technique after my DQ at the Olympic Trials in 2012 and I believe it is really paying off.   My race bib was #20.  As you can tell from the (very busy) board, my number isn't on it!

Another thing I am totally thrilled about is my glute strength.  For years I have had a muscle imbalance between my glutes.  My right glute medius did not want to fire like the left side.  I was officially half a lazy ass!!!   This would cause my hip to collapse, putting strain on my hips.  This would cause me to go out of adjustment fairly often, and sometimes at very inopportune times, such as right before a race.  I kept trying to work on my glute strength, but it's hard to get a muscle that isn't used to firing to fire, especially when there are so many muscles around it to easily take over.  So it wasn't just a matter of me trying harder, that I was definitely doing.  But two things have really turned them around.  First, when Quentin Rew from New Zealand came to visit he gave me some core exercises to work on.  I had been doing core work, but nothing like this.  Compared to what I had been doing it was "easy" but really hard at the same time.  After a few months I saw a huge improvement in my core strength which equaled fewer trips to the chiropractor.   But the second thing was a very interesting find.

When Dave and I went to the Huntsman Senior World Games they had a big expo.  I wandered around it a few times looking at all the cool stuff.  One of the booths had this funky machine that people were standing on and wiggling all over.  I was curious so went over for the talk and gave it a try.  The idea behind, in very simple terms, is the platform vibrates your body and muscles are forced to involuntarily activate.  This makes them work.  I noticed on my first time on the platform that I could feel one area of my right butt jiggle differently than the left.  It was my lazy glute muscle!  I couldn't believe I could actually feel it!  I went out for a workout after being on the platform and went significantly faster than I thought I would, and could feel my glutes a lot more powerful than I usually did.  I got a bit excited. 

I went back and talked to the owners of the platform and they agreed to help me out.  They're so amazingly awesome, so I now have my very own platform.  I use it twice a day for 10 minutes, generally watching TV.  I don't feel that one muscle in my glutes anymore giggling differently and I feel so much more stable and powerful in my core.  It's a amazing!   If anyone wants to know more about the platform here's the website.  I'm happy to answer questions, and I'll keep everyone updated on how it's helping me continue my preparation.

http://relaxhealthandtone.com/

So that's all the good, now to the "needs improvement" section of the race.

Leading up to the race I kept checking the weather forecast and it kept going up and up so I knew it was going to be hot.  Whenever I cross train inside, for example on the elliptical, I will go to our exercise room and crank up the gas heater full blast and get the heat up to about 85 and humid.  So I thought I'd be decently well ready for the heat.  It worked well for me in 2013 in Florida.  There I was slower than I was in shape for, but stayed pretty strong.  Not this year.  I was decent through 20K, the next 10K was okay, and the last 20K was just finishing.  Very seldom have I felt that hot.  One thing I think helped in Florida was there were more water station, and you could get personal aid on both sides of the course so you could drink about 3 times as often.  Florida also had an extra water station and an angel with sponges soaked in ice water.   I've decided that I like sponges way more than towels.  I felt like I couldn't get enough water wrung out on me with the towels, and they were too small to wrap around my neck without falling off. 

But I think I just was not in the shape I needed to be.  I also was not as dogmatic and structured about my race aid as I usually am.  Luckily there's almost 13 weeks between now and my next 50K race.  I'm going to spend 2 weeks with Ian Whatley in South Carolina and 6 weeks in St. George, Utah so I'll have plenty of quality, uninterrupted, and hopefully snow free training weeks.  I'm focusing on my strength, both RWing strength as well as muscular strength.  I'm going to really focus on the cross fit classes.   So I'll take a few days easy, let the massive chaffing heal a bit, and get ready for the next one!  I feel like I have to redeem myself after that poor showing.  I have to stay focused and on my game.  No slacking off, no making excuses, no wimping out.  And with that thought in mind I think I'll go do some core work!

Getting ready for the 50K!

We're now at the point where weather.com shows what possible race conditions could be in Santee for 50K nationals, which means time is getting close!  I always look forward to my favorite race distance, probably because, well, it's my favorite race distance!  Training has been going well, I've had some great training blocks, and I've worked on/improved my muscle fitness more than in past years, thanks to going to a cross fit gym!  I'm healthy, no injuries, just a couple little niggles (as all athletes tend to get) and decently close to my race weight.

One thing I've always been really happy about my 50Ks is my race nutrition.  I feel like I usually do a really good job of staying hydrated and fueled.  Only once did I feel like I was missing something, that was the 50,000 I did on the track in Oregon in 2014.  The cool thing about that was since it was on a track I could ask for stuff every 2:12 and I was able to try a bunch of things, that was awesome.  I know what my stomach will (and won't!) handle, and about how often I need to take stuff.  I learned too that having a wide variety of flavors, textures, and brands is a really good idea.  What can be your favorite flavor at the beginning of a race/workout, can turn your stomach later on.  I've learned to trust my instinct that if it doesn't "sound good" don't take it!  Not to the extent that I won't take anything, but just to find the flavor/brand that sounds good at the moment. 

Texture is a big deal to me.  If I don't like the texture there's no way I'm going to be able to get it down at the end of a 50K.  So I love trying new stuff to find what works.  At the beginning of races/workouts I'm able to handle energy gels that may be a bit thicker, but near the end, the thinner and smoother they are the easier they are for me to swallow. 

Recently I tried Honey Stinger Energy Gels.  They're quite yummy and nice and smooth.  You do have to like the taste of honey, as that's one of their main ingredients, but their ingredient list is very short compared to some companies. 

And if you're able to chew things during a race I love my Honey Stinger chews.  They always taste good to me (sometimes I eat them as a "treat" instead of candy, if I'm really craving something sweet.

With drinks I've got a few different products I like.  Amino Vital is an energy drink, and their grape flavor I NEVER get tired of.  I used to drink stuff like Gatorade, which I still will occasionally, but sometimes it gets too sweet for my tastes and I can't get it down.  I NEVER have that problem with Amino Vital, and if you're a person who likes some protein while you race, this has some. 

I usually plan to drink every lap, which since the course is a 1.25K loop, means I'll get to drink a lot!  I'll take an energy gel or chew anywhere from every 6.25 to 8.75K.  I'll take a wide variety of flavors and brands with me so that no matter what I'm in the mood for it'll be there.  I've got my pre-race breakfast all set, some yogurt and a banana with peanut butter.

Training between now and the 22nd will be focused on getting me as rested and sharp as possible to go out and see what I can do.  The national 30K gave me a lot of confidence, so I feel ready to hit my goals.  A lot of people will be racing and chasing time standards, so I should have some great people to race with, which is always nice.  My parents will be there cheering and doing our aid table.  They are old pros at it now and do a fantastic job.  

I will of course let everyone know how it goes!  Thanks so much for all your support!

I am a professional shoe lacer and number pinner....

Or at least I should be.  I mean, think about how many times in my life I've laced up my shoes.  And I've been to more than my fair share of races, so think of how many numbers I've pinned.  And since race walkers have front and back numbers I've pinned twice as many as the average single-numbered athlete! 

So why is it I still sometimes tie my shoes too tight and pin my numbers crooked?

Seriously, kids learn to tie their shoes around age five or six, right?  Let's even say seven.  That's 30 years of shoe lacing experience I have.  And being an athlete I wear sneakers a lot.  I can't think of the last time I wore dress shoes.  Let's say I learned to tie my shoes at the age of 7, just for easier math.  And let's say I have to tie my shoes an average of twice a day.  That would be almost 22,000 times I've tied my shoes. 

The author Malcolm Gladwell made popular in his book Outliers the theory/concept that 10,000 hours of practice will make you a master.  While I haven't tied my shoes for 10,000 hours, surely 22,000 ties (actually 44,000 since I have two feet, duh...) should be awfully close. 

So I ask again, why is it I still sometimes tie my shoes too tight and pin my numbers crooked?

Dictionary.com defines practice as:
1.  habitual or customary performance; operation:

2. habit; custom:

3.  repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency:

 

It is the third definition that concerns us here.  Repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency.  I'm pretty sure I remember, all those eons ago, when I first started to tie my shoes that I had to really concentrate on it.  I had to think about how my fingers looped and where the laces went.   I had to make sure that the tongue in my shoe was straight and not bunched up.   After a while it became habit and I didn't have to think about it anymore.  Now I can tie my shoes without looking.  So how much of those 44,000 times did I really "practice" correctly and properly lacing my shoes? 

 

One of my favorite quotes is: 

"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect."

Vince Lombardi

 

How true!  So in simple terms I am not a professional at lacing my sneakers because I don't perfectly practice.  And never mind when I'm pinning my number, half the time I'm not thinking about where I pin it, I'm thinking about my upcoming race or talking to people.  It's only when I pin my number the night before, in the privacy of my room, that I actually focus on it and my number looks straight, even, and nice!

 

When I was teaching music I used to stress that the first few times played through music were the most important.  It was then that if you made a mistake that the mistake wanted to become permanent.  Really focusing on what you were doing and thinking about every note, nuance, phrase, and dynamic were super important.   Basically I was trying to get them to practice it perfect!

 

Think about your race walking.  How often do you go out and just do your workout?  You've been doing it for years, so you've got the technique down, right?  You go out and do your speed session and push, you do your long walk and get your miles in.  I just got off the phone with a reporter and one of the things I said to her as she questioned me about the technique of race walking was that I think there's always something that can be improved in a race walker's technique.  There's always something that can be tweaked, polished, or worked on.  How exciting is that?  There's always a way you can get better!  There's always improvement to be made!  In theory you could never reach your potential because there's always something more you could be doing!  Yet how often do we really focus on our technique? 

I urge you today to not just do things, but to mindfully practice them.  Practice perfect practice!  Think about your laces as you tie them.  Focus on your technique as you're going for your workout.  Be aware of the jobs and chores you're doing.  If you are used to mindfully practicing the little "unimportant" things then it'll be even easier to perfectly practice the important things!