I had a special guest on the show for this episode to talk about his marathon training program, race and his race report. He happens to be not only an amazing athlete but also my amazing talented husband Neal Potts…. and no he is not related to Andy Potts!
We talk about his recent experience in the Vancouver, B.C. Marathon on May 3rd 2015. Neal shares how he writes his race report and what information he uses to improve his next training program.
Neal shared his race report with us… let me us know if you have any questions when writing your next race report! I suggest keeping a training log and writing a race report for every big race or event. You learn something every time…some things you would do again and other things you would definitely change next time.
Vancouver Marathon 2015
Training: The training as a whole went as planned. I had to modify one week due to a lot of travel. I cut my mid-week 14 miler down to 10 miles. I got at least five runs of 20 miles of more, with the longest being 23.5M. I did have injuries through my training. My ankle started to bother about February, with what felt like tendonitis. My hamstring started to bother me so I quick running with my track group and only did the speed work on my program. I would rank my training a 9.
Taper: My Taper went mostly as planned, but during the last week my ankle was bothering me and my legs felt tired so I eliminated my 5M Tempo from by taper week. I would rank my taper a 7.5.
Weather: Race day was perfect. 50f in the morning and 60f by mid-day. I would rank the weather a 9 (only because cooler would have been better).
Gear: Hoka Conquest, FF visor, shorts, FF tank & Van blue gloves. I would rank my gear choice a 10.
Fueling: I ate a full Perfect Bar when I awoke. I ate ½ of the second bar once I got to the race starting area, 30m prior to the start. I went with my fuel belt. It had one 8 oz bottle of water and one 8 oz bottle of Ucan. I think I missed to boat here. I did not get off sugar for the weeks leading up to the race, so I feel my body was unable to utilize it as effectively as I have for prior races. On the run I went with water at ever other aid station and drank the Ucan at one hour in. I took my hammer pills 10m later. I had a get to take at 19M, went to it early (14M) as I was concerned with my pace and how I felt. After dropping out I craved water, which would lead me to believe that I was dehydrated and that I did not drink enough. I would rank my fueling an 8.
Race: The race went started well and I was clicking off 7:10’s. Miles 4 & 5 were slightly down hill, so I ran 6:50’s. The hills on this course all are with the first 12 miles. I felt good going through ½ ways. On the descents my left ankle started to bother me, around 15M my left hamstring started to tighten. I could feel my goal of sub 3:08 going away. Across the Burrard Bridge I stopped to walk. Hamstring and ankle were really hurting. I could have dropped and walked back to the hotel, but I wanted to get to the finish and I was still under the Boston Qualifying time. At 20M I pulled the plug. I was worried about doing more damage and I did not want to spend the next 12 weeks rehabbing. DNF 20M. I would rank my overall race a 4.
Post-Race: Once I dropped I walked the 1.25M to the finish area. Debbie found me and was great. She agreed that the drop was the best thing. Still a long season to go. I had a great time.
Recovery: I need time off from running. My hamstrings are super tight and my ankle feels like tendonitis. I saw Gentry to release my ankle and Scott for my hamstring. I have a ton of travel over the next six weeks, so I am taking three weeks off running. I will swim & strength train two days a week and bike 2-3 days a week.
Overall I thought I was a sub 3:10 marathoner. I probably over ran a bit. It is hard to always hit the sweet spot. I really enjoyed the day. I need to go out more cautiously and stick to my plan, but need to work on my diet in the month leading up to race day…
Now what is your next race? Are you keeping a detailed training log? Start one now! Then do a detailed race report post race. Be detailed as it will help you for future races.
Questions? Post them here or on our Facebook page.
