Wild Turkey 5 Miler - Happy Thanksgiving

Obviously today is a day to give thanks, but it's also a day to test out the work I've been putting in over the last 6-8 weeks.  A Thanksgiving tradition for many around the country is to participate in a running race Thanksgiving morning.  A great local race is the Wild Turkey 5 Miler in Salem, MA and Dean had that on the schedule.  Not once did we focus on trying to PR that course.  His plan has been to increase my effort via heart rate over the last 4 weeks, but again, it was not direclty focused at a PR unless he didn't tell me. :-)

Thanksgiving Eve:

Last night we headed over to a friend's house to enjoy a night of new friendships while enjoying a few drinks.  Thanksgiving Eve can sometimes go one of two ways. ;-)  I've been focused on Nicci's Metabolic Efficiency plan so I didn't want to ruin that nor did I want to ruin my race.  We had a great time with the Smith's, McClain's, Gilpin's, and the rest of the Parson's Hill Posse while keeping things low key.  I really wanted to push myself in the a.m.

Race Day:
Woke up at 6:00 a.m for an 8:00 a.m. start.  In the past I'd usually eat Oatmeal and Apple sauce which makes me full, but also leaves me a bit bloated.  Not a great way to race.

Since working with Nicci if my schedule calls for a 1-1.5 hour workout or less then I only have coffee and a Chobani yogurt.  This morning I had the Chobani with some slivered Almonds and coffee and I felt great.  I arrived at the venue and found a great parking spot right next to the start line!  I had no idea why this space was still available, but I grabbed it!  I realized after the race why the spot was still avaiable... I parked right at the finish line! This meant that I would get to hang around until the very last person finished. :-) Anyway...

The Plan:
During the week the small talk around Fit Werx had been partially about the T-Day race.  One of my mechanics, Steve Dowsett, is a sick runner...he actually wins races.  The pace he runs, low 5's, is something I can't even imagine.  Steve was still kicking around which race he'd run while I told him my focus was on Salem.  He asked what my goal time would be and I told him that I just wanted to beat my last time from 2011, 36:12 for a 7:14 pace.  I was very happy with that at the time, but hadn't trained like Dean has been training me.  I was cautiosly optimistic about today.

I told the guys that I would love to average 7:00's, but I had never done that before in a 5 miler. I usually go out too hard and hope to hang on.  Not this time though.  Every time Dean has give me any kind of race plan he has been spot on!  Whether it's a time trial or a triathlon if I pace it like he tells me then the results happen.  He knows his sh*t!

The goal today was to not worry about heart rate.  Just look at pace... go out in the low 7:00's and settle in.  I tried to do that and not worry about anything else.  Looking back at my Garmin data here are the splits:

1. 6:57
2. 7:00
3. 7:02
4. 7:12
5. 6:47

I felt great going out and know I could have run faster in the beginning, but glad I didn't.  At the half way point my pre-race plan was to try and really pick it up, but the course and conditions changed. What was pretty flat turned into slight rollers with a head wind and that's where that 7:12 came from... I was definitely working hard though and gave it what I had.

Official race time was 35:00 flat with an average pace of 7:00!!!!!  A massive PR for me and another confirmation that I'm on track with my team!
----------------------

A day of thanks...
As you spend your day I hope you pause to think about the things in your life that truly make you happy.  No matter what our station in life is there is always a glimmer of happiness and I hope that is your focus today.  I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving.  I am truly Thankful for YOU! -Marty

Testing 1, 2, 3, Testing...

I hate testing...I really do, except when the test goes well. :-)  Thankfully the Metabolic Efficiency Testing Jeff Capobianco conducted proved pretty easy and I passed it with flying colors.  With that said, it wasn't a pass or fail kind of test.

Nicci  gave us a protocol to follow that would show how much fat and how many carbohydrates I burned at different power intensities and heart rate.  I found it interesting that the test didn't require any hard efforts.  Basically I pedaled along for a certain amount of time and then we increased the power.  As we increased the power my heart rate would either stay steady or rise.

While I didn't know what my results were showing I did know that at some point I would go from burning fat at a decent rate to burning mostly carbohydrates.  Once that happens you're on your way to Bonkville unless you get the proper fuel.   The whole idea around MET is get your body to burn more fat for fuel at higher intensities so you don't have to consume so many calories during the event.

Here's picture of Jeff, Dean and me during my testing. 

Results:
The testing gave us some really good information and provides a starting point for my training.  Nicci and I talked about what the results mean and what steps I should take moving forward.  My gut told me, and the test confirmed, that I was a carb burning machine which explains the lovely tire around my waste.   I hold onto fat, I don't burn it as much as I should/could.

Nicci gave me a great outline of what type of foods I need to eat and how to fuel my workouts.  I started making changes to my nutrition last week and already feel a difference.  I don't feel bloated, my energy is good, and my workouts are going well.  So far so good.