First of all... big thanks to the VFit/PFit cheering station. It was great to see you all twice in one race! I keep coming back to PFit because of this kind of support in the races but especially on the long runs.

To the topic at hand... I tried some new things at Helvetia on Saturday. They worked well and I wanted to share as well as find out if anyone else has noticed any results trying similar things or variations on these strategies.

Disclaimer: These are things that I thought were a good idea for me. Some of the actions described below are not likely appropriate for everyone. I'm not telling anyone what to do. Use your own judgment. Your mileage may vary. Batteries not included.

Water Bottle: I have not carried a water bottle with me in a race in awhile, but due to the forecast (warm for me), I decided to carry a single 8oz. bottle on a belt. Just before every other aid station, I'd take the bottle off the belt and remove the cap. I'd pour in one cup of water, one cup of Heed, and put the lid back on. This felt to be just as fast as stopping to drink a cup. Even if pouring two cups of water into the bottle took twice as long as drinking one cup, I was doing it half as often. Overall, I think this saves time. More importantly, I can sip the water slowly when I want instead of gulping. My stomach felt better than usual. Does it result in a better time? Not sure but possibly. I'll be doing it again.

Warm Up: I have never done a warm up before a race before, but on Saturday I jogged an easy 15 minute lap around the stadium and parking lots. My nerves were more calm at the start of the race, and my body didn't have that "What the bleep are you doing to me?!?" response during the first 2 miles. I was calm and did not get sucked into the sprint-start mentality that I've succumbed to in every race I've run until now. It may be impossible to warm up before some races (think Portland Marathon), but I'll be doing it whenever possible.

Run my Heart Rate: This is my third year running races. I seem to have finally calmed down enough to do what I have always thought I should do in a race: run my heart rate. In the past, I've gone out too fast, gone anaerobic early, and tried to maintain that for the whole race. The result? A precipitous decline in pace toward the end of the race. This time I was determined to do things differently. The first 6 miles I kept my heart rate in a range that I knew was manageable for the whole race (aerobic). I was feeling very good at mile 6, so I picked it up just a little, adding 2-3 BPM. At mile 9, still feeling solid, I added a couple more BPM, going fully (but barely) anaerobic. I had enough in me to run all out the last quarter mile (this was probably foolish, but it was fun). Just after crossing the finish line, I struggled for breath... but only for a minute. Within 3-4 minutes I was chatting with some other PFit folks about the race. I'd already forgotten that I was just gasping for air a minute or two before. Although my body let me know I'd worked hard, I felt great the rest of the day, and didn't even need a nap. I've never run negative splits in a race... until Saturday. Definitely a keeper.

Consume Calories: Normally I don't do very well drinking or eating calories during a race. I found some low-sugar gel that I tested and ate during training runs. I ate three during the race. I have to believe that this helped significantly, since running just below, at, and over my aerobic threshold means I was burning a lot of glycogen.

VO2: How did I figure out what heart rate to run? I had a VO2 test done in March, and another on Thursday, 2 days before the race. Based on the March test, Dr. Lindsey helped me target my training to bolster my weaknesses. With Thursday's test she helped me pick a heart rate range for Helvetia, as well as discussing the implications of the results for training for the marathon. I plan to do another VO2 during the week before the marathon. It is not likely that I will do so many VO2 tests in one season very often. I decided to do three this year in part because I thought it would be instructive not just for this season, but I'm hoping to learn some things about myself that will benefit my future training. In addition, Clearwater Clinic has been running some pretty nice specials on the VO2 test this year. VO2 testing has helped me improve my performance and conditioning (what intensity should I run to improve?) while reducing my risk of over training.

Eric

Great job in trying new things within reason. As all of us get more experience we can try little things that improve our proformance and ability to finsh a race strong and injury free. Our benchmarks and longer runs are a good place to try a few things; not during the marathon.

I have had similar luck with warming up before a half. By doing so I was able to go from a 1:48 half to a 1:45. The key is that my body is warmed up and I can run the first 2 miles more at my comfortable race pace as opposed to using the first mile or two to warm up. When doing this I think you have to have a good base built up. I also believe in negative splits. Every half I have done has been with negative splits. Keep your heart rate in control for the first half and let it go (within reason) in the second half. I believe that you will race faster doing this and feel better at the end; both physically and mentally.

I've been having issues with hot spots on the balls of my feet after 10 or 12 miles - to the point where it gets very uncomforatble to run or walk even though the rest of me feels fine. As a result, my times have suffered. My experiment for Helvetia was to wear a pair of Smart Wool Socks over the Injinji socks that I normally wear if I'm going long. It seems to have worked. No hot spots. No blisters. Felt strong to the end. Passed a lot of people in the last 3 miles that seemed to be flagging. I had another event to attend that afternoon/evening and was on my feet for several more hours without problems.

My reasoning was this. I find Smart Wool socks to be very comfortable and wear them for most shorter run/walks. When I get up to 9 or 10 miles, I get nasty blisters on my 4th and 5th toes. If I wear Injinji toe socks, I don't get blisters on my toes. But they also seem thin on the soles. I also like the Wright double layer socks that have the two layers of sock rubbing against each other rather than skin rubbing against sock. By layering the Smart Wool's over the Injinji's I got the benefits from both with a bit of the Wright benefit as well. Even at the end, my feet didn't feel hot from the layers.

I'll definitely try this again and hope it works as I have several more races on the schedule this year.

I found Helvetia to be my best run to date. I always enjoy the race atmosphere, but that was one of the most beautiful, scenic runs ever. My favorite part of the run was the kick-a$$ hill. It really made me appreciate the whole rest of the run.

Great weather, great volunteers, great runers, stellar hostess. Thanks Paula!

Johanna