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| My tracker |
This weekend I attempted the Goggins Challenge, run/walk 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours.
I ended my attempt last night at 12:50am. While I didn't succeed, I have trouble saying 29.82 miles in 30 hours is a failure. It certainly helps my progress in the Great Circumpolar Race across the World.
As with any major challenge, I like to do a shake down of what worked and didn't work. I absolutely plan to try this again but not for several months. I have Mt Washington to train for.
Major Lesson: In my 40's I can not just go 48 hours on minimal sleep with physical activity and zero prep as I did LARPing in my 20's.
The big mistake was no prep, aside from picking a weekend, that was it. I don't think I sat down and mapped out the every 4 hours until the Thursday before. I didn't reach out for company as effectively as I did for the 50k on a whim I did in January. The weather had been so nice the last 2 weeks I was half counting on it to being nice and instead it was crap. Aside from my last complete 4 mile walk, every single walk outside involved some level of rain.
I am incredibly grateful to a friend who joined me for two of the segments and without his arrival on Saturday at 4pm, I would have quit 2 segments earlier. I am grateful for my friends that messaged me to check in throughout the weekend. I am grateful for the CRAW team that not only encouraged me but was available to chat with at any hour, thanks to a member being in Australia. I'm grateful for a husband who tried to help me get back on track once I derailed and willing to help me plan my next attempt.
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| My feelings on the weather. I was cold |
Here is what went wrong, or items I need to correct to be successful.
I forgot my giant water bottle at home on my way to work on Friday. I ended the day with a dehydration headache. I was not successful at reversing this in the hour I had from getting home from work and starting the challenge.
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| Treadmill Chips |
While I told my husband what I was doing, I had not detailed the level of help I'd need from him or communicated what I needed when I needed it effectively. This is on me, I'm not the type to expect my partner to read my mind. On my way home from work I thought I had asked him to start heating dinner up for me. I had not been clear, and when I got home the boys suddenly needed food and various other distractions, that lead to my food not being ready until 7:45pm for an 8pm start. While there are foods I can wolf down and then go for a long brisk walk, Spicy coconut cream chicken curry with no curry, is not one of them. It is super tasty though, so I look forward to finishing the leftovers today. This was the start of a sour tummy, that never really stopped.
The food pretty much did me in, aside from a bit during the 5k, I couldn't run, I walked this entire thing. I know I have a delicate balance of food to be able to run and I totally failed it. The problem with walking is it takes more time and reduce available rest time.
I should have moved the treadmill to the living room on Friday. Walking on it at 4am while watching my husband sleep was annoying. Had I been in the living room, I could have watched the TV. We tried this Saturday night but by then I was just done. On the theme of I should have's, I should have cleared the recliner of all my winter running gear so that I could lie down and rest on it. Every time I napped/slept in my own bed for 1-2 hours I woke up insanely nauseous, which is not how things should start. A view from my late night
walks.
By 3pm on Saturday I had realized I was no longer safe to get behind the wheel of a car. Had the challenge been 48 miles in 48 hours, I'm absolutely certain I could do that, add in the sleep loss and that's a whole host of problems.
TLDR: I shall make sure I'm properly hydrated the week before I start. I shall plan out my meals and make sure I do many of the early segments running. I shall make sure my husband is completely involved in the planning. I have a week off in July, when walking outside at night will be pleasant rather than miserable. I won't have to worry about going to work the day after. I'll likely start at 8am, making a 4am segment my final segment.
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| Moxie trying to comfort me by walking on me. |
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| Garmin Summary |
