Peavine Falls RR

Training:
It had been a very good last 6 weeks with no real medical problems. That changed on Friday. I thought that I was simply over-reaching with the training but I was much worse the next morning. My next run was not too bad so I decided to give it a try but I may not race it all out because of the heat. 75 degrees at the start and over 80 at the finish. I woke up feeling decent and predicted a pretty good race. I felt about average warming up but you never really know until the gun goes off.

Course:
This is one of the most unique events. The first mile is rolling with about as much downhill as uphill (about 80 ft each) then for the next 2 miles or so, it's almost straight and sharply uphill with very few breaks. There's a pretty good downhill around Mile 3 then we go back sharply up to the top of the mountain. All told, the elevation gain is just over 400 feet. On a good day, especially if you go out conservative, you can really fly back down. Then, instead of finishing the same out of back course, you turn onto a dirt trail with rolling terrain and many turns before finishing downhill again. The length of the course is 8.2 miles and my goal was under 60 minutes or roughly a 7:21 average pace.

Race:
I got off to a pretty good start but it wasn't long before I could tell that something wasn't right. My legs had little spring and I was struggling for breath early. The first mile ended downhill and I reminded myself to take it easy here because I knew what was coming. My split was 7:18, a little fast but not far off what I need to do to finish under 60. Turning the corner uphill, I kept the pace somewhat respectable. I gained some ground on the pack that had passed me on the previous downhill. Despite a 300 ft. elevation gain, I recorded an 8:20 split. A few people took walk breaks but I found it to be run-able. By Mile 3, I was cooked and took it easy on the downhill and by the time I was to take the climb to the top of the mountain, I wanted to quit. I did run all the way to the top but took an extended drink stop. There would be no famous downhill speed here. It was a grim battle for survival. Every time the course turned slightly uphill, I had to walk. I did manage to hit the upper 6s on the steep downhill but I passed no one. Other runners were flying by me like I was standing still. We came to the trail and I punted. With my body out of whack, I would not be taking any chances in the heat. I mostly slow jogged the trail and took a couple more walk breaks. Mercifully, the finish line came and I made no effort to kick. My final time was 64:xx. Just under 8:00 pace overall. I don't know my official time nor do I care.

Final thoughts:
Something is obviously wrong. It is either calcium or a thyroid issue from taking too much ADHS, which contains Lithium. I'll get a medical report by the end of the week or next and we'll see what's going on. Revenge on this course next year. I may or may not run Retro in 3 weeks.