Bob Nabs Second....the Hard Way

Congrats to Bobble Head Bob who took second in his age group at the recent Stone Cat Trail Marathon...the hard way. Here's his report:

"Well, I managed to come in second in my age group as I completed another Stone Cat trail marathon up in Ipswich. It was the last race in the 9-race North Shore Trail Series. I was well ahead in points for the series and didn't need this race in that respect but I still wanted to at least do better than last year time-wise, which I did by a few minutes. So, that's the good news.

https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=27400

The "bad" news is that after the first loop I was on a PR pace to finish a good 40 minutes faster, until the following occurred during the second loop:

• Fell twice, tripping on leaf-covered roots
• Sprained my left big toe
• Ran an extra 5-10 minutes off course when I missed a turn (course was well marked, but sometimes you zone out and get tunnel vision when you are by yourself)
• Developed a severe cramp in my right calf that wouldn't quit. (I switched from heavier gloves to lighter running gloves at the halfway point but the weather actually got colder and windier instead of warmer such that I could barely use my fingers to open zippers, protein bars, etc.during the second half of the race. As a result, I didn't take in enough electrolyte capsules as I should have, which probably led to the cramps.)

I also learned again that despite all my successes this season on the track, roads, and trails, if you don't dedicate your training specifically for the marathon distance for at least 2-3 months, you may struggle during the latter stages of the marathon, as I have done two years in a row now. How do I know this? Because my first Stone Cat was my best---because I trained specifically for the Nipmuck and Stone Cat marathons (which were a month apart) that year. Training and running  1, 5, and 10-mile intervals and races all season and then throwing in a few longer runs the last month before a marathon won't get it done.  

But perhaps I'm being too hard on myself. It was a good season me overall and for many of my NETT comrades, so let's just celebrate that!"