Deck the Hills with the Decker Challenge

Three weeks after the Philadelphia Marathon, and a week after the Body Pump Boot Camp, I was signed up to run the hills of Austin at Decker Lake. This is the first time I've run this course. I volunteered at our Galloway water stop at mile 8 a couple of years ago and saw the steep hills the runners had to go through. Back then, I could not fathom the idea of running this course. Some people run 2 loops of this to complete a Marathon or 26.2 miles. Coach Will advised that since the course is pretty tough, to stick to the Half Marathon or 13.1 miles. I'm glad I listened to him.

I've heard lots of horror stories about the weather at Decker Challenge. There have been years when it was extremely cold and cloudy, a year when it rained and soaked all the runners, a year when it was hot and humid, just a multitude of extreme weather. I was told that this year, I was lucky because the sun was out and it looked like a gorgeous day.

It was still pretty cold at the start, around 42 degrees but somehow the sun really made it feel so much more bearable. By the time I crossed the finish line, the temperature was around 50 degrees. Unfortunately, the wind was pretty strong and running up a hill into the wind makes the hill seem that much harder to climb. The wind was at around 15-18 mph at the start and ended at a ferocious 16-23 mph. Someone mentioned that we would have a tail wind on the way in but it never happened. Head wind and side wind was all that the Decker Challenge showed me. I wore the same gear I wore in Philadelphia.:CWX tights, the Decker Challenge long sleeve technical shirt, my http://www.ruseen.com/ vest (which received lots of compliments), injinji socks, and Mizuno Wave Inspire 6 shoes, and cheap cotton gloves.

I ran along doing my Run-Walk-Run Method with a 5 minute run and 1 minute walk interval. I was able to keep up a pretty good pace until around mile 8 where I felt like I was running out of gas. I debated with myself about trying out the Hammer Gel that Coach Colleeen gave me or the pouch of Sport Beans that I had with me. I decided not to, thinking that at some point there should be some flat land ahead and I could just book it. No such luck! I slowed down considerably because I felt totally gassed! Not good, and I was paying for the decision not to eat. To make matters worse, mile 10 was all uphill!! I know, I know. It might seem like I'm exaggerating and maybe I am. Whether it was the entire mile or even two-thirds of the mile, it was a very, very, very long hill. I had been doing so well with the hills up to this point but this one did me in.

When other runners say that the course is "hilly" they really meant to say that the course is ALL hills. There are no flats, just steady inclines. The downhills begin to be annoying and painful because they're steep and simply become a segue for another hill up ahead. I finally crossed the finish line at 2:13:19. For a first timer, I guess it's not so bad. I have another medal to add to my case.

My learning lessons:

1. Trust your training. If you eat 100 calories after 6 miles during training. You should eat 100 calories at mile 6 during a race.
2. Continue to hydrate even when it feels cold and you don't feel thirsty. My left calf cramped on the way to my car! Because I decided I didn't want to stop for water anymore.
3. Train running up more hills. It's going to help more than it hurts. Really! That needs to be my new mantra.
4. Pose Running really helps with foot pain. Pose is a little tough to do going downhill though.

Next up is the Houston Marathon. These days, I feel like I've spread myself very thin. I've got to learn the choreography of Body Pump Release 76 because I'll be teaching it come Monday, January 3rd at 6:00 a.m. at the Townlake YMCA. After Decker, I had to head to the Y to practice BP76 with my co-instructors and I was completely sapped after that.

Although I've got a great base for the Houston Marathon, with 2 marathons and a half marathon already under my belt this season, I am hoping that I will PR in this race since it's a flat and fast course. That means, I can't slack off on my run training - including speed drills on the track. I'm also trying to alter my eating habits for the better, not only because I want to fit into my 25 year old wedding dress but develop a habit of making food choices that will benefit my body and the training I allow it to endure. Oh! I forgot, I still have to finish my 100 pushups challenge this week. Ayayay!