It's been a while hasn't it. I had some other issues that I needed to take care of, so running and the blog took a bit of a backseat. But, I'm back! And back in style. I am running the BUS Ted Corbitt 24-hour Run in Queens, NY tomorrow.
I was looking into running a 24-hour race over the summer. I found one in Boston, but it was going to cost quite a bit, so I decided not to sign up. A few weeks later the Ted Corbitt run appeared as the perfect replacement. The run was first held in 2003, to commemorate 30th anniversary of NY running legend Ted Corbitt's 24-hour American record. The second one was in 2008 and now this one. So, it comes around every 5 years.
My first target at this 24 hour race is to finish the NYC Marathon. Let me explain.
As you know I have been trying to run the NYC Marathon for quite some time now. I got guaranteed entry for the 2012 race by running 9 races in 2011, that race got cancelled and I got entry to 2013. It is at least a three-year project at this point. Due to several reasons, this might be my last chance too. So, I cannot under any circumstances get injured. I promised Courtney that I would leave the race if I feel any sort of pain in order not to jeopardize my race in a month.
If all feels good, I would like to try first for 77.4 and then for 100 miles. 77.4 miles is the distance Ted Corbitt covered in 1993 in a 24 hour race at the age of 74. My race strategy is to try a 12:00 min/mile pace to cover 40 miles in the first 8 hours. Second 8 hours, I plan to drop to 15:00 min/mile to cover 32 more miles and final 8 hours, I will try to cover the remainder to get to 100 miles. I realize these are pretty broad goals, but this is my first time trying this distance and I don't know how my body will behave. The course is pretty flat, so looking at my 60K results from previous years, I should be able to achieve my first 8 hour goal. We'll see what happens after that. I do not plan to stop for nap breaks.
Nutrition is going to be really important for this race. Thankfully, the race is on a 1.2 mile loop, which will allow us to go by the aid table often and the organizers are experienced enough in this kind of thing to provide us what we need. As a backup I am taking some energy chews, some bananas and chocolate bars. As for gear, I am taking three pairs of shoes, a few pairs of socks, 4-5 shirts (both long and short sleeve), 2-3 shorts, a jacket, iodine and band-aids (for blister treatment). Also possibly caffeine of some sort. I don't know. Maybe I'll run to a Starbucks at some point.
I am recovering from a cold at the moment, but it doesn't affect my breathing and it doesn't affect my sleep. So, it should be a minor factor. Otherwise, this will mostly be a mental game. Thanks to my scientist training, I am good at functioning without sleep. As long as I can keep food down, I should be able to keep walking. And walking shouldn't cause any sort of injury.
See you soon with the race report!
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