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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
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* Doing lots of [[Downhill Intervals]] protected my quads from the descent and helped me keep up a fast pace when possible.
* Even though the daytime high was only 58, I could feel the difference the heat and sun made. The extra [[Heat Acclimation Training]] helped prepare me. Even so, I felt much better when the sun went down.
* Drinking a carbohydrate/protein [[Protein]] mix may have helped with the muscle damage, though it’s hard to be sure. * My [[Modified Nike Free]] shoes [[Shoes]] worked very well. I did get one nasty blister on my heel from a misstep, but I don’t think I would have done better in any of my other shoes[[Shoes]].
* I reduced my [[Walking Breaks]] to a bare minimum. I took a couple on the longer hills that are runnable, keeping the breaks to just 30 seconds or so. I also walked the hills which are generally too steep for me to run them effectively (I can’t run up them as fast as I can walk up them).
* I think that pacing the 4 hour group at the Tobacco Road Marathon the Sunday before helped me pace at Umstead. It reminded my body just what 9:00 pace felt like, so I was able to lock into that perceived pace for the first couple of laps. I would say that It 9:00 on the flat feels a lot like 9:30 pace at Umstead ;}
* Umstead is an amazingly well organized race, with great aid stations [[Aid Stations]] and even better aid station staff. The aid station staff seems to be all ulltrarunners or have had a lot of experience looking after ultrarunners, so they are not only willing to help, they know what to offer and how to provide it.
* Seeing the winner of the race finished in an unbelievable 13:23, setting a new course record by over an hour and stunning everyone.
* Meeting some good friends again, including Fred, Susan, DC, Jim P and Guido. Guido was looking after the kitchen overnight and did a great job.
