8,160
edits
Changes
From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
no edit summary
* '''Fenix 2'''. I used my new Fenix 2 on this race, and I liked having things like the temperature display. However, the battery only lasted 10:40 rather than the claimed 15 hours, which was a little disappointing. The watch also lost satellite reception for over an hour, something I've never experienced with another watch.
* '''Dust & Pollen'''. Unless it's raining, dust and pollen is always an issue at Umstead. It's a particular problem on the short section of the course that carries cars, as they kick up a lot of dust. On my final lap I was passed by a car moving more quickly than most and I was engulfed in a blinding, choking cloud of dust. I think the combination of dust and pollen got under my contact lenses and annoyed my eye, but it healed up in a day or so.
* '''Taper Psychosis'''. It's quite common for runners to suffer or to mood swings and stress when their tapering for a race, something I referred to as [[Taper Psychosis]]. For this year's race, the symptoms were particularly bad for me, possibly because I was not running much for the four weeks between races. If youGiven the evidence that running can improve mental health, I wonder if part of my problem was more the removal of something that normally keeps me sane (running) rather than the increase in stress. * '''Heart Rate Variability'''. I've been experimenting with measuring my [[Heart Rate Variability]] as this is often claimed to be a good indicator of [[Overtraining]]. I found that my HRV went dramatically down the morning after Umstead 100, though that might have been due to a higher heart rate. After the race there was no noticeable change from my baseline. [[File:ithlete.jpg|none|thumb|300px| My HRV using [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ithlete/id331348945?mt=8 the ithlete app].]]
