Danny Ferreira's Secrets to Running a Fast 8 Miler

Yesterday was the Stowe 8 Miler, part of the New England Grand Prix. I hadn't done a road race since May with the 5k Rock N Race and hadn't raced at all for over a month. So I was raring to go and wanted to race FAST. However, when all was said and done, I ended up running about 20 seconds per mile than I did at the last NEGP race I did- and that was for a half marathon! Here's where this could have gone wrong:

--Training: Typically you would like to train for the intensity and distance you'd be racing but, due to the heat, I've been cutting all my runs short and keeping them sloooooooow.

--Tapering: Usually the last few days before a race, it is ideal to rest up to let your legs recover. I decided to do a 153 mile ride through the six gaps of Vermont the day before. Here's how that went:
     "Out like a lion, in like Am?" So apparently that's not the quote. I was thinking that if I go out fast, I would finish fast like Amber, but instead I slowly died as the ride went on. I dropped the peloton 30 minutes into the ride. I then rode the next 50 miles by myself before being consumed by them, finishing in the mid-pack. Here are my splits:
               Brandon Gap Summit(mile 19.8) Time: 1:12; Pace: 16.2 mph
               Middlebury Gap Summit(mile 46.8)Time 1:39(2:51); Pace: 16.36 mph
               Lincoln Gap Summit(mile 71.5) Time 1:37(4:28); Pace: 15.25 mph
               Appalachian Gap Summit(mile 90.8) Time: 1:27(5:55); Pace: 13.3 mph
               Roxbury Gap Summit(mile 108.2) Time: 1:19(7:14) Pace 13.1 mph
               Rochester Gap Summit(mile 137.7) Time 2:05(9:20) Pace 14.1 mph
               Amee Farm(mile 153.5) Time 00:48:48(10:09) Pace 19.55 mph

--Nutrition: The day before you race, you want to make sure you eat no new things and also about the same that you typically do on a regular basis. Due to the ride I ate the following:
        Pre-Ride: bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats and 1/4 loaf of Italian Bread
        During Ride:
                      -5 bananas
                      -2 gu's
                      -2 granola bars(1 Zone and 1 Nature Valley)
                      -5 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
                      -14 bottles(20 oz) of water/poweraid mix
                      -6 fig newtons
                      -2 clementines
                       -2 pickles
             Post-Ride: Salad bar, chicken soup, spaghetti with meat sauce and 2 beers
             Pre-Race: Egg, Sausage and Cheese sandwich on a croissant and a large hazelnut iced coffee at Dunkin' Donuts

--Good Night Sleep: The recommendation for sleep is 8-10 hours of sleep a night. Apparently a cheap motel with rowdy sport fisherman, poor AC and thin walls make for a less than optimal sleep.

--Warm Up: Ideally before any race you want to get your body to a steady state so that it doesn't waste precious time during the race doing that. I, on the other hand, spent my pre-race time lying down in the shade.

--Weather- Can't control this one, but try to time your A races in the mild-temperature seasons of Spring or Fall so that hot, hot temps don't ruin all your potential and sap you of energy. Was 82 but felt 100. Killed me...

So this was a great example of what not to do for running a fast race, but if you do the opposite, you just might be in contention for the win.



UP NEXT:  LAKE PLACID!!!