A brief word on Fibonacci and training:
My training, regardless of the event and specific training program, is superimposed with a cycle of train vs. rest based on theories relating Fibonacci’s Number/Golden Ratio. This ratio is
discussed in terms of training cycles and the bodies natural biorhythms in a book, Consistent Winning: A Remarkable New Training System That Lets You Peak on Demand by Ronald D. Sandler and Dennis D. Lobstein. Doug (aka Dr. Doug or Doppler Doug) brought this book to my attention about two years ago and I haven’t turned back since. The basic premise of the program is to time your work out days with rest days in a ratio that matches Fibonacci’s Number. This will result in a “peak” performance on race day…REALLY…it will! The ratio training begins 81 days out from race day and follows a sequence into the final 21 days, 7 days, and finally 3 days. Everyone is familiar with the feeling you get some days that says, “holy cow! I feel great today!” That is the feeling this leaves you with on race day.
4:01am Saturday June 7, 2008:When the disco music played through my cell phone, I had been asleep for around 4 hours. This easily matched the sleep I had gotten the past few nights. I was expecting something of a fever or a last a nasty flu hangover. What I had was 97.6 and a feeling of total euphoria. It was race day. Doug peeled himself off his sleeping mat, Gary and I crawled out of our motel beds, and each of felt the same thing…Game on. It was an energy that I can’t put into words. A feeling shared by three competitors, believers in our bodies, and believers in the healing energy that friendship brings. With a good morning call to Em, the circle was complete; our race team was ready for 100 miles.
As we were getting ready to leave the motel and head to the race start, Gary breathed a final sigh of relief and told me, “You know we couldn’t have let you run with that fever. No one could say that yesterday, but that kind of fever could kill you on a racecourse. But I knew you were going to break it. Today is going to kick ass!”
Doug looked me in the eyes and asked, “Are you surprised?”
“About my fever? No, I knew it would break after you said you were coming to the motel,” I said with a humble confidence.
Then, like only Doug can do, he turned my appreciation into an unparalleled confidence, “I just brought some herbs, but you have to remember that you trained for today, for today Luke, not yesterday. Trust Fibonacci my friend…now go for a run.”
Race Start:
Race start was exactly what I expected. Anyone reading this that has experienced racing, whether it be 100 miles or a 5k, you know this rush. For those of you reading this that thrive on this moment like I do…you not only know this rush, but you chase it and embrace it every opportunity you get.
To combat some of the negative stomach effects this rush can bring, Dr. Doug kept looking at me, laughing with Gary about my energy, and asking me to open wide while he slid a dropper of rescue remedy under my tongue.
Timmo and Jason, the absolutely incredible race directors gave the race briefing at 5:55am. This was it. It was such a high, that right now, exactly two weeks later writing this, I am high just from the memory. Timmo warned us all of the heat that may be coming, the rain that “could” follow, and how to read the marking on the course (which according to Gary was the best flagged course he has ever been on), and then he got us ready to go.
The finals butterflies floated around in my stomach; that guys calves are twice the size of mine, all these people have gators around their shoes…am I going to be screwed without them, oh my gosh! THE FURTHEST I HAVE EVER RUN IS 38 MILES! “Runners ready? GO!!!” (38 miles…really. which, out of pure fear of 100 miles, I may have exaggerated to some of you)
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