This week I am heading off to Kentucky to participate in the 2016 Bourbon Chase relay. I am using this race as my final long runs for my NYC Marathon Training. I am using this race as a substitute for my weekend long runs. In training terms, this race will be a simulation. I believe that it will allow me to maximize my training while still having fun. In essence this simulation will allow me to run in race conditions and mimic running the last few miles of the marathon on tired legs. My goal is to run my 3 legs fast but relaxed without worrying about a particular finish time or pace. I am simply hoping that this race will allow me to put the mental and physical pieces together to produce my best performance in New York.
What exactly is The Bourbon Chase? It is a 200 mile relay race along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. As the race's website says,
The Bourbon Chase celebrates the best of Kentucky. It is a 200-mile journey across the Bluegrass State – through our historic bourbon distilleries, across our majestic horse country, and into our enchanting small towns.
Begin your journey at Jim Beam and head east to Bardstown, the Bourbon Capital of the World. In the quaint city of Bardstown, you pass through Heaven Hill, the largest family-owned distillery in the world. Next, you trek toward the historic and beautiful Maker's Mark distillery. Exiting the distillery, you head into the heart of central Kentucky, passing some of the state's most historic areas. First, the course takes you near Perryville Battlefield, where a significant Civil War battle took place. Next, you will head south to Stanford, the second oldest city in Kentucky. Then, the course turns for the north as it passes through the middle of the enchanting community of Danville where the state's first constitution was written. Finally, before heading back into distillery country, you run through Harrodsburg. Founded as Fort Harrod in 1774, it was the first permanent settlement west of the Alleghenies.
The unique Spanish Mission-style architecture announces that you have reached Four Roses distillery. From here, you come into Lawrenceburg, home of Wild Turkey. Crossing over the Tyrone Bridge, several hundred feet above the Kentucky River, you enter the official gateway to Horse Country. This section of the course, heading toward Woodford Reserve, is undoubtedly the most stunning because of its rolling bluegrass countryside and picturesque horse farms.
From there you head toward the charming community of Midway, home of one of the nation's leading colleges focusing on equine professions. As you wind your way out of Midway and down the delightful scenic back roads of the Bluegrass Region, the course works its way into downtown Lexington. By now, you can smell and hear the finish line celebration that awaits you and your friends at Triangle Park, near the Alltech Brewery & Distillery.
I will be running the race with my relay friends again (see my posts on May 4, 2016 & May 25, 2015 to see my team in action). This will be our 3rd relay together. Not only do we have a lot of fun, we are actually a pretty good relay team too. What we are most excited about is that we are going to be part of setting a Guinness Book World Record for the largest toga party on record. Apparently the Guinness World Record for the largest toga party is 3,700 people. According to the race director, there will be around 5,000 runners crossing into the finish line on Saturday, October 15. They have asked all teams to run across the finish line wearing their togas. How could we not want to be a part of that nonsense. So I am packing my toga and will be one of the 5,000 runners trying to break the record.
When I get home from Kentucky, I will begin my tapering. I am feeling really good about where I am in my training. I am having no pain in my hamstring. I am able to get out there and cover any distance with relative ease. You never know what will happen on race day. But at this point, it looks like I will arrive in New York rested and ready to tackle the beast.
Oct. 3 – 6.20 miles (1:09:07, 11:09 pace) - Hill Repeats
Oct. 4 – 11.00 miles (1:41:35, 9:14 pace) - Mile Repeats (8:27 pace)
Oct. 6 – 10.70 miles (1:36:01, 8:58 pace) - Tempo Run
Oct. 7 – 6.20 miles (56:29, 9:07 pace)
Oct. 8 – 10.10 miles (1:31:06, 9:01 pace)
Oct. 9 – 10.10 miles (1:33:05, 9:13 pace)
Total Miles: 54.3 miles
2016 Total Miles: 1,649.5 miles
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