Across the Years 2013 - Post Mortem

Since I have been a  Product Manager and/or a Project Manager for a few years, I regularly do a "post  mortem" on projects to determine what worked well and what did not work. This allows me to remember things that I want to follow in the future and things I want to avoid.

The following is an unofficial post mortem on my first 48 hour race this week.

What worked:

• Feet taping was 95% effective. Blister bandages on the heels and big toes, elastotape on the heels and balls of the foot, medical tape on the big toe (this one needs tweaking).
• Moisture control of the feet was 100% effective. I used Drymax socks for the first time and was very pleased with them. I also used Squeaky Cheeks to help keep the moisture content down.
• Lubrication - I used Butt Paste on the typical areas where I tend to get chafing and it worked well. The only chafing I had was from my shirt sleeves the first day in the left underarm.
• Buffs - these were great for holding ice and preventing my head and neck from getting sunburned.
• Two new food favorites - Kings Hawaiian Rolls and oranges.  These were both life savers and my stomach could handle the rolls when it was fussy about other food.
• Renting a large tent and cot - these were well worth the money. I need some method to lay down and rest and also to get out of the weather.
• Poles and bike gloves - these were very handy when my foot started having problems. Worth having along for emergency backups.

What needs improvement:

• Taping of the big toes. My only issue with "blisters" was at the base of my big toe where the tape rubbed against the joint. I need to use either more flexible tape, or a thinner strip of tape.
• Heat control - I used ice in my hat and buff, but hot temperatures affected me more than expected. Perhaps a spray bottle or other method to cool down better.
• Mental preparation for running all night. I don't know if I just need to train on more late night or early morning runs, but this did intimidate me - more so because I was suffering when night came.
• Overall health - I think the two things that prevented me from running the race I had planned was extra weight and not weight training. These will be a focus this year and I have vowed not to run Across the Years again unless I am at least 20 pounds lighter.
• Preparing for all options - I covered a lot of these - but need to bring some spare shoes like crocs (other than running shoes)
• Organization - bring along containers to organize my supplies instead of just having them in gallon Ziploc bags.