OK, so on Saturday, February 9, we'll all run seven miles, then I've set us up to work from 8-12am stuffing race packets. I warned you early on that you'd be expected to do some volunteer work for the race. Here ya go. It'll be fun - Mike Wheat and his folks that run the packet stuffing... stuff... are pretty cool. And you'll get a t-shirt. We'll grab some breakfast tacos and donuts or something.
Go to
http://attaustinmarathon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=5
Sign up for packet pickup, 8-12 on Saturday, February 9. It won't be at the Lavaca location, he'll give us the new location in the next few days.
I've already signed up - don't be a bunch of slackers and leave me hanging.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
The 3M's: Migas, Mimosas, and Moxie
Yeah, "moxie", cause I had nothing else.
But it works, cause there was lots of it yesterday, before there were lots of mimosas and migas.
We couldn't have asked for better weather, I think - 44 at the start, humid, but not too stifling with the temperature, and partly to mostly down-hilly through the morning.
Big congratulations to our first-time half marathoners: Eve, who came in 2:08 after she started, looking just as cheerful as usual; Stacy, who I will admit surprised me a little with a 2:30:11; Jacala, who managed to lose her chip at some point, but came in somewhere in the 2:30-2:40 range, and didn't complain about anything; and Carmen, who rebounded somewhat from, but still pushed through, her IT band troubles to edge in under three hours, with a 2:58 and change.
Just behind her, finishing her second half marathon, was Debbie. She's pushed herself through a lot of the runs, sometimes against my advice, though she's also had the discipline to draw the line when she had to. Yesterday, she fought through some pain and put on a show with a strong, gutsy finish. She came in at 3:08:24, besting her 3:14:07 performance at Motive back in 2004.
Kellie was her usual, smooth, machine-like self, and her 2:10:17 was also a PR, beating her 2:16:33 set at Motive in 2006.
Jim, looking suspiciously shorter, more Hispanic, and more entirely like Daniel, finished in 2:18:26, which was curiously also about a minute and a half better than Daniel's goal for the day. Thanks, Jim, for letting Daniel run in your stead, and we hope you're feeling better.
After waffling whether she really wanted to run that hard for 13 miles, Christina decided to take a potshot at her one previous half marathon time of 1:53 (big surprise). I have never been happier not to go on a run with her, since she ran 8:12's to get to a 1:47:27. I was quite happy to not die, but still PR by 8 minutes with a 1:56:37.
Paul succombed again to various pains, probably deciding to save his all-or-nothing effort for AT&T in three weeks.
Big thanks to Michelle for playing course mom, and letting me throw sweaty, snotty-sleeved shirts at her (did you not know about the snot? Sorry...). Thanks also to Christine, who showed up at mile 12 to give us a boost before entering the weird purgatory of the UT campus. She even made a sign...
Afterwards, everyone trouped up to Trudy's, the place where my own running journey sort of began years ago, where many waffles and... alcohols were had (I'll post the picture later tonight).
Thanks so much, Debbie, for picking up the tab for a bunch of hungry runner lushes. That was above and beyond.
I was primarily happy that everyone seemed to be smiling. It was a good day, and our first big payoff for the commitment and sacrifices and early mornings and the aches and pains. I think we were learned or were reminded why we do this.
So, for these final weeks, just stay focused, and you know... don't slack!
But it works, cause there was lots of it yesterday, before there were lots of mimosas and migas.
We couldn't have asked for better weather, I think - 44 at the start, humid, but not too stifling with the temperature, and partly to mostly down-hilly through the morning.
Big congratulations to our first-time half marathoners: Eve, who came in 2:08 after she started, looking just as cheerful as usual; Stacy, who I will admit surprised me a little with a 2:30:11; Jacala, who managed to lose her chip at some point, but came in somewhere in the 2:30-2:40 range, and didn't complain about anything; and Carmen, who rebounded somewhat from, but still pushed through, her IT band troubles to edge in under three hours, with a 2:58 and change.
Just behind her, finishing her second half marathon, was Debbie. She's pushed herself through a lot of the runs, sometimes against my advice, though she's also had the discipline to draw the line when she had to. Yesterday, she fought through some pain and put on a show with a strong, gutsy finish. She came in at 3:08:24, besting her 3:14:07 performance at Motive back in 2004.
Kellie was her usual, smooth, machine-like self, and her 2:10:17 was also a PR, beating her 2:16:33 set at Motive in 2006.
Jim, looking suspiciously shorter, more Hispanic, and more entirely like Daniel, finished in 2:18:26, which was curiously also about a minute and a half better than Daniel's goal for the day. Thanks, Jim, for letting Daniel run in your stead, and we hope you're feeling better.
After waffling whether she really wanted to run that hard for 13 miles, Christina decided to take a potshot at her one previous half marathon time of 1:53 (big surprise). I have never been happier not to go on a run with her, since she ran 8:12's to get to a 1:47:27. I was quite happy to not die, but still PR by 8 minutes with a 1:56:37.
Paul succombed again to various pains, probably deciding to save his all-or-nothing effort for AT&T in three weeks.
Big thanks to Michelle for playing course mom, and letting me throw sweaty, snotty-sleeved shirts at her (did you not know about the snot? Sorry...). Thanks also to Christine, who showed up at mile 12 to give us a boost before entering the weird purgatory of the UT campus. She even made a sign...
Afterwards, everyone trouped up to Trudy's, the place where my own running journey sort of began years ago, where many waffles and... alcohols were had (I'll post the picture later tonight).
Thanks so much, Debbie, for picking up the tab for a bunch of hungry runner lushes. That was above and beyond.
I was primarily happy that everyone seemed to be smiling. It was a good day, and our first big payoff for the commitment and sacrifices and early mornings and the aches and pains. I think we were learned or were reminded why we do this.
So, for these final weeks, just stay focused, and you know... don't slack!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
3M Race Plan
The Approach - You have to put every race you run into the larger context of your training.
Half marathoners, this is, for all but Debbie, your first half marathon. You just want to get through it safely and relatively happily. You'll have AT&T three weeks later, which is enough time to recover, if you don't go absolutely nuts and blast yourself too hard on Sunday. Last year, almost all the half marathoners in my group and others that I knew were actually faster on the harder course at AT&T than they were at 3M, just because they had that first experience under their belt. So, appreciate this for what it is, work hard, but know that your true goal race still lies ahead.
For the marathoners - at one point, 3M was only two weeks before the marathon, and regardless of the admonitions of their coaches, people would blow themselves out at 3M and not be at their best for the marathon. With three weeks in between, now, you're a lot less likely to do that. I'd still urge you to run smart - you're coming off a 22 mile run, and you do have your goal race still ahead.
That level of consideration aside, I wouldn't worry as much about expending too much effort as I would getting injured. If you have a problem now, talk to me about it. If a problem arises during the race, you've gotta be mature enough to assess it honestly, and put it and the race in perspective. Why mess up your first marathon with a half marathon injury?
OK, let's talk about the race and the course. I think planning is one of the funnest parts of this sport. You get to play general, plotting and scheming your battle. For those of us that are prone to obsessing about a race, it's better to focus that energy on something useful than to sit around imagining that there are little gnomes planting explosives in your knee. Or something like that.
You have hopefully all reviewed the race preparation guide I posted. Some of you are prone to blowing things off, thinking it's not a big deal. Eventually, that will bite you in the gluteal region. Just humor me and do the prep work this week, OK?
OK, the course...
The start - Take it easy. It’s that simple. Unless you’re unusually experienced and disciplined, if you’re supposed to run 10 minute miles in a race, and you try to start at that, you’re going to run faster. Getting too swept up in the adrenaline and excitement, the press of thousands of runners, can all add up to an early critical error in your race. Going out too fast might not just be a simple mathematical fix of going slower later - you could burn yourself up, or at least take longer to get into your rhythm.
Do not bother trying to dodge around people - you’ll just burn energy. Look ahead, and pick a path through people that doesn’t have you darting around too much.
Watch your feet - People will be discarding clothing and plastic garbage bags - don’t trip on them. If you’re ditching clothing, for God’s sake, throw it safely off the road.
The first mile has you going north on Stonelake. It’s basically flat, but with some slight incline - only about 40 feet over about half a mile. At this point, that doesn’t matter - just relax, enjoy the start, and try to get into a rhythm.
Mile 2 - Running south on Jollyville should feel somewhat good. There’s about 50 feet of climb over the course of a mile - nothing to worry about.
Miles 3 and 4 - Running south on Mesa should still feel pretty good, because it’s somewhat flat. There’ll be some spectators here.
Miles 3.5-5 - This stretch down Spicewood Springs is fun, beginning about a 170-foot drop in elevation up through mile six. BUT, it’s also a great place to blow your race. You don’t want to go pounding down this. We’ve all learned that running downhill can still wear you out - moving your legs at a faster rate can easily overwhelm the benefit that gravity is giving you, giving you a net energy loss. On the other hand, if you try too hard to control your speed, you can break your rhythm and wear out your quads. Try instead to just relax and just hold your pace, taking advantage of the downhills to conserve your energy. This early in a race, it’s better to bank energy than time. And besides, on a decent downhill, you’re still going to get a little time benefit, whether you intend to or not.
The bagpiper is usually around here, too...
Miles 6-6.5 - Count your blessings. After a sharp right onto Shoal Creek, and a sharper right onto Foster, you spend all of a few blocks on Great Northern. Consider this a fairly mellow part of the run - just stay on pace and cover this middle distance. Shake your arms out, relax your neck, shoulders, legs and feet, and just run.
Miles 6.5-8.5 - This is the long stretch down Burnet Road. There’s a minor but longish incline, here, but you guys have had slightly more hill training than most groups probably have. You’ll do fine. Stay relaxed, keep your hips under you, and enjoy this stretch - there are usually plenty of crowds here. In the last half mile, you get rewarded with a long downhill, but again, use this to relax and recharge, because you have a couple of long climbs coming up...
Miles 8.5-10 - North Loop - the long incline. But most everyone in this group has run it at least 3-4 times just in the past six months, if not more. You know it, you’ve beaten it time and time again, even after more distance and more hills. Just hold your pace and your form, and get up it. Around 10, you get another climb, but grind through it - you’re about to get this course’s big reward.
The Big Finish -
At mile 10, you'll be turning right off of North Loop's long incline, onto Duval, beginning a great 3.2 mile fast stretch of downhills and flats to the finish. It’s almost a 200 foot elevation drop, a lot of it coming in a couple of smooth drops.
There are still occasional fluctuations, where there’ll be a slight incline for a block or so. Just ride through them, knowing another drop is coming.
Here's where you can take a look at how you feel, and decide whether to turn it up or not. If you do increase pace, do it gradually. Don't go from 11:30 per mile to 11:00 unless you are darned sure you can hold that for 3 miles. The best plan is to try to pick up 5-10 seconds in mile 11 and 12, with the option to crank it up a little more in the last mile.
I like to pick several “go points” near the end of a race, where I think the factors will come together to make for a good place to boost my speed a bit. I ran a 5K last year seriously hung-over. The first mile was a struggle. But, I hit my first go point, where for a week, I had known it was where I would make my move (insofar as I ever have “a move”). Being psychologically prepped for that made a tremendous difference, and I was able to pull out a PR.
The stretch through campus can be challenging - the crowds get sparse, and it gets relatively quiet, and you lose sense of how close you are to the finish. Trust that you are very close. If you haven’t keeled over or give up yet, it’s too late for that - keep running.
In the last mile, feel it. Regardless of what's happened so far, it's going to be over soon. That last mile is all yours, and you are in control of how you end the race. Think of the finish line, and the crowds cheering, and your friends that'll be there, proud of what you've accomplished.
You’ll come out of campus crossing MLK, and you’ll be able to see the finish. Try to boost your pace a little (but don’t burn up too early). Pick someone ahead of you, and catch them. Pick another, catch them. Stay relaxed - you want to think of running strides, not sprints. You don’t want to pull anything, here, you just want to pick up the pace.
Run all the way through the finish. Do not let up at all until you've crossed both finish mats.
Some other things to think about:
Pace. In terms of pace, I can talk to you individually about that. For almost everyone, I just want to give you a speed limit. Here's what I'm doing: your time trial time gives us your predicted pace for the half. I'm adding 10 seconds per mile. The first two miles, you need to try to be 30-45 seconds even slower per mile. After that, you don't exceed that predicted pace, until mile 10...
Run your own race. Ignore people passing you. Some won't finish, you'll pass some of them back up if you're smart, and hey, everyone but one person is going to have at least one faster person out there. You get sucked into someone else’s run, and you’re probably ditching at least six months of training and experience. Run your own race.
Do what you have to do, as soon as possible. Gotta pee? Pee. The first mile of the course will be lined with men facing bushes, and women hunkering in the weeds. Might be gross and unseemly, but you're there to run a race. Got a rock in your shoe? Get it out right then. Give up 10-15 seconds early rather than 5-10 seconds a mile for the rest of the race.
Fight the urge to strip. I mean, in addition to your usual urge to strip. If it's very cold, you're going to heat up in the first couple of miles. DO NOT DITCH ALL YOUR WARMTH unless the temperature drastically changes. I did this at the 2006 marathon, and it was perhaps my biggest mistake. After a couple of hours, your core temperature is going to drop back down. Leave the gloves on. If you do take them off, keep them. Stuff them in your waistband. Keep your hat and your long sleeves. You can always push the sleeves up.
Run friendly. Remember who we are - the group for non-uppity, non-elitist runners. Thank the volunteers, especially the kids. Thank the cops guarding the intersections. Wave thanks at the spectators. Encourage your fellow runners. You can be focused on your race, but make it part of your routine to spread some love. You’ll feel better for it.
Drink water. If it's cold, cold water doesn't always seem appealing, but you need it. People get dehydrated in winter races because they're cold and don't drink as much water as they usually would. Take it, drink it. And thank the volunteers.
Run the crown of the road. These roads have a lot of camber, so when possible, run the center stripe.
Draft. Drafting is not just for doped cyclists and NASCAR. If we get winds, use the crowds to your advantage to, um, break wind for you. You know what I mean.
Break the race into manageable chunks. Don't try to bite off 13.1 miles, run a mile, or two or three miles at a time. Think about these chunks when you familiarize yourself with the course.
No iPods. You’re not going to be able to use them at AT&T, might as well practice now. Use it before the race to get in your happy place, but during the race, you want to hear the crowds and the bagpipes, and you want to find the motivation in yourself.
Again, run your own race. This includes your running partner. If you're running with someone, and you get separated, be prepared to be alone for a while. DO NOT try to speed up to catch them. If you do decide to catch them, give yourself a long time to do it. Keep an eye on them, and make it a multi-mile mission. It’ll give you something else to focus on, too. Decide you'll get to them near the finish.
Trouble. You're going to have rough spots, unless you're a freak and/or you're running waaaaayyy too slow. When you do, focus on your form - keep your head up, shoulders back. you may be tired, but slumping makes things worse. You get less air, and it will turn your stride into a shuffle. It all starts with your eyes. If the eyes drop to the ground right in front of you, your head will follow. Your neck, being tilted, will cause your shoulders to shift forward. Pretty soon, your butt is hanging out behind you, and you’re wondering why you can’t breathe well, and why your neck, shoulders and back hurt.
Think about all the time and effort and will you've spent training. You've had tough runs, and gotten through them. Get through it now. Don't trade away a few minutes, or even an hour, of moderate pain for regret that'll last until you get a chance to race again.
Which, granted, will just be in three weeks.
Half marathoners, this is, for all but Debbie, your first half marathon. You just want to get through it safely and relatively happily. You'll have AT&T three weeks later, which is enough time to recover, if you don't go absolutely nuts and blast yourself too hard on Sunday. Last year, almost all the half marathoners in my group and others that I knew were actually faster on the harder course at AT&T than they were at 3M, just because they had that first experience under their belt. So, appreciate this for what it is, work hard, but know that your true goal race still lies ahead.
For the marathoners - at one point, 3M was only two weeks before the marathon, and regardless of the admonitions of their coaches, people would blow themselves out at 3M and not be at their best for the marathon. With three weeks in between, now, you're a lot less likely to do that. I'd still urge you to run smart - you're coming off a 22 mile run, and you do have your goal race still ahead.
That level of consideration aside, I wouldn't worry as much about expending too much effort as I would getting injured. If you have a problem now, talk to me about it. If a problem arises during the race, you've gotta be mature enough to assess it honestly, and put it and the race in perspective. Why mess up your first marathon with a half marathon injury?
OK, let's talk about the race and the course. I think planning is one of the funnest parts of this sport. You get to play general, plotting and scheming your battle. For those of us that are prone to obsessing about a race, it's better to focus that energy on something useful than to sit around imagining that there are little gnomes planting explosives in your knee. Or something like that.
You have hopefully all reviewed the race preparation guide I posted. Some of you are prone to blowing things off, thinking it's not a big deal. Eventually, that will bite you in the gluteal region. Just humor me and do the prep work this week, OK?
OK, the course...
The start - Take it easy. It’s that simple. Unless you’re unusually experienced and disciplined, if you’re supposed to run 10 minute miles in a race, and you try to start at that, you’re going to run faster. Getting too swept up in the adrenaline and excitement, the press of thousands of runners, can all add up to an early critical error in your race. Going out too fast might not just be a simple mathematical fix of going slower later - you could burn yourself up, or at least take longer to get into your rhythm.
Do not bother trying to dodge around people - you’ll just burn energy. Look ahead, and pick a path through people that doesn’t have you darting around too much.
Watch your feet - People will be discarding clothing and plastic garbage bags - don’t trip on them. If you’re ditching clothing, for God’s sake, throw it safely off the road.
The first mile has you going north on Stonelake. It’s basically flat, but with some slight incline - only about 40 feet over about half a mile. At this point, that doesn’t matter - just relax, enjoy the start, and try to get into a rhythm.
Mile 2 - Running south on Jollyville should feel somewhat good. There’s about 50 feet of climb over the course of a mile - nothing to worry about.
Miles 3 and 4 - Running south on Mesa should still feel pretty good, because it’s somewhat flat. There’ll be some spectators here.
Miles 3.5-5 - This stretch down Spicewood Springs is fun, beginning about a 170-foot drop in elevation up through mile six. BUT, it’s also a great place to blow your race. You don’t want to go pounding down this. We’ve all learned that running downhill can still wear you out - moving your legs at a faster rate can easily overwhelm the benefit that gravity is giving you, giving you a net energy loss. On the other hand, if you try too hard to control your speed, you can break your rhythm and wear out your quads. Try instead to just relax and just hold your pace, taking advantage of the downhills to conserve your energy. This early in a race, it’s better to bank energy than time. And besides, on a decent downhill, you’re still going to get a little time benefit, whether you intend to or not.
The bagpiper is usually around here, too...
Miles 6-6.5 - Count your blessings. After a sharp right onto Shoal Creek, and a sharper right onto Foster, you spend all of a few blocks on Great Northern. Consider this a fairly mellow part of the run - just stay on pace and cover this middle distance. Shake your arms out, relax your neck, shoulders, legs and feet, and just run.
Miles 6.5-8.5 - This is the long stretch down Burnet Road. There’s a minor but longish incline, here, but you guys have had slightly more hill training than most groups probably have. You’ll do fine. Stay relaxed, keep your hips under you, and enjoy this stretch - there are usually plenty of crowds here. In the last half mile, you get rewarded with a long downhill, but again, use this to relax and recharge, because you have a couple of long climbs coming up...
Miles 8.5-10 - North Loop - the long incline. But most everyone in this group has run it at least 3-4 times just in the past six months, if not more. You know it, you’ve beaten it time and time again, even after more distance and more hills. Just hold your pace and your form, and get up it. Around 10, you get another climb, but grind through it - you’re about to get this course’s big reward.
The Big Finish -
At mile 10, you'll be turning right off of North Loop's long incline, onto Duval, beginning a great 3.2 mile fast stretch of downhills and flats to the finish. It’s almost a 200 foot elevation drop, a lot of it coming in a couple of smooth drops.
There are still occasional fluctuations, where there’ll be a slight incline for a block or so. Just ride through them, knowing another drop is coming.
Here's where you can take a look at how you feel, and decide whether to turn it up or not. If you do increase pace, do it gradually. Don't go from 11:30 per mile to 11:00 unless you are darned sure you can hold that for 3 miles. The best plan is to try to pick up 5-10 seconds in mile 11 and 12, with the option to crank it up a little more in the last mile.
I like to pick several “go points” near the end of a race, where I think the factors will come together to make for a good place to boost my speed a bit. I ran a 5K last year seriously hung-over. The first mile was a struggle. But, I hit my first go point, where for a week, I had known it was where I would make my move (insofar as I ever have “a move”). Being psychologically prepped for that made a tremendous difference, and I was able to pull out a PR.
The stretch through campus can be challenging - the crowds get sparse, and it gets relatively quiet, and you lose sense of how close you are to the finish. Trust that you are very close. If you haven’t keeled over or give up yet, it’s too late for that - keep running.
In the last mile, feel it. Regardless of what's happened so far, it's going to be over soon. That last mile is all yours, and you are in control of how you end the race. Think of the finish line, and the crowds cheering, and your friends that'll be there, proud of what you've accomplished.
You’ll come out of campus crossing MLK, and you’ll be able to see the finish. Try to boost your pace a little (but don’t burn up too early). Pick someone ahead of you, and catch them. Pick another, catch them. Stay relaxed - you want to think of running strides, not sprints. You don’t want to pull anything, here, you just want to pick up the pace.
Run all the way through the finish. Do not let up at all until you've crossed both finish mats.
Some other things to think about:
Pace. In terms of pace, I can talk to you individually about that. For almost everyone, I just want to give you a speed limit. Here's what I'm doing: your time trial time gives us your predicted pace for the half. I'm adding 10 seconds per mile. The first two miles, you need to try to be 30-45 seconds even slower per mile. After that, you don't exceed that predicted pace, until mile 10...
Run your own race. Ignore people passing you. Some won't finish, you'll pass some of them back up if you're smart, and hey, everyone but one person is going to have at least one faster person out there. You get sucked into someone else’s run, and you’re probably ditching at least six months of training and experience. Run your own race.
Do what you have to do, as soon as possible. Gotta pee? Pee. The first mile of the course will be lined with men facing bushes, and women hunkering in the weeds. Might be gross and unseemly, but you're there to run a race. Got a rock in your shoe? Get it out right then. Give up 10-15 seconds early rather than 5-10 seconds a mile for the rest of the race.
Fight the urge to strip. I mean, in addition to your usual urge to strip. If it's very cold, you're going to heat up in the first couple of miles. DO NOT DITCH ALL YOUR WARMTH unless the temperature drastically changes. I did this at the 2006 marathon, and it was perhaps my biggest mistake. After a couple of hours, your core temperature is going to drop back down. Leave the gloves on. If you do take them off, keep them. Stuff them in your waistband. Keep your hat and your long sleeves. You can always push the sleeves up.
Run friendly. Remember who we are - the group for non-uppity, non-elitist runners. Thank the volunteers, especially the kids. Thank the cops guarding the intersections. Wave thanks at the spectators. Encourage your fellow runners. You can be focused on your race, but make it part of your routine to spread some love. You’ll feel better for it.
Drink water. If it's cold, cold water doesn't always seem appealing, but you need it. People get dehydrated in winter races because they're cold and don't drink as much water as they usually would. Take it, drink it. And thank the volunteers.
Run the crown of the road. These roads have a lot of camber, so when possible, run the center stripe.
Draft. Drafting is not just for doped cyclists and NASCAR. If we get winds, use the crowds to your advantage to, um, break wind for you. You know what I mean.
Break the race into manageable chunks. Don't try to bite off 13.1 miles, run a mile, or two or three miles at a time. Think about these chunks when you familiarize yourself with the course.
No iPods. You’re not going to be able to use them at AT&T, might as well practice now. Use it before the race to get in your happy place, but during the race, you want to hear the crowds and the bagpipes, and you want to find the motivation in yourself.
Again, run your own race. This includes your running partner. If you're running with someone, and you get separated, be prepared to be alone for a while. DO NOT try to speed up to catch them. If you do decide to catch them, give yourself a long time to do it. Keep an eye on them, and make it a multi-mile mission. It’ll give you something else to focus on, too. Decide you'll get to them near the finish.
Trouble. You're going to have rough spots, unless you're a freak and/or you're running waaaaayyy too slow. When you do, focus on your form - keep your head up, shoulders back. you may be tired, but slumping makes things worse. You get less air, and it will turn your stride into a shuffle. It all starts with your eyes. If the eyes drop to the ground right in front of you, your head will follow. Your neck, being tilted, will cause your shoulders to shift forward. Pretty soon, your butt is hanging out behind you, and you’re wondering why you can’t breathe well, and why your neck, shoulders and back hurt.
Think about all the time and effort and will you've spent training. You've had tough runs, and gotten through them. Get through it now. Don't trade away a few minutes, or even an hour, of moderate pain for regret that'll last until you get a chance to race again.
Which, granted, will just be in three weeks.
Race Preparation
OK, so it's showtime, here. You can't just piddle through the week and show up to run Sunday morning. Well, you can, but it would be, um, dumb. This is not a 5K. So, here's a bit of a guide...
Preparing this week:
Get familiar with the course - it makes a difference. You've all seen how much better runs go in familiar territory. Go to the race website and print out several copies of the map. Put one in your car, one on your desk at work, one on the nightstand, or on the fridge.
Drive the course - I even tend to stop at the bottom of hills, get out, and walk or jog up them, so I know in my head what it feels like. When you near the top, think about how it's going to be to beat it and not let it wear you down.
Visualize - After driving it, pick up one of those maps every now and then, and run the race in your head (at high speed - please don't sit at work staring at a map for three hours). Run chunks of it in your head. Feel the rhythm of the stretches that will require more effort, and the ones where you'll be able to recover. I promise you this will be a huge benefit to you.
Segment the Course - Break the course into manageable chunks of two to three miles each. Getting through each chunk will be an accomplishment, and it'll be easier than going at all 13 miles at once.
Plan Nutrition - Part of knowing the course is knowing when you'll take your nutrition. What I do is work backwards - I want my last Gu 3 miles out from the finish, and I want them every 30-40 minutes. Water stops are at every even-numbered mile. So, I know I'll Gu at miles 10 and 6. Figure out how many you'll need, and go buy them now - RunTex sells out of everything but "Your Nephew's Dirty Diaper" flavored gel before races. You can also get gels at bike shops, REI, and Academy. You also need to know how you're going to carry what you need to carry.
Have your outfit ready.
You've all run in a variety of conditions. Now, just accept that the weather will be what it will be. That acceptance will give you another big advantage over people that are agonizing about the weather all this week. It might be 29, windy and cold. Fine - what will you wear? Find those pieces, lay them out now.
It might be 65 and humid. Fine - what will you wear?
The rule is to dress for 20 degrees warmer than the temperature. You should know by now what you like. Now is also not the time to try new shorts, socks, jogbras, or some shirts. That's a sure entry to that popular game show, “What’s Gonna Chafe?”
Remember, up to 40% of body heat is lost through your head, most of the rest through your extremities. Plus, blood flow is redirected by your body to keep your organs and brain warm. So, hat and gloves are the most crucial things in cold weather.
In case of rain, have something disposable, or a trash bag with holes for the arms and head. It's nice to be dry while standing around at the start line, then you can rip it off when you get moving.
Got Bodyglide? Bandaids?
Thursday and Friday:
Hydrate. Get a couple of liters of water in you a day, depending on your size. Use some ElectroMix or something similar - available at Central Market, Whole Foods, RunTex, or bike shops.
Friday night:
This is actually your best night to get your carbs. Have a reasonable-sized plate of pasta, not too late in the evening. And get to bed at a reasonable hour. You can forego the clubs for one damned night.
Saturday:
Stay off your feet. This is not the time for a hike, lawn work, walking at the race expo for four hours like I did in Chicago trying to decide if I should buy and wear new clothes for the marathon when I know not to do that (I didn't).
Oh, and don’t forget to pick up your race packet.
Eat early - eat at 5:30 or 6, be done by 7 or 7:30. Why? Because you want to be able to sleep, and you want the food to digest, so that it'll be usable in the race, but yet not filling up your lower intestines demanding immediate release at mile five. Having to pee is fairly common, but you do not want to have to go #2, losing time while your legs cramp up in a cold, nasty porta-potty. And if you try to hold it, your core will tighten up, expending more energy and messing with your mechanics.
Don't drink too late - you want to be able to sleep without getting up constantly through the night.
Get everything together Saturday night, not Sunday morning:
Preparing this week:
Get familiar with the course - it makes a difference. You've all seen how much better runs go in familiar territory. Go to the race website and print out several copies of the map. Put one in your car, one on your desk at work, one on the nightstand, or on the fridge.
Drive the course - I even tend to stop at the bottom of hills, get out, and walk or jog up them, so I know in my head what it feels like. When you near the top, think about how it's going to be to beat it and not let it wear you down.
Visualize - After driving it, pick up one of those maps every now and then, and run the race in your head (at high speed - please don't sit at work staring at a map for three hours). Run chunks of it in your head. Feel the rhythm of the stretches that will require more effort, and the ones where you'll be able to recover. I promise you this will be a huge benefit to you.
Segment the Course - Break the course into manageable chunks of two to three miles each. Getting through each chunk will be an accomplishment, and it'll be easier than going at all 13 miles at once.
Plan Nutrition - Part of knowing the course is knowing when you'll take your nutrition. What I do is work backwards - I want my last Gu 3 miles out from the finish, and I want them every 30-40 minutes. Water stops are at every even-numbered mile. So, I know I'll Gu at miles 10 and 6. Figure out how many you'll need, and go buy them now - RunTex sells out of everything but "Your Nephew's Dirty Diaper" flavored gel before races. You can also get gels at bike shops, REI, and Academy. You also need to know how you're going to carry what you need to carry.
Have your outfit ready.
You've all run in a variety of conditions. Now, just accept that the weather will be what it will be. That acceptance will give you another big advantage over people that are agonizing about the weather all this week. It might be 29, windy and cold. Fine - what will you wear? Find those pieces, lay them out now.
It might be 65 and humid. Fine - what will you wear?
The rule is to dress for 20 degrees warmer than the temperature. You should know by now what you like. Now is also not the time to try new shorts, socks, jogbras, or some shirts. That's a sure entry to that popular game show, “What’s Gonna Chafe?”
Remember, up to 40% of body heat is lost through your head, most of the rest through your extremities. Plus, blood flow is redirected by your body to keep your organs and brain warm. So, hat and gloves are the most crucial things in cold weather.
In case of rain, have something disposable, or a trash bag with holes for the arms and head. It's nice to be dry while standing around at the start line, then you can rip it off when you get moving.
Got Bodyglide? Bandaids?
Thursday and Friday:
Hydrate. Get a couple of liters of water in you a day, depending on your size. Use some ElectroMix or something similar - available at Central Market, Whole Foods, RunTex, or bike shops.
Friday night:
This is actually your best night to get your carbs. Have a reasonable-sized plate of pasta, not too late in the evening. And get to bed at a reasonable hour. You can forego the clubs for one damned night.
Saturday:
Stay off your feet. This is not the time for a hike, lawn work, walking at the race expo for four hours like I did in Chicago trying to decide if I should buy and wear new clothes for the marathon when I know not to do that (I didn't).
Oh, and don’t forget to pick up your race packet.
Eat early - eat at 5:30 or 6, be done by 7 or 7:30. Why? Because you want to be able to sleep, and you want the food to digest, so that it'll be usable in the race, but yet not filling up your lower intestines demanding immediate release at mile five. Having to pee is fairly common, but you do not want to have to go #2, losing time while your legs cramp up in a cold, nasty porta-potty. And if you try to hold it, your core will tighten up, expending more energy and messing with your mechanics.
Don't drink too late - you want to be able to sleep without getting up constantly through the night.
Get everything together Saturday night, not Sunday morning:
- Pin your race bib to your shirt or shorts. If you are slightly OCD like some coaches, this could take you half an hour to get it perfectly straight. It has to be straight. It just does.
- Put your gels, electrolyte capsules, whatever you're taking on the course, in whatever you're taking them in.
- Pack your drop bag with your pre and post-race stuff.
- Make sure you have what you need for breakfast.
Figure out your morning schedule - work it backwards:
- The race is at 7am.
- You need to be parked and out of the car at 6am AT THE LATEST.
- Maybe it'll take you 30 minutes to get there, so you need to leave your place at 5:30.
- You want to use the restroom (#2) before you leave. Give yourself time (because you never know) - so, on the pot by 5:15.
- You need to allow at least an hour for your breakfast to digest, so you need to be eating at 4:15.
- Set your alarm for 4:15 (you'll eat first). Yeah, this is insane. But so is running 13 miles, so... what the hell?
- Set multiple alarms. Use your alarm clock, your phone, yuor running watch. Get a friend to call you. Leave nothing to chance.
Race morning:
- GET THE HELL UP. No snooze button. This is when being nervous is a good thing, because it'll wake you up.
- Eat first, and have a glass of water, and coffee, if you need it.
- If you've done things right, you have an hour to check the weather, put on your laid-out clothes, make sure your bib number really is straight, and relax. I always turn on News 8, not so much for the crappy reporting, but to check the weather. On the other hand, one morning, the weatherperson’s first words were, “Wow, it is really unpleasantly hot and humid out there.”
At the race:
- DO NOT BE LATE. Period. Non-neogtiable, no excuses. You need to park, pick up your chip, drop your bag (if there's a bag drop), not be overly frazzled, and be ready for a warm-up at 6:15. I have to say, as a group, we’re lousy about this, for our long runs, and the races so far. Well, now it’s showtime, and whether we’ve developed good punctual habits or not, it’s time to get our crap together. BE ON TIME.
- Don't guzzle water. If you've hydrated well, and had some when you got up, you'll be fine with what you get on the course. Drink too much, and you'll have to pee.
- Still, hit the porta-potty after the warmup.
Get to the start line by 6:50. Find your friends. Then... relax. Soak up this moment. Look around at all the people that are about to do something pretty cool. You're one of them. You're probably also better trained and better prepared than most.
This is a lot of stuff, I know. But again, you're running 13.1 miles, asking a lot of your body. You've all worked so hard, you deserve nothing less from yourself than to be as knowledgeable and prepared and mindful as you can possibly be going into this. You're all going to do great.
Tomorrow: The Race Plan. Really, I promise. It's already written. I'm artificially creating suspense, like in a Bruckheimer movie.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Saturday's Long Run
OK, I need ya to read carefully and pay attention, or you're likely to be in completely the wrong place Saturday morning.
Our run starts at the NORTH (Gateway) Whole Foods Saturday morning, at 7am SHARP.
We're running point-to-point, from the Whole Foods at Gateway to the Whole Foods at Sixth and Lamar. Yes, this is an obvious and blatant throwback to those of us who remember the RunTex to RunTex runs (that predate a lot of running groups). I like the idea of point-to-point, because I think you get a different appreciation of the distance you're covering. Our route, though, is pretty dramatically different once we get west of Mopac.
Anyway, this requires us to carpool and coordinate transportation. Accordingly, here's your instructions:
1. Meet at 6:30 at the Whole Foods at SIXTH AND LAMAR. The downtown one. Our regular meeting place.
2. If you don't mind carpooling people, park near our meeting spot. Otherwise, please park on the street or at least in the garage. We need to stop taking up so many of their parking spots.
3. We'll carpool to Whole Foods North.
4. We'll start running at 7am SHARP. More on this in a moment.
5. Once we finish running, we'll need a few people to cart the original carpool drivers back up north to their cars.
If you bring a bag with dry clothes and a towel or whatever for after the run, I'll carry it in my car and have it for you at the end of the run.
We've been getting sloppy with being punctual. I have, too, largely because I run around and set water out. I'll have help with water stops this weekend, though, so I will be on time.
You cannot afford to be late on race morning. You can't even really afford to barely make it on race morning. Part of the discipline involved in all this is punctuality and reliability, right? So, be punctual and reliable from here on out. We've got six more Saturday long runs - it's time to start making some real commitments:
1. Commit to hydrating and getting your electolytes during the week.
2. Commit to getting your stuff together the night before.
3. Commit to getting to bed at a reasonable hour.
4. Commit to getting up, eating, and being ready to run when you leave your place.
5. Commit to getting to the run and being ready to run, on time.
None of this is really a lot to ask - it's just about making the choice. And it's not just for you, it's for your teammates, too. People are counting on you, whether you realize it or not.
This is going to be a great run - the half marathoners will be peaking their distance, and marathoners will hit 20. Be ready for it and enjoy it.
Our run starts at the NORTH (Gateway) Whole Foods Saturday morning, at 7am SHARP.
We're running point-to-point, from the Whole Foods at Gateway to the Whole Foods at Sixth and Lamar. Yes, this is an obvious and blatant throwback to those of us who remember the RunTex to RunTex runs (that predate a lot of running groups). I like the idea of point-to-point, because I think you get a different appreciation of the distance you're covering. Our route, though, is pretty dramatically different once we get west of Mopac.
Anyway, this requires us to carpool and coordinate transportation. Accordingly, here's your instructions:
1. Meet at 6:30 at the Whole Foods at SIXTH AND LAMAR. The downtown one. Our regular meeting place.
2. If you don't mind carpooling people, park near our meeting spot. Otherwise, please park on the street or at least in the garage. We need to stop taking up so many of their parking spots.
3. We'll carpool to Whole Foods North.
4. We'll start running at 7am SHARP. More on this in a moment.
5. Once we finish running, we'll need a few people to cart the original carpool drivers back up north to their cars.
If you bring a bag with dry clothes and a towel or whatever for after the run, I'll carry it in my car and have it for you at the end of the run.
We've been getting sloppy with being punctual. I have, too, largely because I run around and set water out. I'll have help with water stops this weekend, though, so I will be on time.
You cannot afford to be late on race morning. You can't even really afford to barely make it on race morning. Part of the discipline involved in all this is punctuality and reliability, right? So, be punctual and reliable from here on out. We've got six more Saturday long runs - it's time to start making some real commitments:
1. Commit to hydrating and getting your electolytes during the week.
2. Commit to getting your stuff together the night before.
3. Commit to getting to bed at a reasonable hour.
4. Commit to getting up, eating, and being ready to run when you leave your place.
5. Commit to getting to the run and being ready to run, on time.
None of this is really a lot to ask - it's just about making the choice. And it's not just for you, it's for your teammates, too. People are counting on you, whether you realize it or not.
This is going to be a great run - the half marathoners will be peaking their distance, and marathoners will hit 20. Be ready for it and enjoy it.
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