At a training all day but keeping up with my hydrating and fueling for tomorrow’s race! Eeeeeek! So excited!
Only problem is, its only 11:45 and I’ve already had to leave the conference room 3 times to use the restroom from all the liquids I’ve been pumping I’m my system, lol.
When preparing for any race, I train both physically AND mentally.
I try to catch myself when I start irrationally panicking about a pain in a joint or muscle (I seriously have a mini melt-down about some sort of imagined knee or hip pain the week before every race, lol), I try to encourage myself to push a little further and I try envision myself running powerfully….
Who care’s what I really look like!? In my mind I’m AMAZING!
My crazy 1/2 marathon double-hitter weekend is quickly approaching, folks! This Saturday, I will be running the “Best Damn Race” followed by Sunday’s “Swap House 1/2 marathon” in Orlando!
Crazy?… yes…. Crazy Awesome! What better way can you think of to end an amazing running season?! I’ve had some amazing runs, some disappointments, hit some personal records and over-all feel that I have finally come into my own as a runner.
My sister and I are psyched but a little freaked out to say the least! We will be doing Saturday’s race for time but Sunday’s race for fun… The Swamp House race has a really fun after party we are looking forward to the entertainment, food and endless FREE BEER to celebrate our hard work! (We are also planning on celebrating Mardi Gras in one of Orlando’s many great hot spots so, the weekend will be a non-stop thread of manic running and shenanigans. Just the way we like it!)
Check out the Best Damn Race and Swamp House web sites!:
http://bestdamnrace.com/orlando/
http://www.swamphousehalfmarathon.com/
What amazing ways are you planning on ending your race seasons this year??! Please share!
My running season is almost over folks! I only have one more weekend of racing and I’ve made sure to make it EXTRA masochistic by making it a double hitter! Yup, thats right! My sister Georgette and I are going to do TWO half marathons in one weekend in Orlando. Best Damn Race, March 1st and Swamp House Orlando, March 2nd! Bring it, baby!
Since the races will require me to travel out of my home-town, I thought it would be a perfect time to share with you my tips on how to prepare for races you need to travel to:
Last year was the first time I ever raced out of my hometown, let alone out of state. The first race I’d ever had to spend the night at a hotel room for was the Miami Beach Allstate 13.1 last March. The commute from my home in Palm Beach County would have taken over an hour and the parking would have been a nightmare so I decided to spend a night on Ocean Drive and walked leisurely to the start line from our hotel room the morning of the race.
Although staying in a hotel the night before saved me from the panic of not getting to the starting line on time the morning of the race, it did pose some challenges of its own, namely sleeping, hydrating and fueling when you’re not in the comfort on your own home and remembering to pack everything you’ll need (because if you forget something you’re S.O.L.)
Sleeping:
Ocean Drive was an especially loud and obnoxious place to try to rest the night before running 13.1 miles. There’s nothing like the deep, pounding base of late-night club music accented by yelling drag queens and drunken snow birds to lull you to sleep, right? Since then, no other place I’ve stayed at in Miami, Chicago or Boston has been so challenging. Even the quietest of hotel rooms can be difficult, however, because you’re not in your own bed. Here are the only words of advice I can give you on the topic.
1. Go to bed early. If 9pm sounds ridiculous to you, trust me, its not. Allowing your body to lie in bed (even if you aren’t sleeping yet and have the tv on in the background) will help you rest and recharge, even if you aren’t officially knocked out.
2. Set your alarm for earlier than you think. There is nothing worse than not being able to truly rest because you keep questioning whether or not you will have enough time to get ready in the morning.
3. If possible, request a room that is nowhere near the elevator. You don’t need people walking by your room door at 4am after a night on the town.
Hydrating:
This is one that I have mastered after some trial and error. Its especially hard if you have to fly into a new city the day before a race because you will be unable to take any liquids with you from home but, it can be done.
1. Start hydrating early, one to two days before. This may mean having to buy a couple of $5 bottles of water at the airport while you wait for your plane but, what can you do?… You’re spending all this money to race out of town, what’s an extra $10?
2. Drink both water AND sports drinks/ coconut water. Miami International is probably the only airport that sells coconut water at the kiosks but, if you can get ahold of some, drink it.
3. Pack powered sports drink mix. You never know if you will be able to make a trip to the drug store for some Gatorade or Powerade when you get into your new city so, bring a few of these individual powered mixes. You can mix it up with bottled water from the hotel room or, in desperate times, tap water.
Fueling:
Nobody wants to get E.D. (Explosive Diarrhea) during any race. This is especially true for races out of town. It’s hard to eat a safe pre-race dinner at a restaurant, let alone a restaurant you may not know so well. It can also be said that it’s difficult to get enough good-quality calories to fuel you if you’ve been traveling most of the day before the race and your only options were Starbucks scones and airplane sandwiches. Here are some tips.
1. Snack/ graze lightly whenever possible on your trip into town. Eat small meals throughout the day as opportunities arise. Eat something quick before you leave the house. If they’re selling sandwiches on the plane, buy one and eat it. Don’t decide you’re going to “wait to eat a full meal once we get there.” You probably won’t have time and will end up skipping the meal entirely.
2. Plan on getting into town early enough to have a leisurely, early dinner. This will give you time to choose a place you like and be seated at a reasonable hour. You don’t want to eat too late at night and still be digesting your food the morning of the race.
3. While eating dinner, make safe choices. Nothing too greasy, cheesy, spicy or saucy. Think plain and starchy. Although it sounds counter-intuitive, sometimes its best to avoid eating pastas at restaurants because their sauces have so much fat and cream. The best restaurant meal I’ve eaten before a race was grilled salmon and jasmine rice at Legal sea foods when we went to Boston.
4. Avoid Alcohol.
5. Pack granola bars, Powerbars, Cliff Bars or your choice thereof. If the opportunity to snack does not present itself to you, you can eat one of these. If you eat dinner early you’re going to want to snack on one at night. Also, you’ll probably want to eat one the morning of the race.
Packing:
“Yes, I know that I’m a neurotic mess. But that’s why you love me.” Sincere statement I’ve made to my sister and friends before running races.
I’ve dreamt more than once that I forgot my running shoes at home or had to race in my push-up bra (don’t laugh). I am so neurotic, however, that I make sure to check and double check that I’ve paced everything I could possibly need. I won’t list the opposite but, here are some things that often get forgotten at home.
1. Charger for your watch.
2. Vaseline for your feet
3. First aid kit for blisters, etc.
4. Imodium, Pepto-Bismol or whatever you like to use to settle your stomach.
5. Advil and (as a natural alternative) turmeric for anti-inflammatory purposes.
6. Bio-freeze or Bengay
7. Sandals and dry cotton shirt for bag check. (You’ll want to change into these afterwards.)
8. Those granola bars and sports drink packets we spoke about.
9. Armband phone carrier (You’ll want to take photos with your phone and those carriers are a nifty place to hold your hotel room keys and I.D. as well.)
Extra tips on stuff you may not have thought of:
1. Ask the hotel if they’re offering special transportation to the starting line for racers. You probably won’t be the only one at the hotel participating.
2. Request a late check out if you plan on going back the afternoon of the race. You’ll want to shower and nap before you head back to the airport.
3. DON’T FORGET TO HAVE FUN!!!
What are your race day tips? What were your favorite destination race memories?
The alarm went off at 3am and we were out the door by 3:50am as planned. We had an hour drive, a crazy search for parking and quite a wait to start (25,000 participants meant it took Georgette and I 28 minutes to just cross the STARTING line).
This is my third time participating in the Miami Marathon and Half Marathon Event. It was the first half marathon I ever ran in 2008 and the first (and only) full marathon I ever ran in 2010. Now that I’ve run a few races, (this one was my 12th half marathon) I have concluded that I don’t like big events. Unless you are an elite runner and have qualified to start from one of the front corrals, its just no fun… You spend more time running sideways to get around people than you do forward to pass people. Even if you just want to participate in the race for fun and not for time, like Georgette and I did at the Disney Princess Half Marathon last year, you’ll get really frustrated with the insane amount of people that will keep you from even hitting your stride. (Side note: Disney races are really, really fun but only for those who plan on walking part of it and don’t care about their time. All of them are very crowded and many of the participants are not actually runners but people who just want to check something off their bucket list while wearing a ridiculous tutu. I freely admit to having done the Princess Half in a tutu so…. check)
The race today was not as crowded as the Princess Half but, it certainly was nothing like the under 2,000 participant races I’ve been getting used to doing. Its no excuse for not having made my time goal, though. I clocked in at 2:10:20 (fooey) but thats ok. I had fun, spent some quality time with some quality people and got to run through some of my old stomping grounds.
Today, I am grateful that I get to spend time with my little sister, Georgette. She has come down for the weekend so that we can run the Miami Half Marathon together this Sunday!
Today, we went through the grueling task of driving to Miami Beach and circling around Lincoln Road for an hour until we found an available parking spot near the Miami Beach Convention Center. We needed to pick up our packets for the race which included our bib numbers/ timing strips and race shirts… The plan was to have lunch there afterwards but the crowds and craziness made us loose interest at the whole thought of sticking around any longer than we had to.
Showers, pjs and bowls of pasta on the couch were much more to our taste this afternoon, so that’s what we did. Nothin’ better than watching tv in bed with your little sis like the good old days when you used to share a bed… nothing worse than knowing you have a 3am wake up call the next day.
Miami Half Marathon, here we come!
Today I am grateful for feeling awesome! I’m healthy, my legs and hips are not in pain and I’m thinking I might just kick some serious ass in a couple weeks at my next half marathon: The Miami Marathon and Half Marathon on Feb. 2nd (formally the ING Miami Marathon).
This running season has been epic for me so far. I’ve been putting in some serious efforts. I’ve been running hard, cross training, eating well, making some sacrifices, taking some chances and believing in myself more. And its paid off! I have improved my personal best at each race by AT LEAST 2 minutes. And although it may seem ridiculous to some, this is the first time in 6 years of running that I sincerely consider myself “a runner.” All these years, I have felt as though I have wanted to be a runner but could not quiet classify myself as one because I just wasn’t good enough. But, I AM good enough. And I’m owning my awesomeness today. 🙂
OK everyone. As I mentioned in my post after my last half marathon 2 weeks ago, recent personal events have led me to make some changes to my running schedule this season. I promised myself I would only be changing dates, not changing the amount of races, and really focus on achieving my goal to p.r. at every event by at least one minute. So far, I have been beating my times by two minutes each race!!
My little sister, who will be doing her first FULL MARATHON the Sunday after Thanksgiving, asked me casually last week if I would be available to do the “Best Damn Race” half marathon http://bestdamnrace.com/orlando/ with her on Saturday March 1st. I was originally scheduled for the 13.1 Allstate Miami Beach that weekend and jumped at the chance to change my schedule and do a race with her instead… but then she dropped the bomb on me: She was also scheduled for a SECOND HALF MARATHON THE FOLLOWING DAY and wanted me to participate in both with her. http://www.swamphousehalfmarathon.com/
Back to back half marathons in ONE WEEKEND?! This is the stuff that only lunatics (like full marathoners) come up with. Now, my girlfriends might try to convince you that this whole break-up had me on the verge of an Elizabeth Gilbert-esque Eat, Pray, Love life-crisis for a couple of days but… Im not THAT crazy. So, I told Georgette she was nuts and declined.
A couple of days later… I thought of my friend Madelyn. While I may not see Madelyn very frequently and I can’t say that I know her too intimately, my interactions with her are always positive and impactful. She has good intentions for others, is sincere with her words and is always spiritual, positive and up-lifting. She’s a pretty amazing vehicle for the messages I need to hear at the times I need to hear them and I’m always a willing listener.
Madelyn shared some of her personal intentions on Facebook that week and claimed that they were “Decreed to the Universe”! It made me smile because I realized that thats the only way that anything really happens: we must decree our desires, believe that they are possible and be receptive to them when they arrive. There are many things I need to decree to the Universe at this point of my life, especially those things that I thought I had, those that I have lost and and those that I fear I will never truly create.
I’ve decided that I will start “small” and make my first decree this: I will take the challenge of running two half marathons in one weekend with my wack-a-doo sister as the finale to my running season this year. It is Decreed to the Universe!!
Next step: Decreeing Happiness, Love and Family
So far, my plan to break my P.R. every race this season is falling into place quite nicely! On Sunday, I raced the Boca Raton Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) Half Marathon. http://palhalfmarathon.com/
I registered for the event through my running store which had organized it. Recent events have changed my races this season so I’ve signed up for this one and ran it instead of the Disney Wine and Dine Half which I was supposed to do next week. I’m also going to change a few of my other upcoming events but I have vowed not to cancel any races only make substitutions.
I finished the race at 2:10:31. Almost exactly 2 minutes faster than my September race in Boston. I’m so elated by this that I am CONVINCED that this season is going to be epic. Next race: Still up in the air about the Palm Beach A1A 1/2 Marathon on December 8th. If I can’t find someone to do it with me, I might have to switch to two races in January… will keep everyone posted.
Little Miss Sunshine State 