I've added a new section to my blog. If you look in the nav bar at the top there is a new section based around financially smart traveling for marathons (Called "Run&Save"). I throw out tid bits of advice on saving on registration, transportation, hotels and more.
If you come up with other ways to save that you would like to share, please leave a comment or send me an email and I'll add it!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Leading Ladies Marathon- Post Race Thoughts
Guinea Pig Report:
Sorry, no dice everybody! Let's take a look at what I've consumed over the past week...
~ 3 bottles of Pickle Juice (2 the days before the race and 1 right before)
~ 2 bottles of coconut juice (1 the day before, one the morning of the race)
~ 3 Bananas (1 the night before, 2 the morning of)
~ Packet of sports beans and 4 GUs
~ Gatorade/Water throughout the race
~ 1 Packet of (ick)... Mustard (yes, I gaged)
All those combined should have filled me with potassium, magnesium, sodium, and electrolytes. How could I possibly get cramps, right? Well sorry to report, but between miles 23 and 24 I had horrible leg cramps and had to walk most of the last 2 miles. Prior I was averaging an 8:15 pace and felt great. Mid mile for my 24th, they just hit. So the search continues... how to stop these cramps??? Well that's a mystery to remain unsolved... let's talk about the race.
Pre-Race: Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to go to the expo because I got in so late. But, the expo was supposed to be good and designed very much around women (good, since it was an all women race). They had a few workshops set up for writing and a couple of speakers. The whole event seemed to go off more as a social than a race-- kind of neat! I hadn't been feeling very well all week and the cold hadn't gone away by the night before the race, so I quickly got something to eat then went right to bed.
Race Day: This race starts out 26.2 miles out-- we get bussed out to the start and then run back to the finish. All the way up to the start there was a LOT of excitement a even more chatter. It was definitely unusual to have only women at a start. The race director, Elaine, got on the bus to wish us off on our trip. I thought that was very sweet and added to the excitement. The start was FREEZING!!! We all ran out, used the port-a-johns then quickly ran back ON to the bus to get warm again. The start was about 4000 ft higher than the finish and significantly colder. This was a nice change from the hot/humid weather we've had in Cinci, but wow it was a shock to the body.
The Course: The race went off with a simple "on your mark, get set, go!" No big speeches by people we don't want to hear from keeping us out in the cold unnecessarily-- thank you organizers!!! You immediately start racing up a good sized hill on loose stones. What a way to get warm. You immediately started back down just as steep of a hill. The hills continued to roll for several miles. My fingers were blue and I could barely move them to get water. If you're looking for a cooler race, you'll love this one! You not only start in the cold before sunrise, but even when the sun does come up, the mountains around you are so high they block it out until your last few miles.
Around mile 11 there is another good size uphill on loose stones again. This hill wound for a little over a mile, then you turned a cone and ran it backward. The rest of the course was constant turning around mountains on a gently sloping downhill.
Post Race: Upon finishing the race they give you a medal and a rose. They have a line of people waiting to walk with the runner as long as you need until you can stop to have them take your chip off. I wasn't very hungry but I was able to grab some really tasty fruit tarts and some water. Awards? WOAH! If you placed or completed some sort of marathon trifecta you received some fun runner jewelry. For the age groups (I got first in mine) they gave out awards to the top 3-- those engraved "inspiration stones" in a little leopard print bag with your age group and placing. Mine said "Friends" awwww....
Race Ratings to come!!!
Sorry, no dice everybody! Let's take a look at what I've consumed over the past week...
~ 3 bottles of Pickle Juice (2 the days before the race and 1 right before)
~ 2 bottles of coconut juice (1 the day before, one the morning of the race)
~ 3 Bananas (1 the night before, 2 the morning of)
~ Packet of sports beans and 4 GUs
~ Gatorade/Water throughout the race
~ 1 Packet of (ick)... Mustard (yes, I gaged)
All those combined should have filled me with potassium, magnesium, sodium, and electrolytes. How could I possibly get cramps, right? Well sorry to report, but between miles 23 and 24 I had horrible leg cramps and had to walk most of the last 2 miles. Prior I was averaging an 8:15 pace and felt great. Mid mile for my 24th, they just hit. So the search continues... how to stop these cramps??? Well that's a mystery to remain unsolved... let's talk about the race.
Pre-Race: Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to go to the expo because I got in so late. But, the expo was supposed to be good and designed very much around women (good, since it was an all women race). They had a few workshops set up for writing and a couple of speakers. The whole event seemed to go off more as a social than a race-- kind of neat! I hadn't been feeling very well all week and the cold hadn't gone away by the night before the race, so I quickly got something to eat then went right to bed.
Race Day: This race starts out 26.2 miles out-- we get bussed out to the start and then run back to the finish. All the way up to the start there was a LOT of excitement a even more chatter. It was definitely unusual to have only women at a start. The race director, Elaine, got on the bus to wish us off on our trip. I thought that was very sweet and added to the excitement. The start was FREEZING!!! We all ran out, used the port-a-johns then quickly ran back ON to the bus to get warm again. The start was about 4000 ft higher than the finish and significantly colder. This was a nice change from the hot/humid weather we've had in Cinci, but wow it was a shock to the body.
The Course: The race went off with a simple "on your mark, get set, go!" No big speeches by people we don't want to hear from keeping us out in the cold unnecessarily-- thank you organizers!!! You immediately start racing up a good sized hill on loose stones. What a way to get warm. You immediately started back down just as steep of a hill. The hills continued to roll for several miles. My fingers were blue and I could barely move them to get water. If you're looking for a cooler race, you'll love this one! You not only start in the cold before sunrise, but even when the sun does come up, the mountains around you are so high they block it out until your last few miles.
Around mile 11 there is another good size uphill on loose stones again. This hill wound for a little over a mile, then you turned a cone and ran it backward. The rest of the course was constant turning around mountains on a gently sloping downhill.
Post Race: Upon finishing the race they give you a medal and a rose. They have a line of people waiting to walk with the runner as long as you need until you can stop to have them take your chip off. I wasn't very hungry but I was able to grab some really tasty fruit tarts and some water. Awards? WOAH! If you placed or completed some sort of marathon trifecta you received some fun runner jewelry. For the age groups (I got first in mine) they gave out awards to the top 3-- those engraved "inspiration stones" in a little leopard print bag with your age group and placing. Mine said "Friends" awwww....
Race Ratings to come!!!
Friday, August 14, 2009
I'm a Runner? & PJ Sports Drink!!!
Two discussion points for today...
1) Pickle Juice Updates!!!
I contacted Pickle Juice Sports and asked if I could try some of their product. They sent me 3, 8 oz bottles! I'm going to bring them with me and hopefully they'll help! The instructions said to take one bottle before physical activity and if needed, continue to take during activity. I'll have to find a way to carry the small 8 oz bottle with me-- very convenient sizing!!! I'm liking it already.
I also tried some that my co-worker gave me and guess what? 1. They don't make my stomach sick at ALL.. actually its kind of relaxing on the stomach and 2. It's actually really good. I can tell that I'm really craving the salt, because I don't think pickle juice is normally something people should find appetizing! Also, after about a half of a cup my body wasn't craving salt and it was tasting a little bad. I'll keep you posted on the PJ as much as possible!
2) When am I "A Runner"?
When did you start thinking of yourself as a "runner"??? Once in a while I make the remark "I think I'm a runner"-- surprising myself. But I never really say I "AM" a runner. And I think I know why-- BOSTON! I know, it sounds crazy! After 13 marathons and 14 years of running long distance, one would typically consider themselves a runner. But, I think in the back of my mind, I'm waiting to hit a BQ time before I can officially call myself a runner... don't even get me started on when my warped mind considers myself a "marathoner." Now don't think I'm talking about you all out there. With other people, my wacked out brain calls people runners as soon as they run a single race (be it a 5K, 10K or marathon). Yes, there is something very wrong with me, but couldn't you tell that by now???
I don't know who or what put these thoughts in my head. Maybe it's all the non-runners asking "sooo, have you ever done that Boston marathon thing? Isn't that supposed to be hard to get in?" ... with my forced sulking response of "no... I missed it by 14 seconds." I firmly believe it's the cause of the undo pressure I put on myself race to race! Normally, I do better with a little extra pressure, but in my mind I've made "Boston" much bigger than it actually is!
Thoughts? We all need to relax about Boston and take some of this unneeded pressure off ourselves. On marathon mornings, if you feel great then run hard. If you don't make your boston time-- or any goal time, enjoy the race and appreciate that you've accomplished something only 1% o the US population (and much less for the world) have ever done!
1) Pickle Juice Updates!!!
I contacted Pickle Juice Sports and asked if I could try some of their product. They sent me 3, 8 oz bottles! I'm going to bring them with me and hopefully they'll help! The instructions said to take one bottle before physical activity and if needed, continue to take during activity. I'll have to find a way to carry the small 8 oz bottle with me-- very convenient sizing!!! I'm liking it already.
I also tried some that my co-worker gave me and guess what? 1. They don't make my stomach sick at ALL.. actually its kind of relaxing on the stomach and 2. It's actually really good. I can tell that I'm really craving the salt, because I don't think pickle juice is normally something people should find appetizing! Also, after about a half of a cup my body wasn't craving salt and it was tasting a little bad. I'll keep you posted on the PJ as much as possible!
2) When am I "A Runner"?
When did you start thinking of yourself as a "runner"??? Once in a while I make the remark "I think I'm a runner"-- surprising myself. But I never really say I "AM" a runner. And I think I know why-- BOSTON! I know, it sounds crazy! After 13 marathons and 14 years of running long distance, one would typically consider themselves a runner. But, I think in the back of my mind, I'm waiting to hit a BQ time before I can officially call myself a runner... don't even get me started on when my warped mind considers myself a "marathoner." Now don't think I'm talking about you all out there. With other people, my wacked out brain calls people runners as soon as they run a single race (be it a 5K, 10K or marathon). Yes, there is something very wrong with me, but couldn't you tell that by now???
I don't know who or what put these thoughts in my head. Maybe it's all the non-runners asking "sooo, have you ever done that Boston marathon thing? Isn't that supposed to be hard to get in?" ... with my forced sulking response of "no... I missed it by 14 seconds." I firmly believe it's the cause of the undo pressure I put on myself race to race! Normally, I do better with a little extra pressure, but in my mind I've made "Boston" much bigger than it actually is!
Thoughts? We all need to relax about Boston and take some of this unneeded pressure off ourselves. On marathon mornings, if you feel great then run hard. If you don't make your boston time-- or any goal time, enjoy the race and appreciate that you've accomplished something only 1% o the US population (and much less for the world) have ever done!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Leading Ladies Marathon (#12)... Race RUNdown
This weekend I'll be completing my South Dakota Marathon- and guess what? It's all women!!!Inspiration Points...
1. No boys allowed!!!!
2. This race is all downhill!!! They bus you out to the start at 6,000 ft and run to the bottom at 3,400 ft. FUN!
3. 9th State this year... I will get my 4th spinny star on the maniacs!!!
4. South Dakota Redemption!!! Scroll to the bottom to hear my SD running story from 10 YEARS ago! I will get you back South Dakota!
The RUNdown #12 Leading Ladies Marathon
When: Sunday August 16, 2009
Where: Spearfish, SD
Year Running: 5th!
2009 Expected Field: 107 Currently Signed up
Age group Expected: 7 Currently Signed up
2008 Field: 97
...Females: 97! DUH!!!
...Age Group: 4
2008 Avg. Finish Time: 4:46:04
Weather:
Ummmm... can we say IDEAL? Yes, yes we can! Upper 40's??? OMG I'm beyond excited! I haven't ran a marathon in the 40's or even 50's since... well, ever!!! All of my races have been super hot and I'm SURE are in some part a cause to my leg cramps.If there were just a few showers through the race I would be VERY happy... Do you hear me mother nature??? If I have ideal weather conditions and make a PR I will plant a TREE!!!!
Course:
DOWNhill! It's supposed to be very fast and beautiful!
Some excerpts from Marathon Guide on the course...
~"This was, by far, the most beautiful course and one of the fastest courses I have run yet. Spearfish Canyon is not only breathtaking; it also has PR potential." (sounds like a plus)
~"I am not kidding when I say that the race runs entirely downhill - there are no flats to be found. There were points in the last eight miles where I thought I seriously wasn't going to be able to finish because of the pounding my legs and joints were taking" (Something to watch out for)
~Beautiful scenery the entire way; mostly downhill; great aid stations
... and I'm not just pulling out the "good" ratings. I didn't see a single bad one!
Race 411:
~Race Director, Elaine Doll-Dunn, is supposed to be amazing! Very inspiring and energetic. You very rarely hear people's ratings include comments about the director! I was shocked to see just HOW many people were raving about her.
~Water Stops- I've seen mixed reviews on the water stops. Some say they're fantastic and some say they're scanty. I will check it out this weekend and report back!
~This is a smaller, quieter marathon so the spectators will be far and few between. In this case, I'm ok with that! If you read the post on Hatfield-McCoy, I really enjoyed the quiet among the beautiful scenic view! This race is supposed to have amazing scenery.
Race Plan:
I've been feeling a little under the weather, but hopefully that clears up real fast!!! If the weather stays as perfect as it looks now I'm going to try for a hard race. We'll see how that goes! Of course I'll be bringing my many leg cramp remedies with me and testing them out. I will report back asap.
South Dakota... 1999:
10 years ago I was in 8th grade... yikes! I really don't like that I can remember 10 years ago, but that's a whole other story. Alright, in 8th grade I went on a Paavo running camp. Don't know what paavo is? It's an older running method that involves putting in a LOT of miles-- even for high school kids. In my experience it burns people out, but hey! it works for some.
The camp I went to was Paavo West-- two weeks of traveling by 15 passenger vans from IL out to WY then back, stopping 3 times a day to run... and by run, I mean run FAR! When we got to SD our mid day run was a 10 miler in the middle of summer, in 90-something degree heat with 100% humidity on black top. Who thinks this is a bad idea?? I DO!!!! About halfway we got to Mt. Rushmore, which is the last thing I remember seeing before waking up in a hospital. Something like 5 of us went to the hospital that day with heat exhaustion.
My goal? Get BACK at Mt. Rushmore!!! I'm 10 years stronger and I'm determined to have a much improved performance from my last visit! Bring it South Dakota!!!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Leg Cramp Solutions... AKA What will Stephanie ingest?!?
Problem: Severe Leg Cramps (specifically hamstrings)
Timing: Last 20%-25% of my marathons or intense long workouts
Last week I asked for Bloggie Input on late race leg cramps and any and all suggestions for alleviating the pain. I've compiled the list and it the response looks closer to a list of "what can we make Stephanie ingest???" I said I'd do it and I plan to attempt to try all of these. Well, here we go....
Solutions:
1) Source: BB of Slow Runnings Comment sent in
~ Solution: Hydration Vitamins (Electrolyte Tablets) to take DURING the marathon.
~ Product Info: You take 1 every hour for light sweating, 2 an hour for heavier sweating. It adds salt as well as electrolytes.
... Purchase Price: $16 for a bottle of 100 capsules.
Race Plan: I've purchased the pills. I'll take 2 before the race and carry 6-8 with me on the course in my new water bottle with pouch. I finally found a smallish hand held water bottle that has a pouch and comfy hand strap! Who's excited?? ME!!!
2) Source: MB, also supported by Greg.
~ Solution: Pickle Juice... Taken before the marathon
~ Product Info: Garry-- a co-worker, actually jars pickles and has some extra pickle juice lying around. How convenient!!! As yummy as that sounds, I may throw a little splenda in and some seltzer-- make in Majito-esque?? Gross. Bonus!!!... Kyle's roommate is unbelievably afraid of pickles. Folks you cannot make this stuff up! He's absurdly afraid of pickles, pickle juice, pickle smell. Bonus? I can chase him around with my cup o' pickle juice!!!
Timing: Last 20%-25% of my marathons or intense long workouts
Last week I asked for Bloggie Input on late race leg cramps and any and all suggestions for alleviating the pain. I've compiled the list and it the response looks closer to a list of "what can we make Stephanie ingest???" I said I'd do it and I plan to attempt to try all of these. Well, here we go....
Solutions:
1) Source: BB of Slow Runnings Comment sent in
~ Solution: Hydration Vitamins (Electrolyte Tablets) to take DURING the marathon.
~ Product Info: You take 1 every hour for light sweating, 2 an hour for heavier sweating. It adds salt as well as electrolytes.
... Purchase Price: $16 for a bottle of 100 capsules.
Race Plan: I've purchased the pills. I'll take 2 before the race and carry 6-8 with me on the course in my new water bottle with pouch. I finally found a smallish hand held water bottle that has a pouch and comfy hand strap! Who's excited?? ME!!!
2) Source: MB, also supported by Greg.~ Solution: Pickle Juice... Taken before the marathon
~ Product Info: Garry-- a co-worker, actually jars pickles and has some extra pickle juice lying around. How convenient!!! As yummy as that sounds, I may throw a little splenda in and some seltzer-- make in Majito-esque?? Gross. Bonus!!!... Kyle's roommate is unbelievably afraid of pickles. Folks you cannot make this stuff up! He's absurdly afraid of pickles, pickle juice, pickle smell. Bonus? I can chase him around with my cup o' pickle juice!!!
~ WOW: http://www.goldenpicklejuice.com/ They make pickle juice as a product!!! And sell it.. for money!!!! I'm shocked.
... Purchase Price: ~$3.00
Race Plan: During the week I'll drink a cup a night and try to come up with some better tasting concoctions. I won't be able to carry pickle juice onto the plane so as soon as I land in Rapid City I'll have to swing by a store and get some pickles. Ill drink a cup the night before and a cup the morning of. GAG!
3) Source: Runner Dude-- unknowingly posted on the subject
~Solution: Coconut Water ... taken before, during, or after
~Product Info: One of the latest running craze's. I've tried this before and 1 out of the 4 of us liked it... fortunately that 1 was me! I did not try it before or during a race so that will be new. The taste isn't bad. Since I crave salt all the time I think its a nice post race drink. We'll see how it does before.
... Purchase Price: $2-$3- depending on how many you purchase at once.
Race Plan: We have a nice long bus ride out to the start so I'll be taking along a coconut water. I'll also have to pick some up when I get to rapid city. If I can find a way to drop some along the course I will!
4) Source: Mel- Tall Mom comment sent in
~ Solution: Mustard Packet... exqueeze me??? Apparently taken upon the first signs of leg cramps. Oh boy, here we go...
~Product Info: Mustard packet, containing... well, mustard. The hard part... I HATE mustard. But, I did say I'll try anything. I'm hoping the above solutions will work so well I won't NEED to try this, but if need be... sigh
... purchase price: Free (grab some at any work cafe or any place that you can grab condiments to go)
Race Plan: Along with my Gel packs I'll be carrying a packet or mustard. Oh that's just going to look like I lost my mind... oh wait, I'm running 20 marathons this year-- THAT may make me look like I'm losing my mind already. Damn
5) Source: Marlene Comment sent in
... Purchase Price: ~$3.00
Race Plan: During the week I'll drink a cup a night and try to come up with some better tasting concoctions. I won't be able to carry pickle juice onto the plane so as soon as I land in Rapid City I'll have to swing by a store and get some pickles. Ill drink a cup the night before and a cup the morning of. GAG!
3) Source: Runner Dude-- unknowingly posted on the subject
~Solution: Coconut Water ... taken before, during, or after
~Product Info: One of the latest running craze's. I've tried this before and 1 out of the 4 of us liked it... fortunately that 1 was me! I did not try it before or during a race so that will be new. The taste isn't bad. Since I crave salt all the time I think its a nice post race drink. We'll see how it does before.
... Purchase Price: $2-$3- depending on how many you purchase at once.
Race Plan: We have a nice long bus ride out to the start so I'll be taking along a coconut water. I'll also have to pick some up when I get to rapid city. If I can find a way to drop some along the course I will!
4) Source: Mel- Tall Mom comment sent in
~ Solution: Mustard Packet... exqueeze me??? Apparently taken upon the first signs of leg cramps. Oh boy, here we go...
~Product Info: Mustard packet, containing... well, mustard. The hard part... I HATE mustard. But, I did say I'll try anything. I'm hoping the above solutions will work so well I won't NEED to try this, but if need be... sigh
... purchase price: Free (grab some at any work cafe or any place that you can grab condiments to go)
Race Plan: Along with my Gel packs I'll be carrying a packet or mustard. Oh that's just going to look like I lost my mind... oh wait, I'm running 20 marathons this year-- THAT may make me look like I'm losing my mind already. Damn
5) Source: Marlene Comment sent in
~ Solution: Quad strength training... obviously prior to the race. Although it would be kind of funny to see somebody doing squats on the side of the road.
~ Info: The idea is to strengthen the quad to help the hamstring. A lot of pain is caused by a weaker opposite muscle. Strength training is also great for injury prevention!
... Purchase Price: There are a lot of leg strengthening exercises that can be done with or without weights. Unfortunately I go to an overpriced gym so I'll be attempting to get my moneys worth and use their weights!
Race Plan: Unfortunately I won't get a lot of strength training in prior to the race (this weekend) but I definitely have to pick up on my strength training. I'll do 1 or 2 days of LIGHT leg strength training to get them stretched and race ready.
Other items to try...
~ Multi Vitamins... WITHOUT iron. Apparently iron can be difficult to take in mineral form, causing people to feel sick and/or vomit. I'm one of these people. Fortunately they make a multi vitamin sans iron!
~ Stretching!!!! All week before
~ Leg rollers... also all week before
~ I'll also be trying a little swimming to try and stay loose without overexerting myself.
~ Hope! I believe in hope and if you want me to stop complaining about never hitting my BQ time you will too!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Leg Cramps... Bloggie input???
With California off the list I'm looking to my next Marathon in a week!
And the next state will be....
South Dakota!!! *Cheer & applause*
If you've been reading along then you've probably noticed my small hitch in running... leg cramps! Particularly, hamstring cramps. I seemed to be getting pain in my hamstrings anywhere between mile 16 and mile 26 that feels as though someone is jabbing knives into me. I've been told these are cramps. So... I'm looking for YOUR help!!! Below are my list of problems/solution, but if you have any other tricks/tips to add please feel free! I'm desperate and will try anything... even if that involves drinking a bottle of pickle juice-- apparently!!!! I'll post the accumulated list early next week and we can play guinea pig... with myself acting as the guinea pig. I'll try anything... well nearly anything!
Problems... (what is causing the pain)
~ Cramps... from dehydration
~ Cramps... from lack of Salt
~ Muscle fatigue... from lack of muscle strengthening (with these tree trunks?? Please!)
~ Muscle fatigue... from running 9 marathons this year idiot (toward me)!!!
Possible Solutions...
~ Constant influx of cytomax for a week before the race. This is supposed to help with hydration.
~ Pickle Juice... I'm not even kidding. MB threw out this tid bit. It's an old school remedy, but I'm willing to try. The idea is to get salt directly into your system. Anybody know how MUCH pickle juice??
~ Strength training those hammies!!! (with the number of marathons I've been doing and my speed workouts, its been difficult to get a lot of strength training in). So I've added in a few workouts posted in runners world that Ryan Hall does! I'm a HUGE proponent of strength training for both adding speed and for injury prevention!!! What do I normally do?...
... Walking lunges... forwards and backward*** my favorite
... Box step-ups--- ryan adds a twist with uneven weighted box steps. This is supposed to help your hip muscle and IT band issues.
~Salt Tabs? These are not easy to transport while racing so I'll have to figure something out.
And the next state will be....
South Dakota!!! *Cheer & applause*
If you've been reading along then you've probably noticed my small hitch in running... leg cramps! Particularly, hamstring cramps. I seemed to be getting pain in my hamstrings anywhere between mile 16 and mile 26 that feels as though someone is jabbing knives into me. I've been told these are cramps. So... I'm looking for YOUR help!!! Below are my list of problems/solution, but if you have any other tricks/tips to add please feel free! I'm desperate and will try anything... even if that involves drinking a bottle of pickle juice-- apparently!!!! I'll post the accumulated list early next week and we can play guinea pig... with myself acting as the guinea pig. I'll try anything... well nearly anything!
Problems... (what is causing the pain)
~ Cramps... from dehydration
~ Cramps... from lack of Salt
~ Muscle fatigue... from lack of muscle strengthening (with these tree trunks?? Please!)
~ Muscle fatigue... from running 9 marathons this year idiot (toward me)!!!
Possible Solutions...
~ Constant influx of cytomax for a week before the race. This is supposed to help with hydration.
~ Pickle Juice... I'm not even kidding. MB threw out this tid bit. It's an old school remedy, but I'm willing to try. The idea is to get salt directly into your system. Anybody know how MUCH pickle juice??
~ Strength training those hammies!!! (with the number of marathons I've been doing and my speed workouts, its been difficult to get a lot of strength training in). So I've added in a few workouts posted in runners world that Ryan Hall does! I'm a HUGE proponent of strength training for both adding speed and for injury prevention!!! What do I normally do?...
... Walking lunges... forwards and backward*** my favorite
... Box step-ups--- ryan adds a twist with uneven weighted box steps. This is supposed to help your hip muscle and IT band issues.
~Salt Tabs? These are not easy to transport while racing so I'll have to figure something out.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
San Francisco Marathon Race Ratings
Ratings...Overall Race Rating (weighted): 2.8/5.0
Average Calculated Rating: 3.2/5.0
~ Upon completing the race I had a number of people ask me "how was it??" And I couldn't seem to muster up any sort of excitement and simply replied "it's over!" When the very best part of the race is having it done and over with that is never good. It was a nice trip to California and it was VERY cool to run across the GG bridge... but other than that, the race greatly lacked in overall organization! I know it's one of the bigger races, but I've seen other larger races go off with more organization and energy than this.
Race Director: Let's play race director! What would I change?...
~ Ditch the eco-friendly cups, or find larger sized ones! Since the race is so early, follow the lead of some smaller races... make a "neighborhood competition" for which area has the most spirit-- let the runners vote! Please ditch the second half, half-marathoners! The first half is enough to deal with them as they speed by at mile 13, knowing you have 13 more to go-- we don't need them doing the same at mile 26! If the start/finish is in a major metro area, make the expo there too! There were plenty of buildings/centers to have it! The waves... I see the point, but there has to be a more organized way of doing it. This race really isn't THAT big.
Organization: 2.5/5.0
~ CUPS!!!! This was my biggest complaint about the race. Those eco friendly cups were TINY and made it very hard to stay hydrated. I usually carry a water bottle so I only have to slow down to fill up 2 or 3 times. But with such little cups, I would have needed to stop for a long time to fill cup after cup or stop at every water station. This was unexpected and unpleasant. Also, if you read the last post there were some serious issues with timing. My time was off by approx 25 minutes from where I expected it to be. Albeit, 25 minutes FASTER, it was still off.
Organization: 2.5/5.0
~ CUPS!!!! This was my biggest complaint about the race. Those eco friendly cups were TINY and made it very hard to stay hydrated. I usually carry a water bottle so I only have to slow down to fill up 2 or 3 times. But with such little cups, I would have needed to stop for a long time to fill cup after cup or stop at every water station. This was unexpected and unpleasant. Also, if you read the last post there were some serious issues with timing. My time was off by approx 25 minutes from where I expected it to be. Albeit, 25 minutes FASTER, it was still off.
Course: 4.5/5.0
~ The course was definitely cool! We got to cross the golden gate bridge TWICE... although hilly, it was definitely fun for an out-of-stater. The course also took you through a couple of the parks, providing some shade, including one with bison??? Who knew!
~ The course was definitely cool! We got to cross the golden gate bridge TWICE... although hilly, it was definitely fun for an out-of-stater. The course also took you through a couple of the parks, providing some shade, including one with bison??? Who knew!
~Point Loss: The timing of the race made it so we were running across the bridges and up a few major hills in a LOT of fog! The fog was difficult to breath in and made it difficult to see too far ahead in the course.
Spectators: 3.2/5.0
~ There were spectators throughout a lot of the race, but spirits weren't very high. Water stations had very little cheering, but we'll cut them a break since the race started SO early.
Pace Group: 2.0/5.0
Spectators: 3.2/5.0
~ There were spectators throughout a lot of the race, but spirits weren't very high. Water stations had very little cheering, but we'll cut them a break since the race started SO early.
Pace Group: 2.0/5.0
~ Since I was one of the pacers I'm allowed to be this judgmental. A lot of the groups seemed really on pace and pretty high spirited. However, with the confusion in the 3:50 group (mine) as well as the delay between wave starts, pacing seemed to help very few.
Runner/Corrals: 3.0/5.0
~ The race went off in "waves" which I supposed they put in from comments last year, however these weren't ideal. The waves were heavily weighted in the middle groups (3 &4) which made for some delay starting. Also, they put a few too many minutes between waves, creating a situation where pacers were almost void. Depending on where people started, they could attempt to estimate how they were running based on pacers. The runners were very quite the whole race-- very little spirit. I don't know if that's a California thing or if the hills were just a little much for everyone!
Runner/Corrals: 3.0/5.0
~ The race went off in "waves" which I supposed they put in from comments last year, however these weren't ideal. The waves were heavily weighted in the middle groups (3 &4) which made for some delay starting. Also, they put a few too many minutes between waves, creating a situation where pacers were almost void. Depending on where people started, they could attempt to estimate how they were running based on pacers. The runners were very quite the whole race-- very little spirit. I don't know if that's a California thing or if the hills were just a little much for everyone!
Expo: 3.2/5.0
~ I had heard the expo was a little small in the past for the size of the race, but we were assured (via a message from the director on marathon guide.com) that they were working on the expo. The expo seemed to be pretty big, but some of the booths were a little unusual and looked to be space fillers. They DID have a booth selling major brand shoes for only $50. I got a new pair of the under armor footsleeves that I've been dying to get but hadn't wanted to spend the money. The location was NOT ideal... fairly out of the way from downtown and not even close to the race start/finish area. The expo itself was also a little messy... the race merchandise had very little available by early afternoon the day before the race. Good point... you COULD meet Dean and Bart!!!
~ I had heard the expo was a little small in the past for the size of the race, but we were assured (via a message from the director on marathon guide.com) that they were working on the expo. The expo seemed to be pretty big, but some of the booths were a little unusual and looked to be space fillers. They DID have a booth selling major brand shoes for only $50. I got a new pair of the under armor footsleeves that I've been dying to get but hadn't wanted to spend the money. The location was NOT ideal... fairly out of the way from downtown and not even close to the race start/finish area. The expo itself was also a little messy... the race merchandise had very little available by early afternoon the day before the race. Good point... you COULD meet Dean and Bart!!!
Swag: 4.1/5.0
The TShirt they gave out was a nice tech T with a basic design. The medals were pretty neat. They are "coaster" medals. I didn't know what this meant before the race, but apparently there are little tabs on the backside of the medal so that it can be easily used as a drink coaster. That was different
The TShirt they gave out was a nice tech T with a basic design. The medals were pretty neat. They are "coaster" medals. I didn't know what this meant before the race, but apparently there are little tabs on the backside of the medal so that it can be easily used as a drink coaster. That was different
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