Now, as a disclaimer, I am not a
professional marathoner nor am I working for any company that sells the
products that I am about to mention.
This is just what I have learned from my limited experience in running.
1. TRAIN
TRAIN TRAIN!!!
The morning of
the half marathon is really NOT the day to run the longest mileage yet. Now by that I mean (for example) don’t
“train” by running three miles like three times and then run this half
marathon. Yes, I did that, but I also
had a stress fracture in my foot from it as well. It is NOT a good idea. On this last one, I ran 4 mile and 7 mile
runs to practice. This was good enough
for me. Find what is best for you: run
longer, faster, etc.
2. Drink
more than just water!
Every few miles there will be a water
station. You can grab a cup, trot for a
minute while you sip/ chug/ slurp it down put some over your head. J
In between those points is when you’ll REALLY need hydration. Also know that sometimes you need more than
just water to stay hydrated. You need
salt (sodium).
I found a great “Gu” brand drink mix that I
like to use. It has “2x more sodium”
than other drink mixes. This appealed to
me since my body seems to force the salt out faster than the average
person. By the end of my first half
marathon, I was dizzy and almost passed out twice because of loss of salt in my
system.
3. Gu
Gels!
Now first
thing about these, there are other companies that make gels. I have only used the Gu brand and I like
them. There are some with and WITHOUT
caffeine. I prefer without. They do not upset my stomach like the other
ones do. Some people can just open and
slurp these things down. I cannot. I have to take my time and take “sips” of
them until it is gone. It is good to
start with your first one around mile 3 or 4.
The instructions say every 45 minutes of your workout or race. If you feel weak or run down, have them more
often. I had 3 in this last half
marathon: mile 3, 6 and 10. You can
practice on your training runs to see when you will need them. I did not, but it can’t hurt.
4. Get
a hydration belt!
If you are serious about running a LONG
distance, you NEED a hydration belt. You
can put your id, credit cards, phone in the pouch, Gu brand gels can go in the
small slots, and your drink mix/ water in the little water bottles. These are great for those in between point
hydration times.
There are different styles of belts. Research and find the one that you can
envision yourself using. I picked one
with two small bottles at the hips for $35.
If I only had one bottle at the back, I would go crazy! It bugged me enough that I ended up adjusting
mine (to stay more around my hips) during this race. Not to mention the belt with one bottle
bottle is tough to get out and who wants that thing sloshing around during your
run? Not this girl!!
5. Wear
comfy clothes!
I was amazed
at how many people were running in long sleeves and long pants. It was HOT.
I get super warm while running anyways, so I made sure to wear
shorts. Some people run with spandex on
under their shorts (like I do) others do not.
Wear what you feel comfortable wearing while you practice and train. Don’t go from wearing spandex then not…
you’ll hate life at mile 6 when your thighs are rubbing each other and chafing.
:/ That sounds awful. I like to have a
short sleeve or no sleeve shirt, a material that will soak up my slightly runny
nose (that I get while running).
6. Shoes.
Now, I know
there are vendors at the expo before a race and it is a great time to get a
deal on running shoes. Do NOT wear new shoes to a race. You will hate yourself (and so will your
feet). Again wear what you practice in. You will not regret it.
7. Sunglasses!
Holy oh MY
goodness!! Yes, yes, yes. Wear
sunglasses. I’m so glad I did during
this race. The sun was not only super
hot, but super bright. Protect your
peepers and wear sunglasses that you like and that won’t slip down your
nose. No one wants to constantly adjust
their glasses during a race.
I have my Oakley’s (that I splurged on, so
I could wear them in my everyday military uniform). I made sure that they had the rubber parts on
the ear pieces. One reviewer of this
product said she hung upside down with them on to make sure they would not fall
off her face (I guess she was doing a race with obstacles that she had to hang
from). These ones are great for me and
my small face.
8. MUSIC!
Not all races
will allow you have wear headphones or ear buds, so check and see if you are
allowed to on the race website. I made a
playlist of fast music that I really liked ahead of time. The problem I ran into was that I didn’t make
the playlist long enough. I figured that
while the music was set to shuffle that it would shuffle and repeat. It didn’t.
So there I am at mile 11 pulling my phone out, hitting play again and
trying to STUFF the phone back in the pouch and continue running. I’m sure it only added seconds to my time,
but WHAT A PAIN! Make sure you have
enough music on your phone, iPod etc that will last the entire run.
With that
being said, have a goal time you would like to run in. My first half marathon (with no real
training) I ran it in two and a half hours (or 2:30 min/hr). I wanted to do better this time and get about
a 2:05. I ended up running it in 2:21…
not exactly what I wanted or hoped for, but it was still faster than 2:30.
I started with the run time that I thought I could do. For short distances my average pace is about
9 minutes for a mile. After about mile 8
I slow down to 10 minutes and so on until I finish.
Come up with a goal and get motivated!
Train to meet this goal. And don’t get
too discouraged if you cannot achieve it.
No one seemed to know that this last race would be the weekend we would
get super hot weather. It was not
normal. That sure did slow me down.
Reflections
I certainly felt like a little kid during
this run. It was HOT!! I mean HOT for
Northern California. I, more than once,
found myself praying “Thank thee for trees and shade and wind… oh for that lady
with the water hose on her back porch that sprayed me.” I sounded like my three year olds with his nightly prayers:
“Thank thee for windows and the sky and my bed.”
I never thought I would be a runner. And I especially did not think I would like
it. I am not a great or fast runner, by
any means. I like that it is time for me
that is JUST FOR ME. I get out there and trot along (with a 10 minute pace or
so) and just think of things that have been bugging me. I get to really work out personal problems… I
mean really… what are you going to do for 13.1 miles? Knit? No! You’re going to run, listen to music, and have
your own thoughts to deal with.
Using these tips, I had a great run. I was not super fatigued at the end. I was not in SERIOUS pain. I did not pass out. And I even shaved 8 minutes off my over all time
from the first one I ran. I call that
winning.
Ashley
PS Please click on an ad to the right or below this post in hopes to raise some money for my little family. Thank you.
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