kalalau's Group - FULL for now (Page 31)

Ah.  So how many aid stations were there?

Plastic cups are kind of a bad idea, and races are generally staying away from such things because it's not very "green."  Once when I did the Ocean City Marathon, we had plastic cups, and 40mph winds.  One aid station was right against the beach dunes at Assateague Island, and they were being blown all over that pristine island.  That was pretty sad.  The plastic cups blow pretty far.  With the regular paper cups you can crunch them to prevent them from blowing away.

"They" say not to take NSAIDS (Aleve) while racing, it can screw up your kidney function and the ability to take in electrolytes.  They scared me off and I try Tylonel now, but I'm still not sure I should even take that because it can upset the stomach.

If you want to find alternatives to running, you could do the elliptical machine for a while as long as you can keep up the heart rate.  And of course keep up the swimming and biking.

I was pretty darn hot in Virginia Beach on Sunday morning.  I was thinking about you while I was out there running at the same time.

I don't want to be too critical of this great race (1:54 is good, after all), but I agree that it's too hot to wear long sleeves.  It looks like a thick long sleeves at that. :-)  The temp is listed at 65 degrees on the results page.  I wouldn't consider long sleeves until you get down into the mid 40s.  I'm one to say "better to be warm than cold" as well but as a wussy "I'm cold" person, I can honestly tell you even 50 degrees is sort of warm for a long sleeve.  It's a classic newbie mistake; it's ok.  You can look at the folks in a race and tell who the people who are going to suffer and be back of the pack, because they are overdressed.  Look at what the fast people are wearing.

My favorite marathon article of all time has good guidelines on clothes:

How To Survive A Marathon

Excerpt:

We suggest that if the race day temperature is above 55 degrees, run in shorts and a singlet. If you opt for a short-sleeve shirt, make sure the shirt is made of "Cool Max" type of material.

...snip...

If the weather during the race is going to be between 45 and 55 degrees, run in shorts and a short-sleeve Cool Max shirt. If the weather is windy and/or raining, move to a long-sleeved Cool Max shirt. (Remember--no cotton as the first layer!) You should also consider wearing throw-away cotton gloves--these can be purchased at the pre-race expo for about $2 a pair.

If the weather during the race is going to be below 45 degrees and overcast, windy and/or raining, consider running in lightweight tights, a long-sleeve Cool Max shirt, with a short-sleeve, throw-away cotton shirt as an additional layer. If you are inclined to wear a jacket, we suggest the "paper" Tyvek jackets because they can be easily wrapped around your waist if you become too hot, or simply "pitched" in a trash receptacle along the route.

If the temperature is going to be in the 30s, you should stay with the lightweight tights and long-sleeve Cool Max shirt, but consider wearing a slightly heavier wind-resistant jacket. (If the forecast calls for dropping temperatures, rainy and/or windy conditions, then keep your trash bag and put it on when the weather turns.)

Imagine how fast Abbie will be when she works all this stuff out. :-)

If your foot is ok, yes another half marathon on the 18th is fine.  Can you put any kind of cold compress or something on it?  Anything that resembles cold?

I thought about coming up for that one, but 3+ hour drive puts me into an overnight stay for sure, and I'm not sure it's smart for me to run a half marathon the week after the Baltimore Marathon.  We'll see how I feel once the marathon is done.  I'm also not sure how the girlfriend would accept me coming up to do a race with some woman off the internet that she (nor I) have met. :-)

Doh, I forgot to mention something about gels.  The only gatorade on course was one aid station late in the race?  I would've had 3 gels in the race in that case.  One before, one at mile 5, one at mile 10.  I've probably had halves where I only took one gel and that is probably ok too.  Going a whole half marathon without a gel and only one gatorade, probably slowed you up a bit.  Could've been the total reason you trailed off, really.

Ah, ok that gel plan sounds fine. 

Yes the ocean is so wonderful after running, I love it. :-)

Advice for avoiding blisters or once you have them?  Once you have them, it's hard to run with them so I will pierce them with a sterile needle or something and then put antibiotic gel on it to prevent infection and then put a bandaid on it.  I don't always do that though, it depends on how bad it is and what I want to do with running.  To prevent them, you could get shoes that have more room in the area where you got it, or get some different socks that might work better for you.  Lately I have been wearing Injinji toe socks, they are pretty cool and they seem to work.  But they are expensive and they wear out quicker.

There is one spot where I tend to get a blister on my little toe due to the way I run, and sometimes I will bandaid that spot before a marathon to keep it from sliding under the next toe and creating that blister.  I think we are all going to have different trouble spots because we are different, and just figure out how best to fix that spot without changing our running form.

You won't be cold if you use the guidelines from that article.  You will be cold at the start, and that can be resolved by wearing some throwaway clothes or a plastic bag.  It's amazing how much your body heats up with running.  It's so easy to forget that and overdress, I still do it by mistake sometimes.

The fast runners wear singlets in pretty cold weather.  I haven't gotten to that point yet probably because I look awful in a singlet. :-)

I'm not going to pretend that you will run faster without an ipod. :-)  But if you get competitive I see you more focused on running fast than bringing along gadgets.  That's what I see out there in races.  Plus, most races officially tell you that you can't wear those things, though the rule is not enforced too often.

Ok lemme clarify then, if your results start to get really competitive, and you get more experienced, you probably won't be wearing earphones. :-)  At the B&A Marathon one year they actually announced after the race that they were writing down bib numbers, and those people would be disqualified from the race, and they were then banned from all Annapolis Strider races in the future.  Now, they may or may not have followed through on that (likely not) but that's the most serious I've seen it get.  I have seen race people scream at runners who finish with headphones on.  It's been a losing battle they are fighting.  At one point it was a UST&F rule but last year they ruled that race directors can make up their own minds.  But since this rule is in place due to insurance policies, it is likely to stay.

If you are as competitive as you say you are, then the boredom in long races will be resolved because you are always eying up the next person to overtake.  "I can catch that guy."

The people with earphones drive me nuts.  They have no knowledge of what is going on around them.  Why not just go home and run by yourself. :-)  Sorry but that's what I think when I see them.  They frequently cut you off around turns because they don't know you are there.  With that in mind, I will make sure they know I am there because I won't move as they try to cut me off.  Go ahead and get surprised, I know what's going on around me and am not surprised. ;-)

Race directors don't like it because they can't hear instructions from race people, or cops, or cars that may hit them.

I actually did see a guy wear earphones in the Osprey Sprint last weekend.  Imagine that, taking the time to put on earphones in a sprint tri, where every second counts, and for a 5k. :-)  Though, I heard rumors that someone (maybe same guy) had them on the bike as well, which is actually illegal.

We just got a really good email from a local running store guy, about how to dress for the marathon or half this weekend.  The thing that stood out to me was:

"Just remember, with just shorts and singlet you will run twenty degrees hotter than the ambient air temperature. Several years ago, a twenty-two year old died of heat exhaustion at the Chicago marathon. His core body temperature was 107 degrees on a course whose temperature was 41 degrees when he collapsed."

Here is the email...

Dressing for the Marathon / 1/2 Marathon

Late fall marathons in the mid-Atlantic can be subject to a wide range of weather conditions. Ideally, an October weekend will produce a cool day with high temperatures in the low fifties and overcast skies. The spectators will want clear skies and mid-70's, but then again they aren't running the race.

As I write the forecast for Saturday is almost perfect - lows in the 40's, high's in the low 60's, and partly cloudy to sunny.  Almost perfect marathoning weather.  But a front may stall and we could get rain too.  Keep watching the forecast!  The day may be cold, windy, and raining, or it may be even turn out hot and sultry. So how do you prepare?

Before I go much further, let me just say that cotton is a killer regardless of the temperature. Cotton shirts, shorts, and socks retain moisture, they cause chafing and blistering, and they do not cool well or retain body heat.

Rule number one - except for gloves and possibly tube socks (see below) avoid cotton except as listed below.

First - if it is a hot day. (Let's define a hot day coming as being warm enough to stand around in shorts and T-shirt for an hour before the marathon with out getting chilled.) It is the easiest to dress for because you simply wear shorts and singlet, or perhaps a short sleeve T-shirt. Some men may opt to go shirtless, some women may elect to wear a jogbra in lieu of a shirt. If it is warm in the morning, then you simply show up at the starting line in racing attire. This should consist of synthetic fabrics with wicking properties like UnderArmour produces. A host of other technical running fabrics are on the market also, just don't wear cotton!

Second, let's take the probable and hoped for scenario - cool, crisp autumn days. Mid-thirties, maybe even some frost on the windshield in the early morning, but noontime temperature in the fifties or low sixties.

Step One - go to Falls Road Running Store and buy very expensive cold weather gear.
Step Two - throw it all away at the start
Step Three - go buy some more the next week.

Seriously, if the marathon weather looks to be damp and chilly in the morning, and warming to the seventies at mid-day, here are my suggestions:

Wear a base layer of shorts and singlet,/Tee shirt plus gloves to keep your fingers warm. If you plan to be on the course for an extended period, wear a long-sleeve UnderArmour shirt instead.

Wear a couple of cotton Tee shirts over your base layer to keep you warm before the race starts.

Wear a garbage bag over your Tee shirts to the start. Cut a hole for your head in the bottom, and two holes for your arms in the sides, and you are ready. On occasion I have seen women wearing giant garbage bags use them as portable spot-a-pots before a race, finding a convenient grate in a parking lot or tree .

Maybe, if it is really chilly, wear some throw-a-way sweatpants under the garbage bag.

Just before the race starts, throw away the garbage bag. Once the race starts, begin stripping down incrementally to your base layer as you warm up. Some folks will throw everything away just before the start, others will peel off in layers as the race progresses. If the temps are in the high thirties/low forties at the start, I imagine that everyone will be thoroughly warmed up by the time they get to Druid Hill Park.

If you have expensive clothing , either wrap it around your waist or have some spectator friends ready to take it at a designated drop-off point along the course. I just don't think it will be there if you throw it on the sidewalk while crossing North Avenue and come back for it later in the day.

On your hands, wear some gloves. Cheap cotton gloves from the Expo will work on a dry day, but get a good pair of synthetics or wool if it is wet or you have Raynaud's syndrome.

Several early miles of the course will be run with the rising sun in your face, as well various sections of the last five miles that will be run into the noonday sun. You may want to consider wearing a hat with a brim or sunshades if the sun bothers your eyes.

If it turns out to be a very dry and really cold day, and you want to wear a singlet or short sleeve Tee, go to a department store and buy some cheap cotton tube socks. Cut out the ends and slide them over your arms. When you begin to heat up, you can take them off and throw them away.

Just remember, with just shorts and singlet you will run twenty degrees hotter than the ambient air temperature. Several years ago, a twenty-two year old died of heat exhaustion at the Chicago marathon. His core body temperature was 107 degrees on a course whose temperature was 41 degrees when he collapsed.

The moral? Listen to what your body is telling you!

Let's take a very cold, blustery, rainy, day.

Step number one is your base layer. Depending upon how long you expect to be on the course may also determine the type of clothing that you will wear. A runner trying to break three hours can dress in much less clothing than someone who expects to be on the course for five hours. The breakpoint is probably around 3:30, based on your own metabolic rate.

Your base layer for your torso should probably be a long-sleeve UnderArmour shirt. Depending upon how cold it really is, you may consider a second layer on the top. Finally, a water-resistant, breathable jacket may be in order, especially if you think you will be on the course for a very long time.

Your base layer for your lower body may be just shorts. Again, if you will be on the course for an extended period of time, you may decide to wear tights. In that case your base layer may consist of UnderArmour athletic underwear.

The problem with tights is that if you haven't worn them yet this year, well, you may discover some areas that chafe, and you don't want to find that out in the middle of the marathon.

Speaking of chafing, if you are trying out something new, it is advisable to buy BodyGlide and apply liberally to all areas that may be subject to chafing. In particular these include between the thighs, under the armpits, for women underneath the jogbra, and for men over the nipples.

Body Glide and other lubricants such as Body Lube, Body Slick, etc, are generally superior to vaseline in that they last longer and do not damage or discolor your running attire like petroleum jelly products will. However, if it is a cold day and you are running in shorts, you may want to apply a thin layer of vaseline over your quadriceps and on the exposed portion of your face.

On a wet, cold, day, you may consider wool socks instead of CoolMax socks.  And again, you should not be running in anything that you haven't practiced running with before.

On your hands, you should wear gloves made of synthetic materials or wool. On cold, wet, days, cotton gloves will kill your fingers.

And also, a hat with a brim may help keep the rain out of your eyes.

The bottom line is to prepare for the worst, yet hope for the best.

I was going to say this as well but I was feeling guilty for already pointing out things. :-)  When I run I am constantly analyzing my situation and what adjustments I need to make.  I find that harder to do if there's a distraction like a player.

Yep those are bad too. :-)  Once at the Honolulu Marathon, I was running with a friend at the start, and some dude was in the middle of the 30,000 crowd, walking the opposite way.  It is very packed, so my friend slammed right into him and neither saw each other.  Their chest banged loudly together, it was pretty amazing.

If I have to stop at an aid station, I try to grab the water, then head up a bit and off to the side.  Late in the race, that takes effort though. :-)  I do see it early in the race which is annoying.

That would be pretty spooky, being on the C&O Canal at 4am!  I don't remember seeing headlamps, but you guys must've had them huh?

You'd have learned all this eventually, and a lot of this you will adjust to.  It's just a race scene and not normal activities, so you have to get used to it.

Wait til you do one of the big marathons when you are in a crowd of 20,000-30,000 people. :-)  Now that is stuffy and packed.  The people in the back, don't even get to cross the starting line until over 15 minutes after the start sometimes.  Thankfully, even though everyone walks to the start, somehow everyone finds room to start jogging when they hit that mat.

The big marathons are a hassle, and it's stuffy and annoying, but it's really a sight to see, and cool to be a part of.  Everyone should do one big marathon at some point. :-)

That's funny that all happened at the same time we had that conversation. :-)  Cool

What's the plan for this weekend Steve?

Becky, Josh, how ya feeling?  Did you get your pace bracelets and sign up for a pace group?

There's hot marines at MCM? I guess so if they are dressed in long sleeves and pants on those hot days. :-)

Actually I never did notice hot marines.  I don't think they are my type. :-)  I'm not sure what would stick out as being hot with those big baggy clothes they wear.

It would've been pretty funny if you were logged in at J when you typed that.

Sign up for the group, and don't wear the sign on the back then.  Or take it off once you fall back. They are going to force you to sign up in order to get a pace band, it is extortion. :-)

Roger will be hanging out for a while around that time, and I will show up.

Even if you wore the sign, the whole pack trails off at some point anyway.  We won't be finishing with many of the 4:15 folks.

I am hearing that the packet pickup line is pretty long.  When I went it was pretty empty.

Have a good race!!