SWBKRUN -CLOSED DUE TO TRAINING (Page 37)

I particularly enjoyed the article 'Beer Run' in this month's Runner's World!!

I love this group.  And John I will never be able to sing or watch Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer again.

No racing for me.  Still trying to get back on my feet from my holiday flu/strep bug.  Not much time reading these days but I do love reading all kinds of short articles on nutrition and running to pick up little tidbits of helpfulness.

The island of the misfits, wasn't it?!?

Not racing this weekend, but I just finished reading "Going Long: Legends, Oddballs, Comebacks and Adventures," which is a collection of the best stories from Runners World. One of the stories was about Matt Long, the FDNY firefighter (and Ironman) that came back from a horrific bike-bus accident to run the NYC Marathon.

I am reading "The Long Run" by Matt Long the NY firefighter. Very inspiring since he faced death being hit by a bus while cycling in NYC. His rehab and comeback to athletics is motivating me very much! Great read!

This really is a good read.  Especially for 1st timers... Easy reading as well.

Iron Heart is another good read!

No racing for me.  Read?  Really?  Who has time to read when they are not on vacation???? 

No racing for me this week.

My reading attention span is only about a magazine article long but I haven't read anything lately that I remember.
And i have never listened to a podcast... guess I live in a black hole... Haha!

No racing for me.  I've been adding run form drills to my week.  That was a shock to my system and left my calves incredibly sore for a few days.  It's getting better now, and I can already feel a difference in my runs.  I did an 8 mile run tonight in my Minimus trail shoes and really focused on holding good form as long as I could--and then a while longer.  My time averaged 10:45 min/mi.  This is very good for me at that distance.  Something's working.

Books:  Born to Run changed my life.  I just finished reading it for the second time.  Now I'm reading, "Running on Empty" by Marshall Ulrich.  I'm trying to get my head wrapped around this ultra running thing.  I'm hoping it will help me stay focused on my role as pacer for Ryan at Leadville. 

John, go ahead and talk about your small irritations, where ever they may be!

Doxie, congrats on the 70.3 commitment.

I'm racing this weekend.  Just an 8k race but it should be lots of fun.  We're expecting a bunch of snow on Friday and then the race is Saturday morning. Chocolate themed race with hot chocolate and chocolate candy for recovery in the warming tent after the race.

Good luck, Scott!  that sounds like fun...especially the hot chocolate part. 

Started to look at flights this morning.  Do I bring the kids or not?  It will be Nicholas' first week of school (1st grade) so I'm hesitant based on that alone.  Alexa can miss daycare no problem.  But then there is the issue with the hotel room (reservation at the Concourse Hotel with 2 Queen beds).  They are night owls and, from experience at Timberman, they fought bedtime pretty hard.  Then there is the issue of what would they do all day.   Overall, I really want them there but when I think of the logistics I wonder if its better for them to stay home. Thoughts???

MM - can't help with the logistics as I've never traveled for a race, and my kids are older

No racing for me this weekend. Heck, my first race isn't until June!

I've started re-reading Be Iron Fit. I first read it last year, and thought it was great. Really gave me some perspective on training, whats important, and the mental aspects. Despite being aimed at the longer races, it was informative, even for a semi-newb like myself.

I have a lot of questions. Who will look after your kids while you race? They are 3.5 and 5.5 years old so they will need someone there while you are out on the course for 4-6 hours. I don't sleep well before most races, so if you are the same then their being night-owls might not be a big deal. My biggest issue with having my kids at a race was 2 years ago, It was their first time and they were in constant need of attention, This was a major distraction for me up until the race started. It was real hard to get my head into the race.

Having said that, I am hoping to bring them to Florida for my full IM. My wife will have them in tow and other MG members are bringing their kids. Other than that race and the Sprint in my neighborhood I actually prefer not to have them at my races. Kind of like when I played hockey. That took all my concentration and was a great escape from everything in daily life.

Are there any activities at the race for families with Kids? That might make a difference.

No racing for me, just getting fatter...

I used to listen to the Ben Greenfield podcast.  He had a lot of strange herbal stuff on it and a lot of marketing, but between those I thought there were some pretty useful tips and tricks.

Ouch, I've had some tri-shorts do that, not fun.

We bring our kids to a lot of races.  It does take a bit of planning to figure out what they will do during the day to keep them entertained but it's usually doable if we scout things out ahead of time.  Is there anything at the race site to keep them entertained?  I know Mooseman a few years back had coloring books, Wii's, games, etc, and the water to play in all day (even though it was freezing)

Though to be honest if you can swing it, it is much nicer to leave them home so you have one less thing to worry about.

Ha!  You mean 14-16 hours, right?  If they come, help comes too.  You're right, they will be a distraction.  But I really want them there.  I guess I'm wondering what there is for the kids to do while their parents are prepping/racing.  I don't want to make them miserably bored but having them there will be a huge motivator.  Too selfish? 

My kids have come to my races so far.  My husband usually finds playgrounds for them to hang out at while I'm on the course.  Sometimes they arrive a bit later, so they are not there for the swim start but see me for the first time on the bike.  Granted, I've only done shorter races, so it is a little different, they actually really like cheering (3.5 and almost 5 years old.)  They also really like getting taken to playgrounds...

I forget, which race are you doing again? 

I had my kids (now 9 and 11) at my two IMs and it is a TON of work for whomever is caring for them. My kids think IM is a blast because they end up getting to spend a lot more screen time than usual and they like swimming in the hotel pool. But it is a LONG day and there is not a ton for them to do. (MOO may be different?)

My family never saw me on race-day morning and they opted out of the swim exit (OK by me). The first IM I let them opt out of the bike entirely, and they hung out at a friend's lakeside house :45 from the race. They met me half-way through the run and at the finish. Finish was about 2 hours past my daughter's bedtime. Year two we had extra help (husband plus my parents), and again they opted out of swim exit, but they did see me twice on the bike and at a point on the run where I passed them twice and then at the finish. Pictures from the day show everyone at a restaurant for lunch, and I know the kids hung around playing their DS's much of the time!

I wanted the kids to see me finish, I'm glad they were there. They are glad they were there. But again, it is a TON of work for whomever is in charge of them. Leading up to the race I just checked stuff in and basically wanted to rest up and not do a ton... So I relied on others to keep them entertained/tired, or I chose sit-by-the-indoor-pool-at-the-hotel duty so I could rest while they played (and give my husband a small break).

IM Moo.  All my other races are close enough that they can show up for the run/finish without torturing them for longer than necessary.