Race Day Preparation: Clothing, Fuel, and Race Information

And this is the post where I include way too many pictures of myself for my liking but it goes with the topic of preparing for race day so bear with me.

 It's that time.  A week out from a marathon.  Usually I wait until a couple of days before race day before I start thinking too deeply about things like what to wear, where to pick up my race bib, what I'll eat...yaddi yah yah.  But it is going on week two now of my coach dropping nice hints that he'd like me to be thinking ahead about such things so that I don't get overwhelmed trying to pack and think about it all at once.  And he's right, I probably will be better off for thinking of these things ahead of time.  Especially since I have quite a bit of other life stuff going on right now.

I guess, I'd like to start by saying that this is not a fashion running blog.  Ha!  I hope I don't offend anyone but what I race in is so much more about FUNCTION than it is about FASHION.  In fact, I don't give a hoot whether I'm color coordinated or if my socks look good with my ears.  I don't care about sparkle or bling or too many accessories.  I do care a little about looking good when I run (I'd be lying if I said I didn't care at all). I think when you LOOK GOOD you FEEL GOOD.  But what looks good to me is often what feels good and this isn't always what looks good to others.  Ha!  I only own a few pairs of running shorts that I wear (I know what I like and I'm all about keeping things simple with my wardrobe)  and I'm sure many of you would think I'm awfully gross due to the fact that I've worn pretty much the same pair of 3/4 compression tights for almost every run this training cycle.  And no, I don't wash them after every run.  That's just nonsense to me when I'm going to sweat again anyway.  I wear them because they work in keeping my left leg holding in there.  And you know, I'll probably wear them on race day too.  Even if they do make my ass look like a squished up bagel.

So, in deciding what to wear on race day, I'm considering these things:

• comfort
• weather
• how my leg feels
• representing Brooks and Nuun (I'll probably wear my Nuun visor).  

The picture at the top there is what I sent to my friend Jenn as I started to toss around what I wanted to wear.  I think we both agreed that the Nuun shirt underneath the vest would be too hot.  Just the vest and arm warmers with a tank underneath is probably enough.

Okay, maybe this is the one I sent Jenn.  :) 

 I do know that if it is on the cooler side, I do want to wear one of my favorite Brook's Essential Run Vests.  Love these things!  I wear them daily!

If it is warmer (btw, I haven't checked the weather in Napa ONCE so far...I should do that!) and my leg is feeling okay with just KtTape then I might just wear my yellow and black Brooks tank/short I wore in my last two marathons, Boston and Foot Traffic Flat.

This was around mile 22 of my marathon after Boston 2012..my "let's qualify so we can run again next year since it didn't happen in 90 degree Boston."  Not feeling so good here...sun, antibiotics...not the best mix! Really Hoping to never run a HOT marathon again considering almost all of my marathons have been hot!  Newport was 75 degree, Boston 2004 was 87 degrees, Boston 2012 was 90 degrees and then both of my  Foot Traffic Flat marathons were on July 4th so on the warmer side.

And this is what death looks like!  Ha!  90 degrees Boston Marathon 2012.  The very last stretch to the finish line!!  At this point I was making all bets with God...if I could just finish, I would...... And way too skinny for  what is best for me.  This was at least 8 lbs lighter than I am now.

I printed off my Napa Marathon information last night that was sent to me in an e-mail.  It was actually really fun reading about it.  Some highlights that stood out to me:

• They are very strict about NO HEADPHONES and enforcing it.  They mentioned this several times.  No problem for me since I don't like racing with music.  I'd much rather have quiet and enjoy the beautiful Napa Valley!  
• This year's Napa Valley Marathon is all about "Honoring Women in Marathoning" and I love that I'll be there.  
• I hope to meet and hear some of the speakers.  Joan Benoit-Samuelson will be there.  
• Considering a pasta feed dinner...the speakers sound great.  Really the whole marathon sounds so well run.  I remember it being great the first time I did it but it is all a little foggy to me.   
• The overall winners win their weight in wine...Ha!  If only I were just a little or a lot faster!  
• The sweat bags sound really nice!  We have a choice between a duffel bag and a backpack.  
• Napa Valley Marathon is a "GREEN" marathon.  One thing hey encourage is for us to bring our own bottles to grab at the aid stations.  Not sure if I'll do this or not.  I will help with litter in making sure my trash goes in the garbage.  

 Fuel.  Hey, if you know what works, stick to it!  I'll be using Honey Stinger Gels.  I'll probably take a few flavors.  And I'm sure I'll be stuffing them in my bra again.  Hey, this is a great way to hold them when I don't have many pockets.  If I wear the vest then I'll have plenty of pocket space.  But if I wear the yellow tank and shorts, I'll need my bra for storage.  Not much in there anyway so plenty of room.

Breakfast.  I'd also like to make a final decision about what to eat on race morning.  I'm so used to having my own comforts here at home where I can easily cook up a big bowl of steel cut oats with chia seeds, flax, apples, agave, etc.  In a hotel this is harder to prepare.

Visualizing.  I'm including this final picture because it inspires me.  I posted this for a contest last year before Boston and it gets me excited to run.  It also makes me miss my original Pure Flows.  Although I'm loving the Ravenna's, I really did love the Pure Flows.  Just trying to stick with one shoe for now because it is working for me.  Anyway, this picture makes me remember that "It's go time" feeling.

1.  What do you eat on race morning if you are traveling away from home?  
2.  What's your favorite gel to use in a marathon?  Or form of fuel?  
3.  Do you have a favorite piece of clothing to race in?  
4. Do you print out the race information, pack your race bag, and decide what to wear ahead of time or wait until last minute?  Usually I wait until last minute but like I said, my coach has really been pushing me to get this stuff started early.  He probably knows me well enough by now to know that I stress out if I wait too long for things.  :)

Amanda 

Real Deal Wednesday. And a Shoe Problem? Nah!

My mom made a comment to me the other day about how all the pictures I post of my house make it look so clean and beautiful.  She was suggesting that maybe they don't quite paint the REAL picture of how she sees my house when she visits.  Ha!  So, this morning was a normal morning for me:  waiting until 7:30 to wake the girls up for school so that I can have just a few more minutes of alone time and then trying to fit in the following before getting them out the door at 7:55:  pick out outfits, help girls get dressed, feed them breakfast, make lunches, look up schedules on the computer, help with hair and teeth brushing, write notes, find a joke to send them to school with and still try to help them make a goal or leave with something positive to think about.  And this picture above is pretty much how my kitchen looks once I've closed the door after waving goodbye.  The REAL DEAL.  Here you go mom.  This is why I don't cook...I'm just a trail of open cabinets, unsealed containers, lids off whatever I used, random crap all over the counter from all my multitasking..ridiculous! I'm thinking the vaseline, socks, tape, toys, and brush are things that most people might have on a kitchen counter?  Hmmm.  At least I had the broom out and ready to clean.  This image is kind of similar to what it might feel like  being inside my head. But I work well with this.  And most of the time I'm rather efficient, thank you very much.  To think this kitchen was half clean 15 minutes before the picture was taken.  But the kids left smiling, with clean teeth, a kid joke to tell at school and feeling loved.  Score.  Winner.  Now comes the aftermath.  

And in addition to my kitchen issue, I just might have some shoe issues.  If you're a runner, you will agree that my problem isn't in the amount of shoes I go through.  After all, each shoe only has so many miles before one should replace them.  My problem might just be the fact that I have such attachment issues with my Brooks shoes and can't bring myself to get rid of them right away.  The picture only shows half of them.  Good grief.  When you spend so much time with a shoe doing something you love so much, your shoe kind of tells a story.  I can tell you something about each of these shoes...what I was going through in life, who gave them to me, what race I ran in them, what certain marks are from, etc.  But alas, I must get rid of things before our big move so time to make decisions here.  And I keep thinking I can squeeze out a few more miles in them.  Can you tell what my favorite Brooks shoe is?


1.  What is your favorite running shoe?  Do you have lots of of old shoes around the house or are you good at recycling them when you get new ones?  
2.  Would love to see some of your real deal house photos that show your real life...the part that nobody else sees.  I think we'd all agree that we are not alone...it is nice to see that others don't always have a Martha Stuart looking home.  So, if I get enough of you to send me some REAL DEAL HOME photos, I'll post them all together...come on , snap a picture of your bathroom, bedroom, play room, kitchen, etc....just as it is.  Make a girl feel better.  

Amanda

Completely Random Crazy Mom Stream of Consciousness Bullet Style

It is what it is.  This post.  No fun title.  No theme.  No paragraph to suck my readers in (well, that doesn't happen often anyway).  My head is FULL.  So, this is my blog and I suppose I'm about to use it to take a big Mental Dump.  But maybe, just maybe you'll find one of my bulleted points to connect with. 

These Pure Flows just in!  The shoes that will do the honor of getting me from Hopkinson to Boylston.  

• Mommy guilt is the WORST.  Nothing like sending your kid off to school directly after throwing a major adult hissy fit due to 6 year old dilly dallying and then only having 100 yards from the house to the corner to make her feel loved and believe that her mom is not really a crazy freak out of a meanie mom.  
• I'm working on a post for Boston where I will include all the information you local Boston peeps and Boston Marathoner veterans have shared.  Places to eat, things to see, Boston Marathon tips and suggestions, what to pack, etc.  
• Taper is weird.  
• I'm emotional lately and overly sensitive but level headed and focused all at the same time.  This is all a good place to be I think.  
• I'm feeling confident in the work I've done.
• I'm ready to make a racing plan that involves pacing, fuel, etc.  However, I'm probably going to use this plan as a general backbone but still let my body tell me what is best on race day.  I don't believe in being too married to a pacing plan.  
• I'm being realistic with my marathon goals.  Boston doesn't have to be the best racing time of my life.  I want to PR and know that I ran strong and confidently.  
• I might be working with a coach for the first time since college.  This is exciting for me.  Exciting to think of just putting the thinking in someone else's hands and just being willing to follow the plan, trust, and work my butt off without second guessing my decisions with my plan.  Having someone to analyze my workouts and give me a plan tailored to me sounds awesome.  More on this later but I've been in contact with someone and I'm looking at a couple different options.  
• Although I'm considering a coach, I really don't know what I want from running.  On one hand I want to just run for fun and make my main focus my kids, my writing and just my every day passions. But can I do this and seriously train for something at the same time?  I don't know. I will have to seriously reflect on this. Honestly training hard for a focused goal race or goals in running seems to take a bit away from my energy to give to other things.  This is for me personally.  If I'm completely honest with myself I would say that I'm not as attentive of a mom lately.  And my inspiration and creativity with other areas of my life is a little dulled compared to when I'm just running for fun.  But training in the summer would be a lot different.  Longer days, better weather, less Treadmill, more time with my kids, etc.  Just thinking out loud here and trying to decide what is best for me.  
• I believe that we are meant to use our gifts in life. And I do think that one of my gifts is running.  I think that good things come when we are using our gifts...so many good things. We energize ourselves, inspire others, and our life is usually richer for it. We only have one life to see what we are truly capable of.  And this body of ours is such an amazing thing.  It is capable of SO much.  And darn it feels good to have a goal and to challenge myself.  
• Being present with my kids and creating a magical and memorable childhood for them is one of the most important things to me right now. They will only be this young once.  I have time ahead of me when they won't want anything to do with me and this would leave me with plenty of time to hit the road and run my heart out! Again, a personal reflection here.  Sometimes I struggle with my lack of energy and the fact that I often have so many other things on my mind (like running and races and goals) that I miss out on them. This doesn't have to be that way.  The first step is being aware of it so that I can be conscious of making my time with them count.  I know moms that work full time, train hard with running, but yet the time they have with their kids is focused, rich and attentive...more so than if they were home all day. And they are darn good parents! I know I'm doing a good job with this but I have to stay on top of it or I slip into a trap of the "Blahs" where I'm constantly "chasing the break" instead of savoring the time.  
• I'm really excited about Boston but there are so many things to think about still so instead of thinking about them (arrangements for my kid when I'm gone, packing, hotel stuff, etc.) I'm writing a blog post while my kids watch a 20 minute show.  Winner!  Ha!
• Ever since my Nuun HTC application video, I can't find my black lululemon tank anywhere!!  This is my staple.  Does this mean I'm supposed to go to lulu right now and get another one in a few different colors to make up for it??  Yes? Convince me so I can convince myself.   
• Speaking of Nuun Hood To Coast, I really hope I get on the team.  Would be so fun. And an honor!  
• Oh, still haven't nailed down a Boston Blogger meet up but I'm working on something for after the race on Monday but with time to hit the showers, take a rest, ice, eat, and make ourselves feel pretty.  :)  I've gotten e-mails from many of you about this so I'm working on it...just don't know the area. But it is on my agenda.  Miss Zippy (Amanda) had mentioned meeting at a McCormick and Schmick's directly after the race.  This might be fun just to go grab a Sam Adams, say hello and "cheers" and then head on our merry little ways.  Thoughts?  
• Loving your comments on the Treadmill Contest.  They are funny, scary, and all-to-relatable.  

Okay, off to make some lunch, have some focused mommy time (maybe we'll make some Easter Eggs), and do some Amanda journaling time.  

Amanda