Marathon Packing List

Packing for a marathon certainly doesn't seem like rocket science—you need shoes and running clothes, duh!—but somehow each time I run a marathon out of town, I panic and stress about what to pack. Seriously, if you could see my google history, each April it's filled with searches for "marathon packing list." Well, I finally put together a fail safe list of my own and I figure, I can't be the only one who worries about what to bring. I figured I would share it with you.

Obviously, you should customize this for yourself, but hopefully this is a useful start.

Race Gear
_ Running shoes
_ Socks
_ Singlet/shirt
_ Shorts
_ Arm warmers (depends on the weather)
_ Gloves (depends on the weather)
_ Watch
_ Body Glide
_ Sunglasses

Nutrition
_ Breakfast for marathon morning (I bring the food with me so I don't have to hunt around for it)
_ Gels (x5)
_ Gatorade
_ Salt (caps or packets)

For the Athlete's Village
_ Large garbage bag (x2) (for sitting on and possibly for wearing in the event of rain)
_ Throwaway sweatshirt/t-shirt/hat
_ Tissues (for your nose or in case the bathroom's out of TP)
_ Sunscreen

General Clothing
_ Extra shoes
_ Flip-flops (for post race)
_ Comfortable clothes for post-race
_ Compression socks
_ Normal clothes for however many days you'll be gone
_ Extra socks (you can never have too many!)

Toiletries
_ Band-Aids (because you never know)
_ Pepto (because you never know)
_ Tylenol (because you shouldn't take ibuprofen before a marathon)
_ Chap stick
_ Deodorant
_ Nail clippers (a good thing to have in case you get a last minute hang nail or something)
_ Any medications you take
_ Toothbrush (because according to Runner's World, poor oral hygiene can affect your race!)

Misc.
_ Bib pick-up information
_ Phone
_ Phone charger
_ Packing tape (great for reinforcing your checked bag)
_ Permanent marker (in case you need to write your name on your checked bag or other items)

There's obviously plenty of stuff you could add to this list but hopefully this gives you a good start!

Taper Time

It's hard for me to believe it, but two weeks from today I'll be leaving for Chicago to run my 11th marathon. (Why didn't I stop at one? One has such a nice ring to it, doesn't it?). That means I've begun my taper, sort of. I always feel like the first week of the taper is a rip off. Yes, you've reduced mileage to about 80% of your peak, but often it's not that noticeable.

I go into the three-week tape—I always take three weeks, though some folks do two—thinking that I will instantly feeled refreshed and ready to go. The truth, that first week is still difficult. Your legs are still tired from you last week of real training and if you're tapering correcly, while your mileage has dropped a little, you're still keeping the quality and intensity of your workouts relatively unchanged.

Since I'm sure I'm not the only person in America who is tapering for a marathon right now or will be doing so soon, I figured I would offer a few words of wisdom. While this may be especially valuable for someone who's training for their first marathon, veterans may benefit from what I'm about to say as well.

Photo courtesy of http://trilife.org/blog/?paged=6

The taper is a serious mind f*$%. No matter how many marathons you've run, no matter how well your training went, when it comes time to taper you will experience some degree of self-doubt. Did I log enough miles? Are my shoes the right ones for the marathon? What's that weird pain in [insert body part]? These kinds of questions are normal but you have to ignore them. You've put in the work (I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here, you did train for this, right?) and now it's time to trust yourself and your training plan.

Keep it simple. Don't try anything new during the taper. Now isn't the time to try some new workout you just heard about: it's not going to make you faster at this point in the game. Now isn't the time to try to make up for a missed long run or to start cross-training. Stick with what you've been doing all along, just allow for a gradual reduction in mileage. Nothing you do in the two weeks before the marathon is going to improve your running, but it can hurt it.

When in doubt, rest. If you find yourself questioning whether you should do an easy 5 miler because you're tired or you legs hurt, take the day off. This doesn't mean you should blow off all of your scheduled runs, but taking an extra rest day here or there isn't going to hurt. If your body is telling you to rest, listen to it. Wait until marathon day to fight the voices in your head telling you to slow down or stop.

Do something that isn't related to running. Especially during the final week of the taper, you need a distraction. If left to your own devices, you would probably think about your marathon until your head exploded. That's not good for anyone (read: you or the people you interact with on a daily basis). Is there a book you've been wanting to read? A series on Netflix all your friends have been telling you to watch? An apple pie you've been meaning to bake and FedEx to me? Now is a great time to do one of those things.

Lastly, Visualize success. Whenever you have any doubt, just picture yourself crossing the finish line looking good and feeling strong. Running 26.2 miles won't be easy, but you've trained for this and if you believe you can succeed, it will make it much easier to run a good race.

Another Friday with Mumford

S

Because of all the positive feedback the lack of negative feedback I got after last week's attempt at tailoring a Mumford song to running, I've decided to try my hand at again. (I thought about doing another band, but figured since I have this great GIF, I might as well get some extra mileage out of it--pun intended). I'm kind of surprised how easy it was to change the lyrics of this particular song, "Hopeless Wanderer." Also, if you haven't checked out the video, do yourself a favor and click on the link.

Without further ado, here's my take:

Marathon Runner

You had a voice

You signed up for this race by choice

For this one day you have trained

But the distance now seems so far

 

You did not work for this in vain

But you must remember there will be pain

So set out with a plan, a steady pace

Twenty-six miles, the distance you will race

 

So when your foot's on fire

But it’s too soon to tire

Don't stop, give it your all

Run steady and controlled

You will not hit the wall

You will run your road

 

But you run far, you run far

'Cause you’re a mar—a—thon—er

And you run far, you run far

'Cause you’re a mar—a—thon—er

 

You've passed the halfway point

 There's a dull ache in every joint

 But tell yourself that all is fine

 No doubt in your head, now is the time

 

You did not work for this in vain

 And you mustn't concentrate on your own pain

 You trained alone in the cold

 Now, hang in there, hang in there and be bold

 

So when your foot's on fire

But it’s too soon to tire

Don't stop, give it your all

Run steady and controlled

You will not hit the wall

You will run your road

But you run far, you run far

'Cause you’re a mar—a—thon—er

And you run far, you run far

'Cause you’re a mar—a—thon—er

  

You will cross, you will cross ev—er—y finish lin*e

You will cross, you will cross ev—er—y finish lin*e

Every finish lin*e

Has the Marathon Hurt the US Running Scene?

Yesterday I read a very very interesting post on Flotrak about how the growing cult of the marathon may be hurting the track and field scene. Although the article focuses on track, its premise probably holds true for distance events like the 5k and 10k to some extent as well.

Basically, Kevin Selby, the author, argues that professional runners are getting into the marathon too early in their careers before they've truly tapped their potential on the track. Here's Selby's argument in a nutshell:

Americans are a lot better off if they stay on the track through their 20’s.  A move to the marathon should only come once significant international track experience is achieved for the top tier Americans.  The marathon will always be there, but improvements may be halted by turning to 26.2 too soon.

The biggest worry plaguing Selby, however, seems not to be that these runners are sacrificing their potential, but that they are damaging the popularity of track events. I certainly wish running got more public attention across the board, but we have to start somewhere. Right now, the marathon seems to have captured the public's attention, at least to a certain extent.

NBC broadcast the Olympic trials (not live but at least they showed them at a time when people were awake) and NYRR now has a deal with ESPN to broadcast the NYC Marathon. I think the public is starting to care, at least a little, about the marathon. I actually think our best bet for enhancing the popularity of shorter events is to tap into this excitement surrounding the marathon.

Following Selby's argument, runners would simply stay out of the marathon and we would get the kind of exciting narratives like Ryan Hall's record-breaking in-all-but-name performance at last year's Boston Marathon. Call me crazy, but I'm excited about the sport's prospects.

What are your thoughts? Should Americans wait later to enter the marathon? Are we shooting ourselves in the foot by going long too soon?

Race Report: 2011 Chicago Marathon

On my way home from the Chicago Marathon I read race recaps in the Chicago Sun-Times. A woman who lost her iPod at mile 6 was quoted as saying, “I was inside my own head the rest of the way—it wasn’t a nice place to be.” Without judging this woman, I think she misunderstands the marathon. In a crowded corral one of the principal pre-race challenges is keeping other people out of your head—something you have to do it if you want to run your race. On Sunday morning, just before the gun went off, I was trying to do this in and really struggling. I don’t think I had really found that center when the race began.

Many people say if you don’t feel like you’re going too slow in the first miles of the marathon, you’re going too fast. Well, the first several miles of Chicago I felt like I was running way too fast. Nothing was clicking—my mind and body weren’t in sync (see above). Mile 1 went by in 7:13, a slow start, but while my brain was saying, it’s alright, you’ll make up that lost time, my body was saying, you need to slow down because I don’t want to do this.
 

As we circled south into the loop I got in a 7:00 mile 2 but my stride didn’t feel any more natural. I was already feeling hot, though more clammy than sweaty, and we were still in the shade of the city’s skyscrapers. I’ll give myself until the 10k, I said, but if things still don’t feel right, I’m going to back off. Mile 3, the first in our long march northward, went by in 6:46. I could see the 3:00 pace group ahead but didn’t feel up to catching them. Mile 4, also a straight line up LaSalle, passed much the same in 6:45.

In mile 5 we finally made the turn into Lincoln Park, one of the few geographic features of the course I knew I would recognize. For me this was one of the toughest parts of the race. When I had visualized myself running Chicago in the weeks before, I felt great in Lincoln Park but in reality I felt sluggish. Even so, miles 5 and 6 were both close to 3 hour pace. I hit the 10k mark and asked myself if I wanted to back off. I decided I would keep going for it and reassess later on.

The course went further north than I anticipated, with mile 7 passing me by well before the turn around. As soon as we curved back south along Broadway the course opened up in my mind—I could picture its component parts. I told myself, I just need to make it until we turn west. There were lots of people out on the course cheering us on and blasting music making these miles some of the most fun, but also the least individually memorable.

By now I was looking at my watch every mile and thinking, if I slowed to 7:03, could I still PR? How far off of a 3:00 pace am I? Shortly after mile 12 we crossed back over the Chicago River. Now I was thinking about mile 13, where the family of the friend I'd had pasta with the night before was watching. I’ve got to look strong for them, I told myself. I didn’t see her family but I passed mile 13 with the course clock reading just over 1:30.

As the half clock came into view a lot of the doubt I’d been feeling slipped away. Just after 13.1 I passed St. Patrick’s, a Catholic church with pipers playing out front and crossed myself for good measure—I never did make it to mass that day. I no longer had any recollection of what the course was going to do, but about this point I had a revelation. The reason I felt so weird, so uncomfortable and disconnected, was that I was actually racing. My mind and body were working together, just not in a way I had experienced before.

With the half behind me I broke the remainder down into increments and set a goal for each one. If I can get to mile x at y pace, I thought, then I deal with what comes next. With this attitude, the miles flew by. I had my mind focused on getting to mile 20. I need to get to mile 20 by 2:20, I decided, because no matter what happens, I can do that last 10k in under 45 minutes—at some point the plan had become PR, not sub-3. Sure enough, I got to mile 20 in 2:17:59.

The sun was beating down and the crowds were sparse but neither of those things mattered. As mile 21 went by bringing me into Chinatown, I thought, you’ve only got 5 miles to go and almost 40 minutes to do them in! I managed to keep a pretty even pace, not sacrificing speed the way I had in New York the previous fall. Mile 22 went by in 7:01 and mile 23 in 7:04.

Mile 24 was tough; I did it in 7:10. At some point a spectator yelled, “You’re almost there!” I turned to a woman running next to me and said, “I hate it when they say that.” “Me too,” she managed back. I knew I was close, but in the final miles with the speed slowly draining from your body, distance is an abstract, an almost meaningless concept.

I set mile 25 as my next goal, then the “One Mile to Go” sign as the one after that. 1600 meters from the finish I heard a voice saying, “Come on, let’s do this.” It was the woman I had made the comment to a little while back. We picked it up. It really hurt, but I kept saying things like, “We’ve got this,” and knowing I had someone running beside me pushed me.

We finally turned right onto “Mount Roosevelt,” a small on-ramp that would not so much as trigger an extra heartbeat at the start of an easy run. People had told me it would be a tough climb, but thanks to my new-found running companion, I barely noticed the incline. We passed the “400m to go” sign and rounded the corner. With the finish line in sight, I gave it everything I had and crossed it in 3:01:44, a nearly 3 minute PR.

Moments later my new friend crossed the finish line and I thanked her for pushing me. She said, “I could see you had it in you.” For all the mental games I had played with myself during the race, here was someone I had never met who was able to see something that I couldn’t and who got me to give that extra 10%. I owe at least 30 seconds of my PR to her.

I've gone on for far too long here, so I’ll wrap things up by thanking all of you who, like that mystery woman, have been able to see things in me that I haven’t seen in myself and have helped me to succeed in ways that I never could have without your support. Thank you, and it has been a pleasure running “with” you.

Race Report: 2011 Boston Marathon

I had no trouble falling asleep on Sunday night—but I did have trouble staying asleep. Sometime around 2:30 I woke up and never fully went back to sleep again, yet somehow there was no nervousness, no tossing and turning, just calm. Finally at 5:30 my alarm went off and it was time to get ready. I had everything laid out the night before so by 5:55 I was out the door. I hopped the T at Hynes and the station agent was letting all the runners ride for free! Soon I was at the Common to catch a bus. By around 6:15, thanks to the enormous efficiency of race volunteers, I was on my way to Hopkinton.

I rode next a really nice guy from Houston who had also done Boston in 2010 and while I ate my usual bagel with peanut butter we chatted away. It definitely makes it a more fun experience to talk to new people.

A little before 7:30 we arrived at the Athlete's Village. I found the folks from the Boston Forum and sat with them to pass the time away. What a great group and what a difference talking to people made during the long wait. At 9:15 they called my coral so I head towards the baggage buses with a runner friend. He’s run Boston more than 10 times so it was great to pick his brain a bit before I lost him in the final port-o-john line. Since my throwaway clothes include a Packers hoodie, I got plenty of comments on the way to the corrals.

By the time I was in my corral, there were only about 15 minutes until the start…I waited with anticipation as they announce the elite field and before I knew it the gun was off! 

The First Half

As with my past two marathons, I used Greg Maclin's customized pace band for the race. I set 3:03:49 as my goal, a conservative one because I really wanted to have a good time.

My main focus was not to go out too fast—the first mile drops about 130 feet and you will pay for it later if go all out. The crowds kept me honest and clocked Mile 1 at 7:10.  Things stayed crowded, but by Mile 2 they had opened up enough that I clocked 6:52. Mile 3 was nearly the same at 6:53. By this point I think it had finally settled in that I was actually running Boston! Even though I did it the year it doesn’t take away from how amazing this experience really is! Mile 4, with its downhill ended up being my fastest at 6:46. Mile 5 went by in 7:01 and I could tell that my average pace was were I wanted it to be. I’ve heard a lot of people say that when things flatten out around Mile 6 if you’re not feeling fresh, you’re done for. Thankfully, I was feeling good and Mile 6 in 6:51. Mile 7 went by in 6:54 and I took my first gel of the race. Thanks to my race-ready shorts, I hadn’t lost any gels yet. Last year by this point I only had one left!

By this point, my mind had shifted to Wellesley—not just to the screaming girls, but also to the halfway point. With my eyes on the prize I ran Miles 8, 9, and 10 in 6:57, 6:56, and 7:02. Mile 11 is loads of fun because you run through Natick’s town center and there are tons of cheering spectators. It went by in 6:59.

Mile 12 was downhill but pretty uneventful in 6:54. After that, it was on to the famous Wellesley Scream Tunnel! I swear it was a lot louder this year. Needless to say, Mile 13 was not a slow one in 6:57. The race then entered the heart of Wellesley where there were tons of fans. I went through the half in 1:31:04 (one second ahead of what my pace band said), knowing that my A, B, and C time goals were all still very doable.

The Second Half

After the half, my thoughts shifted to the Newton Hills that start at Mile 16. My thought process went something like this: If you can make it to 16 feeling strong, then you can make it through the hills. They will suck, but they will take up 5 miles and by the time you are done you will be in the home stretch. As Mile 14 took me out of “downtown” Wellesley in 6:54 I passed cheering spectators and quaint cafes, almost wishing I had time to stop for a bite!  Mile 15 is mostly gentle uphill so I did it in 7:00. Mile 16 has one of the steepest downhills in the whole race and since it’s followed by the Newton Hills I tried not to kill my quads in 6:51. Finally I entered Newton and part way through Mile 17, the first climb began with the I-95 overpass (probably the least scenic part of the course). At this point, I could feel the heat and had started dumping water on myself at almost every stop. Through the rolling hills of Miles 17, 18, 19, and 20 7:08, 7:17, 7:00, and 7:15. Now it was time for Heartbreak Hill! I’ll be honest, last year I didn’t think Heartbreak Hill was that bad—this year, as I ran Mile 21 in 7:31, I though it may in fact lead to my own heartbreak. Thankfully there were tons of screaming BC students who helped pull me through. Mile 22 is a nice downhill break and I did in 6:48. Now I knew I just had to hold on through the final, relatively flat, miles. I forgot to hit the lap button so Miles 23 and 24 were 13:59 together. I could see the Citgo sign, taunting me! Finally after a short but steep-feeling uphill I past the Citgo sign and ran Mile 25 in 7:22. At this point it was clear that there was no gas left in the tank and the only way I was going to cross the finish line was through sheer willpower. As I passed the 1 Mile to Go sign, I told myself I wasn’t going to stop. I saw a couple other runners start to walk, or alternate between a walk and a shuffle and I knew that no matter what, I was going to keep running (if you can call what I doing running). I dipped under Mass Ave and made the “Right on Hereford” where there were hundreds of screaming onlookers. This was a slight uphill, but since I was staying a block away I knew to expect it. I turned “Left on Boylston” and could see the finish. If I’d had anything left this would have been time for a kick, but I settled for a slower pace down this final downhill stretch. I gave it a little extra umph when I heard people calling my name and crossed the finish in 3:04:37, a new PR by 77 seconds!

What I Learned

I definitely ran a much smarter race in Boston than in New York. I had some fast miles in there, but they were intentional and well thought-out. Ultimately I think it was more the downhills than anything else that got me in the end. Still, I was able to stay roughly on pace through Mile 24, much later than in NYC so I feel like I’m really growing as a runner. Hopefully by Chicago I’ll be ready for my sub-3!!!

Race Report: 2010 Boston Marathon

Let me apologize as this is really long and way more info than you probably wanted... but I wrote up yesterday, so if you're are interested here's my recap of my first Boston Marathon experience.

Pre-Race

My alarm went off at 5:15 am. I wanted to get up in plenty of time to make sure I had all my gear (even though I laid it out the night before) and to take a quick shower to loosen up. The family I was staying with was super nice, they drove me and my awesome friend Mariah (aka my moral support) to Boston Common at 6 am. By 6:20 I was loaded on the bus and en route to Hopkinton. I had a nice chat with the guy sitting next to me -- it was his third Boston, but the first he'd qualified for (he did the first two for charity).

We arrived at the Athlete's Village around 7:30 and like a good little marathoner, I hit the port-o-jons before the lines started. After that I had 2 1/2 hours to relax and digest my bagel with peanut butter. I'd hoped to meet up with a friend from the MCM, but she was on a later bus and with my cell phone about to die, I realized it wasn't to be. Checked my baggage around 9:00 and headed to the start line. It was awe-inspiring to be surrounded by so many great runners! Two fighter jets flew overhead to announce the start and we were off--sort of. It took several minutes to actually cross the start. 

The First Half

First off, I used Greg Maclin's customized pace band for the race. I highly recommend him since his bands are customized to the terrain of the course. My goal time was 3:08:30 and I the band predicted a positive split of 42 seconds for the second half.

I had been warned by EVERYONE not to go out too fast---the first mile drops 130 or so feet and you can really kill your quads if you rush it---though the massive crowds keep you from exploding. I clocked Mile 1 at 7:30, 12 seconds faster than my goal pace for that mile. I lost one of the three gels I had pinned to my shorts at this point too! I tried to keep myself in check, but Mile 2 was also fast at 7:10. Turned out okay, though because Mile 3 was slow at 7:09. At this point I couldn't really believe that I was running this race. It was hard to take it all in because it was just so amazing! Mile 4, another downhill mile, took 6:56. I was getting a little nervous about my pacing so I did Mile 5 in 7:20 (9 seconds slow). Miles 6-10 were relatively flat withMile 6 my fastest of the first half at 6:53 and and the others at 7:05, 7:13, 7:07, and 7:13, right around my 7:11 goal average.  Just after mile 7 we passed the famous Hansen Electrical Supply window where runners can "check themselves." Very cool! Of course there were tons of people lined up along the course, handing out oranges, water, and beer... Somewhere in these miles, I lost another gel so I was down to one until since. I shoved it in my arm-warmers so I wouldn't lose it! Mile 11 was almost dead on at 7:10 and at this point a girl told me that she was using me to pace her which I took as a complement. Mile 12 was downhill so things picked up to 7:00. After that, it was on to the famous Wellesley Scream Tunnel!!!! It was amazing seeing that many people out cheering us on! No, I did not kiss any of them---no time to stop---but it was still inspiring. Mile 13 was also almost dead on at 7:04. We continued through the town of Wellesley to tons more screaming spectators and I was 1:33:41 at the half and feeling good!

The Second Half

After the half, all I could think about were the infamous Newton Hills that start around the end of Mile 16. I did not want to run out of gas. I had the first gel and did my best to stay on pace. Mile 14 was slow at 7:09 but I had some time in the bank. Mile 15 was also 4 seconds slow at 7:15, but I refused to worry about that. Mile 16  was faster than the previous two, but still slow at 7:02 instead of 6:55! Now I was really starting to worry that I wouldn't meet my goal time. As the hills began my pace suffered. Miles 17-19 were slow at 7:26, 7:25, and 7:07. I was now getting gatorade at almost every stop, so that may have been part of it, but there was also some doubt creeping into my mind. I realized fighting that feeling was even more important that fighting the hills. Wouldn't you know it? I did Mile 20, the famous Heartbreak Hill, in 7:20, 9 seconds faster than my pace band time. It also helped that people were yelling "Go Dave!" (my name was on my arm) and "Go Georgetown" (I had my G-Town singlet on). Even so, Mile 21 was one of my slowest at 7:28. I knew I was going to finish but "just finishing" isn't really my style. What did I do? I dug down deep! Mile 22 I did in 6:58, 11 seconds faster than goal pace. Mile 23 in 7:11, 6 seconds faster! The area was far more urban by now and crowds were starting to swell here which just upped the excitement. Mile 24 was my fastest of the race at 6:52, 25 seconds faster than goal pace! From here on out you could see the famous Citgo sign and as I past it and Fenway with the hoards of cheering (and probably drunk) Red Soxs fans, I did Mile 25 in 7:07, 10 seconds fast. We passed a sign saying "1 mile to go" and as I looked at my watch I knew that no matter how slow I ran, I was going to run under 3:10 but I tried not to let up. I thought of all the great runners who had run this stretch before me running Mile 26 in 7:12. I really wanted to bring it home for the last 385 yards but I was feeling sluggish. After the first 200 or so meters (which felt like the longest 200 meters of my life) I found whatever I had left and sprinted (as much as a person can "sprint" after 26.1 miles) to the finish in 3:08:02! 28 seconds faster than my goal and a 1:53 PR!  It was the greatest feeling of my life!

Post Race

After a meeting up with my friend and my step-sister, eating a little and drinking a lot (of water, alcohol comes later) it was off to shower. On the train ride home I watched Run for Your Life, the Fred Lebow documentary to get myself psyched for New York in November. God, I love running!