Skip to main content

5king it in 100 degrees (and a playlist)

I run a lot of races.

Let me restate that a little more accurately. I slowly jog a lot of races.
Mostly 5Ks and 10Ks but I’ve also done mud runs, adventure races and even once did a sprint tri and a half.

I’m not fast. But I always finish. And I rarely walk.

And I have a few racing rituals and tips.

First. I always choke down a peanut butter powerbar for breakfast. I hate the way they taste. But. always do it and wash it down with a Gatorade.

Panties that stay in place are also critical. I’ve had more than one friend try to convince me not to wear them at all but I haven’t even been brave enough to try.

Pee before the race. No matter what. even if it is in a smelly port-o-potty.

Don’t wear the race t-shirt to the actual race. I’m not sure why I’m such a snob about this but I am. I actually usually try  to avoid wearing any kind of race shirt at all to a race to avoid any expectations that I can actually run.

Good socks, a place to tuck your key and a easily recognizable shirt or hat if I’m running with friends.

Do not skimp out on the post race freebies. Especially if it involves something you need to trade in a coupon for. Even if it is 9 a.m.

It feels really cool to throw your cup on the ground at the water stop, but someone has to pick all those up….so at least aim near a trash bag.

Give yourself plenty of time to get to the starting line. Expect parking to suck. Nothing kills my energy level like sprinting to the start. And I’ve done this a lot.

On the rare occasion that I am going for speed, (and I use that word loosely), I try and pick out someone who is cruising that looks like they have atleast 50 lbs or 20 years or is in their last trimester. Nothing motivates me more than an 80 year old kicking my ass. I am also motivated by the very large breakfast I plan on eating afterwards. We all seriously considered cheeseburgers at Breadwinners this morning. Well before 10 am.

And most importantly, unless there is someone to talk to, are good running tunes….


Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones

Labels:

Comments

Unknown said…
This made me laugh out loud. Ha! Love the peeing one. Nothing ruins your run more than having to pee the entire way...trust me I've been there. Oh, and your motivation...love that too. I once had what looked like a 100 year old cruise past me. Let's just say I picked up the pace. :-) Keep on running girlfriend!
August 22, 2011 at 9:42 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

multiple choice

As I write I am procturing a test ( yes on a Saturday, and no I am not getting paid for it.) The room is silent. The only noises I hear are pencils scratching on papers and pages turning. If I listen closely enough I swear I can hear their brains turning. I have always been a good test-taker. I would still regularly brag about my SAT scores if it wre socially appropriate to do so(or an actual indicator of anything meaningful). There is something comforting about multiple choice. (well as long as you don't have the crappy all of the above or none of the above choices...just the classic A, B, C, D variety). There are parameters. Multiple choice means you have options. The right answer is right in front of you, and all you have to do is find it. Even if you don't actually know which one the right answer is there are usually clues, it can be narrowed down or worked backwards. Even a blind guess is likely to be right 25% of the time. These aren't bad odds. All you have t...
Post a Comment
Read more

nickel and dime

Recently my son wanted to buy something that he had saved up his money for. A lava lamp. And he had the cash for it. The only problem was that most of it was in change. So he filled his pockets with about ten pounds of coinage and we headed to the store. Now, the easiest thing would be for me to put it on my debit card. With the few other items I of course needed. But I wanted him to own every bit of the process (and learn a thing or two about sales tax). So I glared at the people behind us who were muttering as my sweet guy counted out his change. All 14.99 + tax of it. And he proudly took home his new lava lamp carrying it oh so carefully to the car. Because it was his. He had bought it with his own hard earned cash. One quarter, dime and nickel at a time. I haven’t bought anything more than a cup of coffee with change in years. But in high school and college I used to do it all the time. I’d raid my dad’s change box and buy pizza. I’d gather up all the change in my cup...
10 comments
Read more

Turning the question

My school has been sending me to some inquiry training. The “i” word has been thrown around since my education classes in college. It is one of those things that is really good as a concept but kind of hard to pull off in the classroom well. For lots of reasons. But the big one number is because teachers are reluctant to let go of the control. To let the kids loose with a concept and see where they end up. Let them discover, own it and share out all on their own. Without intervening. Then push them a little bit further and clear up any misconceptions that they are holding onto before they slip out your door. This is supposed to be the most meaningful way for a kid to learn. For them to discover rather than memorize. One of the other problems with inquiry and science is that kids have stopped learning how to ask questions. My son bombards me with whys all day long. Why are owls nocturnal? (which comes out a lot more like “not-turtles”) Why do I have to take a shower? Why ...
Post a Comment
Read more