Weekly Recap: More BIC Bands and Cheering for TCM 2014!

Happy Sunday! I'm checking in with you quickly for my weekly recap of what happened last week in fitness and fitness fashion.

Let's start with fitness!

Monday: 11 miles with 8 hill repeats with the Calhoun Beach Running Club. It got pretty dark while we were at the hill. Next time I definitely need to bring my knuckle lights...So sad that it's already so dark so early!
Tuesday: 4 easy miles with Matilda- I was too tired from the big run the night before that I couldn't get up to run in the morning. Yet I had plans after work, so I had to squeeze in a short one where I could.
Wednesday: 4 trail miles at Hyland park at one of the Salomon Autumn Trail Series Runs. This was a super fun trail race! I am definitely signing up for the next one (on 10/15). The race was 3.6 miles (a 6k I think) but we did a short warmup beforehand for just 4 miles total. If it weren't for the mosquitoes, this would have been a perfect night for a run.

Thursday: 7.5 miles easy with Matilda. I was supposed to do a tempo run this day, but since I had a "harder" effort the night before at Hyland, I figured that could count as my tempo workout.
Friday: Complete rest
Saturday: 20 miles with the Calhoun Beach Running Club
Sunday: 4 mile easy run with Matilda

This was a bad week in terms of balance- all running, no strength, and no yoga Not good! It was also my 3rd week in a row at 50 miles, so I'm not surprised I have been experiencing more aches and pains. My goal for this week is to do a much better job of balancing running with other workouts- yoga, barre, and definitely more foam rolling. Writing my goal here on the blog in hopes that it keeps me accountable!

But running is the theme of the week, with the highlight of course cheering for all the awesome runners at the Twin Cities Marathon!  Here are just a few of the pictures from spectating today:

We cheered at mile 5.5, mile 16.5, and mile 24.

What's happening in fitness fashion?
As for fitness fashion this week, I will have to go with those awesome CBRC Bic Bands. I saw a number of them on the course!

My friend Jill who works for Athleta (and is a Corepower Yoga sculpt teacher) met Sandy, the owner and founder of Bic Bands at the San Jose Marathon expo this weekend. She told Sandy how much we all love our CBRC headbands. This is definitely true, since they made several appearances on the race course. Thanks Sandy!

with Sandy the owner of BIC Bands

Before I end this post, I'd like to say congratulations to my sister Erin who ran the Lakefront Milwaukee Marathon this weekend. She finished feeling great and I'm very happy for her. Way to go, Erin! I'm trying to convince her to come run TCM next year....maybe I'd have to join her? I haven't run it since 2008!

It was hard not to get inspired today- lots of PR's and strong races out there. I'd also like to say congrats to Nathan from Minneapolis Running, (my cohost of THESE webinars for first timers.) Way to go on your BQ!

Did you run a race this weekend? If so, how did it go? Please let me know in the comments!

Guest Post: Running Back-to-Back Marathons in One Weekend!

I have a special guest post for you today!

Lindsey Pierret, a fellow Calhoun Beach Running Club member, and 2014 winner of the Mississippi Blues Marathon in Jackson Mississippi  and 2014 2^nd place finisher of the First Light Marathon in Mobile, Alabama is here to share with you her story of running these two marathon back-to-back on the SAME weekend! 

She won the first one, and came in second place in the other. Insane, right?  But also inspiring!  I’ll let her share the story of this amazing accomplishment:

My Newest Form of Crazy…

By Lindsey Pierret

“Would you like to participate in our back-to-back challenge?“ Most people would say “Hell no!” Me…I always love a new way to challenge myself both mentally and physically. That {someone asking the question} was all it took. I registered for my first back-to-back marathon competition including Mississippi Blues Marathon of Jackson, MS and First Light Marathon of Mobile, Alabama. Eric Stevenson {one of the coaches for the CBRC with a marathon PR of 2:49} was the one “lucky enough” to participate with me.  Since he has a goal of 50 marathons in 50 states, I knew it wouldn’t take that much convincing {knocking out two states in one weekend- pretty impressive!}

Having run only two other marathons in the past, the question for me became how to train and what to do differently. I only had 3 to 4 months to prepare, and I knew going into the races that I wasn’t going to be able to race either one. That said, just like any other runner would do, I looked up last year’s results. The winning times of the Mississippi Blues Marathon and First Light Marathon were 2:47 and 3:17 respectively.

So began the internal debate. “Do I sandbag the first marathon so I can win the second one?” “Do I run the first one at 7:30 pace and just see what I have left the next day?” I don’t think I knew the answer to these questions until race day, but one thing I did know for sure was training back-to-back long runs was going to be essential. I deemphasized the speed work, partially because I didn’t plan to race, but after a standard long run on Saturday I would do a half long run on Sunday. That meant my peak week was 22 miles on Saturday followed by an “accidental” 13 miles on Sunday.

Marathon #1!

Fast forward to the first marathon and I decided to start out at a comfortable 7:30-7:40 pace. That lasted until about mile 15 when a spectator yelled from the sidelines, “You are only 3:38 behind the lead woman.” “I can make up 3:38 in 11 miles,” I thought to myself. At that point, Eric Stevenson and I started to pick up the pace slightly mile-by-mile. At mile 21 I was the second female. Mile 22, the first female was in my sight and at mile 23 I took the lead to find myself winning the Mississippi Blue Marathon in 3:15:16, my second fastest time.

Between Marathons: I have always been fast to recover, so I sat down to ice my quads and calves immediately. I was sore, but nothing out of the ordinary in my mind. The ice was purely preventative knowing Eric and I had a three and a half hour drive to Mobile, AL that afternoon. I don’t know how many prizes I will have to compare it too, but the blue electric guitar I won was pretty amazing, even if I do not know how to play it.

Lindsey with her 1st place award!

Eric and I made sure to stop about every hour to walk around and stretch on our way to Mobile, AL.

Marathon #2!

The night before the second marathon was business as usual: expo, pasta dinner, tons of stretching and some well-deserved rest and relaxation at the hotel. Day two came, and I was sore before the race even started. Again, warming up and stretching were critical. Eric and I ran into many other participants in the back-to-back challenge that morning. I remember one saying, “It will take about 6 miles to loosen up and then it will feel like normal.” All the while I have not forgotten that I still have a chance to win this marathon too. I knew it was going to be tough, but I was aiming for 7:30 pace again. The race starts and I think Eric and I were both surprised at our ability to keep up a decent pace. For me, until about six miles to go.

With six miles left I was in the top three women with one more in sight. I passed the second place female with about three miles to go and knew I just didn’t have the win in me. A biker joined me about a mile and a half from the finish and I could not have been more thankful. She kept me going and cheered to the crowd my victory from the day prior. I crossed the finish line of the second marathon in 3:17.23, second place female, about 6 minutes behind the leader.

Eric and I drove back to Jackson, MS that day and let it all soak in. Completing two marathons in two days at around 7:30 pace is arguably one of the achievements I am most proud of, especially coming out of the weekend with a win. If someone asked me now, “would you like to participate in another back-to-back challenge some day?” I would have to say, “Hell yes, it is my newest form of crazy.”

Thanks to Lindsey for taking the time to share your story. I had a few follow up questions that I thought of after reading her post. If you also have additional questions for Lindsey, feel free to comment directly on the blog and I will let her know how to respond to you there!

1: Can you share a little about your running background?

I have been running since I was in fourth grade and have increased in distance ever since then. I ran D1 cross country and track in college all four years at Quinnipiac University. I did 5k and 6k in cross country, 3k and k5 indoors, and 5k and 10k outdoors. I have always known I was born and bred to run long distance, it was just after of being patient till a time my body was ready for it.

2: What was it like to "break the tape", i.e. WIN a marathon? Do you get any special treatment at the end?

So the funny story that I left out is the women's lead biker from the Saturday marathon didn't come with me when I passed the last woman. The tape wasn't ready for me and they figured it out obviously after I had finished. I got interviewed by a few news crews, which is cool.

3: What's next for you?

Grandmas Marathon (June 21^st) is next, and I seriously want to consider doing an ultra marathon.

4: if someone wants to do a back-to-back marathon, what is your advice?

Go for it, you never know until you try! You know your body best, so train and listen to it when it is talking to you.


There you have it! What a great story, thanks for sharing Lindsey- you definitely made the Calhoun Beach Running Club proud!

Fits Do Race Reviews: The Berlin Marathon 2013

By Jess in Minneapolis

I’m back from Germany, recovering from the jet lag, and ready to share my Berlin Marathon experience with you all!

When I was preparing for this race, I did a lot of googling for "Berlin Marathon tips" or "Berlin Marathon reviews." I ended up reading a lot of other bloggers recaps from previous year's races. And I ate those recaps up! Seriously, I found them very valuable in my preparation, and I appreciated that they were out there for me to peruse.  So I want to keep the cycle of information going. I want to provide other future Berlin Marathoners with any and all information that could possibly help them (maybe you?) prepare!

With that said, this is a long post. It's very factual with a lot of detail, and it's probably the most useful if you are actually considering checking the Berlin Marathon (one of the World Majors) off your marathon-to-do list.

I also recognize that there is some negative feedback in my recap, but I want you to know that I still really enjoyed my overall Berlin marathon experience. However, I have to be honest in my review about the things that I would say about any other marathon.

Traveling for an International Marathon/Dealing with Jet Lag:

We left Minneapolis on Thursday night around 9 pm. I did the best that I could to sleep as much as I possibly could on the eight hour flight to Amsterdam. I tuned out the world with my Bose headphones and used a cozy sweatshirt as a pillow. We weren't able to upgrade to first-class with frequent flier miles as we had hoped, but we did pay up for economy-plus seats, which gave us that valuable extra leg space. If you can afford it, I definitely suggest first-class on the way to your international marathon.  

I also suggest Bose noise-cancelling headphones. My Bose headphones are my travel must-have. (I think this is the pair I have HERE). They'll set you back about $300, but they are totally worth it. I am seriously able to shut out all the crying babies, the coughing people spreading their germs in that stagnant air, the annoying guy who can't stop talking...I love, love, love my Bose noise-cancelling headphones! These headphones are the key to sleeping for me on a flight.

On the Minneapolis to Amsterdam flight, I drank a glass of wine, and settled in for the "night". Note that it was just one glass of wine, as I suggest you avoid too much alcohol and try to stay hydrated. Flying can be dehydrating already, so no need to exacerbate it with drinking. You'll have plenty of time to drink after the marathon.  I actually slept quite a bit on the Minneapolis to Amsterdam leg, which probably helped a lot. Then, the Amsterdam to Berlin leg was quite short, and we arrived in Berlin around 5 pm Friday local time. We were able to stay awake for dinner when we arrived, before crashing around 9:30 pm. We both slept really well the first night in Berlin. In fact, we slept until about 9 am the next morning- that's nearly ten hours of rest! I thought that seemed pretty solid for two nights before the race, right? 

However, for whatever reason, the second night - i.e. the night before the marathon- was terrible for both of us, and I don’t think it was nerves. We went to bed on Saturday again around 10 pm, but we were both awake until nearly 3 am….just lying there stressing about how we couldn’t get to sleep! Insomnia has never been an issue for me, even the night before a marathon, so it had to have been the jet lag. Fortunately, Berlin had a 8:45 am start, and our alarm wasn’t set to go off until 6 am, so we did manage 3-4 hours of sleep this night, but it was definitely the worst night in terms of jet lag messing with our bodies. I'm no expert on this, but I would suggest perhaps giving yourself one extra day on the front side of your international marathon trip in order to adjust a bit more to the time difference.

Accommodations:

We stayed at an amazing boutique hotel called the Mandala Hotel in Potzdamer Platz. 

Potzdamer Platz is a modern little square that is extremely convenient for the marathon. It wasn’t the most charming area, nor was it centrally located for other tourist attractions. Yet in terms of the marathon, it couldn’t have been better. The Berlin marathon course is a large loop, starting and finishing around the Tiergarten (i.e. the Central Park of Berlin) and the Brandenburg Gate, and Potzdamer Platz (and the Mandala Hotel) is very close to the start line.

Though the Berlin public transportation is really easy, we were still happy to not have to even bother with it for the marathon. We were able to walk the 1/2 mile from our hotel to the start line very easily, and then back home again after the finish. I would highly recommend the Mandala Hotel if you are running the Berlin marathon. The rooms were extremely spacious, especially by European standards. We also took advantage of the ONO Spa within the hotel, both getting lovely massages after the race.

Our room had a separate little living room area, a large bathroom, a TV that flipped between facing the living room and the bedroom, a little kitchen area, and even a huge separate closet room for our luggage. It wasn't cheap, but for a marathon trip, you end up spending a little more time in your room in the days leading up to the race, so you might as well spend up and make it a nice room.

Carbo-Loading:

There was a very popular Italian chain right by the Hotel Mandala called Vapiano. It was a little like the Noodles & Co. chain, Berlin style. It was counter service, but each customer would have to stay in their spot in line until the dish was cooked, which turned out to be extremely confusing for the customers as well as extremely inefficient. We had planned to eat here the night before the race, but the line seriously must have been over two hours long! It was insanely packed. We ended up grabbing lunch at Vapiano later in the trip, and it was tasty. However, I can’t really recommend this place for a pre-marathon meal, unless somehow you beat the crowds, and go really early in the day. The food was good, but its location close to the marathon start/finish meant it was just too busy in that area. We tried to eat there the night before the marathon, waiting for about 45 minutes before calling it quits, and heading to Weilands Wellfood instead. 

Weilands Wellfood

Weilands Wellfood was also conveniently located by our hotel, serving up healthy whole-wheat pasta dishes, but without the long lines and crazy crowds. The pasta dishes were light but filling- just what we needed. 

The Expo:

The expo was pretty cool. It was held at an old (Nazi-built) airport, the Flughafen Tempelhof. 

This now-closed airport made for an interesting setting for an expo. It was partially outdoors, partially indoors, and BIG. 

The expo was easy enough for us to get to on the U-bahn. FYI, Berlin has an S-Bahn and a U-Bahn. The S-bahn is primarly above ground, and the U-bahn is primarily underground, although those aren’t the only differences. The S-bahn doesn’t run quite as frequently (at least in our experience) and services more of the outer limits of the city vs. the U-bahn. The two systems are managed by different companies, though we were able to buy one "Berlin Welcome Card" which was good for both trains. (Definitely buy this card if you are in town for the marathon! So easy, and it only cost about 35 Euro.) We took the U-bahn most of the time within the city, and the S-bahn to get to the suburb of Oranienburg to tour Sachsenhausen, the concentration camp (more on that later, in a Fits on the Road post).

A huge downside of the expo was the size. I had to wait in line for over an hour to just use the bathrooms. The day before a marathon, everyone is drinking a ton of water; therefore everyone needs the bathrooms, and there just weren't enough I guess. 

There was also a huge line just to get into a little area where you picked up your packet. We had to wait in this line for over an hour, and it was not an organized line, but rather, a very pushy crowd of people, all speaking different languages, and all confused about the organization of the so-called "line."

Line to get into packet pickup

Unfortunately, big crowds and a bit of rudeness was a somewhat  common theme with this marathon. I was really surprised about the poor race etiquette, as well as the pushiness of people overall. Particularly at the water stops during the race, but also at the expo, people were just so, so pushy! There was cutting in line, elbow jabbing, and just plain meanness....Am I just too used to the small, charming marathons, where everyone is so friendly?

Even with all my complaints, there were still definitely some good parts to the expo...like the outdoor area with this hot air balloon!

Who doesn't love a little street performance/living statues, courtesy of Brooks?

...and this is Germany so there was a beer house at the expo (though we passed on beers the day before the race)

There was some unique gear for sale at the expo as well. Dustin and I both purchased some of these custom Berlin Marathon race bib "snaps." These little items replaced safety pins for our bibs, and they worked really well without poking holes in our running tops.

All in, the whole expo process- getting there on the U-bahn, waiting in the lines, and finally getting back to our hotel- probably took us nearly six hours. That's six hours on our feet, which probably wasn't ideal for the day before the race....#excuses?

My tip? Be prepared for a long day at the expo. If you happen to arrive in Berlin on Friday, try to go on that day, as the crowds might not have been quite as bad.

Now on to the race....

Race Morning:

As I mentioned earlier, the Mandala Hotel was perfectly located for the marathon. We were able to walk over to the Tiergarten around 7:30 am. There was tight security at the race start. We all had received bracelets at the expo that would allow us into the staging area, and we also could only use the Berlin bags for gear check. 

Waiting for the start near the Reichstag building (the Berlin equivalent of the White House) was pretty cool!

It was a little challenging to find the right place for my gear check. Apparently this race was 80% men, which is very different than marathons in the US. Therefore, the female gear check was small and tucked away in a corner of the staging area. It took us quite a while to find it, so by the time we were done dropping off my bag, we only had time for a quick stop in the porta-potty line, and then off to our respective corrals. 

Dustin was in Zone A, and I was in Zone B (3:45-4:15 predicted finish time). Each zone was made up of multiple corrals. Dustin was in corral D, and I was in G. We had to split up on our way to the start, as I was routed through the Tiergarten to my corral. There, in the middle of essentially the equivalent of Central Park, I came upon nearly 30 people peeing in the "woods"....No one seemed to care. No one seemed modest or cared to cover themselves at all. That theme carried over to the finish area as well, where all the European women comfortably changed right in front of Dustin, cooling off completely topless! There were also the men who had no problem stripping down to "shower" in a little sink-with-a-hose area post-race. I guess we Americans are prudes!?!

So....there I was in Zone 2, awaiting the start, and I was privvy to what the Berliners called the "Energy Dance!" Yup. The Energy Dance (well, that the English translation- I think it was basically a warmup) was a ten minute dance-off! It consisted of 8-10 perky blond German girls leading the runners in some jumping jacks, high knees, lunges, etc. to warm up to Avicii, Robin Thicke, and all the good ol' US of A pop hits.  

It's time for the ENERGY DANCE! It was really entertaining, though I didn't participate. I figured I should save my energy for the 42 kilometers ahead of me.

The announcer for the start line actually introduced all of the elite runners, giving a short bio for each, in both German and English. It was cool to hear about all the really amazing runners who were present this day. I got chills hearing about their accomplishments.

THE MARATHON

Zone 1 started right at 8:45. Five minutes later, Zone 2- me!- was on the go. I started nice and slow, and tried to take it all in. If you want the full details of my splits, they are posted below. I felt that I started conservatively. By the time I got to the 22k mark (i.e. about half way) I felt awesome and ready to kick it in. 

Unfortunately, even though I was feeling great, and thought I had a PR in the bank (#nailedit), it turns out those crowds just weren't on my side. I'm not sure what happened. I suppose it really was so packed throughout the whole race. Every support stop turned into a complete traffic jam. I ended up coming to a complete stop every time, which effectively cost me 10-15 seconds at every other mile where the support stops were. I know this sounds like a silly excuse, but I really do blame the crowds. I felt that I ran a smart race, but unfortunately, it was not a PR day for this middle-of-the-pack runner.

Support Stops:

The support stops were strange too. At first, I panicked a little because there was no Gatorade or Powerade! There was just water, apples, and get this- HOT TEA! Yup. I thought it must actually be Gatorade, so I grabbed a cup, right as a Danish man knocked it on my chest. Ouch! Hot tea on the boobs!

Fortunately after about 10k, the support stops started to carry some sort of Powerade (Power Bar brand)- Cytomax, maybe? Thank god! I have never run a marathon on just water, and I needed those electrolytes.

Crowd Support:

This race had a ton of crowd support. There were spectactors all along the course. There were a lot of bands and music. It was such a cool way to see a lot of the neighborhoods in Berlin, with all different kinds of people from each neighborhood. 

One con of the spectators though was the SMOKING. In fact, this was one of the STINKIEST marathons I have ever done. Between the B.O. of other runners (sorry, I know that sounds awful, but it's true), the sewage/city smell that goes along with any big city, and then all the smoking of the spectators, I was definitely not breathing the fresh air like you would at the Twin Cities Marathon.

Though there was great crowd support, the cheering wasn't quite the same as an American marathon because most of the spectators did not cheer as much for anyone other than those runners who were clearly from their home country. i.e. the Danish spectators cheered loudly for other Danish runners, but not for me. (Actually, there were 10,000 Danish runners! I have to admit, I wished I was from Denmark during this marathon, their support was so strong!) 

I did have my name on my top, so occasionally I would get a "Go Yessie!"  I suppose it was because everyone was speaking different languages, but it wasn't the same as a big marathon in the US. But, the music and bands made up for the lack of actual cheering. There really were a ton of bands and drums and music. I loved it!

My Garmin ended up with almost 27 miles. I am sure that the course wasn't long, but I guarantee I was swerving around other runners, and trying to avoid a traffic jam. Several of our friends, who are sub-3 hour marathoners, also ended up with over 26.5 miles, so I think this was an issue for all runners except perhaps the elite.

THE FINISH

The finish under the Branderburg Gate (picture of the gate below, though not at the race) was pretty cool. 

However, the finish line was just as crowded as the rest of the race. It also took me forever to figure out where to drop off my chip from my shoe (which was not at the finish line, but quite a bit away).  Dustin and I had planned a particular meeting spot by the female gear check (perhaps he knew that those European ladies would be topless? Suspicious  Dustin!) so I did find him pretty easily after dropping off my timing chip. 

Oddly enough, they were serving "alkoholfrei" beer at the finish, which was a little strange. Dustin had two large ones! I grabbed one, but it just wasn't for me at that time. 

Usually, immediately after the marathon, I feel super nauseous and beat up, and all I want to do is take a shower and lie down. However, I do get my appetite back a lot quicker than Dustin. He can't eat until much much later in the day. We made the walk back to our hotel around 2 pm, and after showers, we ordered room service and lounged around in our fancy Mandala Hotel robes for the rest of the afternoon, until joining some friends for dinner. These friends were actually friends of Abby's husband Andrew. They were all from Santa Barbara, California, and were very friendly. I love how runners are so welcoming to other runners! By the time dinner was over, we had been invited to come join their run club, and we had received an open invitation to stay with one of the couples if we ever visit Santa Barbara!

Did I mention that there was an inline skating marathon the day before the running marathon? Apparently, inline skating is a much bigger deal in Berlin, as this race seemed ultra competitive.

It might seem that I had a lot of complaints about this marathon, and I suppose I did. I think it's only because I'm not sure the really big marathons like this are for me. I think I prefer a mid-size race like the Twin Cities Marathon (10,000 participants) or Steamtown in Scranton, PA (7,000 participants). I am still really glad that I did this race. It was a very unique and memorable experience. It was really cool to be on the same course that the world record was set. I also just love to travel, and we had a lot of fun exploring Berlin. In that respect, it was fun to have this marathon as the reason to travel abroad. I'll give this marathon an 8/10. 

Summary of Pros and Cons:

Pros:

Very exciting to be running a WORLD MAJOR!!!

Very flat course

A chance to see 26.2 miles of Berlin, a city I had never visited

Lots of spectators

Kilometers pass by a lot faster than miles!

Lots of bands and music along the course

Very cool finish under the Brandenburg Gate

Easy to get to the start and home after the finish

Cons:

Not as "fast" of a course for middle-of-the-pack runners (like me, a four hour marathoner)

Super crowded course the whole way

Lots of smokers on the sidelines

No funny signs- at least not in English!

Did I mention crowded?

Crazy traffic jams at the water stops. 

Hot tea at support stops

My Performance:

Mile 1: 9:11

Mile 2: 8:59

Mile 3: 9:00

Mile 4: 9:05

Mile 5: 8:49

Mile 6: 9:17

Mile 7: 9:06

Mile 8: 9:11

Mile 9: 8:54

Mile 10: 9:18

Mile 11: 9:10

Mile 12: 9:09

Mile 13: 8:43

Mile 14: 8:39

Mile 15: 8:37

Mile 16: 9:35

Mile 17: 8:38

Mile 18: 9:23

Mile 19: 9:06

Mile 20: 8:50

Mile 21: 8:37

Mile 22: 8:34

Mile 23: 9:03

Mile 24: 9:11

Mile 25: 8:45

Mile 26: 8:42

As you can see, I never blew up, or had any terribly slow miles. There was no walking. I suppose it was a consistent marathon, but I really thought I had that PR in the bank. Unfortunately, my time didn't agree. 

Now it's time to figure out what's next! I had thought Berlin would be it for a little while, but I'm ready to pick out a spring marathon in the April/May/June time frame. Any suggestions?

Berlin Marathon Finishers!

By Jess in Minneapolis

Guten Tag! I did it- marathon #15 is complete. My first international marathon. Final time: 3:59:39. Just barely squeaked in under four hours, but I'll take it. Jet lag to blame? The crazy insane crowded water stops? The missing Gatorade, replaced by hot tea at the water stops? #noexcuses I suppose. Afterall, a world record was broken today (amazing!)

I'm excited about the accomplishment, and excited to explore Berlin now that the race is done! Dustin finished around 3:29. Nowhere near his PR, but he was happy to finish feeling strong, especially with his sports hernia injury.

Prosit!

I'll be back with a full race review later, but for now LL will be covering most of the blog posts. Stay tuned, she has some fun posts planned!

Fit Fanatic: GET FASTER!

By Jessie

I read a lot of runner blogs.

In fact, here are a few of my favorites. 

**Congrats to Ali on the Run, who just went sub-4 for the first time in a big way!
Hers is probably one of my favorite blogs.

http://www.aliontherunblog.com/

http://www.hungryrunnergirl.com/

http://sarahoual.com/

So, I follow a lot of runner blogs. I hang out with a lot of runner friends. Runners are all  around me!

And they’re all faster than me....

I know I should be proud of my 3:55:17 PR. And many days I’m reminded to be grateful that I am able to run at all (especially when talking to my sister Erin, who is currently sidelined by a temperamental IT band)

But lately all I keep thinking is that I need to GET FASTER, GET FASTER, GET FASTER!

How can I move from a 3:55 marathon (a 9 min/mile pace) to a 3:45 marathon (an 8:30 pace)? How can I achieve my goal?

I’ve been asking these fast friends and bloggers for their advice and this is what they tell me:

1. You have to run faster to get faster. Well, duh! This sounds so obvious, right? But it’s true.  I have to try to keep up with a faster group at the run club. I have to keep running even when it’s no longer comfortable and easy.
2. Speed training. Yeah, yeah, I know. And I do this already. But clearly I need to push harder during this speed training.
3. Diet: more fruits and vegetables. More fiber. More variety. LESS CARBS all the time
4. No Alcohol: One of my CBRC friends did exactly what I’m trying to do – she cut 10 minutes off her PR and ran a 3:45 at the Twin Cities Marathon this year. And she says that giving up alcohol for the 3 month training period kept her focused, hydrated, and well rested for each workout. Though I may not give it up 100%, I do think I will plan to give it up Sunday- Friday, allowing myself a glass or two of wine on Saturdays. No more microbrews while vegging out in front of the TV during the week...No more wine with our pasta on Friday nights. Exceptions will be made of course!
5. Rest days: One of my speedy friends just ran a 3:31 at TCM this year, and she has reminded me of the importance of rest days. I need to ensure that I have 1-2 days of either complete rest or active recovery.
6. Crosstraining/Yoga: No new messages here! The challenge will be fitting in all the above (including rest days) AND crosstraining.

Those are the tips that I have been given. Do you have any others? Please share!

I think just having that quantitative goal in mind will also help me stay motivated (just like I wrote about HERE) but I will also try to  follow the above tips too.
Newport, here I come!

Anyone have any tips for my sister and her IT band issues? She has tried Active Release Technique, physical therapy, foam rolling, yoga, rest…She is considering a cortisone shot now. Yay or nay? Share your experiences in the comments!

Guest Fits: Thoughts on the NYC Marathon

By Cool J

LL and I started this blog as a way for us to share our experiences with fitness, fashion, and fitness fashion. It's frivolous escapism most of the time, mixed in with some tips and advice if we have any, based on our own failed fits, race experiences, etc. And our guest posts have usually been more of the same; when my husband has chimed in in the past, it's been to write about being "Married to Fitness" or when I "Brought My Man to the Barre" (both funny posts by the D-man).

But this time, he was willing to share some thoughts on the NYC marathon, a hot topic in the media. I understand this is a controversial topic, and I can see both sides of the argument. You may or may not agree with him, but I think it makes sense to touch on this current "fitness" topic of today. Thanks Dusters for sharing your thoughts:

I just wanted to take a moment to chime in on what had been a hot topic until just a while ago.

Mayor Bloomberg's heart was certainly in the right place in wanting to move ahead with the 2012 running of the New York City Marathon, wanting to once again show the world how the city can overcome adversity.  In this instance, however, it wasn't really about that.  NYC had nothing to prove to the world, the city was a casualty of a force that does not choose its target, hurricanes aren't there to make a statement.  As such, New York's only duty is to its citizens.  While some businesses are sure to miss the revenue, the people who are still struggling to extract themselves from the morass that was left behind are certainly better served by the resources that would have been redeployed to administer the race.  As a runner, I would take no offense.  Runners know that any race, any run, any body can be affected by forces outside your control.  Sometimes a race doesn't happen, either literally or figuratively, you move on.  New York should take the time to truly heal properly and when it's ready, the runners will come back.  

It's not an easy thing for a politician to backtrack on such a public declaration but kudos to Mayor Bloomberg for making the hard decision, the right decision.

http://www.ingnycmarathon.org

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/03/sports/new-york-city-marathon-will-not-be-held-sunday.html?hp

Fitting Debate: When to Start Running Again Post-Marathon

Many of you (and I) are now in "post-marathon" recovery mode.

What does that mean? When can we run again?

Well, like always, we're all aware that I am by no means an expert!  You are the best judge of when you feel ready to run, (or maybe your doctor!)  But I do have a little experience with this whole marathon thing, and I do hang out with a lot of runners, and we do end up talking a lot about running!

{A lot of runners}

As far as I can tell, there really isn't a hard and fast rule about how much time you should take off from running. In my group of running friends, everyone seems to have their own opinion. Some people take one week off from running, some take two...some take off up to a month! I have heard the rule before that for every mile, take a day off- so that's 26.2 days of rest!  Yet I also have some friends who only take a few days before hitting the pavement again.

Generally speaking though, it seems that most people would suggest at least one week off completely from running, and then possibly a second week off, or some light running in week two.

This time off isn't just to heal your muscles...It's for mental recovery too. Just because your muscles aren't hurting doesn’t mean you should dive right back in again! After the months of marathon training,  sometimes you mentally need some time off to remember that there's more to life than tempo runs, negative splits, and GU's.

But after those two weeks are over, then what? How soon can you begin training for, and participating in your next marathon?

It seems that the answer depends on several factors, such as years of experience, intensity of your training program for the last marathon, energy/effort during that marathon, etc. Most of the articles on this topic agree that two marathons is a good limit per year (spaced six months apart) for ideal performance.

How to start running again: the Reverse Taper!

I found a lot of advice online that runners should spend two to three weeks after a marathon doing a "reverse taper". Before a race, you probably tapered by gradually decreasing your mileage. After a race, do it in reverse! Gradually build back up!  If you experience leftover aches or pains, back off a little. Give yourself more rest time to heal.  Again, this process varies after every marathon. If you listen to how your body is responding, you'll have a good feel for what you need to do to recover.  

Bottom line is to closely gauge yourself after a marathon race. Listen to your body.

Personally…

Personally, I'm not ready to run quite yet, but I do know what my next goal will be. The Dusters and I have registered for our next race: Newport, Oregon next June.

We're going to turn this marathon into a bit of a vacation, spending some time at the Oregon wineries, the Rogue brewery, and then a few nights at Crater Lake National Park.

The Newport marathon is a small race, with only 900 participants, but the reviews on www.marathonguide.com are very positive; Rogue beer and clam chowder at the finish; oysters on the course; a true Pacific Northwest experience!

How do I feel physically? Pretty good, actually. But I'm not going to push it in too soon. I am spending this week and next not running. I am doing yoga, kettlebells, and other non-running activities to burn the calories!

…mentally?

I am ready to go!!!! I want to really push it in hard this time for Newport. I want to focus on this next marathon and see what I can do if I really give it my all. Afterall, my time of 3:55 was one of the slowest of the 40 people in the Calhoun Beach Running Club who ran marathons on Sunday. I know that I should be proud of myself, but I can't help wondering...

....why can't I be faster? Well, I think that I can.  I think that I have been a bit complacent with my training. Steamtown was fun, but I was smiling the whole time. Should I really be smiling? Can't I do better than a 3:55, when all my peers are in the 3:30's and 3:40's? Yes. Yes, I can.

I know that part of my issue is that we do a lot of marathons each year, so it's hard to be completely driven and focused for each one. Between now and Newport, I will have a few months off from the official marathon training. But I’m going to use that time wisely! Coach Paul suggested that I act as though I am training for a 5k or 10k this winter. He said I should add more interval training by mixing in some 400s, 800s, 2 minute repeats, etc. Fast intervals- “you know, the ones that you hate and you should feel like collapsing after doing”.... (just the kind I will want to do as the weather gets colder!)

So that's my plan for 2013. 

What's yours? Do you have a half marathon on the horizon, or a full next year? Which one? Please share in the comments!

Fitting Remarks: The Taper

By Jess

It's taper time! Several midwestern marathons fall on October 7 this year: Chicago, Twin Cities, Steamtown, Milwaukee Lakefront marathon, and more! 

That means we're all tapering...

I found these 12 tips for tapering on "Complete Running"

1. No more long runs: Your final long run should be no less than 14 days before the marathon. If you’ve missed some of your scheduled long runs, it’s too late to make up for it now. Anything above 15 miles now will most likely hurt your performance on race day.
2. Cut back the mileage: Decrease your total weekly mileage by about 40 percent starting two weeks out. During race week, reduce your overall mileage by at least 60 percent. For example, a runner whose weekly training mileage peaked at 60 miles should run 36 miles the week before race week, and no more than 25 in race week. During the last four days before the marathon, don’t do any runs of more than three miles. If you’d rather take the last two days completely off, that’s OK too. Don’t worry about mileage during race week—you’ll get your fill on Sunday morning.
3. Maintain the intensity: Even though you are cutting back on your mileage, it’s important to maintain the intensity of these workouts. Run at close to marathon pace, so your body is accustomed to the effort level you will demand during the race.
4. Avoid the hills: Don’t run any hills during race week—it helps your legs recover more quickly. It’s just like with the mileage: you’ll get plenty of hills on race day.
5. Choose your weapons: Decide what clothes you will wear on race day. Pick comfortable shoes, socks, and running clothes that you’ve already worn on a long training run. DON’T wear anything new on marathon day, unless you want to have a graphic chafing story to tell your family about afterwards.
6. Gain a few—but not a lot: Since you are running less, pay close attention to your diet. It’s normal to gain a few pounds as your muscles stockpile the glycogen they will need during the race. But gaining more than five pounds will make you feel heavy and sluggish. Eat a bit less than usual, with well-balanced meals, and don’t start any fad diets.
   Remember, carbo loading doesn’t mean overloading. The night before the race, just eat a regular sized meal with a higher percentage of carbohydrates than usual. On race morning, eat a small portion of a bagel, banana, or oatmeal to top off your tank—but don’t load your stomach to the brim. Twenty-six miles is a long way to run with a stomach cramp.
7. Wake up early: If you’re not accustomed to running in the morning, try a couple of morning runs, so your body gets a taste of exercising at that time of day. Marathon start times are frequently at 7 a.m.—and if you’ve never run at that hour, it can be a bit of a shock. You might as well get it over with prior to race morning.
8. Eliminate extra activities: If you do any cross training activities, don’t do them during race week. Don’t do any unusual activities that might cause muscle soreness afterwards. This isn’t the time to catch up on housework or repair projects. If you have extra time on your hands, just get more rest or take a nap instead.
9. Cut your toe nails: Do it five or six days before the race. Trust me on this one.
10. Be paranoid: It’s fairly common for runners to get minor illnesses while tapering, so stay away from sick people. Wash your hands after touching anybody. Just make like Howard Hughes for a couple of weeks, and you’ll be assured of staying healthy.
11. Visualize success: The mental side of marathon running is extremely important. Beginning today, picture yourself running relaxed and strong, and having a great race. Repeat this scenario each day. Be confident in your ability to succeed!
12. Enjoy yourself: Yes, you should take the precautions above, but don’t get so overwhelmed with worry that you forget to enjoy the experience. Think of how far you’ve come in your training, and resolve to have a great time on race day.

Good luck to all of you on your taper!