I fought the Marathon, and it was a push….

Great fall day out on the course!  It was literally below freezing at the start (31 F).  But the sun was shinning, the trees were in full autumn colors and I finished the Twin Cities Marathon with a new personal record!

I could probably write 5,000 words right here, but I will spare you.  Partly because I am tired and partly because I won’t be running the rest of this week and will need topics to cover.  Tonight I will focus on the new big thing I learned today.

When the temperature is low, and there is a breeze keeping you cool, you don’t sweat as much (duh!).  This isn’t the issue.  If you really work on hydrating (say by wearing a fancy fann.. er hydration belt) then you need to get that liquid out of your body somehow (not breaking any new ground here either).  If you drink water at the same rate you did during your summer runs, except you aren’t really sweating much; the water has to come back out another way while you are Marathoning (right this seems obvious to me now too)!  So I spent a lot of time during the “Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America” in line for, or using a, port-a-potty.

Still an incredible day!  I finished in 4:47:58, which was 27 minutes faster than my previous best!  I was 25 minutes (almost a mile a minute) slower then my plan.  But we finished the race! I got lot’s of support from my friends and family along the way.  My wife Jenn, Mother in law Linda and two little girls (Elise and Harper) met me out on the course multiple times to take items of clothing I no longer needed, provide moral support and chapstick (Elise was all about making sure I had chapstick to use on my run today).  I saw my coworker Mike a couple of times as he was out supporting his wife (great job on your first Marathon Jessika!) and my friend Darik as he was out supporting his wife (awesome job Joy!  you totally killed me today).  Congrats to all of the finishers out there!

26.2 miles is a long way, but I can’t wait until the next go around Twin cities marathon. You are a worthy opponent.  Today I added another medal and shirt to the collection, and tons of memories to my life………

Finishers medal and shirt. Feeling good spectators!

It’s Scary…

It’s my second straight blog written at altitude, which should count as altitude training.  Even though I am just sitting on a plane it certainly feels more strenuous to write this evening. I am happy to be headed home,  nothing like a quick two-day work trip to Seattle to get you through the last week of tapering (this is the rare statement that is both true and sarcastic at the same time, wait is that possible?).  I always have a good time visiting Seattle because it is a great place and I know some awesome people there that I don’t get to see nearly as often as I would like.

I completed my final marathon training run this morning, a nice easy 5k through the mean streets of Renton, WA.  Well they weren’t really “mean”, but the sidewalk kept switching sides of the road every couple blocks, so they were inconvenient (I ran the inconvenient streets of Renton, WA – doesn’t have the same ring to it).  It was a herky jerky run as I slowed for traffic or sprinted to cross the street to avoid getting smacked by a truck.  I also scared the crap out of a woman waiting for a bus.  Sorry!

I was running against traffic on the sidewalk and this woman was standing next to a bus stop and looking down the road away from me (I assume to see if the bus was approaching).  I had just crossed a street and come back onto the sidewalk directly under a street light about 10 feet behind her, when she glanced back over her shoulder.  What followed was the classic, get startled – jump a foot in the air – make a goofy noise and stumble backward that we all do in our own graceful way.  Luckily she did not fall down or mistake me for an attacker and pull out the pepper spray (or demonstrate her black belt Judo skills that I know she had).  I always feel bad when I startle people like this, it happens to me frequently on the trails near my house when bikers decide to wiz by as close to me as possible even though there is a 10 foot wide trail and no oncoming traffic.  So I yelled “sorry!” over my shoulder and kept going  to avoid the karate chop to the neck that I am sure was coming had I stopped to confirm everything was ok (since bikers buzz people on purpose I never get a “sorry”from them, come on bikers!).

Quick follow ups on recent blogs that people have (shockingly) asked me about.  I will be running with my fanny pack.  Showing off that incredible piece of equipment to 300,000 plus spectators is just too good an opportunity to pass up.  The weather looks a little chilly actually for the run on Sunday.  Depending on your source the high is going to be about 57 (F) with partly cloudy skies.  This means the temp at the 8:00 am start time will most likely be in the 30’s!  I love it, and will be in full 10:00 minute pace reverse spilt mode.  No weather excuses will be tolerated.

Carbo loading started in earnest today, lot’s of rice, potatoes and pancakes for me over the next 60 hours.  What is your favorite carb to load up with?  And any tips for getting some sleep the night before a big run?

But should I bring my fanny pack?

The fanny pack has seen an incredible resurgence the past few years.  From a fashion accessory of the clueless tourist in the 80’s to a fitness accessory that people spend big bucks on, the fanny pack makeover is complete.  Adding water bottles to the fanny pack suddenly makes it a “hydration belt”, code for expensive fanny pack.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my fan.. er “hydration belt”.  I wear it on basically all my runs over 10 miles at this point.  It holds two 10 ounce bottles of water (with space for more) my cell phone and I attach my supplement dispenser to it (one run in with hyponatremia is all you need).  It also has 4 loops for gu on the cell phone pocket.  It’s kind of like the belt/holsters from the Westerns you watched as a kid.  Two water bottles replace the six shooters, Gu packets replace the extra ammo (look out Deer I am packing Gu – all 6 returning readers may have gotten that joke) and my running shoes replace the cowboy boots.  You sold on this yet?  You can be a sweatier, less leather wearing cowboy on the trail, fastest draw in the west (at least fastest in Southwest Bloomington for me).  If you have a fanny, sorry “hydration belt” take a break and go put it on, give those water bottles a couple draws in front of the mirror for practice, we will wait for you……………………………………

Good times huh?

Ready to keep going?  Ok!

Back to my question.  I know my fann.. I mean “hydration belt” is awesome, but should I wear it for the Marathon?  I spent my 5k run this morning debating this.  So far this is what I got:

Pros:  I am used to wearing it – I can keep my same pacing of Gu and supplement caps that I have been using in long runs – extra water when you want it can’t be a bad thing – most spectators love a good fanny pack and will cheer extra loud for those wearing them –  I really have no other good option for carrying the supplement dispenser I use – “I’m Batman” while wearing it (thanks allseasonrunner for this addition)

Cons:  You don’t need it, they already have water every couple of miles- one extra thing to keep track of on race morning – I look amazing in this thing I don’t want others to be jealous – it always feels great to take that thing off after a run, why not just feel free of it the whole time?

Anybody have any thoughts/experience on running in an organized race with the fanny pack?  If you want to brag about how awesome your pack is I am all for that as well.

Random tangent:  I got my friend Mike in trouble today.  I had a craving for white rice (not the best carb choice I know) so I convinced him to hit Leann Chin (local Asian restaurant).  Apparently he has turned down going to Leann Chin twice recently with his wife and this did not go over well…  Oops, my craving for white rice is having a negative impact all throughout the Twin Cities area.

Only 4 runs to go until the Twin Cities Marathon!