Marathon thoughts needed and I was tagged!
>> Monday, January 12, 2009
With the marathon this coming Sunday, so many questions are running through my head. These are probaby things I should have thought about sooner, but there's not much I can do about that now.
Any thoughts/advice you want to give me on these questions is appreciated?
1. What do I wear? It's cold here in Phoenix in the morning- about 50 degrees. The race starts at 7:30 and will take me about 5 1/2 hours, so I will finish around 1:00 (??). By the time I'm done, it will probably be 70-72 degrees if the forecast stays the same. Obviously, layers, layers, layers right? Here's what I'm wondering- If I wear a hoodie, where do I put my bib number? I hear ppl say to buy a sweatshirt you can just toss... fine, but won't my bib be on that? Do I just put the bib on my shirt, which means while I'm wearing the sweatshirt at the start of the race you won't be able to see it? Is is really not a good idea to not dress warm, knowing that I will warm up once I get going? Is that dumb?
2. Should I wear my fuel belt? Part of me thinks this is like my security blanket... I run slow, so there will be a lot of runners in front of me. What if by the time I get to the aid stations, there's not any GU left? I'm not worried about them not having water, but I will need GU. I don't have any pants that have pockets...
3. Should I wear headphones? The race does not have a rule against them. I'm already thinking that I'm not going to wear them, but I wanted to hear your thoughts. I normally do wear them when I go on my long runs, but with the crowds and the people and the music, I don't think I will be bored. Agreed?
Seriously, people, your job right now is to put these nervous questions to rest... so, answer away!
Finally, I was TAGGED by JEN! YAY! Usually I just tag myself so I was happy to be tagged finally! ha ha.
4 favorite memories of 2008:
1. Moving to AZ
2. Getting promoted
3. Running my first half marathon
4. Buying our first new-new car
4 favorite movies of 2008:
1. Dark Knight
2. Ironman
3. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
4. Harry Potter (one came out in 2008 right?)
4 favorite foods of 2008:
1. Salmon
2. Sushi
3. Stuffed peppers
4. Baskin Robbins ice cream
4 favorite places in 2008:
1. Phoenix, AZ
2. South Mountain
3. Sedona, AZ
4. Lansing, MI (I miss it!)
4 events of 2008:
1. Election Day
2. Our 3-year wedding anniversary
3. Michael's triathlon
4. New Year's Eve Block Party in Tempe
4 Things I liked in 2008:
1. Saturday mornings while Michael worked
2. My Garmin Forerunner
3. My fuel belt
4. My new size
4 reasons I'm looking forward to 2009:
1. First marathon!
2. Adventure races!
3. Hoping to visit friends this year
4. Enjoying life- no major changes!
4 people I tag:
1. Amy
2. Lexi
3. Megan
4. Teacherwoman
Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn
8 comments:
Okay, I have never run a full marathon in AZ, so you can take these responses or leave 'em... I am just going to put in my two cents! LOL.
1. When I did my half marathon here back in May, it was inthe 50's for the start and probably got up to 60 or 65 degrees. I was wearing a tank top and shorts. Yep, you read that right. I think you need to know your body and how it reacts to such a workout. I, for example, can get really warm and will usually have a red face as my body has a hard time sweating and cooling itself off. Plus, In may we were just getting out of winter and the increase in temps whether it was 30, 40, or 50 degrees was nice.
2. Fuel belts suck. I can't stand the idea of wearing one, but if you are comfortable, wear it just in case. I have heard of the loud crouds for those PF Changs' races and would hate to see you not get enough GU or water. Just don't follow suit to the lady behind me in my half marathon last year. She had 10 packs of GU in her fuel belt for her and ONE other friend, she said. That's unecessary.
3. I love to run with my headphones, ALL the time, and think I will die without them. However, during my half marathon last year we weren't allowed to wear them for safety purposes. I was initially pissed, but looking back now, I realized that the crowd was so wonderful that I was glad I didn't have them. I would suggest not wearing them. Use this time to take in the crowds, the music, and enjoy the race!
I hope that helps a bit. sorry for rambling!
I am so excited that you tagged me... I saw this on another blog and was wanting to do it... something different!
Happy Monday, Kelsalynn!
Ooh fun list! I forgot about Forgetting Sarah Marshall- that was hilarious!
Ok here's my thoughts since you asked :)
First of all, this will apply to all of your answers- as a rule, do what you did in training. If you were comfortable running in shorts and a tank top in 60-70 degrees, then go with that for the race. If you ran with your fuel belt, wear it in the race. If you wore headphones every long run, at least bring them!
More specifically
1) Pin your number to the lowest possible layer (t-shirt or tank top) that you might strip down to. It's not a big deal to have your number covered up (only really affects your pictures) but definitely not good to "toss" it with outer layers. You could always do the tie-longsleeves-around-waist trick, but that can be annoying over a marathon distance. My vote: t-shirt with race number attached, throw-away sweatshirt over top for early miles. Even at the start, that's pretty comfortable IMO.
2. I personally would wear your fuel belt. You'll probably take water at aid stations anyway, but you'll want the water at your whim like you had in training. I have always worn mine in marathons.
3. I personally wouldn't wear them. There will be tons of bands and crowds and your fellow runners out there and you should experience every peep of it. If you have room, throw the ipod just in case you totally need it late in the race. I think you'll be fine though- there is a lot going on to focus on!
Keep the questions coming, I know you've got more!! (or you WILL as the week goes on) I"m so excited for you!! :)
EEK! I can't believe it's almost here. I can't offer any running advice, as I get most of my running advice from this blog. However, I will say it blows my mind that you are thinking about running a marathon without music. I can't run a mile without my jams.
And I see you tagged me, and tagged me first! So I must do this now. Shoot. Only for you, my dad. Only for you.
That is so exciting that it is on Sunday! I had being cold and my muscles get really tense when they are cold so what I have done in the past is were my tank top and shorts with a throw away zip up sweater (that I got at Value Village for like $2). I put my bib on my tank top and it was just a matter of quickly unzipping my sweater to show it. I would wear the fuel belt and one thing you can do is bring your ipod and keep it in your fuel belt and if you get to a rough time mentally you can listen to it just to get you back in the game!
You had a lot of great things happen to you in 2008!
Take your GU!! Just don't overload it. Crashing sucks and you don't want that to happen to you.
I've got nothing for clothing, except to say you'll probably only be chilly for about 20 min. Once your body warms up you probably won't want or need a hoodie or sweatshirt. Though a throw away sweatshirt might be a really good idea with the number on the lowest layer.
Wear headphones if you train with headphones, they'll help you set your pace.
Good luck on Sunday! I'll be thinking of you!
P.S. No Harry Potter came out this year - it was supposed to around Turkey Day but it got bumped.
If it's honestly 50 at the start, you are not going to need a sweatshirt. maybe you have become a true AZ resident and this qualifies as "cold" for you, but I don't think I have EVER run in an actual sweatshirt unless it was like 30 degrees out. a long sleeved T shirt should be fine, over a short sleeved shirt or a tank top. within 5 min you will be plenty warm I would think. I have no idea what you usually run in on the bottom...but maybe capri pants would be a good comprimise siince you can't very well strip down those mid race.
i don't even know what GU is, so I can't comment any further :)
but good luck!! can't wait to hear more about it after it's all over.
My too cents:
1. The race may begin at 7:30, but PF Changs is big. So it will probably take you awhile to cross the start. I know the marathon goes ahead of the HM, so you'll go faster than they will, but I would plan on truly getting underway with the race closer to 8 am. If that time difference makes a difference in terms of temp, keep that in mind. Layers are good, but with 50-60 degree temps you'll warm up fast in the race itself; it's just the standing at the start that may keep you chilly. If you wear something disposable, here's a way you can not worry about your bib showing: Make a color copy of it and pin the copy to your outer layer. Keep the original bib on your inside layer. That way if you peal and toss the outer layer, you're just disposing of a disposable copy of your bib.
2. If your fuel belt is like a security blanket, wear it. Try to mimic all the conditions you trained with. It's unlikely that the race will run out of anything, but peace of mind is worth a LOT during a race like this.
3. I, personally, like to have my iPod. However, that's an individual choice. There will be lots going on, especially for the initial miles, so you may not want tunes then, but you may want them at mile 20. So, if you carry your fuel belt, will your iPod (or mp3 of choice) fit in the pocket of that?
So excited for you! I don't have any great advice for you because I've never run a marathon. Will be thinking of you on Saturday!!!
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