Tag: race recap

Race Review: Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon

On By idratherbestrongthanskinnyIn cold weather running, fitness trends, marathon training, race recap, The Boston MarathonLeave a comment

As most of you know, I’ve been training for the Boston Marathon coming up on April 16. It’s the first time I’ve taken my marathon training seriously in a long time, and it’s been quite a haul. Luckily, I have been working with a great coach, Christopher Baker. Even though I’m a run coach and hold many others accountable, I find it really hard to hold myself accountable when I’m planning for so many other people, so it’s helpful to have someone taking the guesswork out of my training. While the workouts have been quite grueling — and balancing them with everything else I have going on in life (work, school, coaching, attempting to have a social life) has been even more demanding — I’m happy to have a schedule and some kind of consistency in my life.

As a tune up, I ran the Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon on Saturday. It was a wonderful opportunity to see some real-time results of this training plan in action. A friend had suggested the race after the drawing results for the New York City Half came out, and while I didn’t have any desire to run another NYRR race, I liked the idea of a small town race in a new and different place. While the hills of the course were intimidating, I liked that there was no pressure to PR, and the idea of getting a race in before the marathon.

A few friends from The Most Informal Running Club, Ever (NYC), and I headed up to Sleepy Hollow via the MetroNorth train, and were able to walk to the race start from the train. The weather was chilly, but sunny, so it was nice to not freeze our butts off before the race like the runners in the NYC Half had done the weekend before. We even had time for our tradition of taking a photo in the Port-A-Potty (don’t ask why).

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The Best and Worst Things to Say to a Runner During a Race

On By idratherbestrongthanskinnyIn marathon training, race recap, running, The Boston Marathon, The New York City Marathon2 Comments

“Go, random stranger!”

“If Donald Trump can run, so can you!”

“Worst parade ever.”

If you’ve run a race recently, you might recognize these phrases from the signs held by spectators along the course. Crowd support is an incredible phenomenon, and as a longtime runner, I’m forever grateful to anyone who comes out and stands on the side of the road, rain or shine, for hours, just to watch me run by for 10 seconds.

But as much as I appreciate giving a swift high five to a, “Touch here for power” sign (it really does make me feel like I’ve just had a gulp of Space Jam’s secret stuff!), I get equally as frustrated with some spectators and their not-so-helpful cheers. For example, the guy who yelled, “You’re almost there!” to me at mile 11 of the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon this year made me want to fling myself off the side of the road.

I was fuming: Was this guy seriously watching this race without any idea how long a marathon is?! Did he not understand how far I still had to run?! My mood shifted from concentrating on the course before me (did you know marathons hurt?) to being furious with a stranger. It was depleting, and in a way, demeaning—though I know that wasn’t his intention.

The fact of the matter is: Sometimes fans think they’re being helpful, but their “motivating” cheers or race signs are actually mentally draining and deflating for runners. To help fans be the best support crew they can be, I polled my friends in The Most Informal Running Club Ever, NYC to see what they most enjoy hearing or seeing during a race.

Here are the best (and worst) things to say or do on the sidelines.

Ways to Be Helpful

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“I laugh at signs that say, ‘Don’t trust a fart.’” — Christopher Ho, marathoner

“During the Boston Marathon, I laughed out loud, pointed, and gave a thumbs up to the guy holding a sign that said, ‘If Jeb! can make it through 2015, then you can make it through this race.’” — Michele Richinick, two-time marathoner

“I love signs that say, ‘You’re faster than [fill in mass transit of choice]—like, ‘You’re faster than the G train’ (New York), or ‘the metro’ (Washington, DC), or ‘the T’ (Boston).” — Jasmin Roman, marathoner

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Looking Back – A Race Review of The Chicago Marathon

On By idratherbestrongthanskinnyIn marathon training, race recap, running, travel2 Comments

I registered for the 2017 Chicago Marathon on a post-race high following the 2016 Philadelphia Marathon. My summer spent ironman training more than prepared me to take on 26.2 miles in Philly, despite not doing a ton of training in between the October 1st triathlon and the November 20th race date. Nearly two months of squashing my sorrows in food and beer after a disappointing race experience (more about that here) had me weighing about 15 pounds heavier than my normal weight, and not in the “look how much muscle mass I gained”-way. Yet I surprised myself by running a 3:24:33 — my second-best marathon time (second to a 3:21:16 in the 2014 New York Marathon).

A few days after returning from Philly (or, more likely, the next day) a friend told me he planned to use his qualifying time in Philadelphia to enter the Chicago Marathon. I decided to join him, and, in my post-race stupor, was excited to work for an ambitious goal: a PR.

Unfortunately, a few weeks later — and most likely due to those 15 pounds — I found myself diagnosed with a stress fracture in my foot, and unable to run for more for than two months. I had to reevaluate my life, and later, my running goals. I decided not to run the Boston Marathon in April, and declared that my goal for Chicago would simply to be to finish pain-free.

The good news is, I succeeded! Here’s how it all went down:

THE TRIP

I’ve run 12 marathons, but the only other race I’ve had to get on an airplane for was my very first marathon, the Nashville Country Music Marathon in April of 2012. I remember that trip being full of anticipation — my friends and I were giggling nervously and filled with genuine excitement to explore Nashville. In retrospect, I should have been more excited than I was for my trip to Chicago. I honestly think that after a winter of injuries (my friends experienced their fair share of injuries as well), a summer spent focusing on a difficult calculus class, and the complexities of coordinating accommodations for eight people, I wasn’t feeling the ‘journey’ at all, but rather just wanted to arrive at my destination unscathed.

The good news: flying out of Newark was seamless and easy; NJ Transit got us to the airport for $13, we got through security in a breeze, there were delicious margaritas and beers at the terminal restaurant, and I got to sit with my friends for the duration of the flight.

THE EXPO

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Lake George Triathlon Festival: Half Ironman Recap

On By idratherbestrongthanskinnyIn cycling, Ironman Training, race recap, running, triathlon1 Comment

Over Labor Day Weekend, you may have seen me post about the Lake George Triathlon Festival on Instagram. Throughout the festival, Adirondack Race Management hosts a variety of various-distanced races (from the Olympic-distance bike and swim, to the all out half ironman event) in Lake George, New York. Last year, I competed in the event’s signature “Big George,” or 70.3-mile course, as my first half ironman-distanced race. It was also my first “big” race as a triathlete. Luckily, it was a good one — good enough to come back this year for round two, and still have my sights set on the Maryland Ironman on October 1st.

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