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Racing Tips

1/30/2014

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T-3 days! I thought I'd Repost this article that I wrote for Examiner.com: Racing Tips.
Here are some racing tips to keep in mind when approaching a big race. Take these for what they are, suggestions.
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Photo Credits: Miami Marathon
Pace yourself. The excitement of being surrounded by other anxious runners corralled at the start line, like horses on a race track, gets to everyone. The key is to stay calm. Get out ahead of the craziness but not too far where you expend your energy for no reason.

Be efficient. Remember to keep your form; head straight, jaw relaxed, shoulders down, arms swinging back and forth by your hips without crossing in front of your torso, good even stride, and quiet landing. [Easier said than done.]

Replenish during the race. Depending on the distance of the race, you might want to consider eating a snack. However, race day is not the day to start experimenting. Eat things that you have already tested during your training and have found that work well for you.


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Look forward. Not just for your form, look forward toward your target or goal. Give yourself little goals to reach during the race. This will not only keep you motivated, but will help the race go by faster. Before you know it, you'll be sprinting toward the finish.

Pass with authority. Once you decide you want to pass someone, make the pass and don't look back or second guess yourself. The slower you pass someone, the higher the chances are that he are she will try to stay with you. Every person you pass COUNTS.


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Finish strong. The reason you paced yourself at the beginning was so that you could progressively get stronger and faster throughout the race. Toward the finish, you want to "empty the gas tank", as most coaches like to say. There is no more need to store energy. As you become a stronger racer, you will be able to pick up the pace further and further away from the finish.

See you at the starting line!
To read more, check out other articles and publications HERE.
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RACE WEEK TIPS:

1/28/2014

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A couple days out from RACE DAY and race anxiety is starting to kick in. Everyone is posting pictures of "last run", "last workout", "last [insert activity]"....and the T-(whatever day) posts aren't helping either. Whether we are ready or not, come Sunday! It's Race time.

Feeling a little more in-control this week, may help with the race anxiety. We all know that we need to get rest, hydrate, and eat right. What we may not realize is that we are CREATURES OF HABIT! We need to continue in our same routines. Any abrupt change in our routine may have detrimental effects on our performance.

Here are some common mistakes runners make:

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TAPER TOO MUCH:
Taper: (verb) to diminish or reduce/ to reduce in thickness toward one end. 
In our sport, it means to reduce the amount of running in the couple days leading to a big race. I listed this one first because it's the one that everyone has been talking about. "How much are you running this week?". This week shouldn't be too different than past weeks! One of the biggest mistakes runners make before a big race is TAPERING TOO MUCH. Yes, you can ease-off the intensity and mileage  A LITTLE, but you don't want to shut down. You need to keep your finely tuned machine well OILED and ready to roll when the gun goes off on Sunday.  If you taper too much, your body may start going on Vacation Mode.

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GET EXPO-CRAZY: 
Friday and Saturday, The Miami Beach Convention Center will become Disney for runners! It will house hundreds of the latest running wear options, thousands of nutrition products, and have millions of tempting options to derail you from what YOU ARE USED TO! Don't go EXPOCRAZY. Just because Mo Farah runs in a certain Nike racing flat, doesn't mean that you need to as well.  There will also be lots of informative talks at the Expo. They are there to provide information, but keep in mind, they are opinions or points of view of certain runners. NOT EVERY TIP needs to be IMPLEMENTED on race day!

PictureImage from RunnersConnect
CARBO-Loading disaster:
 All of us know that we need to load up on carbs before our half and full marathons because they are a great source of energy, but HOW and WHEN to LOAD could mean the difference between "hitting the wall" or "charging towards the port-a-potty".   In order to keep our body fully stocked for race day, we need to start carbo-loading 2-3 days before. By Thursday, our diet should consist of 85-95% carbs. CAUTION:This doesn't mean that your diet should consist of 85-95% pasta. There are other great sources of carbs found in sports drinks, snacks (cereals, oatmeal, granola), fruits (though they also have high fiber) and starchy vegetables.  Also, keep in mind that eating after our easy taper runs is the best time to replenish our glycogen stores.

Most importantly, the biggest mistake runners make is going for a late pasta dinner with friends and fellow runners the NIGHT BEFORE. You want to EAT early on Saturday so that you have enough time to digest your food. If you wake up hungry on Sunday morning, YOU DID WELL! You definitely don't want to wake up still stuffed from Saturday night's dinner. Race morning breakfast should include 100-150 grams of carbs. Tortillas, oatmeal, bread, pancakes, waffles, bagels, yogurt, and juice are all easy-to-digest options. It's recommended that you eat this meal around 2-3 hours before the race start. It sounds like a long time but if you eat AS SOON as you get up, you'll be within the correct window.

PictureDisclaimer: Not my toes.
DON'T CUT THEIR NAILS:
Last but definitely not least. In the craziness of Race Week, planning meals, filling water bottles, icing legs, and massaging calves, it may slip our mind to give ourselves a PEDICURE. You may laugh, but you will thank me for the reminder on mile 11 when you look down at your foot and DON'T SEE BLOOD! Fact: RUNNERS loose nails.  Having your toe nails nicely trimmed will minimize your chances of walking away from Bay Front Park with purple toe that will eventually turn black, and slowly slide off in the following 2 months making it difficult for you to wear sandals or heels if you remotely care about what people think of your feet. I did say- GIVE YOURSELF a pedicure. Call me paranoid, but I strongly encourage you to do it yourself because if you go to a salon, you may happen to get the nail lady on a bad day when she is out to save the world one cuticle at a time. You definitely don't want that! Safest bet, do it yourself and book a real "pamper-your-feet" Pedicure with your friends for anytime after Sunday Morning.

Long story, short...DON'T CHANGE your routine too much. Drink what you are used to, eat the supplements you have been eating while running, and wear the clothing/shoes you have been training with. RACE DAY is not the day to experiment! In order to perform at your best, make sure your ENERGY STORES are stocked up with the right foods to HELP, not HINDER, your race day performance. And lastly, double check that your toe nails are trimmed and ready for the BIG DANCE!

Hope these tips help....5 days to Go!
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Less than 2 weeks...Are you ready to Race?

1/21/2014

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Dr. Flores stretching me out after we both finished last nights speed workout....Got to love runner friends that are great at what they do!
Saturday I put in my last 13 mile run with my hamstrings feeling progressively tighter as the run went by.

After breakfast (#ieatmorethanirun), walking was really difficult. I got nervous! All that training and here I was a couple days from the race and I could barely walk......AHHHH!

But then yesterday at a Workout Monday I ran into a friend, who is also a chiropractor. I did what I'm sure most people do when they are around him...I started to mention my hamstring woes. Right then and there, he said, "Let's take a look".

After a couple minutes of stretching, aligning, and adjusting, I was already feeling 10times better. That's when I realized, maybe I haven't done everything to prepare myself for the big race. So I booked myself a couple appointments this week.
Have you done everything to prepare yourself for the big race?
For the past couple months we have all been putting in the long run/ medium run miles and speed workouts to get our bodies ready for the Miami Half and Full Marathons! We have been watching what we eat, and been hydrating as we have been told (and reminded). And here we are, less than 2 weeks away from the BIG DANCE with our last LONG RUN under your belt, and fine tuning, keeping ourselves strong, and healthy so come race day we are ready to GO!

THIS WEEK we can give ourselves that little extra edge by: 

Getting Stretched, aligned, and massaged!
You may be tight from all the training. Getting stretched out will allow your stride to be at your individual longest length, allowing you the ability to be as efficient (covering more distance) come race day.

Algining your body will increase your range of motion and release some of those areas that may be holding you back, a little, now.

Getting a good FLUSH OUT massage will help your body get rid of all that lactic acid that has built up, increase your circulation, help you release toxins, and get those dead muscles cells out of the way!

Your body may feel a little sore after this "workout" but it will thank you later! That's why it's important that you get this done NOW. I'm no professional, but from runners that I've talked to, coaches that have trained me and others, and trainers, I've heard that the window for doing these kinds of body treatments closes about 6-7 days before the race. That means that you have from today until Sunday to finish preparing your body.

We should be doing these 3 things on a consistent bases, but MOST definitely as we get closer to a big race.  Check out the deal below that a running friend and doc is offering all of us for our upcoming race!


 Miami Marathon Package:
 6 treatments that include electric muscle stimulation, moist heat, massage (one body region), stretch, and adjustment for $288


Use them as you will Pre/Post-Marathon!

Call the office at (305) 240-0929 and mention that you are racing the Miami Half/Full Marathon to make your appointment. 

 Treatment for runners by a runner!

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Flores Chiropractor Group
4150 NW 7th street, Miami Florida 33126  305/ 240-0929
If you already have a chiropractor who you see on a regular bases, make sure to schedule an appointment with them this week! And if nothing else....STRETCH a  lot this week! Good luck Miami Half and Full Marathoners! See you at the starting line in 11 days and 18 hours (from right now).
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Happy New Year!

1/1/2014

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Biking the other day (last year actually) with some friends, I looked down and thought about how nice it would be to have a water bottle holder between my aero bars, with a straw. Then thought, since we are dreaming anyway, I would also like to have a cat eye on my bike to let me know how fast(or slow) I'm riding.
But those thoughts quickly dissipated when I remembered a conversation that I held a couple months back. I had gone to tune-up my bike for the Escape to Miami and I mentioned to the mechanic at MAC CYCLE how I felt about new additions to my handlebars. His response was very clear:
“Even if I tried, you wouldn’t be able to fit anything on your bike. There is no space!”
"Sometimes, no matter how badly you want to add something new to your life, you simply can’t, if you don’t make the necessary adjustments and/or eliminations."
I constantly find myself trying to fit things in where there’s no space, no time, or not enough energy left.  My goal for this year is to get rid of unnecessary clutter and make some space--in all aspects. May your 2014 be de-cluttered so that you can FIT all the things you really want in your life, especially time to log those miles and to spend with loved ones!
Cheers!
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    Teacher, Author, Mother, and Runner. As I try to balance it all, I sometimes ask myself why I run. The Ironic things is that the runs themselves hold all the answers.

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