Long Branch Half Marathon: Recap

At the start with my friend Ilya

Well, it's Monday morning, I'm moderately sore, pretty tired, but feeling excellent about my race yesterday morning. Here's a recap of the action along with some thoughts and lessons that hopefully can help you achieve your running goals, or at least make you laugh (no promises there though). There wasn't a ton to report from the race itself, which is actually a good thing - a pretty uneventful 13.1 miles.

Friday: Packet pickup. This is the one day during a race weekend that I feel like a bad ass. Most of the dudes who run endurance races are smaller than me, so when we're checking in, I feel pretty tough. On race day, that all changes, but for now - I'm the man.

Pretty much every race has some sort of expo associated with it. The bigger races have huge set ups with pretty much every vendor you could think of for running, and some that have nothing to do with running like car companies. This race had a pretty modestly sized expo, but plenty to check out. My advice is to do a quick lap if you'd like, but don't spend too much time there. You're better off staying off your feet as much as possible before the race. Also, you are tempted to try free samples of drinks and whatnot, and this isn't the best idea ever. It's not Sam's Club - leave the samples alone. It can also be tempting to buy some new gear for the race while at the expo, and this ,as you can guess, is a huge no-no. Don't use anything new on race day. Shoes, clothes, food, drink, ANYTHING. You don't want to throw away months of training to an injury because you wanted to look fly in a new pair of shoes. Don't be that person.

Getting my shirt all set

Saturday: Took it easy as much as I could and hydrated all day. This is critical. Really you should be hydrating all week, but really focus those last two days. Don't "carbo load" This isn't necessary. Eat good healthy foods, and yes, work some carbs in there like a nice pasta dish or whatever - but don't go crazy with it. If you eat 3 plates of pasta for dinner, your body will absolutely hate you the next day. Avoid Fettuccine Alfredo - Michael Scott did not read this blog obviously (clip below). Basically, eat good normal food, some lean chicken, whatever. If you eat crap, prepare to feel like crap. If you eat good foods, prepare to feel good. Also, lay out your gear and have it all set up (water bottles, bib pinned to your shirt, etc) - this will save you time and anxiety the next morning. Also, put your name on your shirt or arms so people can cheer for you by name - they definitely will and it helps.

GTL - Gym, Tan, Long Branch

Sunday: Race day. The race started at 6:50am(!), so we left home around 4:45am to get there around 6. It's a good idea to plan on getting to the race early so you have time to settle in, and stand in the porta-potty line. Seriously. Just get in line, it'll take 20 or so minutes and by the time you get to the front, you'll probably be happy you got in line. It's not cool to have to run into the woods at mile 1 (this happens a lot more than you'd think, avert your eyes).

The first couple of miles are always really crowded, and it's wise to pay close attention to what's going on around you. There will be people passing you, weaving, moving around, etc. Just stay focused. After that though, you can ease into a groove and run your race. I felt pretty strong the whole time and actually kept a constant pace the entire 13.1 miles which was a goal of mine. Never got too fast, or too slow.

Around mile 9, I saw Stephanie and Ilya(pictured above)'s wife, Katrina, cheering which was a huge boost. Be sure to agree on spots to look for each other. This race didn't have a lot of spectators, but larger races can have thousands of people along the course. In Chicago I was able to find my cousins about 4 times all over the course and it really kept me going.

The last mile and a half of the race goes up the coast, and while the view was awesome of the ocean - there was a cold wind coming off of it, right into my face. To make things a bit more challenging, the whole last mile or so is a slight uphill. I told myself that I wanted to run in the last mile, and I'm happy to report that I was able to achieve that. When you get to the end of a race, it's all mental. You have to keep telling yourself "you can do it!". If you're me - you're also telling yourself "don't be a wimp!". I sprinted in the home stretch (like a boss) and ended my run on a total high note. It was a great run and hopefully I can say the same thing in a couple of months when I'm crossing the finish line in NYC.

Drive Slow