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Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy New Year!

This is probably the first new year in many new years where I didn't wake up feeling hungover -- that has to mean something good, right? My husband and I decided to stay home last night and do, well, nothing. We were so exhausted from our trip that we just didn't feel up to a party, so we stayed in and made ourselves snacks for dinner and watched the 4th season of "Scrubs" on DVD (one of my x-mas gifts). I was in bed at 12:01!

I am not making any resolutions as of now; I do have some running goals and resolutions I'd like to add to my list and think about, but right now, I can't think of those, I have to totally focus on Sunday's marathon, which is pretty much consuming my thoughts all the time anyway. Once I get through Sunday, then I can think about future races, times, goals, etc, but for now -- all I can think about is finishing that race. (As a side note: Has everyone read Kristin Armstrong's article in RW about Lance's NYC marathon? I thought it was a great article, and she was the perfect one to write it.)

Okay, so thinking and talking about the marathon leads me to two questions I have for the RBF:

1. What should I wear marathon day? The race begins at 6 am (I have to be at the start gate at 4 am! UGH!) so it will be cool then -- probably in the 50 degree range, but it will get warm -- probably in the 70 degree range and it's FL, so it's always slightly humid, and I will certainly take 5 hours to run the race (and I'm running, and I'm a sweat monkey!). So, I definitely want to wear shorts, but what kind of shirt? And should I start with a sweatshirt or long sleeved shirt? What's your professional opinions?

2. I always run with my MP3 player, but I see many people who, during a race such as this, are not running with music. The Disney stuff says nothing about MP3's being off-limits, and I think I need my tunes! What say you guys? Do you cart the music with you to marathons? Is it kosher to keep the music during the race?

7 comments:

Neese said...

Happy New Year!! I'm not one to give marathon advice so i'll leave that for others, I'm excited for you though you will do great stay focused and enjoy, how could you not @ Disney right? :o)

teacherwoman said...

I don't know much about marathons, but I would definitely be wearing my tunes if I was running for hours! Good luck! I can't wait to hear a race report!

miss petite america said...

i'm so excited for you!!!

as for dressing, i say wear what you normally wear to run in and then wear an outer layer that you don't mind sacrificing to the running gods and ditching in a trash can right before you start.

and as for the tunes, i ALWAYS listen to music when i run, and try to stay away from races that forbid it.

SRR said...

I always have my MP3 player attached to my arm and use it ONLY if necessary. During Chicago I didn't use it until mile 23...when I really needed it. My advice...take it...better safe than sorry. :-)

I love doing NOTHING on New Year's Eve. Better that all the rug rats I was around...who MIS-BEHAVED ALL NIGHT!! :-(

Junie B said...

here is what i heard on a pod cast today by Bart Yasso about marathon preparedness...

add 20 deg to the temp because once you start running thats what your body will feel like. yeah it might be uncomfortable at the start but wear cheap sweats and toss em before you head out. i would wear shorts and short sleeve.

case in point here this morning: it was cold (40ish) and a bit of a wind. i was freezing beforehand but before i even made it to 2 miles i had to take my gloves off and i was running in complete shade.

cannot comment on the music thing because i run better without.

Anonymous said...

I just got a technical running shirt and am in love with it. I sweat a lot too. This wicks moisture away from my body. I found it on clearance at REI for under $20. It was worth the money. I'd wear a sweatshirt over it that you don't mind throwing away or tying around your waist. If family members are waiting somewhere along the course, you could leave extra clothing with them. I always take my shuffle and listen to it the entire race. Are you taking any gels with you? They may have gels available at the aid stations, but I like to carry extra. I take one at mile 7 and then one every four or five miles after that. I also like to carry a couple of squares of paper towels. It is great for wiping a drippy nose or using for toilet paper when the porta-potties are out. One last thing, www.marathonguide.com has a pace bracelet you can print and cut out that is wonderful. It tells you what your time should be at each mile. It is easy enough to do the math when the miles are in the single digits, but after that, it's just too hard to do it in your head.

Brooke said...

I always bring my music. I keep it turned down so I can still hear people cheering, but I need my tunes.