Some lessons that I learned after just one time:
Never put a Gu in my sports bra. During my first marathon I was carrying my Gu packs in my jacket pocket but I got hot and dropped my jacket at the halfway point. I didn't have any pockets, so I put one down the front of my sports bra and held the other 2 Gu packs in my hand. I ended up never taking the sports bra Gu and 13 miles of having it in my sports bra resulted in a bloody mess. Those foil packets will cut you!
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| Just not in your bra |
Turning my head to talk while trail running. It only took falling once while doing that for me to learn it's better to just talk louder and keep my eyes on the trail.
I have a much longer list of lessons that I never seem to learn:
Body Glide should never be used sparingly. Especially when running a 50K with a hydration pack in July.
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| It's like a vampire with carpet fangs attacked me |
Signing up for crowded races when I hate running crowded events. I don't know why that lesson just can't sink in for me.
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| I will never love people enough to enjoy this level of togetherness |
What I eat the day before a run matters. I always think "I can handle it!" as if I can will myself to handle whatever shit I feel like eating at that moment, but in reality it's better for me to really watch my fiber intake. I had a series of bad runs with GI issues and I finally realized fiber was to blame. No fiber = happy system.
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| My kryptonite |
Hills are always worse to think about running than to actually run. I always dread them and when I see one ahead of me I doubt that I can run up the whole thing, yet I always can. My brain hasn't caught on that my legs are perfectly capable of carrying my body up the hill.
What running lessons are you learning over and over again?
I had a total bonk which completely surprised me one day when I tried to run 9. I could not even get my feet to move faster than a shuffle after 6. I just couldn't figure out why until I remembered that I hadn't had dinner the night before. oops. hello. no food=no energy.
ReplyDeletewater is always an issue for me too. I need to remember to hydrate the night before or I'm dying of thirst.
It's funny, I never forget a meal. :)
DeleteLesson learned: It's best not to be stubborn when it comes to retiring running shoes. I re-learn this lesson every single time. Like tonight - when I attempted to run intervals on the treadmill in a pair of shoes with the soles half-hanging off.
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to say goodbye to a pair of shoes...especially if you've convinced yourself that they are lucky!
DeleteWhen I haven't been doing runs over two hours for a while and then I start up again, I forget things that shouldn't be forgotten....like water...and sunscreen.....I will try not to make that mistake again this summer.
ReplyDeleteI have that same sunscreen problem when I start a run before dawn in the summer. In my head, I'm like "The sun isn't up, why do I need sunscreen??" haha
DeleteLessons I (keep) learning:
ReplyDeleteYou can always take clothes off.
There will never be enough "cover" for a nature call.
Drink when I am not thirsty.
Never carry tampons in your sports bra.
Tylenol turns to powder if it gets wet.
I can walk if I need to.
Running is to be fun.
Drink before you're thirsty is a good one!
DeleteThat I shouldn't wear a hat unless it's pouring and I need the bill on a cap to keep some semblance of vision. I am an oven when I run, and no matter how cold it is, the hat ALWAYS comes off before the end of the run.
ReplyDeleteI hate crowded races. That took ONE race for me to realize that, and the race itself wasn't a HUGE one like MCM or Chicago. I have personal reasons as to why I'd like to run MCM, but any thing that starts with "rock'n'roll" or brings in huge numbers is just not for me.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you're plugging in your Garmin for a long run, you should double check it and make sure that the PLUG part is in the wall. Works both ways.
I know that I hate crowded races and I've vowed to not do them anymore...but I know one day a bunch of friends will be training for one and I'll want in on the action. :)
DeleteThat's great and all, but where is a video of Peanut with her new hydration pack? It's like a big sports bra into which you can put as many gus as you want.
ReplyDeleteThat's a work in progress. :)
DeleteFunny - my lesson is that hills are always 6 times as steep as they look. Weird.
ReplyDeleteAlso ,use twice as much Body Glide as seems necessary.
I'm with you on the "No fiber = happy system" ... learn that lesson the hard way a long time ago!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFiber is the devil!
DeleteMy Enell bra is trying to kill me and I must not forget glide. Also, an underwire sports bra on a hot day when you're trying to PR will leave you raw for days. Never tuck your cell phone in your sports bra = dead screen = 4 days without phone.
ReplyDeleteGlad you learned about the GU issue with a sports bra as I have now learned too.
Your poor cell phone! Haha
DeleteThe food thing is a big problem for me. But more like the race day. I always end up trying out a new breakfast right before a race.
ReplyDeleteHA! I love the use of yoda.
ReplyDeleteI hear you on eating certain things before race day...I always have cheese-less pizza the night before, ALWAYS. I ate one thing different before a half and it was the worst decision EVER. Same with breakfast, always pb and apple. Maybe some bread if I'm not too nauseous from nerves.
ReplyDeletesomeone's getting memegenerator happy.
ReplyDeleteYou know it.
DeleteAll the Yoda references remind me of Pippi
ReplyDeletePippi is also very wise about Gu lessons.
DeleteI re-learned the Body Glide lesson AGAIN last Saturday. You'd think I've have that one down by now. I have scars from forgetting Body Glide.
ReplyDeleteGoing out too fast...always always do that. I don't know why my race strategy is "run fast and hold on." *shakes head*
I have the same race strategy too :)
DeleteI always see hills and start getting pissy and yell at whoever I'm running with that they brought me on a hilly run. Then I usually end up beating them up the hill. I'm an enigma.
ReplyDeleteWhere am I in that MCM picture? While those are hilarious, I think the picture of my friend Mike in the chute moments after crossing the finish is my favorite ever race picture. I keep thinking I learn the Body Glide lesson but someone I keep chafing.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh at all of those. I tried GU for the FIRST time in a race! Got it all over my fingers and spent an entire water stop trying to lick it off. Genius.
ReplyDeleteIm kinda the reverse about hills. I love to run up then and then pant like a dog when I get to the top because I'm exhausted. More genius.
I got an armpit raw from a water pack during a marathon. Scabby.
Your lesson with fiber was the same as my lesson with dairy. Normally, I have absolutely NO problems with dairy whatsoever. A little milk in my pre-half marathon coffee? Disastrous. My HM time from that race was a full 20 minutes slower than my previous time, and I'm pretty sure the heat was only about 5% to blame.
ReplyDeleteAlso, bodyglide is your friend, especially in hot weather.
I have had to learn over and over and over again that I cannot eat chips and salsa before a run. It doesn't matter if the run is 4 or 5 hours later. NO SALSA! I think I have finally learned it for good. I used to be in the habit of having it everday for lunch. I also need the body glide lesson to sink in. I also forget to put it around my sports bra and there are always a few places were it rubs.
ReplyDeleteThe thing I learned the first time is that a Gu packet will not stay snug between the waist band of your shorts and stomach. Oh, no it will fall in your shorts and get stuck down there. Then you get to make the decision of letting it scratch up your lady parts or making a crotch grab in the middle of a group of people. Crotch grab it was and lesson learned.
Socks matter! It's worth the money to spend on some good ones :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and that I look ridiculous in a running skirt. I should never wear one. Ever.
DeleteI learned that with the GU in the bra too. OUCH! I only had one in there but it did some pretty good damage. Never eat a bag of cherries the night before a long run, I think this is similar to the fiber thing.
ReplyDeleteThis is great advice. I would probably have done the GU in the bra too!
ReplyDeleteHmm...maybe the lesson of keep up with training and you won't feel like dying. I haven't run since January when I did my marathon and it's high time I get back on it. I think it might help my mental sanity as well.
ReplyDeleteyou need the north face stow and go bra and you won't get any more GU cuts!
ReplyDeleteugh, dairy is my kryptonite. my favorite "treats" at night are ice cream or a big bowl of cereal. unfortunately, i'm usually cursing myself during my run the next day.
For me, it's the opposite-- I prefer the large races, and have more adrenaline to not care or think about my pace so much. But I always wonder around those expos feeling like everyone else is a "real" runner, runners exude this confidence that I'm not usually feeling. Have to remind myself I can run, too. :) And I agree on the hills-- I always worry more than I need to! But they're still not fun.
ReplyDeleteDon't stand in line for a porta potty for 15 minutes during a race. I did this in my first half marathon and cannot figure out why I thought it was okay to wait that long. If I could have held it for 15 minutes, I could have made it further down the road and ducked behind a bush wasting much less time.
ReplyDeleteI stored pepto tablets in my sports bra during a race once and had the WORST chaffage ever. Lesson learned. Also, I have a strict no beans policy the days leading up to a race due to my sloshy stomach. I broke it during my last race (14k) and had cramps up to my collar bone the whole time. Again, lesson learned.
ReplyDeleteMine is to not eat GU at all. The first time I tried it the experience was so bad that I'm still terrified of it!
ReplyDeleteNot every run will be great or even good. There will be days when everything sucks.
ReplyDeleteSpend the most money on your shoes. It makes all the difference if your feet are comfortable.
Oh, sunscreen, that's a good one! There's nothing like a sunburn on the back of your knees. I'm also going to have to add never wear cotton socks. I didn't know you could bleed through sneakers.
ReplyDelete