Thursday, September 23, 2010

Akron Marathon Countdown: Terrible Twos

My reverse taper is complete. My brisk four-miler last night, wearing my huaraches, put me at nine miles for the week. After the marathon, my mileage this week will be higher than last week (12 miles), which was higher than the week before (six miles). Let's not let my multiple personalities see this.

With two days until the Akron Marathon, my focus is off running and now all about preparing my body for the Saturday's fun run: eating right, hydrating, abstaining from delicious adult beverages, and getting my beauty rest. Today is the crucial day for loading up on carbohydrates and taking in my fluids. If you wait until the day before, you've waited too long.

In addition to paying attention to my nutritional needs, today is also when I put together my race gear: what to wear, what to carry, and what stow in my gear bag for after the race.

Wearing:
  • Brooks T6 Racers (658 miles)
  • Reebok shorts, black
  • New Balance shirt, bright fucking yellow
  • Timex Ironman watch
Carrying:
  • Water bottle
  • Throwaway layer
  • One energy gel
Stowing:
  • Cell phone
  • Recovery beverage(s)
  • Towel
  • Fresh shirt
  • Pain killers
What's on your must-have list for race day?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Black shorts on a Saturday? You ARE leaving things to the mercy of the Running Gods.

What's on my "must have" list for race day? An awesome pit crew so I don't have to carry/stow anything!

BrianFlash said...

I must be the least prepared marathoner ever. For Comrades I had:

My bib and timing chip
A pair of Asics 2140s
Nike running shorts
Custom designed Running Banana shirt.
Garmin

No water bottles, gels or food, etc. I figure the race is supported so they have what I need. Maybe that's why my electrolytes got all out of wack during the race...

BrianFlash said...

By the way - watch sucking down those painkillers. They aren't particularly good for you while running.

Go have a great race!

Sun Runner said...

I know it sounds lame, but get a pair of diabetic compression socks at your local MegaMart or CVS to wear after the race. They're only $5 or so and they accomplish the same purpose as the fancy-ass $45 ones you can find at the running stores. I put on a pair of those cheap black bad boys immediately after I ran Boston and didn't take them off for the next 24+ hours. My recovery from Boston was nothing short of miraculous, and I give most of the credit to the compression socks. I know you're a cheapskate, so I figured the $5 price tag might tempt you to crack open that dusty wallet of yours.

Don't forget to put the anti-chafe product of your choice on your problem areas on race morning, too!

HANG IN THERE! TWO MORE DAYS AND IT WILL BE OVER!

Nitmos said...

Go get 'em, Tiger!

Jess said...

Good luck!

I usually carry:
Water bottle
Gu
iPod

Jess said...

I NEED a pair of sandals or flip flops after a race. The first thing I want to get off and get rid of are my shoes.

Junk Miler said...

Charlie's Soap!

Eat and sleep well tonight.

Anonymous said...

The race seems so interesting and challenging. The guess the event is tough and looks everyone is happy to it. Good post too.



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