Before the race:

1. Pee. Trust me on this.
2. Drink lots of water all week long, especially the day before and morning of the race. This is why #1 is important.
3. Don’t drink four margaritas 18 hours pre-race, even if you tell yourself it’s okay because you’re getting top-shelf margaritas on the rocks with extra lime and salt on the rim. Margarita salt is not an acceptable substitute for an electrolyte sports drink.
4. Go to the race expo. Pick up your packet. Make some impulse purchases you will later regret because everyone else is buying that balance bracelet. Stare at your race bib. Smack yourself in the head for thinking you could actually do a half marathon.
5. Follow a training plan. There are so many plans out there – find one that works for you and your schedule. Mine included 3 days/week of walking and/or running, 1-2 cross training or strength training days and 1 active recovery/yoga/pilates/easy walk day.
6. Don’t be afraid to modify the plan. I suffered many setbacks due to knee problems and a sprained foot/ankle. I made adjustments (like biking or doing the elliptical instead of walking or running because they were low-impact). I had to cut one long “run” short because my foot hurt so bad.
7. Train with others. I joined Team Challenge, an endurance/half marathon training program that raises money for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis research. You have a team of coaches (like Anne of FitMke) who make sure you cross that finish line at the race. We trained for 16 weeks, meeting every Sunday morning for the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon. Sure, I had to raise a bunch of money, but the support and encouragement from the Team Challenge staff along with the coaches and my teammates were invaluable. Plus, I traveled to California to do a race that took me through vineyards. As in, where they make wine. There was a free wine tasting for participants at the finish. ’nuff said.
   
8. Stock your medicine cabinet with ibuprofen. And ace bandages. And keep some ice packs or frozen peas in the freezer. You will thank me later.
9. Make an appointment with a massage therapist halfway through training. I recommend Stacy Snook if you’re in the Milwaukee or Madison areas. She’s fabulous and will help work out the tight muscles in your legs and lower back.
10. Test out your gear. Everything that you plan to wear/drink/eat on race day, you should be wearing/drinking/eating prior to race day. I found that one particular pair of capris was more comfortable than the others on long run/walks. I also found that I liked wearing a visor rather than a baseball hat and sunglasses because of the sweat that dripped down my face. I found that I preferred the Nathan Quick Draw Water Bottle to a water belt. It was a good fit for my inhaler, too. I also found that I preferred my Garmin on my left arm and my iPod shuffle clipped onto my sports bra, right between my breasts. I liked using my SPI Belt to hold my cell phone and I preferred Honey Stingers and Power Bar Chews to Gu.

During the race:

1. Start out slow. Let’s face it. Chances are you’re not going to win the race, so don’t bother burning all your energy the first couple of miles. Save your energy and wait for the pack to thin out a bit as everyone finds their comfortable pace.
2. Drink water, even if you don’t think you need it. Keep yourself hydrated so you don’t feel faint. I drank a sip from my bottle every half mile or so. I also drank at every water stop and took both water and HEED (sports drink) when the sports drink was offered. You may not think you will need the sports drink, but suck it down anyways. The electrolytes will save you later on.
3. Don’t fall behind on your nutrition. I found I was able to keep my energy at a good level by eating one chew every mile (and two a mile for the last 4 miles). During training, you should have figured out what works for you. I found that on race day itself, this ratio worked wonders. Neither of the chews I had were particularly high in sodium, so I didn’t drown myself or overdo it (in my opinion. And I am not a professional by any means. This is just what worked for me. Please don’t sue).
4. Soak it all in. If you get too focused on your pace or that pebble in your shoe, you’ll lose sight of the amazing thing you’re doing – you’re running or walking a half marathon. Seriously, enjoy the scenery, enjoy laughing at the weird form other runners use. Giggle when you see guys peeing in the bushes so they don’t have to wait for a port-a-potty.
5. Say thanks. Don’t be a jerk. Thank the volunteers handing you water at mile 3. Thank the sentry keeping cars from running you over. Smile and wave at the spectators cheering for you. Don’t be an ungrateful prick.
6. Pass on the left. As much fun as it is to bob and weave through runners, you are bound to piss some people off. Be courteous and pass on the left. You will freak people out if you try passing on the right. Also, if you’re running the race with a partner (or more), don’t hog the whole width of the course.
7. Don’t stop. I am one of those people who, once I start a long run/walk, I try not to stop for anything. I have never had to stop to use the bathroom (knock on wood). I didn’t stop to get the pebbles out of my shoe at mile 8. I knew that if I stopped, I would not keep going. But, be smart about it if you follow this philosophy. Please don’t be one of those people who craps their pants. If your shoes are untied, for goodness’ sake, stop and tie them. If you get a cramp, stop and stretch. But if you’re feeling good, don’t stop. Keep on truckin’.
8. Don’t be afraid to walk. This should fall under both before and during the race. Here’s the dealio. I’m overweight. This whole training for a half marathon is totally new to me. I’ve never run a mile in my life. So, I started training with the intent to run/walk the race… with most of the race falling in the walking category. All in all, I probably ran the equivalent of 3ish miles during the race, never for more than a half mile at a time. Your goal for your first race should be to just simply finish. I had a time goal of 4 hours, with a super-secret time goal of 3:30. I finished the race in 3:49. I walked most of the race. And no one judged me.
9. Save a little burst of energy for that last tenth of a mile. You’re pretty much a rockstar for getting to this point, but if you sprint that last leg, you are officially a badass.

After the race:

1. Wear your medal with pride. I didn’t take mine off for 3 days.
   
2. Have some chocolate milk. It does a body good.
3. Eat whatever the heck you want. Please note: this excuse is only valid the day of the race. Don’t follow the Amy Kant school of thought and drag this out for a week.
4. Visit the med tent (if needed). They’ll wrap you up like Sunday leftovers.
   
5. Smile. You did it. You’re officially an endurance athlete. No one can take that away from you.

Read my novel-length race report at Losing It Without Losing Me.

I’ve been hearing from a lot of people lately about how they are intimidated by running, don’t think they can run, or plain just don’t WANT to run. Hey, that’s fine! However, did you know that you can get also a really great workout without all the impact by simply turning up the incline on the treadmill while you walk? Walking uphill is an awesome way to get your heart rate up while leaving out all that pounding on your joints. You’ll also burn a ton more calories than just walking on a flat surface If you really crank it up high and walk at a brisk pace you can burn almost as much as you would jogging.

Some days I just don’t have it in me to run on the treadmill, so doing 30 minutes of incline walking is a nice alternative. One thing I like to do so I don’t get bored (or too tired!) is to break it up into intervals. Start with a 2 minute warmup with the incline on 2 or 3 and then every two minutes gradually increase the incline by 1 level (or more, depending on the intensity you want.) When you reach the point where it starts to feel too difficult, drop back down to a 3 or 4 incline and start rebuilding slowly again. Repeat this until you reach 30 minutes. The very high inclines can get pretty tough but sometimes just knowing you have a break coming up can get you through it. Plus, taking that short breather gives you the chance to recharge for another round. Another option is to alternate high/low intervals instead of doing a gradual build. Go back and forth between an incline of 8 and 3, 7 and 4, 9 and 5….you get the picture.

One more word of advice: Don’t grip the handlebars! If you start having to hold on to the bars then you’re setting the incline too high. Sure, the calorie burn reader on the machine will start to go through the roof but if you’re pulling yourself along rather than using the power of your own body you will be cheating yourself and not getting the full benefit of the exercise. You’ll want it to be tough at the highest level but not so tough that you have to lean on the machine for help.

Happy walking!

*Photo: U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Araceli Alarcon

Is the time change killing your workouts? I don’t know about you but this week really had a strange effect on me with the sun setting so early all of a sudden. It seems these past few days that by 5:30pm now all I want to do is curl up with a blanket and a good book. One of my favorite things over the summer was to run by the lake at sunset, but now unless I want to do this in the middle of the afternoon it looks like I’ll have to wait until spring. I’ve been mentally preparing for the shift to winter for a while now but it was a bit jarring to suddenly lose those evening outdoor runs. The fact that half of Milwaukee seems have the flu right now probably isn’t helping my mood either.

Being stuck inside doesn’t have to be all bad though. Sure, the thought of running like a hamster on the treadmill until April is pretty unappealing but I’m trying to look forward to rediscovering the gym over the coming months and mixing up my normal routine. The downside to getting really good at one form of exercise is that you are really good at just one form of exercise. Your body get accustomed to it and as you become more efficient you actually burn fewer calories at the same activity. Not fair if you ask me but I’m only reporting the facts. You can avoid this by switching around your workouts. Try running intervals on the treadmill instead of keeping a steady pace, cross train on other cardio machines and add in some weight training as well. It’s important to change things up in order to keep your body guessing and avoid going into auto pilot. The gym can be a great way to tackle this problem. Divide your time into 20 to 30 minutes at three different stations instead of spending a full hour on the treadmill and going home.

What about you? Are you planning on being a gym rat this winter? Or do you have an at-home plan instead?

*Photo by Alex Castella.