Training | My Race Ragz

Posts Tagged ‘training’

Common Race Day Mistakes Part 1: Going Out Too Fast

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

You’re standing there at the starting line of a race. You’re pumped and everyone is cheering for you. Your family is there and the adrenaline is flowing. You’ve been training for this day for months.

And then all of a sudden the horn blows and you’ve taken off like someone or something is chasing you and there’s a steak at the finish line!
(Or a giant cheese pizza if you’re vegetarian.) You’re going all out and there’s not much more you can do to stop it! Then you look down at your Garmin and see that you’re going to PR the race! This is fantastic!

And then it happens. You realize you went out too fast and you can’t even keep up with yourself. What started out as the amazing race has turned into the turtle and the hare and all the turtles are beginning to pass you.

Your legs are concrete stumps.

You crash and burn.

What just happened? Race Day Mistake #1: You went out too fast.

So what physically happens when you go out too fast? Your body uses its stored energy all up which leads to muscle fatigue. In a 5k, it means you can struggle in the last mile by going out too fast, but if you go out too fast in a marathon, you’ll struggle through at least the last 6, perhaps even more. And you don’t want to do that.

It’s hard NOT to go out too fast isn’t it? It seems impossible to avoid!

But here are some ways to try and dial it down a little:

-Start in the correct position at the starting line. If you start out at the front of the pack, you’ll try to keep up with the fastest runners. Try not to start too far back, either, because that may mean weaving in and out of the slower runners. Note: don’t be discouraged by people passing you at the beginning, you’ll be passing plenty of people later, once you all get moving.

-Focus on a relaxed pace at the start. Check your pace at the first mile marker and back off if you went out too fast. It’s not too late to correct it, just slow it down a little and then leave yourself some energy to pick it up in the end. Your best race is run when you keep an even pace throughout the race or you run it in negative splits, which is when you run the second half faster than the first half.

-Plan to run your first mile slower than you plan to run the last mile. It takes mental discipline and practice to start out slow, so practice going out slow in your training runs and speeding up in the end.

Have you ever gone out too fast in a race?? How do YOU dial it down? Share it in the comments below!

Tags: going out too fast in a race, race day mistakes, running, training
Posted in Race | No Comments »

Holiday Gift List: My Race Ragz Crew Faves

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

Favorite Top 10 Gear Ideas from My Race Ragz!

There’s not much time left to get your holiday shopping done, but if you have runners, fitness buffs or triathletes in your life, we’ve compiled a list of our favorites, straight from the My Race Ragz crew!

Here at My Race Ragz, we do a little of everything. Mr. My Race Ragz, Kevin, is the cyclist at heart who loves to run for brews and does some triathloning too. (Did you know he rode from Florida to Washington D.C. by himself? He did.)

Mrs. My Race Ragz, Joanna, is the runner. She’s pretty hard core. And really fast.

The My Race Ragz socialite, Christie, tries to do a little of each in a mid-packery fashion.

So here’s some of our tried and true favorites and all of these have gone swim-bike-and-running miles and miles with us, so we hope you can find some ideas for the athletes in your life!

The My Race Ragz Top 10 Holiday Gifts

1. My Race Ragz OK, yes we made our own list, but we wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t love it, would we? We wear our products, it is what we wear on race day and in training. You should too! You really can’t go wrong with a personalized moisture wicking shirt. #theend By the way, we should mention you can purchase a My Race Ragz gift certificate so your athlete can design their own shirt, or you can design one for them!

2. Swim lap counter Oh but there’s more! Keep losing count of your swim laps? You think you swam 1,000 meters but really you swam 700? Keep track with a lap counter that fits on your finger. Who knew there was a convenient lap counter this small? It’s cool.

3. Cycle Ops Indoor Bike Trainer It might be cold out. It might be icy. It might be rainy. But with a bike trainer, THERE ARE NO EXCUSES. So get on your bike already!

4. A visor or a Bondi Band Moisture-wicking sweat bands that have cool sayings on them? Shah! We’re all about cool sayings on stuff! Plus these really keep the sweat out of your eyes. Visors and Bondi Bands used ~~obsessively~~ by both Christie and Joanna.

5. Yurbuds Ear Buds Taking your earbuds to the next level! The Ironman Earbuds used by Kevin, who says (and I quote) they “turn a cheap earbud into an awesome one.” Sold! Now I want some.

6. Pandora iPhone app Also a Kevin favorite. You can personalize your own radio station with your favorite artists for your workouts and for race day. That’s pretty cool.

7. Garmin None of us can take nary a step without a Garmin or we feel nekkid. They’re all pretty amazing but the 310xt is partially waterproof, while the 305 is only water resistant (yes there’s a difference). The 405 is water resistant but the face doesn’t detach like the others do. However, it wirelessly uploads data to your computer. (Schwing!) Whichever you decide on, you will not be sorry. Caution though: after you’ve been using it for a while, you will feel paralyzed if you forget it.

8. Water. We don’t have a favorite water vessel but we all agree that WATER is our favorite. You can’t really give water as a gift, (well I guess you can, but would you want to?) You can however, personalize your own water bottles at Cafe Press.

9. Go Sport ID or Road ID Don’t train without wearable identification! What if something happens to you and you can’t speak? People get hit by cars all the time! What if you have allergies? Don’t you want your significant other to be contacted right away? Of course you do! They’re not that expensive and they make great stocking stuffers. You really shouldn’t leave your home without one of these. Safety first!

10. Waterproof Headphones & Case Oh, you haven’t lived until you’ve swam with music. It’s pretty cool. Unless of course you get stuck in the middle of a playlist that includes international festival music you downloaded for your child’s spring festival and you’re left swimming to parade music. Followed by Christmas music in August because you forgot that “shuffle” means “shuffle.” Oh, and make sure you CLOSE the waterproof case BEFORE you swim. Or else you will turn off the “waterproofing” feature of the case and then you will need a new iPod. Just saying. Learn from us. But swimming with music is fabulous.

What are your favorites in your workout & running arsenal? Feel free to share in the comments!

Happy holidays!

Tags: cycling, fitness, Holiday Gifts, running, training, triathlon, winter running, workout
Posted in My Race Ragz | No Comments »

Offseason Training Tips

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Baby it’s cold outside! (Well not where we are, we’re in Florida but trust me, I at least wish it were cold. I really do. I’m not even lying.)

But for most of you, it’s cold and if your races are done for the year, you are on the “offseason.” And you might be spending more time indoors.

What will you do with all that time (i.e. how will you continue to burn holiday calories while you’re not training for something?)

We have some tips for you!

First of all, it’s ok to take a brief time out for yourself. If you’re like me, you needed to hear someone else say that, so we’re saying it.

Go ahead, take a break.

Go light. Maybe a week, maybe two depending on how busy you were during the year training and racing. If you had a busy running or triathlon season, your body needs to catch up and heal from all the stress you put it through during the season. Just remember, if you lay off the exercise a little, eat better so you don’t add those calories back on.

OK, break’s over.

When you’re ready to get back at it, here are some things that you can do that will help you burn calories, stay fit and also get you refreshed for the coming year:

-Take classes at the gym unrelated to what you’ve been training for, like body pump, zumba, or kickboxing
-Do yoga or try something new like hot yoga
-Focus on core work
-Focus on strength; do squats, lunges, hill work, etc.
-Reconnect with family members who you might have left in the dust while training throughout the year

-If you’re into triathlon, focus on your weakest discipline
-Run short local races or fun runs
-Join a Master’s swim
-Get a Massage!

The season will be here before you know it and so will your structured training plan! So, do you already have 2012 planned? How are you spending your time until then?

Tags: fitness, running, training, triathlon
Posted in Fitness | No Comments »

Twitter Party Announcement!

Monday, October 31st, 2011

Join My Race Ragzand The Biggest Loser Season 11 Contestant

Austin Andrews for a Twitter Party this week, Wednesday, November 2, at 8 p.m. ET.

Austin was on Team Brown with his dad, Ken, and together the both of them lost over 300 pounds!

We’ll be talking about health & fitness with our special guest , and giving away custom dri-fits throughout the hour. So join us!

It’ll be a blast!

Tags: fitness, giveaways, running, t-shirts, The Biggest Loser, training
Posted in Fitness, Giveaways, My Race Ragz | No Comments »

9 Pre-Race Tips to Get You Through the Big Day

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

So you’ve spent hours upon hours upon hours training and (probably) watching what you’re eating.

You’re gearing up for the big day. It is almost here.

After spending the last however many months making sure you’ve trained right and that the race will go off without a hitch, you don’t want anything to mess it up in the days leading up to it.

Here are 9 tips to get you through that big day — from nutrition to hydration to sleep.

Hydration

1. Start hydrating two days before the race (at least).

2. Don’t drink all water. You don’t want to water dilute your body’s electrolytes, so be sure to mix in some sports drink or even a soda in between. Super tip: Still got some long runs in your training? Practice your hydration strategies in the long runs beforehand so you know what works.

3. The golden rule of racing: NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY. Don’t try new nutrition, don’t try new gear. Always practice with it first.

4. Sleep. Chances are it will be hard to sleep the night before the race. So make sure you get a full night’s sleep two days before so you can at least have some sleep in your arsenal. Somewhere.

5. For a long triathlon (1/2 Iron or Full): drive the bike course beforehand. This might not always be practical because the bike course is very likely long and it will take a while (or you might not even have a car if you’ve traveled). But if you can, it will help you to navigate the day of the race. You can pick out landmarks that will give you a visual on how far you have left (which could be a good or a bad thing of course.) You’ll also be able to know which hills you have to tackle and where they are so you can leave something in the tank when you’re riding.

Nutrition

6. Carbo load doesn’t mean carbo-GORGE. Start eating more carbs two days beforehand but not in one big lump sum. Spread it out into easy payments throughout the day by eating rice, oatmeal, bread, pancakes, bagels, etc. (Things like that, not ALL of that…)

7. The most important pre-race meal is not dinner the day before the race but LUNCH. So eat a healthy lunch with carbs and some protein. And again, the “nothing new on race day” rule applies. If you’re not used to eating lots of beans and broccoli the day before a race or long run, don’t do it. Stick with what you know or you could end up a gassy mess.

8. If you’re traveling, find out what restaurants are around and look up the menus beforehand so you don’t have to drive around looking for something to eat. You can also see if you can make reservations because restaurants near the race course get packed the day before.

9. Find out what brand of nutrition (gels or sportsdrinks) the race is providing and if you don’t want to carry your own, use the brand the race is providing during your training. Remember: NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY.

What is your race day prep advice?

Tags: fitness, fuel, marathon, Pre-race meals, race, Race Day Tips, runners, running, training, triathlon
Posted in Race, Tips | No Comments »

The Dangers of Trail Running: Safety Tips

Monday, October 10th, 2011

Last week, one of our awesome rockin customers, Dave, wrote us about his friend who got bitten by a rattlesnake while running. (His tale won him a shirt and you can read about it in our equally awesomely rockin’ newsletter which is here).

Which brought to mind a very interesting topic: the dangers of trail running.

Now, trail running is awesome. You are one with nature, you have to engage different muscles and your core to provide agility and balance, and running on the dirt minimizes the impact on your body while you run. It is much better for you than road running or running on pavement or asphalt. Not to mention, it’s quiet, you’re away from traffic and you are among beauty and fresh air.

Of course, while you’re becoming one with nature by running in it, there is also a chance you could come in direct contact with parts of nature that may perhaps want to eat you or attack you for whatever reason. And this is where our special trail running to-do list can be especially helpful.

What to do when you come face to face with:

Coyotes: Use a loud and authoritative voice and scare it away with rocks and sticks. Most of the time, it will just flee.

Alligators: This one’s for trail runners in Florida mostly because in Florida, there is very likely at least one alligator in every body of water. So trail runners should always be aware of their surroundings and be aware that something could be hiding under thick brush. If you come face to face with an alligator, Wikipedia says, “Run!” (And since you’re running already, you’ll probably already be warmed up!) Alligators tire out quickly so you can probably (hopefully) outrun it. Don’t do that whole zig-zag thing that we’ve all heard about because running in a straight line can actually put more distance in between you and them (and their teeth.)

If you have the unfortunate experience of not getting away, FIGHT BACK. Its vulnerable spots are their eyes and nose, so poke away! They also have this little valve at the back of their throat that keeps the water from getting in, so if your arm is stuck in there (hopefully it is not), find it there behind it’s tongue and push it. It’ll probably release you. Then run! And take your arm with you!

Bears: Bears are a little more tricky. Do NOT run. Instead, stop, try to make yourself as large as possible and stand your ground.

From WikiHow:

“Speak softly. If the bear continues to approach as you back away, stop and stand your ground. Speak more loudly in a deep, calm voice, and wave you arms to make yourself look bigger. Keep an eye on the bear, but avoid direct eye contact, this can be interpreted as a challenge by the bear.”

There is actually something called “Bear Pepper Spray” so that might be something good to carry with you if you’re worried.

Of course, knowing *why* the bear is coming after you can help too. If it is hungry, you should fight back by throwing stuff at it. If it’s protecting itself, then this is the only situation in which playing dead by lying face down on the ground and protecting your man and girlie parts with the ground and putting your hands behind your neck might help. In any of these scenarios, however, WikiHow seems adamant about not running away and squealing because that will probably not help you no matter what.

Mountain Lions: Like a bear, make yourself as big as possible and (try to) stay calm. Speak softly but authoritatively and do not run. It will probably run without confrontation, but if it doesn’t and it gets you, FIGHT! Poke its eyes, hit it with rocks and sticks and DO NOT pretend you are dead. You can use that bear pepper spray on mountain lions too by the way.

Snakes: Do not panic. Stop and go around it with at least a body length (hopefully more). It won’t chase you so just go away from it. If you need to, grab a (really) long stick and move it. But really just try to go around it. If you surprise it and it gets you, you can remember you saw this post, call 911, then pull this website up on your phone (you are carrying your phone with you on your runs, right?) which is: What to do if you get bitten by a snake.

People: This one personally bothers me the most since I know plenty of people (me) who have been flashed and followed by scary people while running. And actually, I haven’t seen any of those other things on my runs but I have seen crazy people. (There are plenty of other dangers out there, why do we have to consider running from people?!) As you can see, this makes me bitter. Anyway, here are some tips to avoid the crazies out on the trail:
-Run with a buddy
-Do not discuss your itinerary with strangers along the trail & claim to be in part of a larger group.
-Do not respond to taunts or provocation.
-If they try to get you, use that bear pepper spray. It’s multi-functional.

And last but not least:
Zombies: We have to have all our bases covered here. It is almost Halloween so you never know and besides, there is a Zombie Survival Guide and the Centers for Disease Control acknowledged it. Let’s face it, the chances of being confronted by a Zombie out on a trail are pretty slim (unless you’re running by cemetaries maybe). They like to hang out in populated places like malls (lots of brains to feast on there) so if you’re trail running in a mall and run into a zombie, then just run back to the trail and then keep running. They walk really really slowly, so as long as you keep running, you’ll be ok.

What are YOUR crazy run stories? Do you have any run-ins with the above?

(If you leave your tale in the comments and if it shows up in our newsletter you’ll win a shirt!)

* * *
Other sources: Runner’s World, FloridaTrails.org, WikiHow.com

Tags: fitness, runners, running, training
Posted in Running, Safety Tips | 1 Comment »

Race Day & Training: What Works for You “Odd Fuel Stash” Edition

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

We’re starting a segment here at My Race Ragz called “What Works for You?”

We’ll present the topic on our Facebook page the week before and we’ll publish the intel we collect on Facebook and Twitter right here for you. Out of all these runners here in cyberland, there’s bound to be some outside-the-box secrets, and we’ve already found some.

This week we’re working on fuels and we’ve gathered up some intel from some of our runner friends to talk about what works for them during training and on race day.

Our top five most interesting finds we gathered from you are:

Mustard packets. This one touted by Clearwater swim coach Joe Biondi as a savior for cramping. And it’s true. At the Ironman Augusta 70.3 this weekend, some people in our group packed mustard packets in their arsenal. Why? According to “Core Performance,” the mustard contains acetic acid, which helps stimulate the production of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter that tells the muscles to work. So there you go.
Caffeine pills. Forget the Gu or the 5 hour energy, the pills cost very little for a whole bottle of em and you can pack em and go and pop one halfway through a long training session or race. They last forever and they don’t cost much.
PayDay bars. Remember this classic? Former pro triathlete Laura Drake used it for fuel. Lots of peanuts (protein), good to go.
Uncrustables. Great for long bike rides and half-iron distances where you need something more than a gel or a chew along the way. They’re frozen, they’re in their own package, you stick it in your cycling jersey or tri-top and they thaw by “meal time.”

One of our favorite finds? Swedish Fish or Gummi Bears. We’d never have thought of it but it makes sense, a sugar pick-me-up that doesn’t melt! That one from @katierunsthis (www.katierunsthis.com) during #bartchat, a Twitter chat led by Runner’s World CRO Bart Yasso. Thanks Katie!

What are your favorites? Leave a comment or even better — feel free to post about your favorites and leave the link to your blog in the comments!

We’ll have another topic this week so watch the My Race Ragz Facebook page!

Tags: cycling, fitness, fuel, marathon, runners, running, training, triathlon
Posted in Nutrition | No Comments »