Runner's World Half & Festival 2013 Review

The Runner's World Half & Festival for 2013 was held in Bethlehem, PA, October 18th-20th. What a beautiful venue; the town has been going through constant revitalization, but you still get to soak in all of the history. Based on the location of race events, I found the Sands Casino Resort and Hotel to be the most convenient place to stay. It was definitely not the cheapest, but staying there you could basically walk to everything, plus the starting line for the half was there.

As a recommendation for new and seasoned runners, don't make the noob mistake I did. I figured the hills wouldn't be any worse than what I trained on near my house, and I didn't really study the course or the grading. That hurt me big time, as I trained on hills a lot less steep than what I ran on, and the super hill in the Half killed me.

Shake Out 3 Mile Run

The Shake Out 3 Mile Run was free to anyone...you just had to show up and sign a waiver. It was held on Friday by the Runner's World staff. It was really fun and we did just over a 3 mile trail run. If I had realized it was so close, I would have ran over instead of driving. However, I knew I would be doing enough walking with the expo and for the non-racing stuff, so it was probably smart I drove over...plus parking was free for this.

5k Race

The 5k race started out right on schedule, 8am. The National Anthem is my absolute favorite pre-race "thing" that really gets me going. Sorry if that seems cheesy, but it motivates me like crazy. And then followed by some older dance music right before the gun. The course itself was fun. There was 1 decent uphill, with an equally steep downhill. The bridge was a very gradual uphill / downhill, so I don't count it.

Personally, I had set a goal of coming in under 23 minutes. I got 23:20, which was still a PR for me, but not what I was aiming for. The uphill was a little more challenging than I had originally thought it would be, which based on my TomTom info, is where I lost the 20+ seconds.

10k Race

The 10k race also started on time, 9:30am. Since the National Anthem had already been done for the 5k, they didn't do it again. I am embarrassed to say I wasn't paying much attention and I forget what song they did; I think it was God Bless America. Anyway, the course included the same starting leg and finishing leg of the 5k. This was really nice, as I visually knew when to kick at the last mile. The course had 1 extra uphill and downhill, both of which were fairly steep, but nothing too crazy. The first uphill started at 0.3 miles in and was 2/3 of a mile long, but 100 ft. elevation gain. The second uphill was around 1.8 miles in and was about 0.9 miles long, but had a slight downhill half way through, with a total elevation gain of 134 ft.

I was prepared for the first hill, however, and the second wasn't too bad since I expected it after dealing with the 1st hill and knowing there were 2 uphills. My goal was 9:30 min/mile since I figured I would be dead from the 5k and wanted to make sure I would be good for the half the following day. I was energized like crazy and I ended up getting a 50:54, or an 8:11 min/mile pace and destroying my previous best. So, 2/2 on PR's for Saturday.

Half Marathon Race

The Half Marathon started at the entrance to the Sands Casino. This was nice because I literally rolled out of bed less than an hour before start, got my free continental breakfast, and walked through the heated casino and was at the starting line. This was nice because Sunday morning was a good 8 degrees colder than Saturday.

There were 4 uphills for the half. The first one was around mile 1 and was about 0.5 miles long with an elevation gain of 74 ft; not too bad. The next uphill was around mile 2.2, and was even shorter. The next 2 uphills were technically part of 1 super long gradual uphill, with a few mini and short downhills before continuing the climb. This started around mile 3.8 and went until about mile 7.7, with a total elevation gain of about 172 ft. After that is was basically downhill until the end.

My goal was to beat my Philly Half Marathon time, which meant doing better than an 8:30 min/mile pace. I was kind of on track until mile 6, which was the start of the worst part of the super long hill. I was able to regain my pace a little miles 7-9, but my legs were completely shot and my mile times exponentially jumped up after mile 9, causing me to finish with a time of 1:53:12, or an 8:38 min/mile pace. Still not bad mind you, but I wanted to not only complete the Runner's World Hat Trick, but I wanted to get a Hat Trick with PR's. Nice dice; so 2 out of 3 PR's for the weekend.

Expo

The expo was pretty good. I am used to the gigantic expos for the largely publicized races, like the Rock 'n' Roll series races for example. So the expo was mini comparatively. However, for a smaller venue expo it was really good. The best part was really the seminars. Having the runner's world staff and other pro's giving advice was priceless. To add insult to injury (for my half race), I had gone to a seminar on proper fueling, and what did I NOT do for my half race...properly fuel of course. Hah! Oh well, lesson learned and kind of funny looking back. The pictures are of the ArtsQuest building where the expo was held and the 3 story spiral stair climb for swag pick-up (the blown glass sculpture was AMAZING!). The start and finish lines (except for the half start), were here as well.

Other Info

There was also a kids fun run and the Eukanuba Dog Run. Both were great and entertaining. The beer tent was awesome...nothing like some free beer after a race. Overall an awesome event, a great time, and I am hoping to do this again. 

Distance Races: Tips and Tricks for the First Timers

Are you about to run your first 10k, 10 miler, half marathon, or even marathon? I want to share some tips and tricks for training, taper week, race day, and post race. I have done a bunch of distance races, plus I grew up with my dad always running distance races, and I have a lot of his experience to rely on as well. I selected 10k as the shortest "long" distance. Technically anything under 10 miles is mid or short distance, but I decided to focus on any races that for the average runner would be close to an hour long or more. Yes, there are plenty of beginners running 5-6 min miles, but you can still hopefully benefit from some tips.

Training

The easy part is gear. Make sure you get fitted by a professional at a running store or by an orthopedist for your shoes. In regards to other clothing, the only major thing is to make sure whatever you wear allows for full range of movement for your running form or any exercise you will perform, and that your socks you use are not too tight or too loose. I recommend sweat-wicking running gear, as it will help you from dehydrating quicker, and is generally a lot more comfortable.

For you training plan, I recommend sticking with a simple beginner plan. They usually have at least 2 rest during the week so your body can get used to the mileage and physical abuse you are going to give yourself...remember, running is a high impact activity. Most importantly for your plan; stick with the plan! For your first races or races, unless you are naturally the world's fastest runner, you are probably more focused on completing than competing. I will cover competitor tips in another blog article at a later time. So, follow your plan. If you want more activity, cross-train. Your body will thank you for it. Leg strength training is huge for runners, as your legs, joints and lower back get pounded the less leg strength you have in your legs. Or you can add some other workouts like HIIT, swimming, cycling, P90X/Insanity-type workouts, or whatever you like. The other workouts will not only improve your overall fitness and stamina, but will also aid in faster recovery.

Other things to keep in mind is anything you want to try new for the race, such as water bottle holsters, running with or without music, taking GU or other energy replenishing items, then you really want to train with them. For the beginner, changing up more than 1 or 2 things on race day from your training could cause a lot of unwanted issues. Once you get more experience under your belt, then you will find that the only way to know if something is going to be useful is to try it on race day. But make sure to NEVER change shoes on race day or the week before. You are asking for injury otherwise.

Taper Week

Tapering is basically lowering the volume of your training while still keeping the intensity of your training. This is usually done the week before the race. For beginners and if you are going from something like a couch to 10k, you may want 2 weeks of tapering, but typically 1 week is more than enough. The idea here is to keep active and keep your body used to the faster training speeds so you will perform well at your race. This still applies even if you don't really care about speed. Regardless of your goals, the taper week is designed to keep you active and ready for the race, but not push your body to the levels of your normal training...you don't want to be exhausted and in pain on the day of your race.

For those of you who slack off, I recommend tapering at least 3 days before the race. This usually isn't enough time if you do a really long run right before the race, but for many beginners, this will be the bare minimum time to recover enough to complete the race.

Race Day

Everyone loves carb loading the night before or a couple nights before the race. This is usually pointless unless you are always on a low carb / low sugar eating lifestyle. Usually carb loading is only good for making your bloated or cramped for race day. On race day, try to stick to your usual breakfast you would have on any other long run day. If you are nervous or anxious, which most are, then make sure to have avoid any foods or drinks that are acidic and any foods that would be too heavy or salty. So, OJ is a great example of a drink to avoid. Most dairy will sit pretty heavy for most people, and eating pre-packaged freezer meals (sorry Jimmy Dean) is probably not the best idea because of the insane sodium levels. You don't want to get to your race and have a stomach ache or be dehydrated before you even start.

If you are opting to stay at a hotel, then I recommend picking a hotel either in middle of the start and finish, or closer to the start. Even though you may be exhausted when you finish, the last thing you need before the race is to have to rush to get to the race and get stuck in traffic. If you are staying with someone or going from your house, then make sure you get to the race at least 1-1.5 hours before the races starts. I usually recommend 2 hours before race start. This will allow you to take your time finding a parking spot and getting acclimated to the race environment. If you are nervous, the last thing you need to worry about is parking and finding your way to the race starting line.

Finally, lay out your race gear the night before the race. Usually you will be excited or nervous and not always thinking clearly. You don't want to get to the race only to realize you are missing something vital...like your shoes or your race bib.

Post Race

Usually when you finish the race, you will be hot and sweaty. This means that unless it's an extremely hot day, you will get cold quickly after the race. If you have spectators with you, get one of them to hold at least a dry shirt for you to put on after the race. You probably should have a basic change of clothes though, or a warm-up outfit to put on over your race attire. If you don't have anyone with you, hopefully there is a gear check at the beginning of the race. If all else fails, train with a backpack and just run with your gear. It's not ideal in any way, but at least you will feel "comfortable" after the race.

One important thing after the race is to get some carbs and sugars back in you, as well as making sure you are rehydrated properly. So, eating a banana, bagel, energy bar, having some Gatorade, or similar is always a good option. For longer races, you will want to also get more sustenance. I have found that that chocolate almond milk is a miracle recovery tool. There is no other food or drink I have tried that compares. But, you usually won't have that with you or available, so look for items with a higher carb amount. Ideally, a recovery food or drink item will give you a 4 to 1, carb to protein ratio. 

Lastly, stretch! Get some static stretches in after you finish. It will help avoid extreme muscle tightening later and can also aid in faster recovery after the race.

Most importantly, have fun! The race is the reward for the hard training you just did!