How to take the turns in a race… and back to the blades.

Brooke has become Megan’s assistant coach at bootcamp.  She tells us when to stop, when to go and she does a fantastic job dancing to the music.  

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We took our workout outside last night and did some crazy things—> for example a sprint followed directly with a burpee repeated a total of 30 times.  

Last night was the last class of this round of bootcamp classes which means I actually stuck with it for an entire round.  A miracle.  I’m already looking forward to the next round to start again in two weeks.  

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After bootcamp we strapped on our rollerblades (and Brooke in her stroller) and took a little stroll around the neighborhood.  

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Completely normal activity for 4 (5 if you include Brooke but she won’t be on the market for a few decades) single girls to do on a Wednesday night.  

 

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While we were out I saw someone on an ElliptiGO.  It looked like so much fun and if I wasn’t wearing rollerblades I probably would have asked them if I could have tried it out!

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We are keeping the streak going and Otter Pops were the choice for popsicles last night.  

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We got home and I inhaled this.  I’m convinced that simple meals are my favorite meals.  Toast + eggs + cheese + avocado.  

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My coach sent me this article the other day and I definitely needed to read it—>  How To Run the Tangents In A Race (And Why You Should)!

When I first started racing I was always very confused why my watch read 13.4 (or something like that) at the end of the 1/2 marathon.  I would tell myself that the course was long and then try to figure out what my time would have been IF the course was accurate.

Yeah, that’s not the case.  I think 99.9% (remember to never trust a percentage that you see on this blog) of races are pretty darn accurate.  

The reasons that our watches tell us that we ran farther than the race distance:

1.  GPS isn’t always perfect and satellite coverage, tunnels, random factors make it so that they aren’t dead on.  

2.  We don’t run the tangents (a tangent is the line that touches the inside of a curve) properly and that adds on distance to our race!  AKA when you are turning a corner or running a curve you want to run it in a way that is the shortest distance possible.  

“Running the outside of a turn, as opposed to the inside, can turn out to be up to 40 feet farther.  That can add up to nearly a half-mile of extra running over a marathon-but it also depends on the course.” (source)

SO:

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From above—>  THE SHORTEST ROUTE FROM ONE CORNER TO THE NEXT WOULD BE A DIAGONAL STRAIGHT LINE! 

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What you can do to help you be prepared to run the shortest route:

Learn about the race course before the race!  Note where the turns and curves are along the way and make a game plan on how you will run them in order to avoid adding distance to your race.  Look ahead as you are actually running the race (i.e. don’t stare at your feet) and figure out how to take the upcoming turns the shortest way possible!  If you are running a very crowded race then it probably isn’t possible to run the tangents perfectly.  Just go into huge races knowing that you will have to run slightly faster than what your goal pace is in order to hit your goal time because you will probably end up running a bit farther than the 3.1/6.2/13.1/26.2 miles.  

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PS peeps have been asking about these white pants from the other day… you can find them HERE! I can’t find my shirt online but you can find some similar ones here and here!

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What is your favorite simple dinner to make at home?

Have you ever tried an ElliptiGO?

Ever been a rollerblader?  

In the last 12 months—>  what race has been your favorite? 

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72 comments

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I really want to try an elliptigo!!
Fave simple dinner: either taco salads or veggie night with whatever’s in season
I have bladed in years!
Fave race: Boston!!!

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Our favorite simple meal is frozen chicken nuggets and mac n cheese. That is the best when you don’t feel like cooking anything.

I seriously suck at running tangents. I’m probably doing exactly what photo #2 shows. I duck and weave waaayyyy too much.

I have rollar blades in my garage that I have yet to use. Maybe I’ll bust them out today….

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I try to run the tangents but my watch still goes over, I’m definitely not running them the way I should! Also when I do I feel like I risk getting pushed over by bigger people next to me! I haven’t been on rollerblades or skates for that matter in 20ish years, so that would be interesting!

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Salads are my go to meals, simple but comforting. Not a roller blader and yes, I tried an ElliptiGO and I loved it!

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I want to try the Elliptigo so badly! They look so fun! I haven’t been rollerblading in years, but back in the 90s I was pretty awesome at it! :)

Favorite race in the last 12 months – NYCM.

Favorite simple meal – stir fry! Added bonus because my husband always makes it!

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My husband and I ride our razor scooters around the neighborhood, so I feel like rollerblades is less awkward then that.

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I went through a SERIOUS razor scooter phase. All about those green wheels and SHOCKS.

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I was actually planning on going rollerblading today! I love it (except hills and bumps)… so I’d be better off rollerblading around a gym with padded walls.

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I always go for a veggie omelette or avocado toast for a quick meal. I was a competitive figure skater for over twenty years but cannot roller blade to save my life.

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-My favorite simple dinner is canned salmon and a baked yam! It takes little time to prepare but is pretty darn healthy!
-This past Sunday was actually my favorite race so far! I think it was the atmosphere that I loved so much. San Diego is just beautiful :)

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Easy meal for us = grilled meat, grilled veggie + risotto. It’s a no fail dinner.
I almost bought an eliptigo but decided not to since my cross training days from running are cycling and swimming. They look awesome & lots of fun.

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I’m so with you on simple meals. Last night I just had some runny eggs on toast and called it a night!

Then again I (sadly) didn’t run last night so I wasn’t super hungry. After running in the evening I usually want a bit more :)

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Running the tangents appropriately is something I’ve been looking more into doing. I know I run them awkwardly sometimes and cause myself an extra .1-.2 and during a 5ks that’s a lot. Thanks for that reminder and I think those diagrams really put it into perspective!

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I need to get better at running the tangents- my marathon was 26.45 and those .25 miles were a killer!!!

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Lets see how many times I can refer to our vacation last year……..but seriously my favorite easy sandwich is grilled cheese, tomato, and avocado which I had for the first time in Park City and now I make it all the time!

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I like to make omelets or egg burritos for dinner. I always think breakfast for dinner is the easiest! My favorite, most recent race was definitely Boston <3 Have a great Thursday!

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Yupp the tangents are soo real. I try to be super careful around corners and loops that aren’t well marked. Because I know they did the shortest route. Don’t want to add time to your race. :)

I used to be a rollerblader. When I was like 10. It’s been a while.

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The ElliptiGo looks like lots of fun! I’d love to try it out :)

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The fact that there is a street in your neighborhood where people are rollerblading AND elliptiGoing is really just phenomenal. All my best friends are married or in serious relationships so I’m just going to come join y’all in Provo, mmmkay?!?

Have a WONDERFUL DAY!

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My favorite simple dinner is a sweet potato with cheese, chicken, avocado and BBQ sauce to top it off. Add some Wheat Thins on the side. SO good.

I love rollerblading! In fact, when I was injured a few years ago, I used rollerblading as one of my cross training methods. I even did some pretty solid workouts, especially when I realized I could use my Garmin while on blades.

There’s a 15K I do every year in July called Too Hot to Handle, and it’s such a blast! I think my favorite part, though, might be the Fla-Vor-Ice they have at the end. :)

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I used to roller blade all the time! Then I fell and scraped myself up really bad and that was that.
My favorite simple dinner is a big salad with some chips and hummus.
In the last 12 months my favorite race was the New Jersey marathon this past April

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THANK YOU so much for posting about the tangents! I hear that phrase so much but never fully understood what it meant. Now I’m ready :)

Favorite simple dinner: pasta of some sort!

Never tried an Elliptigo but they look like fun!

I was a rollerblader back in my childhood days in the 90s haha!

I was at St. George last year so that was definitely my favorite (and also a huge PR).

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My favorite dinner lately is “messy sushi” – make some rice, add smoked salmon, cucumber, avocado, spicy sauce and top with seaweed snacks! It has the same taste as sushi but super easy and quick to make :)

My favorite race was the Pittsburgh 10 Miler..it’s held in November and the weather is always perfect! It was also my first race that I ran with a pacer and it was so much fun. Also PR’ed!

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Love the tangent diagram! I try, but the slope is always more important to me – you have to love old running injuries!

Yup, used to rollerblade. I have been trying to get my friends to buy new ones and come out with me for about 6 months. It is so much fun!

I had a fried egg sandwich for dinner last night too. Simple is better.

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I don’t think I’ve used rollerblades since 1996.

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What fun that someone was on an Elliptigo! We looked at them at a race expo and now my daughter is convinced we need one :)
I used to rollerblade more frequently, and I still think it’s great exercise. I get them out occasionally. Sounds like a good thing to do with my kids tonight!

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Used to rollerblade a lot in college. My campus was right on the intracoastal in West Palm Beach so there was this long beatiful bike path along the water.
Rollerblades were a pretty new thing, since it was 1994. Wow, thanks for making me feel ancient;-)
We had my favorite simple supper last night. “Picky plate” I cut up a bunch of fruit, veggies, cheese, pita etc and serve it with a big tub of hummus. Then we eat on the couch while watching a movie, preferably in pj’s.

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That ElliptiGO is the COOLEST thing I’ve ever seen!!!! I’m so glad you shared about those pants, because I’ve been wondering too! :)

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I have NEVER seen an ElliptiGO before! Wow. People are coming up with the coolest stuff these days!!!

My favorite race in the last 12 months would probably have to be Hippie Chick Half Marathon near Portland, OR. I loved the fact that it was an all women’s race. So fun!

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My sister and I used to park and rollerblade along the Mt. Seymour causeway… it was a rolling hilly road that was only open to bikes, boards, rollerblades, etc. No cars! I’m not sure it still exists but now I’m curious to find out. It was SO much fun. We did it without wearing helmets which is just plain stupid but helmets weren’t really around back then (20 years ago).

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Fav simple dinner……….tacos or penne pasta with EVOO/tomatoes/basil/fresh mozzarella

I was into roller blading for a short time back in college! I’m not very good at stopping in them…….especially going downhill!

Favorite race in the past year…………..that is hard! I loved the Key West half because it was in my favorite place, but I didn’t have a good race. LOVED the Garden Spot half b/c I broke 2:00 there, but I think the most exciting race for me was Broad Street in Philly–so much cool/contagious energy!!!

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I wish I had roller blades now. I haven’t been roller blending since jr high.

I love that you put that little piece of info in this post! Some race directors will take the time to explain those kinds of things if there is time before a race, but otherwise I forget those things. Now I’ll remember :)

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I’ve seen those elliptigos but never tried one!! Looks SO COOL!! That is a WAY better way to elliptical… actually getting to go somewhere while you do it!

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My favorite dinner is roasted chicken with sweet potato and vegetables- pop it in the oven, give it 40 minutes, and then it’s ready!
I’ve never tried and Elliptgo, but it would be tempting if I was ever injured!

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My favorite simple dinner is a sweet potato with greek yogurt and almond butter!

I am loving your white jeans. You are a pro for KEEPING THEM WHITE with a toddler. Amazing.

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Oh goodness! I love blading! I have a dusty pair that are a bit to small sitting in my parents garage. Every time I see them, I miss them more.

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I’m so out of the loop. I’ve never even heard of an elliptigo until right this moment. Of course, now I want to find one and try it because how much fun does that look!?

As for simple meals, I agree….the best! Mostly because there isn’t a ton of clean up afterwards. Egg sandwiches are probably one of my favorites!

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I always wondered why my Garmin said the course was longer than 13.1. That explains why. Thanks for answering a mysterious question!

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For really big races, they often put down a blue chalk line (about three inches wide) on the ground that shows the USATF distance certification path. During last year’s Chicago Marathon I found that blue line at about mile 4 and I became BFFs with it, never straying from it for too long. That helped me get rid of one less thing to worry about, even though I was very familiar with the course. Getting rid of that stress (and lots of good training, natch) helped me PR by 18 minutes!

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WOW!! Huge congrats on that PR Mary. Thank you so much for sharing that tip about the blue chalk line… so awesome!

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I miss rollerblading!! So fun!

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Rollerblading is the BEST. My husband and I used to do a 22 mile loop in Minneapolis. Unfortunately there isn’t that much pavement where we live now to do a big loop like that but I wish there was!

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These are great tips!
I work with GPS for a living, and you are right, they are not 100% accurate. But cloud cover is not a reason! More likely satellite coverage or tree canopy interference :)

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Erin! Thank you so much for sharing that info. I’m going to edit my post now:) Hope you are having a fabulous day!

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My favorite go-to meal is shredded chicken on top of baked veggies (broccoli and cauliflower) with a drizzle of olive oil. So filling and good!

I ALWAYS try to run the shortest race possible and pay attention to corners and curves. It makes a huge difference over the course of 13.1 or 26.2 miles.

We have a lot of ElliptiGOs around Bend. They are pretty fun once you get the hang of them. A lot of runners around here will use them to cross train – it’s crazy to see people going uphill on them.

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Janae, I love that you and Brooke match in that last photo. Adorable.

Also, I took a screen shot of that toast dinner (which, hilariously, my phone just autocorrected to roast dinner). It.looks.amazing!!

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I love simple meals too. I love eating fried eggs with turkey bacon and tomatoes on toast and avocado too. Tasty! Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

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I’ve never tried an elliptigo but I would love to! They look super fun! My husband and stepdaughter have y flickers…those are also really cool!

I’m getting better at running the tangents. It irritates me to see how much extra mileage I add on (esp in a full marathon) and I hate doing the math!!!

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I completely agree with you on simple meals!! My favorite race in the last 12 months was the silver falls half mArathon- absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for the tangents information, I wondered how much I added on by swerving sometimes!

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I used to rollerblade around the neighborhood all the time when I was in junior high. I remember once I was going up a big hill and I had a lady tell me I should be playing hockey cause I had strong legs.

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LOVE LOVE your blog! I have to say it twice so you will believe me! I think you should just post where you buy your clothes on every post. You have the best style!!!

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My favorite is probably an almond butter and jelly sandwich on cinnamon raisin bread. It’s so good.

My favorite race was the Chicago Spring Half since it is the only one I have done so far this year haha.

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OMG…ROLLERBLADES!!! Last time I was on those, was in college! Never thought to put some on and push the little one in a stroller. how fun! I might have to go invest in a pair. I studied the course for Chicago like crazy because I wanted to try my best to hug the corners. There are 36 turns in the marathon route so it’s hard to get them all. I did better the second time around.

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i love avocado, celery, and chicken for a quick dinner!

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You are a brave, brave soul for wearing white pants. For me, white = immediate stains. I don’t know how it happens, but it does. Every time.
I think I run corners like the last picture you shared….haha, but that means I trained/ran harder/longer…right?? :)

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I always stick to the simple meals – most often noodles with some type of sauce or cheese on top + garlic salt & pepper.

I can’t wait to get my rollerblades out again this summer. There’s a rollerblading half marathon near me in July that I’m tempted to train for. It might be my new calling, who knows?

Favorite race in the past year has to be Boston! But I also enjoyed the VB Shamrock half because I ran a PR there.

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I love otter pop! Maybe Brooke has a future personal trainer in her!

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I love that you guys rollerblade. Like a lot a lot.

I am planning on coming to at least one boot camp class during the next round.

Blue otterpops trump all other otter pops.

Eggs, avocados and salsa…bonus points if it wrapped in corn tortillas. It is so simple, quick, easy, cheap and tasty!

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The elliptigo looks awesome, and you just reminded me of how much I love rollerblades! It has been way too long!

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I love that you girls went roller-blading! My husband and I bought ‘blades a couple years ago – we randomly found them at the thrift store and figured, why not! It was pretty fun (felt like a little kid! hah!) but I got some gnarly blisters… so haven’t used them since. :/

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Loved the commentary on race lengths! I always feel like I finish with a longer-than-the-course-said distance… Probably need to work on tangent running.

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Haha I love that you had a Rollerblading date!

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Quick dinner: Taco night is always a quick and easy dinner for us
The ElliptiGO looks like so much fun!
I haven’t been rollerblading in a long time
Favorite race is last 12 months: Pacific Palisades 4th of July 5K!!

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Elipti-go…yes! So fun. Try it on hills… a great workout. And it goes super fast. My most favorite race by far is RnRSD. For me and for my family, it turns into a runcation/racecation. We stay in our rental at Mission. And this RnR is such a party. This year I got to hang in VIP again, but this time with Sarah, Kristin, and Pam… so fun!

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I remember my track coach in high school being so OCD about running tangents so it really stuck with me. For track is is super important but a lot of people don’t think about it during longer races. Over 26.2 miles all those little tangents can really add up!

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I have a lime green ElliptiGO and it is so much fun. A great core work-out…kind of like a cross between running, cycling and Pilates. I put it on a indoor trainer for our tough Canadian winters and it works great that way too. Definitely try one if you get the chance. I love mine :)!

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This night goes down in history. No questions asked.

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I used to LOVE rollerblading. I was just saying the other day that I need to get my skates out and go again!

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The last time I was roller blading was April 14 and my 5 year old son, on his bike, ran me down from behind (accidently). I injured my tailbone and fractured my wrist and ruptured the ligaments in it. I’m waiting for surgery and have been getting the run around from everyone I’ve been dealing with….hopefully soon. Looking forward to getting back to normal. Lesson for everyone out there: wear safety equipment!! Doesn’t take much for a wrist to snap.

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I ran a 15k today and all I could think about was how to run tangents from reading your blog. THANK YOU!! Today’s uber hilly 15k was a big success.

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That’s actually really great advice! It never occurred to me that you would have to speed up to compensate for not running the tangents but it makes complete sense! thanks for sharing this!

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Thank you for the great advice! I never thought of a race like that before, and have always wondered why my GPS was either short or longer than what it had said. I will learn more about tangents and try it better for the next time I run a race. :)

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