What I DO Race Week + Let’s Catch up on the Last Two Days + Help My Brother (HIS FIRST HALF-Marathon).

Andrew has a Tuesday morning running group now.   A group of guys in our area meet early on Tuesday mornings to run a few miles. I’m so happy he gets to enjoy the happiness that comes from running with people.  When he got home from his run he handed me the baton and I set out for my run.

Sometimes I think my coach enjoys torturing me a little bit by having my workouts end on weird numbers;)  I love stopping on the mile or half-mile but some of my workouts now have me ending at random numbers because they are based on time rather than distance intervals etc.

1.5 mile w/u, 6 x 2 minutes @ 7:15 pace, 1 minute recovery jog after each 2 minute interval, 1 mile cool-down.  I was happy with how the 7:15 pace felt and I had to hold myself back (my legs were craving to move faster) for those intervals so I’ll take that as a good sign for Saturday.

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Skye was waiting patiently for me when I returned home from my run.

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Random thing I need to tell you about that you probably don’t care about but I got a spider bite the other day and it is so annoying when I run.  My shoe makes it itchy all over again as I’m running so I thought about that for about a third of my run on Tuesday.

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A friend brought over a homemade Macaron and it was the perfect post-run treat…  I was having a mom struggle moment (ehhh evening) when she texted me the night before so we ended up talking to each other about everything because she has a new baby too.  I felt so much better afterwards along with a bit of sleep.  I swear, certain people just pop up at all of the right times.  The talk plus the macaroon she brought over were just what I needed.

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Skye was not interested in being involved with the selfie.

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On Tuesday night, Andrew took Brooke on a little date.  They picked up their favorite (Panda Express) and then watched Despicable Me while eating.

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They ordered cookies too.  He is a really good Dadda to her.

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A bit later and I went to meet my friends to celebrate Megan D’s birthday!  We did our best to surprise her but I don’t think she was that surprised and then we headed up to Sundance to our favorite restaurant.

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We went to Foundry Grill and I even got something different than I usually get.  I had the roasted chicken and it was amazing and very rich.  We then ordered dessert too and the brownie sundae hit the spot.  It was really nice to go up to the mountains and have uninterrupted girl time.  I got home at around 10:30 … I’m usually in my second REM cycle by then so I felt pretty party animalish.

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On Wednesday I went out for a 40 minute easy run which meant I hit 4.64 miles @ 8:38 average pace.  I have the day off today and on Friday I have 4 miles with a few short strides on Friday and then we are off to Vegas!

Brooke got one of those shirts where if you rub your hand over the sequence it flips it and different colors show up.  She legit can’t take her eyes off of it ha.

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I decided it would be cool to try to match with Skye (and wear the same pants two days in a row).

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Target went well;)

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And it is warm enough for the sprinkler on the trampoline.  Their life has been made.

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Tacos with ground turkey for dinner!

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The last time I pushed myself in a race was April 1st 2017!  PS this race had 764 ft of climbing in the first 4.5 miles.  I think I’m still a little sore from that race.

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It feels like it has been forever since I last really got out of my comfort zone during a race so I’m interested to see how it all plays out on Saturday.  I might be relearning the whole racing thing all over again—>  DON’T FLY AND DIE JANAE.  I will say it is incredibly nice to not put any pressure on myself (which is showing me how fun it is to do it this way and that I should keep doing this for future races too) because this is my first post-Skye race.  I’m just going to do my best and be kind to myself for those 13.1 miles even if my average pace is way different than what it used to be on race day.  Like Mary told me in the comments the other day, no matter what I’ll be setting a post-baby #2 PR on Saturday so that is exciting.

I do have a few things that I love to do race week that I thought I would share (to also remind myself ha)!

*I have everything out and packed long before the race.  Andrew laughs because he thinks I get everything out prematurely but I just like feeling prepared so that I don’t have to deal with forgetting anything last second or worrying about having the necessities.

*I ask for pep talks.  From my mom, Andrew, you guys, Brooke, Knox, my neighbors, Beretta, the people at the grocery store… anyone positive = I love to talk to them before a race.  Also, Andrew will be expected to give me an amazing leg massage to get my legs ready, he just doesn’t know about it yet.

*I say goodbye to fiber for usually 1-2 days before a race.  This might not be a great strategy for everyone but for me it works.  I stick to pretty simple foods for the 1-2 days leading up to the race and that has resulted in never needing a porta potty stop during a race (besides during pregnancy because of my bladder) knock on wood.

*Usually, I make sleep a big priority but at this point in life I’m just going to hope for 4 hours in a row of uninterrupted sleep.  You do the best with what you have:)  PS I just realized that since Nevada is an hour behind us it will feel like I’m getting an extra hour of sleep race morning and like I’m waking up at 4:40 a.m. rather than 3:40 a.m.   PPS cross your fingers that this whole race/pumping/feeding Skye thing goes okay.. this is new territory for me!  I think I did that one time with Brooke but I was staying at home that night and the race was right by where I lived.

*I smile when I think about the race.  My mom taught me to do this.  It’s hard to think negative thoughts when you smile and correlating happiness with the race makes it so that I am so much more positive about how the day is going to go.

*Lots of water and plenty of calories even though I’m running less.  We wouldn’t expect our car to drive a long distance without enough fuel so we cannot expect our bodies to do that either.  I’m really making sure that I get in enough calories the days leading up to the race because I swear breastfeeding takes up a lot of my energy each day so I need a lot if I want to feel good Saturday morning.

*The race playlist.  It’s gold to me.  I take it very seriously.  This will be my first race with the AirPods so I’m excited to see how they do.

*Spaghetti the night before a race (usually with chicken) is kind of my good-luck the night before a race thing.

*I think about the hardest workouts that I accomplished during the training cycle.  I remind myself that I CAN DO HARD THINGS and that I have over and over again in the past so there is nothing different about the upcoming race.

*I watch any motivational running clips (my favorite running documentaries are here) I can find on Youtube, listen to running podcasts, I’m going to read parts of Deena’s book on the drive down, look over the race information again…  Basically just read/watch anything that makes me feel positive, prepared and inspired!  I just try to be as prepared as Brooke is on race day.

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PS this is my brother’s FIRST HALF MARATHON EVER on Saturday.  Ever.  If you could offer him some encouragement or any tips, he would really love it!

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What are some things that you always do race week?  What works for you?  What doesn’t work for you?

What race have you done that had the most amount of climbing or up and down elevation?

Do you always stop on the mile or half mile or are you okay stopping on random numbers?

Anything for my brother?  He’ll be reading all of the comments today!

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60 comments

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Good luck to you and your brother!! My favorite and most classic advice for your first half marathon or full marathon – Have fun!! Don’t worry so much about the pace and just enjoy the miles! You can worry about PRs and getting faster and all that other stuff on your next half marathons :)

Some things I prioritize for race week:
-Lots of sleep
-Lots of water/nuun
-Minimal veggies … I stick to lots of lean protein, simple carbs, and sweet potatoes !

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My advice is to enjoy it. It is an experience that not everyone gets to take part in and just have fun. Know that you put the miles in and now it is time to show it off. Sometimes that looks different in the end then you pictured and that is ok!
I also lay out everything I need for a race a day or two ahead of time!
Super nervous today as I have an observation for my job with my toughest student. Nearly 20 years into my job ( not the same one) and I still get nervous!!

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Good luck, Janae’s brother!! You got this!!!!
Believe in the training…. :-)

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Good luck Janae!
My first race post baby #2 was actually a GREAT one! I went out super slow and then set a PR because I felt so good! Haha. :) No pressure, you’re going to have a great day!
I always try to just relax race week and not worry about it. You never know what’s going to happen. (For example, I just ran Boston and had literally the worst experience of my life. I had a good training cycle and was prepped and ready for a decent, fun race and then got the stomach bug the day before! You can imagine how that went. And then hypothermia. haha. So you seriously never know what you’re going to get. Disappointing for sure, but it’s still another training cycle in the bank, no matter what!). Good luck Janae’s brother! Soak it all up!!

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HUGE CONGRATS MOLLIE on running Boston… I can’t believe you completed that race with the stomach bug PLUS those insane conditions. You literally can do ANYTHING after doing that. Seriously, wow. Thanks for sharing Mollie and I hope you are feeling 100% and having a great morning.

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what a cute floor picnic!! I miss Panda Express – we had them in Colorado but Vermont doesn’t have any!

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I will have to ship some to you;) I hope you have a beautiful day Aimee!

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How do you run on so little sleep?! Good luck!

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Thank you Amy!! I don’t really know ha… I do try to get in a nap if I can when Skye is asleep:) It’s just a stage that will be over soon (what I keep repeating to myself in the middle of the night ha). Have a wonderful day!

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Lots and lots of water the entire week leading up to races. This has saved me more times than I can count when I ultimately pull back from drinking water the night before and morning of the race. I used to only stop on whole numbers, years later running and track seasons later, I have given up and just focus on the workout and not the mileage so more odd numbers appear in my logs these days.

For your brother: Just enjoy the race, the people and the atmosphere! He’s already put in the hard work and prep, now just dial it in and have fun with it!

For you: Good luck and you’ve got this!

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Thank you Amy!! Looks like we are both getting in those odd numbers often! Have a wonderful day:)

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Good luck to both of you! And your brother can revel in the fact that this half marathon will be a PR for him! Whoot whoot!! Have fun.

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Thank you Rosie… I love that! Automatic PR! Have an amazing day:)

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My race week lead-up is similar! I try to get extra sleep and stay really well hydrated. After reading about it here, I tried out cutting back on fiber before really long runs while training for Boston, and OH MY GOSH it helped so much! Thanks for the tip:)
I mean, the Boston Marathon really was pretty hilly, but the New Hampshire half marathon (and marathon, but I haven’t run the full) are wayyyy hillier I feel. I just try to hold back a little on the downhill and blast my music to drive myself on the uphill.
And first half marathon… 1. you don’t need as much gear as you think you do. Leave the jacket behind if it’s going to be 50+ and ditch the fuel belt if your fuel of choice is going to be on the course anyway!! and 2. STAY POSITIVE. Literally wake up and tell yourself “TODAY WILL BE SO AWESOME AND FUN AND I WILL REMEMBER IT FOREVER!” then just repeat that over and over in your head.

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Good luck and way to go Hungry Runner Brother! What an accomplishment!

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I love a good macaron…yum!
I always try to make sure not to think about a race too much during race week…and maintaining a healthy diet is key.
Stopping on the mile is a must for me…I hate stopping at a random distance ;)
For your brother – don’t use your music until you NEED it! Try to run as long as you can without breaking out the tunes…it helps focus on your body/breathing!

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Good luck to you and your brother Janae!
These blouses are so hot right now at the under 10 crowd. My son asked for one as well (with a basket ball, no pink stars :))

PS Skye is so serious today, office troubles? ” :)
xxx

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Oh I bet Knox would love a basketball version… did you find one? I’ll have to copy you! HAHA yes… she sure was! Luckily this morning we are getting some more smiles but yesterday she was all business. Have a beautiful day Iris!

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Yes!! You got this Janae! I can’t wait to hear how your race goes. I have a feeling you’re going to kill it! And good luck to your brother! The first big race is such a unique and special experience- so I hope he takes it all in and has a great time!

A lot of my pre race rituals are similar to yours- although I always wait until the night before to lay out all my race stuff. Not sure why it never occurred to me to do that beforehand but I kind of like having it be that final thing I do before bed. Something about the nervous/ exited energy and setting up all the little things I will need for race day gets me pumped for the next morning! I also spend a lot of time in the week leading up to the race visualizing various parts of the race. Especially the hard parts in the middle where I want to back off but I imagine myself continuing to push. And then I imagine the end of the race when everything hurts but I just stay strong and controlled and cross the finish line feeling really happy and like I gave it my all! I really think that mentally preparing for the hard parts in the race and expecting it to hurt has gone a long way for me in my races.

I definitely need to stop on the full or half mile in my runs. I also secretly hate when my coach gives me workouts in minutes rather than miles haha. And I usually do a slightly longer cool down to round up to the next even mile. Probably a better call to actually listen to your coach though :-)

Over on the east coast we don’t have a ton of hills, so most of my races are pretty flat. I did run a half marathon once, assuming it was flat and then found out while I was running the race that it was absolutely not! Lesson learned to find an elevation map and plan ahead for the actual course I am running! I’ll have to run a Utah race one day to get some serious hill experience!

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You’re going to do SO AWESOME at your race this weekend! You are SO prepared and are going to FLY!! You are strong, determined, and prepared. You’ve already put in the training, so trust your training and now just have some fun! Can’t wait to see your race bling – I swear I am searching for my next half based on the finishers medal hehe – I got my first medal and now I’m a junkie!! :) BEST OF LUCK TO YOUR BROTHER!! He is SO in for a major runners high after he accomplishes his first half! One foot in front of the other is what I repeated to myself during a couple hard miles/moments. I can’t wait to see pictures!! WOOO HOOOO!!!

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Good luck to you and your brother!! My advice would just be to try and relax and enjoy the experience. You only get one first half marathon! To help relax, I would get all of my race stuff organized the night before so there was no stress race morning. Clothes, shoes, gels, water, music, race bib and pins, watch, etc. And set multiple alarms because I always worry I will sleep through it (even though I usually wake up before because I’m excited!)

I actually wrote a post on my blog today all about my thoughts on the marathon! I know a lot of it would apply to the half too so if you/your brother are interested please check it out. And I mentioned your blog because it’s one of my faves and I have been coming to you for running advice for ages! So thanks Janae!

x Elise – http://www.thirtythoughtstoday.com

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Race week = hydration! I drink a lot of water anyway, but I usually drink gatorade/nuun every day as well to keep my electrolytes up. Also, I try to keep myself occupied with things to keep my mind off of the nerves I’ll feel for a race. Get a new book, watch movies, hang with friends, etc.
Most climbing was my half last year… out in country and up crazy high, winding hills! And it was about 70 degrees and sunny….a rough day but also really fun!
As long as I’m close to the half/whole mile (like I can handle 4.03 or 6.52), I’m okay with it. I would have to do something to finish 4.90… I’d go crazy with just that amount showing!
For your brother – don’t focus on how much you have left in the race – focus on each mile (or even half mile!) while you are in the moment. And if that fails, think about the fun things you will do when you finish, and the sense of accomplishment that you will feel. Remind yourself that you trained for it and YOU ARE READY. :)

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OMG I am SO EXCITED that your race is this weekend!!! You’ve worked so hard and you’ve spent all of this training time getting far outside of your comfort zone (all of those super hard speed workouts that your coach gave you were no joke!), and you’ve already put so much trust and faith in yourself as a runner to “get back to it” post-baby to invest in a coach and to experience what a different training routine feels like. This half-marathon is just a way to celebrate all of the training you’ve done!

One of my things that I do the night before a big race (and I don’t consider the 5Ks I am doing right now to be BIG races for me…) is to look at my spreadsheet from my whole training cycle and add up all of the miles I have run through the ENTIRE cycle. And I just let myself smile and happy-dance to one of my favorite ridiculous songs that my little legs on my 4’11” frame could handle THAT MANY miles (and when I was running half-marathons, it was also while in a PhD program–for you it’s also being a total badass mama to a brand new baby and two precious, animated kids and a busy blogger and a wife and support system to your husband in PA school–that’s a LOT!!!). Celebrating the training cycle makes it easier for me to remember, in the middle of the race when I am struggle-bussing at mile-whatever, to include “I have already run SO MANY miles (and I repeat the exact number from my training cycle). Just a little bit more to the finish line.” The mental trick of that comparison–what I have run already vs. the single-digits amount of space between me and the finish line–lets me get past the struggle-bus moment.

And at the end of the day, if all else fails, I am sitting here from far away screaming “1-800-GO-JANAE” with my loud, Greek girl voice from my little corner of the world. And I have a donut waiting to hand to you!!!

What are you wearing for race day? I want to know so I can mimic your outfit (or at least your colors) for the fitness classes I am teaching this weekend in solidarity, all the way from Atlanta!

xoxo

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I’m so excited to hear all about your race! You are going to fly but that doesn’t even matter as long as you have fun! When you’re pumping the morning of the race just remember how amazing you are that your body grew, birthed and is feeding a life and you are still out rocking a huge number of miles and conquering races! You truly are amazing!!

GOOD LUCK to your brother!! There’s nothing like that first half-marathon experience!! I hope the weather is great for you guys!

I loved this post for so many reasons – I love that you were honest with us about having your mom moment. I have so many of those and it is great to know that even fantastic moms like you have them!! Also, I love love love Andrew’s relationship with Brooke. Their date night was precious and special <3 What a great guy!

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I’m so AMPED for both of you!! Hopefully being excited for your brother will make your race a great one! I can’t wait to hear how it goes for you two! Have fun and run strong!!
I love having everything organized and ready for race day (and long run day where I’m meeting others to run). Just one less thing to think about. I like to check the weather multiple times and think about what I’m going to wear race day. We all know these things can change every day of race week hahaha! I make sure to plan out my meals and get some extra race. I breathe a little sigh of relief knowing I get a little break in effort before race day.

Thanks for sharing all your race week rituals. I love reading what everyone does to get ready. I just started reading Deena’s book and I love it so far. It’s making me excited for my upcoming races.

Brooke is one lucky little girl! I love how Andrew is embracing the whole “girl dad” life. Cookies FTW!! It makes me so happy to see your sweet family so happy :)

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Thank you Elizabeth! I keep thinking that when I start feeling tired I’ll start thinking about him and his race and then I’ll just forget about how I feel:) I am so glad you are reading Deena’s book… so good! Have an amazing day and you are so right about Andrew.

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Oooo… I am so excited for you and your brother! You both are going to do awesome on Saturday :) My advice to your brother, and really anyone (including myself, ha) is to enjoy the race! You’ve done the hard work with training, so trust the process. Enjoy running the race and all the things that means… being in a different city, running with thousands of new best running friends :)
My week leading up to a race is not much different than any normal week, because #momlife ;) But, I do make sure I’m hydrating well. I too, like to read and listen to everything inspirational and positive. I think I tell myself hundreds of times in the days leading up to a race, “You’ve done this before, and if you can do it once, you can do and will do it again.”
Oh my gosh… a couple of years ago, my husband and I did this night race through the city of LA. 6pm was a 10K, then at 8pm we did a half marathon. The concept and idea was super cool, but it was tough! During the half marathon, the rout took us through some good hills in the city, but then took us all the way up to Dodger’s stadium. I don’t know if you know where the stadium is, but it sits up on this great hill/mountain that overlooks the whole city. But then, we went down and back up probably 6 times before heading down to the finish line. It was insane! Fun to do once though ;)
I use to always want to end my runs exactly at the mile, but now it doesn’t bother me so much if I end on a weird distance, as long as I got the work in that I needed too.
Have a great trip down to Vegas, and enjoy the race and your little weekend getaway :)

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A half marathon at 8 pm! That does sound super cool but I would be a zombie… congrats on doing that! And finishing up that huge mountain 6 times, OUCH. That’s impressive. Thank you so much and thank you for the advice, it will be perfect for him. Have an amazing day!

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I like stopping on the .35 actually. I don’t really trust machines for 100% accuracy, treadmill, GPS, or whatever!, so I usually like to add on some percentage or amount just to ensure I hit whatever x miles. At the peak of marathon training, I found myself doing 9.35 on easy days (I like 5’s), and come to find that’s almost a perfect 15k! So weird how the numbers work out, even naturally! Perhaps the metric system is a naturally-satisfying basis of measurement, I don’t know!

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I love that you do that… I’ve actually thought of this too when I’m on the treadmill (going a little extra because I’m sure it is off a bit). Maybe I’ll start adding the .35 to be like you! Have a wonderful day!

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I know! After the Boston Marathon my cousin called me and asked if we should probably do a half together and I said YES! And now it feels bigger than it did then haha. I felt super inspired after watching it. I have until August so I have time to be ready.

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Sometimes I get lazy and finish on the dot! Especially actually during taper week. I got you on less miles and more food to prep :p :p :p !!

My first Boston experience was a wreck, and I’ve been taking some time off from running (and even your blog!) but getting back into the game slowly.I tweeted about my experience (in 280 chars or less, I could write SEVERAL tweets). If it were a half, I’d have made it, but …

I was incredibly underprepared, but still I keep trying to understand what happened. I got some books (e.g. Matt Fitzgerald’s The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition https://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Marathon-Half-Marathon-Nutrition/dp/0738216453 ); I’m going to sit down and learn from the experience before I begin training again. Can’t believe what happened.

I’m glad you wrote the little tidbit about recovery time after a marathon– especially how the recovery prescribed was even longer if it was a fiasco. Recovery from this blow up (or the opposite–shut down) during this marathon has been MUCH more painful than recovery post-successful (Imo, I was happy with 2:47) marathon. Leg pain and soreness is physical; it goes with time. The emotions, the thoughts…that’s another story :/.

BE STRONG GIRL (AND BOY, for your brother!!) and best of luck with conditions!! It’s so cool you can just go to Vegas to race, so free! Also– your brother’s first half: Welcome to the long-distance community, sir :)! You joined us by training a complete cycle, and when you get out there, just let your work do the talking!! You’ll nail it!

Best!

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No matter what it’s a PR so just enjoy it and be prepared to be addicted to racing afterwards. I’m doing my first half in August (I’ve done lots of 5ks, Jenae, ever done Hobble Creek?) Good Luck to both of you!

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AHHHHHHH YOUR FIRST HALF!! I am so so excited about this Jenny! I actually have never done that one but I have ran the course before and it is amazing. I’ve heard great things about the race too, I’m so excited about this!

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Good Luck Janae’s brother! Enjoy the race. You both will do awesome!

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Yes, you got this Janae! PR PB (Post Baby) #2 here you come! :-)
And I love the positive thoughts that you think about. You and Deena really helped me during a particularly bad 1/2 marathon last fall. I trained really hard, but then it ended up being 75 degrees with like 75% humidity. I totally hit the wall, but just keep giving myself mental high fives so I could finish.
I also have the “I can do hard things” mantra in my head, thanks to you!
So you are an inspiration! You will do amazing no matter what happens. Enjoy it! I think it’ll be really fun for you to be competitive again after a mental and physical break.
Good luck!
Mary

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Good luck to your brother! (And you too!)

I usually try to end on a whole number, but if I’m not feeling it for whatever reason then I don’t care and I’ll just end when i get home.

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I haven’t done a lot of race so I don’t have many rituals. Pizza the night before is a must! Smiling during the race really does make a difference.

I ran the Revel Canyon City Marathon in 2015 – over 5,000′ of descending, but what really hurt was going up the small hills at about mile 17.

I’m all about random numbers! Les has a cycling friend who has the Rule of 90: If you ride over 90 miles then you must ride over 100. Les got a kick out of breaking that rule about a dozen times on his cross country trip.

Good luck to you and your brother!

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Can I ask why you don’t go run with the run group, Janae? If Andrew does?

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Someone has to stay home with Skye.

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Ah I didn’t even think of that! Its nice to know that so.eone like you in janae’s community takes the time to read others comments the respond :)

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Good luck to you and your brother this weekend! I don’t really have any race rituals. I tend to eat bagel/toast with peanut butter and a banana, but it’s not specific to race day. I just eat it a lot for breakfast.

I did the Never Summer 100k last summer which had 13,000 ft of vertical ascent and 13,000 ft of descent. So 28,000 ft of elevation change over the course of the race! it was hard.

I have no trouble ending on random numbers. As a mostly trail runner, I tend to run routes and run for specific lengths of time more than distance.

Tell your brother that when/if things start to feel bad, it will pass, just keep pushing forward!

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Oooh, please share your playlist! My running playlist needs some new life, and I always get great suggestions when you share yours!

RE climbing during running – I live in Kentucky, so EVERY run has hillwork. It’s nearly impossible to find a flat place to run where I live, unless you want to run a half mile loop a million times. My husband and I run a 5k in Florida every year while we are on vacation, and I LOVE it because it’s so flat!

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That is a macaron, not a macaroon.
A macaron is the French sandwich-style cookie. A macaroon is the Jewish-style coconut cookie.

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I love when you race, b/c I love reading your race reports! GOOD LUCK to you and your bro! Please tell him that it’s almost a good thing if his finish time is less than stellar, b/c then he will be sure to have a HUGE PR when he does half marathon #2…and he WILL do half marathon #2, no matter what he says. :) Mostly, don’t worry about your “time”, but about the “time” you’re spending together, making memories. Enjoy!

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Good luck to your brother! It’s going to be a great race!

I just got AirPods yesterday! I can’t wait to try them on the trails!

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You got this!!

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Good luck, Brother! My advice is to look FORWARD and not DOWN during the race. Look at the other people/entertainment/ volunteers and soak in the camaraderie of everyone running together. Go slowly at first and then speed up if you feel good. You want the first race experience to be happy so that you will have a happy memory! And going out too hard is one way to NOT enjoy the experience :)

Very excited for you both!

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HI! What’s that yellow watch type thing you are wearing?

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Hey Jen! It is a Run Angel: https://runangel.com

It’s a safety device and I am loving it so far. I’ll write a full review soon! Have a wonderful day!

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That macaroon looks amazing!! Good luck – you’re going to kill it!!

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I always always focus on getting as much sleep as possible the night before the night before the race. That has seemed to really help me. I didn’t do this until a little later on in my collegiate career, but I carb load throughout the week and then the night before I eat a little lighter of a meal. I feel lighter in the morning for the race and that makes me feel better.

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I have only run one HALF, it was with my sister 2 years ago. She is six years younger than me and in a lot better shape….and I knew we would split apart during the race at some point. We did all our long runs together though and that was the best bonding! We stayed together till about mile 7-8. I am SO GLAD we had that experience together. My best advice is ENJOY it! You have put in all the work, Race day is the reward! I went in with no time in mind, and no expectations other than I wanted to run the entire time. I ended up with a time a lot faster than I expected, finishing only 5 min after my sister;) Have a wonderful day together! It will be a memory you won’t ever forget;)

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Good luck this weekend to you and your brother! My sister says she’s never going to take up running, so I think you are so lucky to be doing that race together. The Netherlands are flat, so no big elevations here. I do a race where we pass a highway twice, the first time I was surprised, now I save some breath for the way back. This evening I went for a run, and I startled a bunny in the grass and it jumped into a little canal. It made me laugh out loud. It jumped right out again! My half marathon training is going quite well, only 3,5 weeks to go. I’m so excited already, thanks for all these tips. Update on SIS caffeine gels, they taste funny, but they don’t upset my stomach. Have a great weekend Janae!

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I think Skye looks like a combination of Brooke and Andrew. She it too cute!

Question:
How long does the battery last in your air buds? I bought a cheap knock off that said it would last for 4-5 hours but only lasts for approx 1.5 hrs. If the air buds last a whole lot longer I might spend the money…..

Good luck in the race!

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Have fun, both of you! I just ran my first postpartum race on Sunday and it was also a half marathon. I had a blast!

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Best of luck to you and your brother!!! I agree with most of the other comments…JUST ENJOY!!! And when the pre-race jitters come in, trust the process!!All the training has been done and you are both prepared for this.

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Good luck to you and your brother at your race! My first half marathon was awesome! I finished it and was on cloud nine the rest of the day. But it was hard around mile 9 so just tell your brother that mile 9 is a “make it to the next tree” mile and stay positive. I am not a music while running person but recently I’ve been listening to pump up music when the going gets tough, so maybe try that!

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Yes, HRG Bro, you’ve totally got this! Remember to smile and soak in the good vibes, the entire running tribe is pulling for you!

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No tips for your brother but just wanted to wish him good luck! I know he’ll do awesome!

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