Monday, August 25, 2008

More questions

Lindsay S. asked some great questions, questions that I also have, so I am excited to hear your input. I also have a few questions myself. I am also training for my first marathon, the St. George, and I need advice from you who have or will be running the St. George. I need any advice about lodging- what are the best motels? Is it good to try and get as close to the bus pick-up location? We were hoping to be staying at a relatives home near-by but we just got word that it won't be available so I at looking at my options. I know most hotels are already booked but I am hoping a few people will be canceling their reservations....(??) We have thought about taking an RV but with gas prices it will probably cost just as much to get an overpriced hotel room. Any input? I doubt I will be sleeping much the night before anyway so really I should just camp out at the park. :)

Are Ipods really banned from the race? It says that, but I see so many people using them at races.

Also, what kind of food do you take with you on the marathon? Any gel recommendations? I have been trying a few but some of them are nasty.

How often do you hydrate during the marathons? I think I over do it sometimes. Do you stop at every water stop and take a few sips? Or just hit a few water stops?

Has the no carb a week before (then carb loading the day or two before) the race thing helped anyone?

Thanks so much for any of your comments. It is great getting advice from the experienced!

6 comments:

Shannon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shannon said...

HI! I read this blog ALOT, but never comment. But I just had to answer your questions :) I live in St. George and I am also running the marathon (my first). My family is all coming for it and they love to stay at the Marriotts here (there are 2), also the Hampton Inn (free breakfast), and Budget Inn and Suites (real kid friendly, clean). My parents had to stay in Cedar City for friday night because everything was booked, but my mom checks almost daily hoping someone cancels.
Also when I do my long runs, I have the GU every 5 miles, I do drink every mile also, its hot here and I feel like I need it, I don't know how that will work for the marathon because I think there is aide stations every couple of miles??? I am not sure, anyways if you have an questions about St. George you can email me.....shankait@hotmail.com
PS my name is Shannon :)

joyof3boys said...

I have never deleted carbs from my diet before a race. In the morning of I try to eat a carb and some protein. What works for me is a bagel, nut butter and a banana. I'll eat them at least 2 hours before.

I use Clif gels, GU chocolate gel but on my marathon I trained with and used the Clif shot blocks. Luna also has a product marketed to women called Luna Moons. Very similar to the Clif (maker of Luna products) shot blocks only smaller. No artifical ingrediants in any of the Clif/Luna products. What worked for me was three blocks the first hour running and then I would eat one block each mile. Whatever you chose you need to make sure you try these out while on a long run to see how they affect your system.

As far as hydration what worked for me was alternating between water and sports drink. I never drank a whole cup of anything though.

Good luck on your race!

Tall Girl Running said...

I've done a lot of trial and error with carb gels and finally found what works best for me. It's really an individual thing... what may work like magic for me could cause serious digestion trouble for someone else. If you have the time, keep experimenting with different brands and flavors to see what works best for you. For me, it was the green apple flavor PowerBar brand. Instead of being thick and chewy like Gu gels are, the PowerBar's seem to be more like syrup and easier to put down the hatch in the middle of a race. I've also found gels that include caffeine are right up my alley. ;-)

No matter how well hydrated I am before a race, I never pass a water station without drinking at least something. It's possible to be over-hydrated but it's deyhdration that seems to cause most of us the trouble. The best course of action is just to do what you've done in training. If you drink every mile during training, you'll probably want to carry your own water to be able to do the same thing during the race (unless the race offers water stations every mile). I've also gotten into the habit of pouring the water I don't drink over my head to provide a temporary cooling effect. During these hot summer races, every little bit helps!

Alicia said...

Thank you so much for the comments

smith family- I will keep checking out those hotels. It is nice to know some good ones.

joy of 3 boys- I will definitely check out those shot blocks! I think I need to try using some kind of gu or shot block more often- I use only one per long distance run and I get drained too fast I think.

Alicia said...

Tall Girl Running-
I will try the Power Bar syrup- getting it down faster is definitely a plus. I will be also trying the water poured over my head thing too. :)