The Race may be Over but I'm still Fundraising Until Dec. 15

Just a quick alert to let you know that although I finished the long and grueling ING NYC Marathon just nine days ago, my fundraising page doesn't come down until mid December. I have surpassed my original goal of $3,500 and hope you will help me beat my new $4,500 goal.

Just a few dollars can make a big difference. In fact, $25 buys five blankets to be used at a Red Cross shelter. If you can give, please click here to donate to Red Cross disaster relief.

2010 ING NYC Marathon page http://bit.ly/9mudwh

2010 ING NYC Marathon - 4:33 finish time!!

All in all a success. I finished the race and raised $3,600 for Red Cross.

The cool part is that I beat my 2009 finish time by 20 minutes! Thanks for all the support along the way.

ING NYC Marathon starts in 4 days and 18 hours!!

It’s the final week. ING NYC Marathon starts in 4 days, 18 hours! I’m super excited, but I do have a few complaints just for fun:

• I’m tired of rubbing Body Glide all over, and especially those two obvious Body Glide stains on my shirts (you know where they are).
• I am tired of saying, “Sorry can’t meet you at the bar, got to run.”
• I’m tired of wondering if every new and strange leg pain I feel is real or something just in my head.
• I’m tired of wondering if my new sneakers are broken in yet.
• I’m tired of wondering if I drank enough water today.
• I’m tired of power bars and drink mixes.
• I’m tired of my pinky toe, I keep smashing it by accident, it hurts and not sure what it does anyway.
• Where’d that blister come from?
• I’m super annoyed and tired of runner's trots (diarrhea). Seriously.
• Excessive sweating, really. I’m that guy on the treadmill next to you making you sick. I’m tired of it.
• And…speaking of the gym, I’m tired of their 30 minute rule.
• I have a cold, is it going to screw up my run?
• I’m tired of washing my running gear in the shower every night!
• Does anyone else ever accidentally kick themselves in the ankle when they are running? What the heck is that?
• I’m tired of waiting to drink my latest batch of home brewed beer! (It’s an IPA by the way.)

Last one: I'm not tired of this though. If you can give $5 or $100, please click here. I am running to raise money for Red Cross disaster relief. Thanks!

ING NYC Marathon page http://bit.ly/9mudwh

Compression Gear, Personal Goals and I Didn’t Mean It

I just finished running the Staten Island half marathon. Resting. So now is a good time for a blog post. First, I reached a personal goal today that I had no idea was possible; I finished in 1:56. I really wanted to finish in less than two hours but thought a 9:30 mile was more realistic, which would have been a personal record anyway by about 15 minutes.

 

I recently told the social media director at NYRR, when he asked how the training was going, that I was sick of running, hated running and would never train for the ING NYC Marathon again. Well, there really is something to be said about pushing yourself as far as you can. At that moment I was truly fed up with it all. But when you reach a milestone, beat a personal record or a goal, it puts things into perspective. I take it back now, not sick of running, I really don't hate running, I'm glad to be running and reaching goals, so I take it back.

 

Now, about the compression gear. It works. No chafing or shaved off nipples or anything. A bit of body glide on some sensitive areas just in case and everything tightly wrapped up in compression shorts and shirt. Works perfect. I have to thank all the runners who gave me feedback on that.

 

Speaking of reaching goals. I am after all, running the upcoming NYC Marathon to raise money for Red Cross disaster relief. If you can give $5 or 100, please click here. Thanks!

 

ING NYC Marathon page http://bit.ly/9mudwh

Running and Chafing: Ouch!!!!

It all started last year when I missed being listed in the New York Times' NYC marathon page by only a few minutes because of a bathroom break. I knew I needed help and decided to seek out some of the best runners for advice. I had lots of questions, much more than just potty breaks, in particular, what to do about some serious chafing.

I thought I had good running shirts/shorts and have been using body glide but jeez – sometimes there's just no relief, especially on runs longer than 3 miles. The nipples and other tender regions were, well, quite sore. There's no need to really get into much more. The comments speak for themselves; a great bunch of people with great advice.

An experienced runner with 25 marathons under his belt, Dan, from Los Angeles, agrees that chafing is one of the most dreaded aspects of distance running. "The nip issue is simple he says. "If you have a non-hairy chest, simply affix a bandaid or two to each nip before each long run and marathon." Although the bandaids work for him, he also mentions checking into Nipguards at http://www.nipguards.com. "They've sold a million of these since 1999 and apparently work. And are feasible for those with hairier chests for which bandaids aren't as feasible," he added.

Matt from Minnesota says he "started using some industrial bandages over the nips. The cheaper band aids seem to fall off as soon as the sweating starts."

Paul from Columbus has run 110 marathons and ultras and the only thing that works for him he says Aquaphor. "Aquaphor beats chaffing. I use it liberally. It stays on for the entire event and then washes off nicely. No staining of clothing either."

Chris, also from Columbus, has run 100 marathons and ultras (weird, I wonder if they know each other) and he also swears that Aquaphor is the key. "It just gets more slippery as you sweat... just glob it on! It's available at most pharmacies."

Another marathoner Richard, from Greenville, recommends compression gear. "Tight is the ticket," he says. "I use compression shirts and lined shorts along with a glide bar. I might look funny but it eliminates chaffing for me." I'm with him here on the funny part. Not 25 anymore you know?

Speaking of being bashful, Chris, a marathoner from Chicago says: "Go tight! If you don't want to show off the bod with a compression shirt then put a tank top or sleeveless shirt over it." Chris also recommends to "double it up" by wearing the compression shirt, nip guards, body glide and lined shorts. He also had a great basic tip that I should mention: simply staying away from cotton in any form and sticking with lightweight moisture wicking apparel.

Bill, from Michigan, swears by compression gear and tape for the nips, but with two very special bonus tips. "I wear compression shorts, but I turn them wrong-side-out. That way, no seams are against your skin. Some athletic tape over the nipples ought to solve that problem. Just remember to pull it off if it gets hot and you take off your shirt. I forgot one day, and couldn't figure out why someone in my neighborhood was giving me funny looks."

All in all 14 very experienced runners weighed in on the chafing issue with some great tips for a newbie like me. I have been using all them actually. See you on November 7th for the 2010 ING NYC Marathon!

Stay tuned for my next post: where to put those extra gels packs on long runs!

And be sure to click on my Team Red Cross fundraising page. It's the only reason I am running this thing. Click here to make a donation now - thanks!

http://american.redcross.org/site/TR/NYCMarathon/COGPNYGreaterNewYork-32500?px=5807805&pg=personal&fr_id=1259

Marathon Runners and Potty Breaks: Yep, a big deal as it turns out

As a newbie runner, I recently asked a group of experienced marathoners if they had any tips on potty breaks. Last year's ING NYC Marathon porta-john lines were long and I really didn't want to stop at all and loose momentum. I held it for as long as I could but by mile 18 I had to relieve myself. I found a porta-john with no line but by then, I had been stalling it for so long it took forever and I lost a lot of time.

Dan from Los Angeles, an experienced runner with 25 marathons under his belt, agrees that it's a big issue, "a last minute potty break is my single worst enemy."

He says bathroom breaks are all about timing, which is hard to get right, "some of my best marathons have been ruined by porta-john breaks." He recommends getting up early and drinking as much as you can. "Then you must time your last bathroom break as close to the marathon start as possible, thus reducing the chance of having to stop early on in the race." He says the timing in this way increases your chances that you won't have to make a pit stop as you'll be sweating at the same rate as taking fluids in."

Bill, a marathoner from the Michigan area, says to avoid bathroom breaks stay away from gel packs that contain caffeine. He also says to use your long runs as training to aid in avoiding bathroom breaks. I didn't know about the caffeine and I'll definitely be doing this when I do my long training runs!

"The bathroom break was always a problem for me too," says Matt from Minnesota. "I started to time my fluid intake before the start. I drink plenty of fluids up to an hour before, but none until after the gun fires. I found that I also felt better at the start with no sloshing belly. If I hydrate properly the day leading up to the race, the few ounces I lose in that last hour never affects my performance."

Matt also suggests for any last minute emergencies you can bring a "relief bottle" of some type to the start of the race. A great idea for those that are worried they might miss the start from a last minute potty break (porta-john lines can be long).

And probably the best tip comes from Paul in Ohio (he's an advanced runner and also a regular marathon pacesetter). Paul says don't be shy about taking a break if needed. "Can't find a porta-john, find a tree."

Good luck runners!! Next post is all about chafing. You won't believe what the experts say here. Amazing tips that have already saved me some skin.

$5 Team Red Cross #ingnycm Twitter Challenge is at $947

Thanks to some great friends and randoms I am up to 27% of my Red Cross fundraising goal. Need to raise $3500. Less then 10 weeks to go to the big day (11-7-10) so any little bit helps. Remember, I am training and running all 26.2 so you don't have to!

Click here to make a donation now - thanks!

Tiny URL at http://tinyurl.com/2wsxk5l