Between health issues that sidelined me in late 2019, the pandemic that sidelined everyone in 2020, and the Achilles tendonitis that kept me sidelined for most of 2021, it’s been a hot minute since I had to prepare for a race. How do we do this race thing again?
I think Pacers forgot how to design a race t-shirt.
To add to the blandness, this white shirt is 100% cotton!
How Do We Do This Race Thing?
Even though I won’t really be racing the Parkway Classic 10 miler, I tried to do what I could to make race day go as well as possible. I frontloaded my strength workouts early in the week, kept my runs short, stretched, foam rolled, wore my stretching boot, and made sure to eat plenty of carbs. 😉
It’s clunky, but it seems to help.
There were several options for packet pickup at a nearby Pacers running store. I had errands to do Friday, so I added that one to the list. I spent some time pondering this OS1st ankle bracing sleeve–wondering if it would be more comfortable/less noticeable on the bottom of my foot than the Ace sleeve I have–but then reminded myself that trying something new on my foot on race day could be a really bad idea.
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I’ve been having major problems with my iPhone battery life, and not wanting to choose between a motivating playlist and post-race photos, I dusted off my old iPod Nano and found a charging cord that could bring it back to life.
I’ll be throwing it back to playlists I made at least 5 years ago!Â
An early November race also brings wardrobe challenges. It will be chilly at the start, but I warm up when I run, but I don’t want to be too cold afterwards to enjoy the post-race beer garden. Throwaway sweatshirt? Stash a sweatshirt in bag check? Will I need something on my ears? Will I need gloves? These will be go-time decisions–I’ll have to set my alarm early enough to decide. 😉
Weekly Run Down
Work helped me with carb-loading, with different food offerings every day in an attempt to soften the blow of having to come into the office. Wednesday’s hot breakfast with eggs and biscuits and Friday’s mini-bundt cakes were particularly delicious.
Before I get to this week’s workouts, I have to update last week’s. After doing my morning workout I realized I had taken 999 strength classes. I decided to take a live class Sunday afternoon for my 1000th.
Selena didn’t give me a shoutout, but Cari was able to join the class, and another instructor gave me a high five. 😀
Monday: 4.1 Scooby Miles + Core + Lower Body
Tuesday: Core + 30 min Ride + Upper Body
Wednesday:Â Core + 5.Scooby Miles
Thursday: Core + Upper Body + Yoga
Friday: Core + 3.9 Scooby Miles
Notice I resisted the urge to round up to 4.0 miles. 😉
Saturday: Core + Strength For Runners + Upper Body
The hardest day of the week was taking it easy on Saturday. I did the hip-focused Matt Wilpers Strength For Runners class we all have bookmarked and two light weight arms classes, and then did two of Hannah Corbin’s foam rolling classes after a break for coffee.
Sunday: Parkway Classic 10 Miler
Wish me luck!
Thanks to Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link up.
Do you wear compression socks? Have you tried ankle sleeves?
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
Good luck with your race today! I had to laugh about the shirt, but i bet they didn’t want to invest too much in case they had to cancel the race at the last minute.
I don’t like compression socks when I run. I have worn ankle sleeves in the past but not right now.
That’s a good point …. Still!
Good luck. It’s great to be back racing.
That is an ugly shirt lol
I never seem to dress right. Im cold at first and then too hot.
It’s really hard to figure out! Midway I thought I couldn’t have worn short-sleeves, but I never got too warm, so I think long-sleeves was the right choice.
Have fun at your race! I have that exact sleeve. I believe the company sent it to me. I don’t think I’ve ever needed it but my daughter has used it many times as she recovered from a sprained ankle.
Does she wear it running? Does it bother the bottom of her foot?
Good luck!!! Although by the time you read this, I assume your race will be over. I hope it went well! Yes, I had to laugh- that’s possibly the worst race t-shirt I’ve ever seen.
I’m personally affronted that you didn’t get a shoutout for your 1000th strength class- I mean, come on! If that doesn’t deserve a shoutout, I don’t know what does.
I have my fingers crossed that your achilles held up for this race- can’t wait to hear all about it.
Thanks! Spolier alert — it held up!
I was slightly bummed to not get a shout-out, but knew it was a crap shoot with a Selena strength class — I’m just glad I noticed it myself!
I hope you had a great race! It had been so long since I raced due to injuries, pregnancy, and the pandemic. Also my race shirt was pretty awful- it was white cotton and had all the sponsors listed all over it and a picture of the guy who the race was in honor of. Its was a nice idea but looks so weird to have his face right in the middle of the shirt.
Hah, yes, that can turn out odd. This race only had a few sponsors, and their names are on the back.
The whole dressing thing at this time of year can just be insane!
I hope you nailed it Coco & had a fantastic race.
Thanks! It’s especially hard in the morning with a 10 degree temperature change!
Mornings are hard because it feels colder if it’s dark, at least to me. Then again, I don’t usually have to run in the dark!
Layering & nailing the perfect outfit is tough for training runs, but REALLY challenging for long-distance races. I often wear compression socks for races, but more for fashion that function …but I’m a huge believer in post-race (for longer distances). 1,000 strength classes? That’s an impressive milestone!!!
Thanks. I usually wear them in races as insurance against calf cramps — I’m not sure if they make a difference, but I’ve convinced myself!
Oh my gosh that shirt LOL!
Congrats on your race – looking forward to reading your recap!
Thanks! At least the race went better than the shirt. 😉
It does feel weird the first race back! Looks like it was a good one for you congratulations
Thanks! I still need to get you to do this one!
I hope your race went well today! We always loved that race, but haven’t done it for several years. My shirts from the Parkway Classic are great, what happened this year?
Right? That’s one reason it’s so disappointing. Expectations were higher!
wow, 1,000 strength workouts! congrats! I had to giggle about the race shirt. The race director let me pick out the color for the shirts this year at my race, but I was limited in selection. I hope I picked well. I hope your race went well too!!
Congrats on hitting 1,000 strength classes and joining the comma club! 🙂 That’s such a huge accomplishment!
That race shirt is…basic, but maybe that’s a good thing since that means you can pretty much wear it with anything, lol. Hope you had a great race!
Congrats on the 1000 strength classes: a very good job!
That race shirt is not so beautiful but I admit that I have too many technical t-shirts and now I need some items in cotton to wear before and after the races.
I hope you have run a great race!
November dressing is so hard, but that does not excuse a boring cotton tee. I was glad for bag check at the Halloween race since I definitely needed the windbreaker for the ferry.
So glad your leg held up and was happy to celebrate 1,000 with you
mmm carb bribery. That would totally be a thing in our office if we didn’t have the mask mandate (which I’m grateful for). New colelague brought candy, which means she can stay