Race Etiquette

During my half marathon experience last weekend, it occurred to me that it would be good to share my best racing etiquette rules.

Here is my list of racing rules...and if you see something I'm missing? I'd love to have you chime in!

Rule #1: Do not cut in line. You think this should be good common sense no matter what, but I encountered quite a few line cutters last weekend. Get there early and wait your turn. This goes for waiting for any shuttles/transportation, porta-potties, getting water, etc.

Rule #2: If you need to walk, move to the far right. It is a very frustrating experience indeed if you are trying to run and pass a walker in the middle of the road. I've had races where I needed to walk - including last Saturday. That's fine, just move right.

Rule #3: If racing with a friend, be mindful of others that want to pass. For some, running and finishing a race with a friend can be a very positive experience. Just make sure you are doing your best to let runners easily pass you and that you're not blocking half of the roadway.

Rule #4: When taking water from a water stop, move out of the way. All it takes is to have a few people slow or stop in the middle of the road for chaos to ensue. Most water stops are fairly long, so what I like to do is keep running until the very end of the water stop. This way I can get my drink quickly and move on. Again, just pay attention to others around you.

Rule #5: Do NOT throw your garbage in runners' paths! Believe it or not, it is perfectly acceptable to toss your water cup on the ground and keep running. Volunteers are there to keep things swept. However, it is extremely rude to splash your water or throw your garbage in the middle of the road. Runners can easily fall. Even worse, last Saturday I saw a girl spit - and I do mean SPIT on the ground just in front of another runner. Again, MOVE RIGHT.

Rule #6: Be aware of your conversation (if any). If you're going to say anything, make it positive. And don't be annoying. My friend Joan was unfortunately stuck behind a runner telling another runner what was coming up ahead in the course, etc. etc. It was irksome. She also encountered someone that had finished the race and had come back to spectate to tell fellow runners how the rest of their group was already pretty much done, but to keep going. I pretty much don't say much on the course. I did say "go, marathoners!" when the 1/2 and full course split up and I did hollar a bit at mile 11. But that was it. No need to bemoan your pain or suffering to other runners. Keep it to yourself. (Unless, of course, you are in need of medical attention.)

Rule #7: Don't be a snob. I'm not the fastest runner in the world, but I have a few race times I'm pretty pleased with. However, it's important to remember that whether you run the race in an hour or two...it's the same distance for everyone and a huge accomplishment! Remember to celebrate everyone that finishes. This is their race, too.

What else would you add to my list?

Photo credit Harrison Keely

Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon Race Recap

I'm proud to say I finished my fourth half marathon yesterday!

This was my first Rock 'n Roll event. There were some things I really liked about this particular race, and there were also some things I found incredibly annoying.

Let's start with the good:

::The weather was perfect! Seriously, I don't think I've ever run a race in better conditions ever. Upper 50's, low 60's, cloud cover...perfect.
::The course was mostly flat. Maybe you'd disagree with me if you were an out-of-towner, but as far as Northwest courses go? This one was pretty tame.
::The music/entertainment was great! I'd recommend this race for anyone with a super short attention span. There was ALWAYS something keeping you going on this course...bands, fans, water stations, and the like.

Now for the things that irked me:

::The pre-run stuff was not fun. The race starts in Tukwila and ends at Qwest Center in downtown Seattle. However, you had to park at Qwest and take one of the shuttles down to Tukwila. This took a long time. From the time we parked until we got to Tukwila? One hour.
::The corrals. While the race started at 7, it didn't start for me until near 7:30. UGH. I don't think I've EVER been in a race where it took so long to get the runners through the start line.
::My knee and hip! About mile 8 or 9, my left hip and knee started to feel buggy. I ended up having to walk a good chunk of the time the last 4 or 5 miles....which resulted in a not-so-good overall finishing time for me.

That being said, here's my stats...

Time: 2:47
Place: 12,879/17,593
Gender Place: 8,634/12,560
I finished before 39.5% of the people in my division

This is definitely a far cry from my PR of 2:10 (in 2005), but I am glad to have finished this race and added another medal to my collection.

Of course, I had to pull all my medals out tonight. I'd forgotten my first half marathon was in 2003...to think I've been doing half and full marathons for seven years now surprised me!

Pictured: (from L-R: 2003 Seattle Half Marathon, 2004 Vancouver Full Marathon, 2004 Seattle Full Marathon, 2005 Federal Escape Sprint Triathlon, 2006 Seattle Half Marathon, 2007 Disney World Full Marathon, 2010 Seattle Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon)

Not Pictured: 2005 Mercer Island Half Marathon. They did not give out medals for this race, and it's a crying shame. That's the race I got my 2:10 PR on!

I have a couple more things I want to share soon as I've reflected on marathoning. They deserve their own posts though...so stay tuned.

St. Patty's Day 5K last Saturday!

Pictured above: the running crew! From left to right: Jessie, me, Tia, Kaia, and Christine.

These last couple weeks have been...well...busy. Extraordinarily busy. I've not kept up with my workouts or eating like I should. To make matters worse, I've been coming down with a bit of a cold.

Even still, I had a 5K to run last Saturday. The St. Patty's Day 5K dash in Tacoma. It was 10 years ago I did my first race - the St. Patty's Day 5k dash in Seattle. It seemed fitting to be doing a similar race to kick off a new era of running.

The course was mostly flat, with a couple small hills - one right at the start, the other (of course) just before the finish. I couldn't find my watch the morning of the race, so I had to just push myself hard and hope I'd end up with a decent time.

I did pretty well keeping the same pace throughout the race, and was able to really sprint through the finish line. Overall, I felt I'd done a pretty good job.

My results? 30:47 - a pace of 9:56! I have NEVER completed a race with a pace under 10:00 - this is a first for me! In addition, I finished #43 of 128 for my division. Another first - I've never finished within the top half for my division! I'm so proud to see how far I've come in these past few months - from being in the worst shape of my life to hitting some new PRs.

It was also a special day because I was able to run with four special ladies (pictured above) - and none of them had ever done a fun run like this (though two of them had done cross country in the past). One of the gals, Kaia, actually placed #3 for her age group - not bad for her first 5K, huh?

So where do I go from here? The time has come to up my distance and prepare for marathon season. I officially registered last night for Portland on 10-10-10, so I'm committed to doing this thing!

Just signed up for the Seattle Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon!

Hooray! I did it. I just committed to run my next half marathon!

I selected the Seattle Rock 'n Roll event which is on June 26. My friend Crystal aptly pointed out that I got it wrong on my training schedule - it's in June, not July. Hmmm. So watch for a *revised* training schedule. Given that, I may well opt out of Sound to Narrows this year. That is a HARD race and I don't know that I want to have those races in the same month.

By the way, I was able to use coupon code AZSURVEY09 on my registration and it worked like a charm and saved me $10! The only bummer was that I ended up having to pay an online registration fee of $6.95, so it sort of negated my savings.

Oh well...now I'm committed to doing this thing and it's time to start ramping up. This wasn't the best week of eating for me, but I've done a decent job with my workouts. Tomorrow I've got a 3-miler to do and I hope that my weight will at least hold steady come Monday for my weekly weigh-in. Fingers crossed!

Has anyone else committed to signing up for a race? If so, which one(s)?

The year ahead in running & racing

I've finally settled on the races I want to participate in and the schedule I want to follow this year. This time around, I've decided on (loosely) following the Galloway Training Cycle. His is a 30-week cycle - much longer than the 16-week cycles I'm used to. His plan takes you way up to 26 miles, and I'm gonna modify that slightly making my longest run 23 miles pre-race. I'm also opting to spice things up by adding a few races into the mix.

So here is my long-run and race schedule for 2010. Each of these distances is a single run most likely completed on a weekend. For January, I will run once a month. In February, I may add a second running day per week if I can get get below 150 pounds (I want to avoid injury.) Once I get into the thick of my training, I will run 2 30-minute sessions each week in addition to my long run - that's it!

January
(Pre-training schedule)
Week 1: 3 miles (done!)
Week 2: 3 miles
Week 3: 3 miles
Week 4: 3 miles
Week 5: 3 miles

February
(Pre-training, cont)
Week 1: 3.5 miles
Week 2: 3 miles
Week 3: 3.5 miles
Week 4: 3 miles

March
Week 1: 3 miles
Week 2: St Patty's Day 5K (Tacoma) on March 13th
Week 3: 3 miles
Week 4: 5 miles

April
Week 1: 3 miles
Week 2: 6 miles
Week 3: 3 miles
Week 4: 7 miles

May
Week 1: 3 miles
Week 2: 9 miles
Week 3: 4 miles
Week 4: 10 miles
Week 5: 4 miles

June
Week 1: 12 miles
Week 2: Sound to Narrows on June 13th (12K)
Week 3: 13 miles
Week 4: 5 miles

July
Week 1: 15 miles
Week 2: 5 miles + a magical mile (I need to read more about this)
Week 3: 5 miles
Week 4: Seattle Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon on July 26th
Week 5: OFF

August
Week 1: 17 miles
Week 2: 6 miles
Week 3: 7 miles + a magical mile
Week 4: 20 miles

September
Week 1: 6 miles
Week 2: 7 miles + a magical mile
Week 3: 23 miles
Week 4: 6 miles

October
Week 1: 7 miles
Week 2: Portland Marathon on October 10th
Week 3: OFF

Beyond this, I'm unsure what I'll do. I *might* consider doing the Seattle 1/2 or full Marathon as well in November depending on how I'm feeling. But right now, October's my target!

Photo credit Felipe Wiecheteck

Just registered for a 5K

I decided that prior to running a full marathon, I wanted to get back into racing mode. So I decided to register for the Tacoma St Patty's 5K on March 13. This will be perfect for me. I know I could run a 5K now if I had to, so I won't be worried about the distance.

I've only ever run one 5K - the Seattle St Patty's Dash back in 2000. It was my first race, and the one that hooked me. After that, I took a fondness for 10Ks and then quickly moved up from there.

If you've never run a race before, why not join me? If you live outside the Tacoma area, try and find a local 5K race for early spring. (A 5K is just over 3 miles for those that are wondering.) In the next few weeks, I'll be shoring up my half and full marathon plans. But for now my focus will be shaping up and getting in 5K race shape.

I'm very excited. This will be my first event since 2007!