training Archives

Always Better with Friends

It’s no secret, 3M Half Marathon is better with friends

Much like happy hour and weekend brunch, 3M Half Marathon is always better with friends!

Friends hold you accountable during your 3M Half Marathon training. They support you at the end of long runs when you’re feeling sluggish. Often times they lighten the mood when you just don’t want to run, making the miles pass. And they’re always there to celebrate your accomplishments.

On race day, they cheer for you. They might pace you to your first half marathon. If they get ahead, they wait for you at the finish line. And they’re always the first to take a selfie with your new Downhill to Downtown medals and post it on social media.

You might have folks that do this for you. Just remember: this is a two-way street. What your buddies do for you, you do just as much for them in return. That’s why you should train for and run 3M Half Marathon with friends!

Blog, Running Tips

Taper Tips for a Successful 3M Half Marathon

These taper tips are crucial for race day performance

The Taper. For those unfamiliar, tapering is referring to the reduced volume and intensity of workouts before race day. While some runners find it hard to scale back after so much time dedicated to training, others find themselves glued to their favorite couch. But doing too little or too much during this time period can compromise all your hard work. Make sure you are at the top of your game by following these tips between now and race day.

Sleep

This may be the best thing you can do for yourself at this time. Experts recommend sleeping eight to nine hours per night. To start, choose a consistent time that you are in bed, this may or may not include actual sleep. This will signal to your body that rest is important and hopefully lead to more shut-eye.

If you have a favorite show that you just don’t want to miss, see if you can record it to watch after the race. It will be great to have something else to “marathon” after your race.

Instead of focusing on trying to get a good night sleep the night before, try for two nights before. Pre-race jitters can sometimes leave us with the “I am not even sure if I slept at all” feeling the night before. But don’t let this bother you. One poor night’s sleep shouldn’t affect your performance if you have tapered well in other aspects.

Reduce work stress

While it might be out of our hands, setting yourself up with an easy week at work can have a big impact on your energy going into race day. So if there is a project that needs to be done put in the extra effort now or see if it can be completed after race day. Take time to find a quiet place to meditate for 10-15 in the morning or evening.

No new workouts

Now is not the time to get a weird sore spot under your ribs because your friend convinced you to try the new barre class. Stick to what you know and focus on less intense and less volume for each workout. Keep your runs to under 30 minutes. It’s fine to do some easy cross-training on non-running days, as long as the activity doesn’t make your muscles sore or have the potential to cause injury. If you don’t want to exercise on days you don’t run, that’s okay, too.

Example of a week out workout: 10-min warm-up jog / no more than 3 miles at half-marathon goal pace / 10-min cool-down jog

Nutrition

Skip the pizza and beer for now. Focus on a diet that balances moderate carbohydrates from whole food sources, quality protein, and healthy fat. You may also want to keep a close eye on your calorie intake. While you are used to high-intensity training and the extra food that comes with it, if you don’t watch what you eat, the pounds can sneak on in these last weeks, which is less than optimal for race day.

Avoid eating that can affect your sleep quality. This includes eating large meals within 1.5 hours of going to bed as well as spicy foods or large amounts of protein.

Now is also a good time to make sure you are well hydrated. It is recommended to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. You can also add electrolytes from nuun, to get your body ready for race day hydration. You can also try the on-course fuel with Gatorade Endurance gels.

Race Morning

By starting now, you are setting yourself up to be ready race morning. The last advice we have is to arrive at least 90 minutes before the start. Walk around as a light warmup, and then follow the Camp Gladiator trainers as they lead a pre-race warm-up at 7:15 at the start line.

Blog, Running Tips

Meet the 2019 3M Half Marathon Pacing Group

Get to know your 2019 pacing group

You’re registered. You’re training. You have a goal time in mind. This is your first half marathon. You want to PR. You want to beat last year’s time. Whatever your race day goals, the Twenty-Six Two Marathon Club pacing group will guide you. Meet your 2019 3M Half Marathon pace team, learn where to find them on race day, and read a few dos and don’ts of running with a pacing group.

Find your pacing group:

Look for the Twenty-Six Two pacing group in the starting corrals holding pace signs. Those signs correspond to the paces designated by signs in the corrals. There will be two pacers per each pace group (finish times of 1:30, 1:35, 1:40, 1:45, 1:50, 1:55, 2:00, 2:05, 2:10, 2:15, 2:20, 2:25, 2:30). The pacers will also be wearing matching running outfits that say “PACER” or otherwise designated them as official 3M Half Marathon pacers.

1:30	Anthony Jacobs	Ryan McLagan
1:35	Joe Terracina	Leland Mangum
1:40	Charlie Werth	John Golden
1:45	Karim Elmrabet	Talaya Frazier
1:50	Jennifer Goetz	Jose Reyes
1:55	Paul Carmona	Kara Levy
2:00	Eric Johnson	Laura O’Connor
2:05	Steve Pina	Summer Smith
2:10	Katie Carmona	Eva Oleksy
2:15	Fran Roda	Priscilla Norosky
2:20	Ted Kvapil	Sam Gammage
2:25	Jessica Mangrum	Jillian Baaklini
2:30	Shannon Arriaga	Molly Stapleton

Pacing group dos:

DO ask questions before the start about your pacing group’s race plan. Most will run slightly slower at first, and then pick up speed in the middle miles of the race. However, each pace group is slightly different, so make sure to ask any questions before the race begins.
DO drink at water stations along the way if you normally take water or sports drink during the race. The pacing group will slow down slightly to allow runners to catch up after water stops.
DO ask questions or introduce yourself during the race if you are inclined. The pacers are all accustomed to racing at paces faster than what they are pacing, so they should be able to answer your questions.
Summer (4256) and Steve (4530) will lead the 2:05 group for 2018. Claire (5241) will lead the 2:15 group for 2018.
DO ask what your splits should be at each mile marker, and compare the pacers’ times with your watch or GPS device. You want to make sure that you are “in sync” with the pacers’ official times.
DO relax and let the pacing group guide you! They are trained to finish at (or slightly faster than) their designated finish times.

Pacing group don’ts:

DON’T struggle to stay right next to or behind the pacers, especially at the beginning when it is crowded. As long as you are near them along the way, you will have plenty of time to stick with them after a few miles.
DON’T try to start out with a pacing group that is significantly faster than you are accustomed to running. Find the pace group that is right for you, and enjoy the race as the pacers lead you to the finish line.
DON’T forget that the pacing group is targeting a finish that corresponds to their own chip time, not the official “gun time.” If your pace group crosses the start line several minutes after the race begins, the pacers will be following their own chip time, not the “clock” time at the finish. Make sure to ask along the way what the pacers’ time is, and compare it to your own time. If you are unsure whether you are “ahead of” or “behind” the pacers’ time, ask them! They will answer your questions.

Twenty-Six Two Marathon Club (TST) is an Austin-based nonprofit group that provides low-cost training to men and women marathoners and half marathoners throughout the year. Since 2005, TST has trained hundreds of runners for races in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, San Antonio, and many other cities (and countries). TST’s Pace Team provides pacers for races year-round and is comprised of club members who have run multiple marathons and half-marathons.

Blog

3M Half Marathon Adds Virtual Option for 2019

Virtual option allows runners to participate in award-winning half marathon from anywhere in the world

Registration for the virtual 2019 3M Half Marathon opens today, Wednesday, August 14th. The 25th annual 3M Half Marathon will take place January 20, 2019, in Austin, Texas. Last year, more than 7,000 runners participated in the event. The virtual 3M Half Marathon allows runners to participate without running the course on race day.

“The 3M Half Marathon saw record participation in 2018 and we’re excited to produce the 25th edition in 2019,” said Stacy Keese, co-owner of High Five Events. “This race is well-known for its fast course, however, we want to provide runners who cannot run the streets of Austin the opportunity to celebrate our 25th anniversary with us.”

Register today!

Registration for the virtual 3M Half Marathon will be $55. Virtual participants will receive a custom, 25th anniversary spinner finisher medal and swag bag filled with 3M goodies. They will also receive a tube of nuun hydration, downloadable race bib, and finisher certificate. They will also have the option to purchase a custom-designed race shirt at time of registration. Runners will receive their gear prior to January 20, 2019. Results must be submitted by March 4, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. to receive a finisher certificate.

A virtual race is a perfect way to run the half marathon distance or train for another upcoming race like Austin Marathon or Half Marathon. Virtual run participants will have six weeks to complete 13.1 miles. Registration and rules can be found on the race website.

The 3M Half Marathon boasts one of the fastest 13.1-mile courses in the country. They’ll celebrate their 25th year running in 2019. Runners will enjoy a point-to-point course with mostly downhill running that showcases some of Austin’s finest locations. Starting in north Austin and finishing near the Texas State Capitol, runners will appreciate a 306’ net elevation drop. Registration is currently open for all options.

Register for the virtual 3M Half Marathon

Blog

Hydration: 5 Things You Should Know and How it Can Help You

You know about hydration, now learn about how it helps your body

nuun is the official hydration partner of the 3M Half Marathon. They know a thing or two about hydrating athletes. The experts at nuun are constantly gathering information about how athletes can better fuel their bodies. This blog post was written by the experts to educate athletes and provide them with the information needed to be successful during training and racing.

1. Hydration is energy (for your muscles)

Most people think that the main purpose of hydration is to help prevent dehydration (and to replenish electrolyte stores that may be lost via sweat). Although both of those are true (recent studies have shown that electrolytes may play greater roles in fluids absorption than sweat replenishment), the fundamental goal of hydration is to deliver oxygen to working muscles. Try to think about the fluid you are consuming as a way of helping your muscles breathe, which in turn gives them the energy they need to perform.

2. Water does not hydrate you

Yes, you read that correctly! While water does fundamentally provide your body with fluid, it does not truly hydrate you. Water needs to be in a specific concentration (composing of carbohydrates and electrolytes) to exit the stomach and move into circulation where it can be used by the body. Our water needs to contain sodium to ensure proper fluid absorption. To make matters even more complicated, your “water” should contain different amounts of carbohydrates and electrolytes before/during/after your workout! It is highly recommended that rather than using tap water, you purchase a filter to ensure all the bad chemicals are removed from it. Having a look a sites such as reviews by Best Products Pro to help you find the best and most beneficial filter possible. You may also benefit from investing in a water softener to improve the quality of the water in your home – click to see.

3. Proper hydration will help mitigate gastric distress during exercise

To put it simply, when you are exercising, your body (stomach) is under stress. There are ways you can eat and drink to mitigate that stress or to encourage it. When it comes to hydration, if the ratio of carbohydrates to fluid is too high or the electrolyte profile is too low, the delivery of fluid slows down and sits in the stomach. That’s what causes sloshing and GI issues during racing.

4. Hydration will help you fuel better

This builds on the previous point. With proper hydration you can help eliminate the GI issues that can come with it and allow faster and more efficient fueling. This is achieved by not overloading your system and using multiple pathways to absorb fluids and carbohydrates.

5. Hydration aids in recovery

One area that is very crucial to the recovery process is rehydrating. Rehydrating not only replenishes fluids lost during exercise, but it also aids in replenishing the electrolytes that were also lost. Keep in mind: drinking too much too fast can degrade the potential gains of the workout, here’s why: your body, over time, has developed a strong immune system that helps repair itself when it is under the stresses of exercise. Therefore, naturally you want your body to begin repairing itself, slowly rehydrate, and continue to hydrate throughout the day.

nuun hydration is our official hydration partner. Head over to nuunlife.com to stock up and train with what will be on course.

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