Tag Archive for: training

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)

nuun: official hydration of the 3M Half Marathon.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.

Our 6 Favorite Running Quotes

Get out of that training rut with these motivational running quotes

Sometimes we love running and other times we are like “meh.” But there are some quotes that every time we read them we are motivated to get back out on the road and give it everything we have. Give our favorite running quotes a read the next time your training hits a bump in the road or you have a bad race.

“Only those who risk going too far, can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Eliot

“A goal should scare you a little and excite you a lot.” – Joe Vitale

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” – John Bingham

“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” – Les Brown

“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“Celebrate what you accomplish, but raise the bar a little each time you succeed.” – Mia Hamm

Up Your Running Game with Under Armour’s Map My Run

Utilize Map My Run for your 3M Half training

Whether this is your first or tenth half marathon, you’ll need a training plan. Proper preparation is critical to race day success. Map My Run can get you to the finish line. It’s an excellent tool to use during your 3M Half Marathon training.

Use Map My Run during your 2019 3M Half Marathon training.

Use Map My Run during your 2019 3M Half training.

Map My Run is a free app that you can download to your phone. You can upgrade to the MVP subscription to eliminate ads, access personalized training plans, and use live tracking. Either way, you can discover the best running routes within your city, save and share your favorites, and connect with a community of more than 50 million runners. This helpful running app is ranked #21 in the Health & Fitness section of the iTunes App Store and has a rating of 4.8.

Benefits

  • discover running routes around the world while traveling for work or vacation

  • access stats like pace, route, distance, calories, and elevation

  • connect with 400+ devices to import and analyze data in one place

  • track shoe mileage with Gear Tracker

  • UA Record Equipped connected shoes can automatically sync data with app

  • sync data with many popular apps and wearables

  • share workouts on Facebook and Twitter

  • Join Challenges to compete with others, climb the leaderboard, and win prizes

Download the app today and begin analyzing your running data. Connect with your local runner friends and make new friends from around the world. Then execute your training plan! Follow Map My Run on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Get to Know Your 2018 Pace Team

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 help guide you. Meet your 2018 3M Half Marathon pace team, learn where to find them on race day, and read a few do’s and don’ts of running with a pace team.

Find your pacing group: look for the Twenty-Six Two Pacers in the starting corrals holding pace signs that 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 Brandon Ostrander
1:35 Joe Terracina Steve Chase
1:40 John Golden Leland Mangrum
1:45 Karim Elmrabet Talaya Frazier
1:50 Jennifer Goetz Laura O’Connor
1:55 Paul Carmona Kara Levy
2:00 Eric Johnson Stephanie Swanzy
2:05 Steve Pina Summer Smith
2:10 Katie Carmona Eva Oleksy
2:15 Ted Kvapil Claire McGuinness
2:20 Jenny Yee Maria Hermon
2:25 Juanita Bowling Corina Felan
2:30 Shannon Arriaga Molly Stapleton

A few do’s and don’ts: 

  • DO ask questions before the start about your pace 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 pacers 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.

    pace team

    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 pacers guide you! They are trained to finish at (or slightly faster than) their designated finish times.
  • 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 pace 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 pacers are 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.

4 Quotes to Keep You on Track

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