It felt amazing to be back in the racing scene again! The Indianapolis Mini Marathon has always been one of my favorite events. Although I have a 50k on the calendar this Saturday, I really didn’t want to miss out on running the great event.

It was a typical race morning. I woke at 5:25 before the 7:30 race start to prepare my pre-race meal. I ate a couple slices of cinnamon raisin toast topped with wild blueberry preserves and plain Greek yogurt. With this I had a banana and about 24 ounces of water. Normally I would savor my pre-race coffee at this time, but I finally nixed the coffee and made a switch to tea.

The race went great! I first thought I would go out in 6:20-30 pace dropping in pace as I felt. From the start 6:15 felt quite good. I knew I was excited and didn’t want that excitement to muddle my perceived effort. I also didn’t want to completely trash my legs for the 50k this weekend. I settled in with the comfortable 6:15 pace effort. It was wonderful! I enjoyed the crowd and live music as a plugged away picking people off as I went.

I drank from most of the aid stations, counting the number of ounces I swallowed as I went. Between 40-45 minutes into the race I ate a Double Latte PowerBar Gel to make up for the coffee I wanted with my breakfast By the time I hit the one hour mark I counted right in the target ounces range per hour I was aiming for and enjoyed the perceived boost from the caffeinated gel.

My pace stayed firm right around 6:15 for a solid 9 miles. As the race progressed I realized that I really wanted to RACE. I now can look back and think, it’s kind of a sick addiction. As I went along the desire to pick up the pace amplified with each runner I would pass. I lost track of my place, but once I heard I was in 7th I wanted to see if I could close in on 6th. I gained some serious ground on 6th place those last few miles with a 18:40 finishing 5k. By the finishing mile I looked down to realize I dropped to 5:50 pace for mile 13. It was so invigorating!

Unfortunately I picked it up just a touch too late, missing out on 6th place by just a few seconds. I finished 7th place with a 1:21:00. It was such a fun race, especially considering I haven’t done much steady running at this pace in the past 5 months! I feel great and couldn’t be more excited for the 50k this weekend!

After the race I enjoyed visiting with so many friends from the running community. The Athletic Annex Team had an awesome list of top finishers this year. I can get quite chatty in wanting to celebrate the many successes of a fun Mini Marathon. As I talked away, I made sure to refuel with a good source of protein, carbohydrates, and fluids to facilitate the recovery process.

Bring on my first ultra race is this weekend at Dances with Dirt Gnaw Bone!

Congratulations to all those who race over the weekend!

It’s an exciting time here in Indianapolis with the Indianapolis Mini Marathon taking place this weekend. First-time half marathoners as well as veteran runners will take to the starting line Saturday morning to kick off the 500 Festival celebrations. It’s a wonderful start to the exciting month of May.

No matter how experienced the runner, managing aid stations while running an event such as a half marathon can be tricky. We are dodging fellow runners in combination with gently grasping and tilting back a cup of fluids, while trying to maintain running rhythm. It’s enough to deter some from taking fluids all together. Taking fluids as we’re running through an aid station may not always be perfect, but there are strategies to support aid station success.

Take Two – I like to always take two cups at every aid station. I just pinch one cup completely shut while I drink from the other to minimize spilling. Even if I don’t drink from both cups, it’s a great way to be prepared if too much of the essential fluids spill from the first cup, or if a single cup is less than ideal in meeting my overall fluid goals.

The Egg – As I’m nearing the aid station I will think of the cup as a delicate egg. If I grab the cup too rough or firmly it will “break.” This fairly gentle, yet firm, grab is a great mental approach to a successful fluid filled grab.

The Pinch – Gently pinching half of the cup shut before drinking helps to minimize water or sports drink splashing back in my eyes. This great video example from Runner’s World is a good example of how to pinch the cup at the aid station.

Practice at Home – The more often I take fluids from a race, the more comfortable I am with taking aid station fluids. If the opportunity to race often is limited, practicing right from home works great too. Lining a few fluid filled Dixie cups on the roof or hood of the car can be a great way to develop aid station confidence. Pretend the car is lined with an awesome staff of aid station volunteers and practice grabbing a Dixie cup “egg” with each pass.

Contact me if you would like to learn more about your specific fueling needs.

Good Luck!