Pre-Race Fecal Matters

How much does your pre-race poop cost?

If a race is going to be a success, it must have three things: awesome volunteers, plenty of water and food, and lots of port-a-potties.  While I can't thank volunteers enough for their time setting up and tearing down races, handing out water and energy beverages to clumsy runners, and helping us to stay on course, most runners agree, ample port-a-potties are essential.

This got me thinking.  How much do races cost?  Why are some races well endowed with portable poop catchers, while others leave us long lines and no where to turn minutes before the start?

Here's the breakdown:

If a race has 10,000 participants (this doesn't include our awesome volunteers), and you wanted one portable toilet for every 100 runners, you would need 100 port-a-potties.  After calling 3 different companies, I found the cheaper toilet rentals are about $35 (because you are renting in bulk).  This includes installation and take down.  Some companies offer more perks and the prices can change wildly based on how many toilets are rented, and for how many days they are assembled.  This leaves the race director with a cost of $3,500.  This isn't enough, however; 100 toilets for 10,000 people will inevitably leave long lines and fecal stains on multiple runners' shorts.

Okay, I probably went too far on this one... Gross.

So, to increase the number to one toilet per 50 people, you need 200 potties, and a bill of $7,500.  Let's take the average race entry fee of $50.  10,000 runners X $50 = $500,000.

$500,000 - $7,500 = $492,500 left to spend on finisher's medals and t-shirts, food, water, energy drinks, police officers, registration, website design, etc...

At CustomInk.com, you can purchase 10,000 tempo performance race shirts with logos for $148,200.

$492,500 - $148,200 = $344,300.

Most races boast of big sponsors who donate food, volunteers, beverages, and money.  Non of my figures include money collected outside of registration fees, and they are obviously rough estimates.  Directing a race is not only a lot of work, but a huge financial undertaking.  That being said, I've run in races with lots of food, water, awesome volunteers, beautiful medals, nice shirts, and most of all infinite portable restrooms.  I've also run races that had an equal number of participants and yet there wasn't water available just 2 miles into the race.  The lines were so long for the port-o-john, that I found myself squeezing back urine for the next couple hours as I tried to focus on running instead of peeing myself.  Race directors are not pocketing endless gobs of cash, so what makes the difference between a quality race and an utter failure?


What do you think are the most important factors in a race?
What races do you enjoy the most due to their great organizing?
How long is too wait to poop/pee before a race?

~Roadburner 

Mommy, You Stink!

I got back from a freezing cold run today and began making breakfast.  My contacts froze to my eyes the first few miles and I didn't mind one bit.  I figured it silently proved my dedication to the sport. My two kids were splayed out on the couch watching some TV show that must have been captivating because they didn't even notice when I got home.  I tried to tell them good morning, but they continued shunning me.  "Whatever," I thought, "I will win against that TV when I present food."

Meanwhile, my husband ran a quick 3 miles on the treadmill downstairs as the eggs boiled.  (For the record, I love hard boiled eggs, but they have to be cooked perfectly.  I boil them for 2 minutes uncovered, then cover and remove from the heat for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes exactly, I shock them with cold water and feast!) 

When Randall came back upstairs, I started peeling everyone's eggs.  He got in my way of the trash can for some reason so I bent down to peel my eggs more effectively.  That's when I noticed a horrifically foul stench.  Naturally, I looked at Randall who was standing above me and thought, "GROSS! Shower already!  I on the other hand don't stink, I froze my tail off this morning.  I couldn't have sweat much."  I politely asked my husband if he stunk, and after a thorough examination of his pits, he decided he didn't stink.  I smelled him and confirmed no, it wasn't him.  Damn.

I thrust my nose towards the trash can, thinking something must have died in it last night.  That was the only reasonable explanation at this point.  But the trash just smelled like wet paper towels and egg shells.

Suddenly, I grimaced.  Holy crap!  It's me!  I STINK!  As I was bent over the trash can peeling eggs, it pooled all of my sweaty scent into one small area and I finally had a whiff of what my boys were trying to avoid all along.  I was nasty.  I instantly stood, walked over to my chair and ate my egg and smoothie as fast as I could.

Owen, my youngest wanted a new TV show after breakfast.  I politely abliged, wanting to avoid conflict when all I needed was a shower.  But as I turned on the show, he looked at me and said, "Mommy, don't sit right there.  You stink too bad."  Yes baby, Mommy loves you too.

Randall was already in the shower upstairs.  When he got out he said, "Oh, Jen you are going to have to wait at least 30 minutes before you can get in.  The water is crazy cold."  Yeah, today is the one day that is just not going to happen.  "I will freeze."

The immediate effects of running are rarely pretty.  But after a freezing cold shower, the options are once again endless.  I'm not the girl who applies makeup for the gym.  I don't care if my outfit matches or if my hair looks beautiful before a run.  Typically, my hair sticks out in every direction before I throw a hat on that disaster.  But I don't mind.  I consider it a built in self-defense system from animals and bad people at 7:00 am. 

 

 

 

Definitely need this in a woman's scent!

 ~Roadburner

Compression. Again.

I wrote a blog a year ago, Compression Sucks, where I defaced the name of compression socks.  I was mad because I'd gone through three different brands of compression tubes and paid over $60 per pair.  They hurt my legs to the point that I couldn't run more than 3 miles while wearing them.  What's the point of wearing something that hurts?  I concluded that I would go back to a bare bones tactic and throw out compression for good.

However, if you look back through the majority of my pictures in the last year, you'll find me a liar...

Pre Race Throw Aways.  I invest good money at the Goodwill just to toss them out.  My compression, however, keep me warm and toasty all the way through!

My husband photo bombing me. Notice the socks?

Compression Socks in Vegas! Not sure why I'm showing a little leg...?

At the finish line of the Colfax Marathon.  Compression helped a lot!

Again, compression.  You get the idea.  Apparently I signal a "touchdown" every finish!

In my defense, I threw away my CEP compression socks.  They HURT!  I felt like a snake was sucking the life from my veins within minutes of running.  Yes, I was properly fitted for the sock, they just didn't work for me.

While training for my first marathon, I found my legs continued to become extremely sore after my long runs without compression, so I opened the flood gate once more and decided to branch off to less popular brands.  I finally found Vitalsox, which provided the right balance of compression and zero pain.  That sounds more like it!  (The company doesn't endorse me, I just really like their products.) 

Here is why I believe strongly in compression socks:

1. They provide ankle, calf, and knee support, which can be awfully handy on longer runs, during speed training, or if you average 20+ miles a week.  
2. My legs are rediculously sore when I don't wear compression, and hardly sore at all the next day when I do.  (That's a no brainer for me.)
3. People argue compression socks/tights increase performance.  I don't know if I agree or not, but if I am less sore from a previous day's run, I run better the following day.  
4. They keep my legs warmer in the winter.  Okay, this sucks in the summer. 
5. I wear 0-4mm drop shoes which puts a lot more strain on the calf muscles.  I feel that strain compounded when I don't wear them.   My incident for injury has been less since wearing them regularly.

Compression is a finicky thing and you have to find the brand that works best for you.  So far I've only found one brand that I really like and trust.  However, I wouldn't put a lot of faith in increasing performance.  They obviously are not a magical stocking that will make you the athlete you've always dreamed of being, but I believe in them enough to run in them 100% of the time.  I even wear them on my treadmill because I hate being sore.  I have 30 stairs in my house that I prefer to navigate on my feet, not my butt. 


What do you think of compression?
Is there a brand that works best for you?
Do you wear them during your run or afterwards?
Have you tried arm compression?

~Roadburner

Not Bonking Before Boston

Let's keep things simple.  I am not extremely fast.  I've only run for little more than five and a half years, and raced for less than two.  There's seven half marathon medals hanging from my medal hanger.  I've only completed one marathon; I have another on the way.  I desperately want to qualify for Boston in the next couple of years and it annoys me when people say, "I qualified for Boston without training."  As if the cherished Boston Qualifying time is really no big deal and those of us slow runners are clearly doing something wrong.  I am happy for people that are naturally fast.  But I am not.  So, what does it take for a normal runner like me, going from a 4:25 finish to a make the 3:35 cut off?   I am going to have to work my tail off, and perhaps my addiction to cookies, in order to achieve my biggest dream of running the Boston Marathon.

Here is where I've come from:

I'm 29.  I am a mom of two hilarious and energetic boys.  Colorado has been my home since birth and I can't imagine living anywhere else.  (Although a lower elevation and less hills would definitely have their perks.)    I started running when my oldest son Ethan was born.  Before that, I was a history teacher.  And before that, I was a hiker, mountain biker, skier, student, and gymnast.

Fast forward to March 17, 2012.  I finished my first 5K in 30:30.  My goal was to finish and hopefully not walk too much.  A month later, I finished my first 10K, a trail race, in 62:05.  Only a week before this race, I ran 6 miles for the very first time.

During the summer of 2012, I ran a series of three duathlons in the run/bike/run format.  I won my division twice and placed second in the other.  Racing duathlons taught me it was about running a smart race.  Everyone else took off really fast, while I studied my watch and paced myself based on previous winning times.

Within one summer, I took my 5K pace down to 25:03.

September 2012, my husband joined me to run my first ever half marathon.  We crossed the finish line together and I couldn't have cared less what the clock said.  I ran 13.1 miles.  Booya!  (We finished 2:01:49.)

After my first half marathon, I ran 3 more to finish off the year.  Last year, I set a new half marathon PR of 1:52:06.  I never hit a wall during that race and I felt like I had more in me when I crossed the finish line.

My first full was the 2013 Colfax Marathon where I finished 4:25:17.

Exactly one month before the race, I bought a new house, moved, caught the flu while moving, and found out pleurisy is not a medieval disease, but a very current and sadly blistering side effect from respiratory infections.  One week after being diagnosed, I ran my first and only 20 miler where I puked my guts out in front of a horrified 5 year old boy.  

Here is where I am going:

This year, I turn 30 years old.  I will have known my husband for half my life.  We have been best friends and each other's biggest advocates since 15 years old.  This is important because without his support, I would doubt myself constantly.

My youngest son starts preschool this August, which will allow me the opportunity to train harder.  I currently wake up at 5:50 every morning and run for an hour or more until my boys wake.  While I never regret a sunrise, running later in the day will help vary my running routes.   

The Colfax Marathon is May 18, which leaves me 16 weeks to train for my goal of finishing in 3:58.  This is a huge jump in time, but I am much stronger and faster than I was a year ago.  My average pace jumped from 9:40 down to 8:30 in the last six months.  I follow the Hansen's Marathon Method very closely and believe in the method equally.

If I can finish Colfax in sub-4:00, I will start training for faster half marathon times this summer, I need around a 1:43 to feel confident.  Then I will continue my speed training and tempo runs at a 7:30-8:00 pace and try really hard not to bloody my knees.

Boston is not unattainable.  It is a lot of work.  I wasn't born with quick feet and standing at 5'4", I don't exactly have a long stride on my side.  I'm not an elegant runner, I typically fall flat on my face a few days before every race, so that I toe the line with scabs.  But who says I am not capable of working just as hard as all the other qualifiers?  I visited Boston for a family vacation two and a half years ago and while walking the streets I told my oldest son, Ethan, "Someday, Mommy will be this fast." 

~Roadburner

Bearing Hansen's

I dedicated myself to the Hansen's Marathon Method for the Colfax Marathon in May.  Many people see this as a very strange approach to training, but most are curious how this method effects my body.  To begin, Hansen's is very different than Hal Higdon.  Simply put, I run more than I ever have, and I feel it!  My previous training plan required 3-4 days a week, with one long run on the weekend.  Higdon slowly built up the mileage on the weekends adding, one mile each week, until the 20 mile run, after which you taper and race.

On the other hand, Hansen's requires a much larger commitment.  I currently run 6 days a week, with Wednesdays off.  Being in the early phase of the program, I average between 35-42 miles a week.  There is no long run.  Instead, you spread those miles out over 6 days, changing speeds each day to work different muscle groups in the body.  In the height of the training program, I will reach 60 miles a week, with a 16 mile run on the weekends.  After the race, I will have run 1,024 miles in about 5 months.  The goal is to run tired.  Not to the point of injury, but just enough to feel fatigued at the beginning of each run.  They want you to feel like it is the last 16 miles of the race, not the first.

I started the schedule a month ahead of time in order to slowly increase my weekly distance from 20 miles per week up to 40.  I didn't want to risk injury once the real work began.  Therefore, I've run 6 days a week for 13 weeks and here's what I've noticed so far:

1. Doubling my weekly mileage with only one rest day was painful.  I found my joints and muscles were extremely fatigued just walking up the stairs after a run.  However, that discomfort never turned into injury and never stopped me from running the next day.
2. About 3-4 weeks ago, most of that discomfort disappeared.  I am no longer sore after a really hilly and fast 8-10 mile run.  In fact, I feel stronger the next day.
3. Food tastes better!  Each week I run off at least 3,680 calories.  At first I felt starved.  Honestly, I think my body was in shock.  But now that I've adjusted to the new schedule, I'm not that hungry.  Food, just tastes really freaking good!  
4. What I eat directly effects the next day's performance.  I've always known this, but I pay the price on a larger scale when I detour.   
5. Cumulative exhaustion (not resting entirely between each running day), is no joke.  I feel it throughout my body and often I start a 6 mile run feeling like I already ran 3-4 miles.  
6. I slept like a fitful baby with colic for over a month.  Every night I went to bed completely exhausted.  I'd fall asleep around 9:30pm and wake around 12:00am.  I'd wake every hour to half hour for the rest of the night, tossing and turning.  Within the last few weeks, I started sleeping normally again.  I no longer wake with aches and pains, a racing mind, or crazy hot muscles. 
7. I'm getting stronger.  Before starting Hansen's, my cruising pace was about 9:20 per mile.  Now, I'm at 8:30.  
8. This training plan scares the hell out of me.  One month ago was my first real speed training session.  A few weeks ago was my first tempo run.  Six months ago, I thought people who ran 6 days a week were begging for injury.  I'm very nervous to reach the 60 miles per week, but my body has handled it so far.
9. I have to follow the plan exactly.  If I skip a day, go out faster than prescribed, or don't work really hard, I notice the effects the next day.  I'm also afraid of getting injured.  
10. Rest days are miserable.  I am painfully sore on Wednesdays and I feel really fidgety. 
11. Runners respond to this method really negatively, "You can't possibly think you are going to do well at Colfax without running a 20 miler somewhere in there!"  Or they say, "You are running too much."  
12. Non runners think I'm crazy.  I've actually had people look me in the eyes and say, "I'm sorry."   

I've got 17 weeks left until the race. Last year, I ran Colfax in 4:25.  I hit the wall a couple times on the course.  It was a harder course than I expected with much bigger hills than I imaged rolling around Downtown Denver.  I ran with pleurisy, which I wouldn't recommend to anyone.  Since that race, I've told people I want another go.  I want to prove that I am stronger than 4:25.  This year, I aim to run Colfax in under 4:00.  I am training for a strong 3:58 finish. 

~Roadburner

Mother's Marathoning Guilt

Six years ago my first son, Ethan, came along.  I quit teaching 8th grade American History and became a stay at home mom.  I about drove myself crazy.  My A-type personality desperately needed goals and stress.  And worse yet, I didn't sleep for the first 14 months of Ethan's life as he had allergies, colick, and severe reflux.  He slept 2 hour stints at the most, and pretty much cried the other times he was awake.  It was a really trying first year and while I would like to look back at that time with a great sense of humor, you couldn't pay me a zillion dollars to go back to that stage.  My poor husband must have thought I was going to jump off the deep end any moment as I cried a lot and rolled my eyes at him equally.  Fast forward six years and Ethan is healthy, happy, hilarious, and vibrant.  Oh, and he SLEEPS!  Thank God. 

My boys at the park this summer.

Anyway, the point of my story is that I needed something to hold onto.  I needed a firm rope to keep me grounded.  My husband took up running around this time and I thought he was crazy to run 6-8 miles in one day.  "There is no way that is healthy!" I would grumble.  But I was secretly jealous that he had the strength and courage to run out that door every day and somehow run back in an hour later.

My husband at the Air Life Memorial 10K in 2012 where he PR'd by over 5 minutes!

Somewhere along the line, I started running to save my sanity.  I desperately needed those few hours a week to myself.  I didn't push a jogging stroller, EVER.  I didn't want a baby with me.  It was, and still is, MY time.  I am a better mother, wife, friend, and person when I run.  My weekly mileage stands for so much more than a number.  Those are the steps I took away from my family every week.  They were the moments where no one asked me for the 14th snack of the day, or desperately needed to know right now, at this very moment, "WHERE is my bear?"  No one is grabbing my legs or pulling my fingers one direction or another.  Orange juice is not being spilled all over my freshly cleaned couch.  I am alone for that one hour and holy bonanza, I LOVE it!

When I walk back in the door every morning, my boys greet me with a much anticipated, "Good morning, Mom!"  Their little smiles bring me back to reality, and in my post run high, I run up to each of them with big sweaty hugs and kisses and find out about last night's dreams. We immediately begin planning our daily adventures together while I make breakfast.

When I first started running, it was only 3 days a week, maybe 10-15 miles.  Over time, that number has dramatically grown and my commitment to the sport has tripled.  I ran my first marathon using the Hal Higdon training method, which dedicated 25-35 miles per week.  For my second go at the Colfax Marathon, I've taken on an entirely different training strategy that requires 50 miles per week on average, spread out over 6 days. That's about 8 hours a week.  In short, my kids hate the new schedule. 

Daily, I return from my morning runs as my boys greet me with amazing hugs and then quickly ask, "Why do you ALWAYS have to run?  When are you going to stop this?  Didn't you just run yesterday?"  I tell them that running makes mommy happy and healthy and it is the only thing that I ask for every day that is strictly for me.  They don't understand that yet, and I hope it will someday sink in.  My husband is extremely supportive and he tells them the same things, but I can't help feel the insane amount of guilt when their little puppy eyes beg me to stop this nonsense. 

I've begun getting up an hour earlier (5:45am or before) so that I can run and be finished, or close to being done by the time everyone else in the house wakes up.  But I still hear complaints on the weekend when I run longer, or if I miss their waking up by 10-15 minutes.  I started this nonsense to break away for small fractions of time.  I needed goals outside my kids.  It was a way to find me again.  Yes, I am a mom, but I am more than that.  And running proved it.  When I am with my kids, I give them 100%.  I love them desperately, but there has to be a balance. 

I don't want running to get in the way of everyone else in my family.  They didn't sign up for the marathon, I did.  It shouldn't affect my kids or husband, but the reality is, you can't train to run 26.2 miles without putting a little pressure on the system.  It's with their unwavering support and patience that I will cross the finish line again in May. 


How do you strike the balance between parenthood and mileage?  
Does your family make you feel guilty for running?

~Roadburner