hi, all!
Did the Garden Spot Village half yesterday...well, I had to cut it short on account of the ankle not being healed yet, so I'll have to edit the medal to say "half half marathon." It was quite hot (even when we left the house early in the morning, there wasn't the usual early morning coolness to the air), and nearly no shade, through a lot of rolling hills, so it was a bit brutal. When I talked to the timing guys after I finished (wanted to stay on course for safety but not take away medical resources from someone who needed them more, so instead of hitching a medical ride, I just short-coursed myself; since this would put me finishing ahead of others, I asked the timing guys to remove my time), they said that a lot of marathoners made the decision mid-race to just turn at the half turnaround point, screwing with their results. Oof.
Aside from my issues...it's a fabulous race. Did it last year, was looking forward to it again this year. It's all throughout Amish farmland in Lancaster county. Tons of rolling hills, plus one huge hill right in the middle, it's not an easy course. But it's put on by a retirement community, who do a wonderful job. Water stops every 2 miles (each of which has water, gatorade, pretzels, bananas, some first aid supplies, and a portapotty), awesome swag (a tech shirt, a cotton shirt, and a sweet bag), full smorgasbord as the post-race food, complimentary massages, and you can use the community's shower/pool facilities afterward. Plus the time limit is super generous, and as a solid back-of-the-packer, I can't gush enough about a race that still has everything stocked and supplied until the end. Can't recommend this one enough. Definitely feeling the hills in my legs today, though (and a bit worried what the orthopedist will say after the MRI this Thursday...)
Questions!
QOTD: Lets discuss another part of the running gear... hats/visors. With spring/summer eventually on it way (It was in the 40's this weekend here and I have heard the north is still getting snow). Do you wear a hat, visor, or some other form of head gear on your runs?
Bonus Question: Since wine was discussed yesterday, today we should turn our attention to craft beer. lol
I'm so pale as to be practically translucent, and sweat like crazy. A hat + sunglasses is absolutely necessary. For now, I've been using an O's giveaway (it's white, so not too hot; and free, so I don't care as much about how gross it gets). But the race this weekend gave out hats as well, maybe I'll use that one
Also, re: sunscreen -- I use either Neutrogena or Blue Lizard, they've been generally good. I just need to reapply way quicker than most people (my record for developing a sunburn was having been outside for 10 minutes). Blue Lizard can be harder to come by, but it's worth tracking down if you need it.
Craft beer: not into IPAs (I'm a wheat beer girl), but there's some decent choices around Baltimore. Brewer's Art is the big one around here with Resurrection, but they've got others as well...I believe Heavy Seas and Flying Dog originated close by? And it's not a craft beer, but you gotta have a Natty Boh (nothing quite says b'more summer than some Boh's and O's
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QOTD: Music or no music while running? (music could be pod cast or something similar)
Lately, yes. My sister got me a pair of these for Christmas:
Have those of you who don't run with headphones due to safety concerns seen the Aftershokz Trekz Titanium and Trekz Air headphones? They use bone conduction technology to transmit sound through your cheekbones and sit in front of the ear, leaving it free to hear your surroundings. These were a game changer for me and especially welcome as I hate having earbuds stuck down into my ear canals.
Love them. Earbuds hurt my ears, I definitely feel safer being able to hear ambient noise, they're sweet. I know they're pricey, though.
QOTD: Do you feel guilty if you go on vacation and do not bring your running stuff?
No. I deal with enough guilt about things on a daily basis; vacation is not for feeling guilty. Besides, I tend to walk more on vacations anyway.
As a ignorant northerner, I ask: There's a difference between sweet tea and sweetened iced tea?
As a northerner who first encountered sweet tea around here (you wouldn't think it, but Baltimore is technically south of the Mason-Dixon line, it's a different world down here), YES. For me at least, sweetened iced tea is just enough sugar; sweet tea is instant diabetes. Holy cow it's sweet.
Sorry for the length, everyone...and good luck to those running Boston in the morning!