I am currently trialing a bunch of different fuels. I tried Maurten and so far, it was my least favorite. The texture is like slightly too thick jello, too thick to just swallow but not thick enough to really chew. It is unflavored but highly caffeinated so the only taste is the bitterness from the caffeine. I liked that I didn’t need as much water with it in theory, but I ended up drinking a lot of water trying to get the flavor out of my mouth. It is also quite a bit larger volume than most of the other gels I have tried. Not for me, but I got a few recommendations for it, so it certainly has fans.
The basic Maurten gel is uncaffeinated and doesn’t have that bitter taste. It doesn‘t really have much taste at all, other than a bit of non-specific sweetness. You might want to give that a try. Maurten worked well for me, but seemed to have some quality control issues. Some of my packs blew up like a balloon over time like they were fermenting. It’s just too expensive a product to have to worry about throwing it away fir something like that.
As you know, I'm a big fan of Maurten. There are tons of advantages with their products over others. Primarily it being a 4.2 g carb/oz water solution for Maurten 320 is huge. Their gels are isotonic meaning they require zero water consumption to be properly absorbed. Lots of other reasons they're my primary fuel source. I do a mix of Maurten 320, E-Gel, Tailwind, Maurten gel, and Maurten caffeine gel. They are expensive though. 2.5x the price of Egel when corrected for a per gram carb basis. But cheaper than Gu Roctane. I get deals from The Feed on Maurten products because I buy frequently, so that cuts the cost down.
Almost always, a marathon is a PR/full out effort event for me. So my focus is on optimization of performance. When I'm picking a marathon, I'm looking at a few things:
1) The weather. I evaluate the historical weather on that date in that location for the times I will be on course from start/finish. I use weather underground for this analysis. I usually collect 5-10 years worth of data to see what kind of spread in potential temps I'll get. Heat and humidity play a significant role in performance, and I prefer temps in the 30-40F range based on my past racing performances.
2) The course. I evaluate the difficulty of the course based on Strava's GAP (grade adjusted pace). So I go into the previous race results section and type in the names of previous finishers looking for someone with Strava Premium. Once I find someone, this enables me to see split by split breakdowns of each mile and the difficulty of the mile based on the %grade. I can also see the overall impact of the course by looking at the difference between the person's average pace and their average GAP. So if that difference is say, 10 seconds, then this particular course will cost me 260 (10x26) seconds compared to a flat course. It's not perfect, but it's a good means to test the difficulty of a road race. Be wary of a downhill course though and it's long term impact on the quads.
3) Number of aid stations. I don't carry my own water. So I'm reliant on aid stations. I assume each cup is 3oz of water, and I usually consume about 35-40oz of water per hour when I run. So I need about 12-13 cups of water an hour. If the course has limited aid stations that means a ton more cups per station. Whereas the bigger races, like Disney, have 19 aid stations. If I need 36 cups over the course of the race, then if I get 2 cups per station at Disney then I'm good. My upcoming Madison Marathon has 18 aid stations.
Those are the primaries, then a few ancillary things might tilt things one way or the other.
4) Distance from home and start time. The further the race, the earlier I and the family have to get up to get there. So if it's far away, then it needs to have a later start, or I need to be prepared to leave home at 3-4am. Alternatively, I get a hotel room closer to the race.
For me, the Madison Marathon is going to stay high on my list going forward. It's traditionally cold (coldest was a T+D of 24 and warmest was a T+D of 86 in the last 10 years). The course is ok. It has a pace to GAP difference of 6 seconds, or about 2.5 min harder than a flat course. The weather easily counters the course difficulty though based on my performance in a range of conditions. It has 18 aid stations which is ample, and it is close to home (about 25 min away).
@xjillianpaige I saw you!!!! But I was expecting you at the hydration station and was distracted by the crowd on the parallel street so when I saw your hat it was too late to say hi! Did I detect a Boston accent?!
question: I kept hearing people screaming we were children of Boston - is that what Boston marathoners are called?
ahh! I’m sorry we missed each other. Learning moment: next time I’ll track dis-ers so I can be on the lookout. And yes, it’s faster to get cheers out for “dana fah-ber” than Dana Farber.
i have never heard of children of Boston and I was born here.
I’ve had one before and it was fine. I actually grabbed one yesterday early and stashed it in case I needed more late or lost my own gels. Some of my friends swear by Maurten. I just have used GU roctane and haven’t had a reason to change.
We talked about how they changed the station from clif so late in the game that people wouldn’t grab it because they hadn’t tested it. I’ve heard it’s easy on the stomach though.
I look for races that sound fun or scenic to me! Places I might want to travel to or big races that have good reviews. Or races that are close enough to drive to (11 hours or less ), so I wont have to take more than a day off work. Races that work well in my schedule.
I usually try and have a couple in the the fall and a couple in the spring.
I’m slowly kind of working towards 50 states, but I mainly just want to run races that sound good - so I definitely run multiple races in the same state. I will try and add one or two new states a year.
It depends on my objectives.
In 2018, I was wondering if I wanted to run my first marathon as part of Dopey 2020 or if I wanted an option to do one locally. I chose to register to the local marathon (Montreal), knowing that I had the option to downgrade to a half by taking a different turn during the race, and the price difference was about 10$ so no risk. These days, reimbursement vs deferral vs turning the event virtual is a factor in my decision.
In general, I like a race if it makes me visit places, if it is well organized and if there is a nice support crowd.
If speed is important then, there are courses optimized for it, even in New England. I love to explore a destination by racing there, it gives a totally different feel for the place.
Finally, I do not like multiple loops. I know that DD prefers a race that goes back and forth vs a point to point or a loop, I am the opposite.
https://findmymarathon.com/This is a great website for finding a marathon. From memory, it will tell you number on finishers, historic weather, and scores based on difficulty. I'm sure there are other factors but those are the ones top of my mind.
All depends on if I’m trying for a PR, out to have fun, go to a fun city, or some combination of the three. If I’m after a PR, I decide based on the course difficulty and the likely weather. I’m after flat or moderately rolling hills with cool temps. It’s why most of my PR attempts have been in Houston or at Disney. If I’m after fun, I choose a place that’s a neat city to spend time in, which is why I’ve done Madrid and Stockholm. I set my PR in Dublin, which coincidentally meets both of my criteria.
I look for races exactly the same as @FFigawi; also - how much am I willing to travel?
Maurten gels: I'm a huge fan of the Maurten 320 and knowing that the gels would be provided at race stations I tried the uncaffeinated ones on a long run. I liked that they do not need hydration to absorb, but did not like the consistency (jello-like) and the taste (strangely sweet) and felt like I needed to drink a lot more water just to get the taste out. I'm used to the tart sweetness of e-gels and the easy consistency of huma gels. Like all fuel, it's all about what works for you.
Interesting it was a last minute change from cliff, I had no idea. Also, there was no 26.2 beer. Rumor was that Sam Adams didn't have enough time to make it as they didn't know if the October start would really happen or not. They gave out Wicked Easy beer at the expo though and it was delicious!
Children of Boston: hmmmm, maybe I was running next to a runner with the saying on his/her shirt? I heard it several times starting around the BC area ("You're alllllllll children of Boston!!!!!!"). I love how spectators were grabbing onto whatever they saw on runners' shirts to push them along. I definitely knew I was running next to people from Ohio, California, Dana Farber, wearing Celtics jerseys, etc ... and Danica Patrick by all the shouting.
@dis_or_dat I have never heard of the children of Boston thing either. Only thing I can think of was maybe someone was running for Boston Children’s and had a t-shirt with that information. They do have quite few charity bibs. You didn’t miss out on any 26.2 beer. I know it’s cool to get one of the Sam Adams special brews associated with the marathon, but taste wise is nothing special. My husband and I were hyped to try it one year and were disappointed. If your ever in Boston again, I would recommend the Red Brick Ale as you can only get that one in Boston. They do not distribute it.
@Jules76126 seems I must have been running next to someone that had it on their shirt or was running for a children's charity. I'll definitely try out Red Brick Ale next time I'm in town! I was looking forward to drinking ALL THE BEER after the race!
That's something I always appreciate at races as it helps give me an extra boost. As I almost always race alone, that sort of thing helps me remember that I'm not running alone even though my friends and family are following from afar. In a sense, those spectators are the physically present cheering squad for those who cannot be present.
Promised (threatened?) absolutely way too long and way too detailed Boston Marathon race report.
I'm going to put things in "spoilers" so people can skip parts.
TL;DR: so much fun!
Goals:
A: take in the EXPERIENCE and ENJOY the marathon! - YES!
B: do not stop - yes
C: do not walk - yes
D: Sub-6:00 - yes
Training:
Absolutely did not want to "race" my probably only Boston Marathon, so asked @DopeyBadger for a plan to help me just finish it. He originally wrote one for the 2020 Boston Marathon which was 4 days a week and I used it to run the eventual virtual version. The virtual was a painful experience and I realized I needed more days of running, so when I was able to get into the 2021 Boston Marathon, @DopeyBadger wrote a 6 day a week plan that was mostly easy miles with some hill repeats and a lot of downhill training. Ego got to me and I tried to run at my peak fitness speeds, so completely fell apart on the longest/hardest runs. I even wondered why I was doing so much downhill running when the Newton Hills were so infamous. Race day looked like it could be warm with high dew point, so started heat acclimating over a week before the race.
Expo:
The medical tent to verify vaccination/COVID status was very well run. I was in and out in seconds. Went to the expo and it was pretty quiet except the merch area, which was a madhouse. Even though I bought a bunch of stuff early, I still ended up spending a small fortune! I did like signing the wall and all the picture taking opportunities. They had a wall of the names of the runners and it was fun finding my name. Samuel Adams didn't have the 26.2 beer, but were giving out samples of Wicked Easy which was nice and light.
Bus:
We booked a hotel super close to the finish line and so it was a short walk to bag drop and then to the buses. Weather felt cool and there was a light drizzle. Perfect running weather! We were stopped from crossing Charles St and I saw "my" bus leave. (In retrospect, a good thing as some of them got lost) I took the opportunity to use the porta-potty and then hop onto the next bus. I was surrounded by bibs from later waves so it didn't seem like anyone cared what bus anyone got on, though maybe stricter with earlier waves. I started chatting with my seat mate, she had run the marathon before and gave great advice. She was also hoping to take her time to enjoy the marathon. You could tell everyone was pumped talking to each other about running and the race. The buses honked as we left Boston Commons and runners waved and cheered!
Athletes' Village:
The hour-ish ride to Athletes' Village went by fast with great conversation, which helped keep my nerves in check. We then walked a few blocks (people already came out of the houses to wish runners good luck!) to Athletes' Village, which was a mecca of porta-potties in a CVS parking lot. Perhaps 100+ porta-potties in a U-shape. Truly glorious! Lots of trash bags along the way to discard clothes, fuel, etc. Also there was a water station. I didn't do any warm up stretch and just tried to empty out my bladder as much as possible. I finished my bananas and Maurten 320, arranged my flip belt and gels, checked my pony tail, and slowly walked the block to the starting line almost 5 min late.
Rolling Start:
Over the loudspeaker a man kept cajoling runners to just go and not crowd around the start. It was a little strange to not nervously wait at the starting line with other runners in your corral, hands on watches. But also nice not to not wait around for hours. So I quickly peeled off my throw away sweats and mask and just went!
(finally)
THE RACE:
Wasn't sure how to pace myself given the hills, weather, and my poor performance on some long training runs, so @DopeyBadger suggested 9:00 given my goal was just to the experience the marathon. I wasn't confidant I could do a 4 hour marathon, so told DH to expect me about 4:30-5 hours after crossing the starting line.
I knew to really hold myself back the first few miles as they were all downhill. Everyone blasted past me, but I just took in the scenery and atmosphere. I'm running the Boston Marathon!!!! Woo hoooooooooo!
Mile 1: 8:54 - the closest I ever got to 9:00
I loved the hometown local feel of the Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, and Natick! The fall foliage was gorgeous and lots of people came out of their homes to cheer us on. I even saw my first celebrity - Spencer the Therapy Dog in Ashland! I made sure to high five any kid who had their hands out and had a huge smile plastered on my face. My husband says I turn into a completely different person when I'm running. Usually I'm very shy and reserved and avoid attention as much as possible, but when I run I become super talkative, friendly, and surprisingly aggressive. I prepaid for my photos and mugged shamelessly in front of the cameras. According to marathonfoto, I only have 3 pictures without big smiles on my face.
Music was blasting from speakers (lots of "Eye of the Tiger" which my husband also played in the hotel room as I was getting ready) and there were always huge crowds when entering a new town. So thrilling! Some advice I saw was to write my name on my bib and anytime someone cheered my name it was a huge boost! I wore my Aftershokz headphones and had my race day music playlist going, but hardly used them because the crowds were so wonderful and I wanted to soak it all in.
I know there were a few live bands and so many awesome signs. I wish I could remember them all. There were fun costumes like Santa Claus, Mandalorian and Baby Yoda. There was some interpretive butt dancing around mile 15(?) which was hilarious.
Some people started walking or significantly slowing down starting around mile 6. Definitely started to see people cramping around mile 8.
Also noticed around mile 7(?), huge roars from the spectators and cheers for "DANICA!" and looked to my left and realized I was running with Danica Patrick! It was very cool, but didn't want to hear everyone constantly cheering for her for the entire race (what about the rest of us regular runners? LOL) - so I nudged the pace a bit to get past her.
Miles 2-12: 8:28-8:47
I heard the Wellesley scream tunnel around 12.5 miles and it did not disappoint! I immediately blew kisses and high five'd basically 98% of the students lining the street. So much fun!!! Unfortunately I was so pumped I forgot my goal pace and ended up running too fast.
Mile 13: 8:18
The dreaded Newton Hills started at mile 16, but honestly they weren't bad at all. Probably because I'd been running easy pace and my usual running route is very hilly. Started passing more people. Lots of awesome crowd support!
Miles 16-21: 8:26-8:48
I told myself if I felt good after the hills I would run faster once they were over. But what really hurt was the downhill starting around mile 21-23. Yikes! I even remember saying out loud to no one in particular, "this is the longest downhill ever!" I could feel my quads starting to hurt. Thank goodness for all that downhill training! I knew I could easily fly down, but didn't trust that my legs could take it at the end, so ran conservatively.
Mile 22: 8:06
Mile 23: 7:56
At this point, I felt energetic, but my quads were sore so pulled back a bit because I did not want to fall apart at the end. Brookline was probably the hardest part of the marathon for me, but was able to pass more people.
Mile 24: 8:15
Mile 25: 8:13
The CITGO sign came into view and I knew I was getting close!
Wow, the crowds entering Boston! So loud! So much energy! Went under the underpass and emerged to see so many people lining the streets and cheering! I teared up but quickly focused on running!
Mile 26: 7:56
Right on Hereford St! For some reason I decided to really speed up here and had asked my family to meet me at the "left on Boylston" curve and so slowed down at the turn. I didn't see them so figured they were somewhere along Boylston.
Left on Boylston St! ZOMG the crowds!!! The cheers!!! The deafening roar!!! The finish line was so far away! LOL No way was I slowing down!!! I knew my kids were somewhere watching. This is what I came here to do! I came to run! I dug down deep to push the pace. Garmin says I ran the last 0.55 mi at 7:12 pace with a "kick" of 6:45 (strava says 6:25!). Arms up! Huge smile! Finish line!!!!!!!
@dis_or_dat thanks for the long detailed report. I loved reading it. You had a great race. I was wondering if you brought the kids. Am glad you did. It is such an accomplishment. Happy to see you get a blue and yellow jacket. Still an amazing time. goes to show train slow to run fast.
i feel you about running the paces of the fitness you were at. am in the same boat training for Disney. I want my BQ paces and really too fast at the moment. Good reminder for my 10 miler this morning.
@dis_or_dat Congrats on having a great race. I'm impressed with anyone who finds the Newton hills "weren't bad". I also laughed at your comment about the finish line seeming far away. Even though I'm very familiar with Boylston St, I always felt like after turning off Hereford I had another marathon to run just to get to the finish line.
Too bad you didn't get the full experience of Athlete's Village. It can be quite the sight. Great finish line photo, and phenomenal time.
@dis_or_dat Your report was awesome! When you talked about the crowds cheering and how it made you tear up, I teared up a little too. Congrats of a good showing and getting to accomplish such a major goal. It's awesome that your family got to be there.
Race Recap: Buffalo Creek Half Marathon-1:26:16 (New PR)
This is a local race about 25 miles north of Pittsburgh. The past few years, I've had a conflict with the date but was finally able to do it this year. It's by no ways a large race field but it's popular just due to the course map and how fast it is.
The Good:
There's basically one hill on the course, in the last mile. Other than that, it's downhill and fast pretty much the whole way. Get moving and roll your way to the finish It's point-to-point so there might be only three or four turns as well. The bulk of it (~11 miles) is run on a crushed gravel trail. First time I've done a run on that kind of surface and the legs didn't feel like they took as much of a pounding as usual from a road.
The Not Good But It Could Have Been Worse:
Like alot of other places, it's been unseasonably warm here lately so the temperature was in the mid 60s to start. Not ideal and coupled with the fact that it rained, pouring at times, for the first nine miles made for a soaked run. Fortunately the rain actually cooled things off slightly and well, 60s and raining is a hell of alot better than 40s and raining. The trail wasn't in too bad of a condition, only a few places where it might have been alittle sloppy.
Outside of the second and last mile, most miles were right around 6:35 or so. You can really just dig in and cruise for a good portion. At some portions, the trail isn't very wide at all but the smaller field size spaces things out. I would say except for the beginning, there wasn't anyone around 200 yards infront or behind of me. It's a very pretty race running through the woods and along a creek. There's been a late foliage this year, so the leaves aren't at peak yet but normally it would look very picturesque. First time running this event and I really enjoyed it. Between the fast course and well organized, this will be a permanent addition to the race calendar. If anyone's in the vacinity of western PA and looking for a PR and/or POT, I couldn't recommend this race enough.
Thanks for the recommendation- I think I will set that as my half PR attempt next year! I'm less than an hour from there and love a good downhill course and much prefer crushed gravel over anything else.
@FFigawi sorry I quoted you in my remodel thread. I think I was going to say something over hear and got distracted. Noticed I quoted you in the other thread. You were probably like WTH. Thought I would share here. People would find it funny. of course I did mention my 10 Mike run in that post.
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), so I wont have to take more than a day off work. Races that work well in my schedule.
Rumor was that Sam Adams didn't have enough time to make it as they didn't know if the October start would really happen or not. They gave out Wicked Easy beer at the expo though and it was delicious! 
