Saturday, May 1, 2010

Don't Play With Yourself When You Race

Written by Aaron Linz

Ok, get your mind out of the gutter! This morning I ran a nice new 5k in downtown Matthews that was in conjunction with the Beach music festival. Downtown matthews is small but it was closed off to traffic and had lots of vendors with booths, rides and tons of food that would cause a nutritionist to faint. The course was great and the folks with the Matthews Civitan Club were really nice. Dig the plaque I got and the Dicks Sporting Good $50 buck gift certificate was a great touch (although go to your local specialty running store and NOT Dicks are other big chains).

Club member Michael Kane who was also 2 weeks removed from Boston was second. Turns out we live in the same neighborhood! I definitely look forward to linking up with him for runs.

But...the point of this blog is not a race recap, instead is some running tips. I like to write these from time to time because it reminds me as well to focus on doing better the next time out.

I have a bad habit of fidgetting with my body when racing. This morning, I was not really nervous but anxious as I have done 0 speed and it has only been 2 weeks from Boston. I jumped out to an early lead which was my plan to force myself out fast to set the tone. From the 2nd mile on, I kept messing with my head band, wiping my brow, re-adjusting my singlet and repeating. What a waste of energy! It is a bad habit and I need to not do that stuff. I convince myself during the event that I need to adjust myself but I really don't.

Another quick observation. I was a little on the fence about the value of nutrition. Sleep I am definitely sold on but was curious about nutrition. I have eaten garbage since Boston as a treat to myself. I have not slept that well either the last two weeks as I have stayed up later than usual. My legs are not toast after the race but I had nothing the last two miles. Body just felt like it lacked energy. So yes, Boston was 2 weeks ago but the fact that I have been eating lousy and not sleeping as much defintely contributed to me being flat.

Threw in a couple pictures of my super star fan, Ella (my daughter).


Happy Running!!!

2 comments:

  1. Way to bring home the win, despite the obvious obstacles. And great pics - love Ella's poster - it should adorn your work cubicle!

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  2. Great Race Aaron. Nice meeting you out there and the bottoms of your shoes are awesome. :)

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