Welcome to our weekly run down of what running ideas, products and health ideas we are musing on.
It's been a fun week for the Runners' Beans Team as we continue our trip through the States. Last weekend we were at the Quad Cities Marathon Expo in Moline, IL and 2 of the team ran the full and half the day later. We've also met with some cool runners in San Fran, Washington, Chicago, Florida and can't wait to hit Portland, OR next week too.
If you plan to be at the Portland Marathon Expo next weekend, please do come and find us in the Expo. We'd love to meet you.
Given that it's still pretty damn hot in a lot of States still, we give some tips about racing in the heat, the gear focus this week is on the Naked Running Band and we also provide a run down of our experience at the Quad Cities.
The Heat is on
- Hydration A no brainer right? In high temperatures and, or humidity it's really important to stay hydrated regularly throughout the race. But, have you trained for this? It's important to try to train your body to take in water or electrolytes during training. Another good tip is to ensure that you hydrate well for a few days leading up to the race and try to drink some electrolytes the day before and the morning before the race.
- Clothing. Choose appropriate clothing. Light, breathable clothing is essential. A lot of runners like to wear loose, thin clothing that breathes well and dries quickly. Go with light colors like white or grey instead of dark colors.
- Adjust your pace. You WILL be going slower today, so just accept it. Adjust your goals and pace accordingly. I'm not a big fan of people trying to work out the % change in their pace. It ultimately doesn't matter on these sorts of days, so just go out and run as comfortably as you can and focus less on pace.
- Walk. I'd recommend including some power walks into your race if it's a super hot one. Try to take them at the water stations and walk for 50m to 100m after picking up the water. It ensures that you'll drink everything in the cup and also it helps to reset your body temperature.
A Naked Running Band
We came across this awesome product a few days back. We've tried a few bands and arm holders in our time, but this running waist band one looks like it might be the real deal.
The Naked running band is a high performance 4-way power mesh band for hydration and accessories that fits comfortably around your waist. It's light, breathable, non chafing and bounce resistant. It comes with 4 individual pockets and elastic jacket loops in the back. To use it, simply put your feet through the continuous loop band and slide it up and over your hips.
What we like most is that it's not limited to one brand of water flask and can carry multiple bottles of difference sizes and types (hard and soft shells). It has also easily holds my smart phone (A Google Pixel XL), keys and gels. Check it out here.
Portland, Oregon next
We had a GREAT time being at the 20th Quad Cities marathon last weekend. It was awesome meeting and talking with so many runners, hearing all the different stories behind why people were running.
We met plenty of first timers and one woman who was doing her...wait for it...322nd marathon! 63 of them were after the stroke she had had the previous year. Amazing.
The heat made it hard out on the course, Justin was happy he was only doing the half but Shanna one of our ambassadors toughed out the full, she's our Wonder Women.
Next up is Portland, OR with hopefully a reduction in the heat factor. As with Quad Cities, we are giving away a Garmin so come and find us or tell someone else to.