Congratulations! You just crossed the finish line of a long distance race. Maybe it's a 10K, half or full marathon or even an ultra marathon. You receive your medal and a water bottle from race volunteers as you try to remain in an upright position. Before you enjoy the post-race festivities, you'll want to collect your gear-check bag. Inside, there are a few items you will thank yourself for packing.
Besides the obvious running necessities (think running shoes and apparel) there are a few last minute items that may make your long distance race a more enjoyable experience. The more comfortable you are, the more fun and success you’ll have between the time you stand behind the starting line and sprint across the finish line.
You’ve been training for October 15 for weeks and months and now the Baltimore Running Festival is just days away! You can’t get any faster or gain more endurance this week, but the food you eat can go a long way toward a successful race. Below you will find strategies for eating well this week to get ready for each of the distances that make up the festival:
A DNF (did not finish) is the tally which all ultra runners have come to face at some point and time in their running careers. To some it's a rite of passage to truly being called an ultra runner. To others it is the credence, the tangible proof that you have failed. It will sit with them, it will dwell with them, and it may end them as a runner. But to the incredible strong, resilient, and humble ultra runners, it will tear them down before blazing a fire in their soul and building them up stronger and better for next time.
This was my first time running the NCR 20 Miler. I have done half marathons and shorter races but really wanted to test myself to see if I would enjoy something a bit longer, perhaps gasp, a marathon! I thought the NCR 20 Miler was perfect test because I heard it was fairly flat to downgrade, shaded, and the atmosphere of the race was very community like.
For the second year in a row, everyday heroes were honored at the start of the fifteenth annual Run to Remember in addition to police officers, firefighters and members of the armed forces on Sept. 11. Three winners of the Hero Campaign were announced before more than 1,200 runners and walkers cruised over the starting mats.
On Sept. 3, Sparrow Rogers ran the Charles Street 12 with her left leg “filled with all kinds of plates and pins” from an accident abroad 12 years ago. In 2004, she was told she might never walk again and would need an amputation after being hit by a drunk driver in Croatia.
Now, Sparrow has completed her goal of finishing a long distance race. “I was so ecstatic to cross the finish line, even though my time was far from inspiring,” she shares, “the 12 mile distance was the perfect ‘push yourself’ length.”
