CarbKiller: Tips and Tricks

Things I have learned: (not to be confused with old tips which still stand but need updating)

1) Try on your tshirt before take it home with you. FatChicks tend to not understand marathon-size. And when all else fails try guy sizes. Women’s shirts tend to be tapered. Why in the hell an XL or XXL chick would want a tapered shirt to showcase body to nightmarish proprotions I’m not sure. I have to assume designers don’t relate to this.

2) Take your sunglasses. I didn’t and thanked goodness for my hat but sunglasses AND a hat would have been perfect. Dammit.

3) Wear sunscreen. If you’re anything like me you don’t go outside very often so when you do you need to MAKE SURE you’ve got at least SPF 35 on even if you start with an overcast day. I’ve gotten third degree burns on my face from skiing on overcast days so I know all about this.

4) Pack snacks. If you are walking long distances a couple energy gels or a powerbar might save your butt. I bought $20 worth of ClifBar products and forgot to stick them in my belt pack. I had to drink badly watered down Vitalyte mix along the entire race route and regretted that. It turns out vitalyte tastes pretty good when it is mixed correctly but I didn’t find that out until the race was over.

5) Buy a good stick of lube. I know we’ve talked about Body Glide before but WOW that stuff was amazing. Yes, I got blisters on my feet but all things considered it could have been a thousand times worse and I am grateful!

And here is where I steal from HobbitGrrl again. The stuff in ( ) is my commentary.

• Lube (yup)
• Deodorant (TOTALLY)
• Ponytail holders/hair band (Absolutely)
• Chapstick (I used it before the race and left it in my gearbag. Make sure it has SPF or is medicated. I prefer SPF)
• Race day clothing (I did it in a pair of cloth running pants–as opposed to the nylon ones that make farting sounds as you walk, and a tshirt)
• Race bib already pinned to shirt (yep)
• Socks (I wore level 3 running thorlos and still got blisters so imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t done that)
• Shoes with timing chip already clipped on (yep, although I’m still waiting to hear back from the race about why they haven’t posted my time)
• Hat (thank goodness)
• Gel packs (I didn’t know what these were when HG posted this. I have since learned they are:

• Food (I had it in my bag but should have taken one with me as a walker)
• Fully charged iPod with Playlist ready- I had music, I had audiobooks, I had my own nano and my sister’s for backup. I ended up not needing it at all because I had two walking buddies. My assumption is if I didn’t have them I wouldn’t have found a walking buddy. Such is life right?

I’d also like to add kleenex and a towel for your gearbag, and a change of clothes along with a sweatshirt or something to keep you warm if you don’t head home immediately.

My other big mistake? I should have packed flipflops. Just walking around on my blisters after the finishline was so gross I stopped at the store and blought flipflops (heck I needed another pair anyway). The sooner you take off your nasty socks and take care of your feet the sooner your feet will thank you.

But my biggest mistake of all was I took my phone and not my camera. What few pictures I took were mostly crap and I don’t even have a picture of me before or after the race wearing my bib! When I think about that I could cry!

Oh and for the record, I wasn’t the only one with the fanny pack and I was glad to have it.

HAH!

That’s all I can think of at the moment, hope it helps someone!