Author: Freeloader

What motivates you?  What makes you set the alarm at 0445 5-6 or even 7 days a week?  What makes you get out of bed without hitting the snooze button once?  What makes you show up in a parking lot long before the sun is even thought of?  What makes you shake off the cobwebs and move full throttle for the next 45 minutes to an hour?  What makes you GO! when your body screams STOP!

For a lot of us, this will work.  Fishwrap’s Hail Mary   For others, it’s the satisfaction of KNOWING that at the end of the day, we did our BEST.  We’ve all been there when faced with the choice….ease up  or accelerate, relent or be relentless, cave in or fight harder.  Even though we will certainly finish, we can all remember the exact time and place when this decision was made to slow down, just a bit.  If we make the easy choice, we lose…just a little.  While others will congratulate you on your finish, you know deep down what’s real.  You quit—you cheated yourself from knowing what you could really achieve.  You didn’t allow yourself to get better.  “Best” will still be just a word and not a place for you.

How can you get to your best?  Be accountable.  Not to yourself, but to me, to your brothers, to your M, to your kids.  Share your goal in the comments below—tell us what you want to achieve and own it.  Know that throughout this race, you will be supported and while alone you may run fast, together we run fast farther.  On Saturday, the crowd will mass, the gun will fire, and the clock will start.  It’s only a matter of time before you are faced with a choice.  Commit now to make the hard choice.  You’ve done the work.  Now go show us.

Event Details

• Packet Pickup:    Charlotte Convention Center 10am to 9pm….NO RACE DAY PICKUP
• Friday Lunch:                  We will plan to meet and get lunch-Details TBD

Race Day

• What: 2015 ThunderRoad Marathon and Half Marathon
• Where: Romare Bearden Park—F3 Tent (Bring SF’s if you got em)
• Who: Over 60 Men of F3 and
• When: Saturday, November 14^th
• 0705: Ball of Man
• 0730: Race Start
• Why: Because you CAN

Last minute stuff—

• It’s taper week—be smart, get some reset—It’s recommended to post and have some high intensity, but cut back on duration. Friday—rest up…..
• What to wear….Weather forecasted is PERFECT….low of 34, high of 54…..NO RAIN…..what you were is entirely up to you (just saw Giselle picking up his speedo at V-Cleaners—no starch) it’s recommended that you are a bit cold at the start as your body will warm things up quickly.  YHC wears some “throw-aways”….my 1998 cotton turkey trot shirt…just don’t over dress…..also—since most of us really never see the sun during workouts, you may want to wear sunglasses or a hat….it sounds trivial, but all that squinting slows you down…(google it)….
• Food—have a plan and stick to it. Look at the race website and know where and what they are giving you….everyone should be eating and drinking….half marathon guys—it will impact your last 5k if you’ve done it right….marathon guys—no short cuts on this one….eat something or walk…simple—YHC will eating a gel every 6 miles….plus I drink at every water stop…
• Hills–don’t forget to take advantage of the downhills…shorten the stride, lean forward, and increase your turnover…your pace will increase while your heartrate goes down…it’s free speed….take it.

F3 Nation–

On September 11th 55 teams from F3 Nation will find their way to Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia and begin the 2015 edition of the Blue Ridge Relay.  Congrats to everyone for a) getting registered; b) getting physically prepared; and c) trying to keep your teams together.  (C may be the most difficult)

In case you haven’t seen it, start times have been posted.

If you are looking to join a team or you are looking to fill a spot on your team, let people know.  Tweet it…tag your region or tag @f3nation   at this point, it’s the best way to connect.

1. There will be a lot of us.  F3 will be very visible. Let’s make sure that we realize that we are guests and show our appreciation to all the locals, other teams, and especially the volunteers.  This is an opportunity for us to make a positive impact on everyone that we encounter.  This is a Post that OBT shared last year.  I believe it accurately states the ideals that we want to uphold.
2. As the race gets nearer, people are training harder, running farther, posting more.  All good things, but….be smart.  It’s better to be 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained.  This is not the race to run with an injury.  If protecting yourself from injury is not enough motivation, then do it for your teammates.  If you can’t carry your weight, then your teammates will have to.  I bet every man running will be happy to step up, but how about we be smart and not kill ourselves the next 2 weeks and catch up with our training.
3. Navigation–there are a lot of stories of guys getting lost.  The cue sheets have mileage on them.  If you wear a GPS, use it.  It will help.  Nothing deflates team momentum like a runner getting lost on the course for an extra hour at 3AM.
4. Rules—there are a lot of RULES  Know them.  They are there for several reasons, primarily, your safety.  Everyone must have a reflective vest and lights.  Captains…please print these out and share them with your teams.
5. Nutrition–you will all be burning a lot calories.  Those legs, even the “moderate” ones are no joke.  Make sure you are eating and hydrating appropriately.  Its a fun event, unless of course, you collapse due to dehydration or completely cramp up because you didn’t eat enough…again, just be mindful.  Most of you don’t usually run 3-4 or even 6 times in 24+ hours.  You know who you are

One last thing, we’ve got a lot of new teams this year.  All you veterans, please feel free to chime in the comments for “best tips”

Best of luck to all you.  For those of you looking to compete next year, regisration opens December 1st.  I wonder if F3 can hit 100 teams next year?

See you in THE mountains!