Race eve can be an exciting and yet nerve-shattering time. Did I train enough? Did I get in my long runs? What about the weather? Will I finish? Can I finish? Will I miss seeing my friends on the course?

First of all, it is a-okay to be nervous! If you weren’t, well it would be like not having a heart beat! Nervousness is your body’s signal that something BIG is about to happen. Embrace it. But don’t get hung up on it!

The list of thoughts running (no pun intended) in your head can be fast & furious. What are some ways to calm your mind? Here are a few tips for you!

- Stay off your feet! Go to packet pickup/expo 2 days before race!

- Keep hydrated (all week)! Sip water throughout the day.

- Don’t try any new food! Trust me on this one!

- Be prepared! Lay out your gear, put timing chip on shoe, race bib on shirt, whatever you need for race day!

- Take a gentle yoga class! If you have practiced yoga before and it is something your body is used to, this is a great way to calm down and get centered. I would advise against Bikriam or hot yoga. You want to keep hydrated before race day.

- Take a nap! Close your eyes, relax. Usually the night before a race, runners find it hard to sleep. Get some rest during the day!

- Read! Have a book you’ve wanted to start or finish? Today is the perfect time for it! Or a good magazine.

- Pray! Faith works. Say a prayer. Or quote a favorite Bible verse. I personally love Jer. 29:11.

Have confidence! You will finish! The human body and mind are amazing. Have the will to dig deep when it hurts!

Peace, love and sweat!

Photo by lizbadley

Wow. Where do I even begin to start. The amazing sunshine? Not even a figure of my imagination. The cool, gentle breeze replaced by GUSTY 25MPH+ winds? Yeah, that took me and 20,000 other runners breath away. The 26.2 miles of fun we had? Absolutely!

Short version: The race was a monsoon. I lived to tell (and write about it).

Now, a little fact. Southern California is sunny about 99% of the year. In fact, at the race expo (which is held OUTDOORS!) it was sunny and beautiful. I even got a little color! However, a “winter storm” was predicted for marathon day. Say it ain’t so. All the weather reports were saying that heavy rain would start in the afternoon. Okay, we can deal with that.

My wake up time was 4:15am Sunday morning. After my usual breakfast of Steel Cut Oats, I was off to the Stadium! No rain yet, but it was a little chilly for Los Angeles. No biggie, a trash bag always keeps me warm.

Keeping warm in a tent (and my trusty trash bag)

I attended the Runners Chapel, went to the potty (NO LINES!) and then had a group huddle prayer with Team World Vision. Next was to get in corral and ready to run! It was a little chaotic trying to get into the corrals, but after being pushed & shoved finally got to where I needed to go.

Corral! Let's run this city!

The race start was delayed, so we all stood around and made new friends. As per LA traffic, the story’s abound. One girl came huffing and puffing & landed right by me. Asked her if she was okay, “yep, just had to jump out of the car and run here”. Talk about a warm-up!

Good morning LA!!!

This lady happened to be right next to me. Yolanda Holder. She race-walked 106 marathons in 2010. Yeah.

The backside....

And the face side

To show you how windy it was just look at these flags!

Blowing in the wind!

Battle hymn of the... (wind)

I love the USA!

Yes, I amused myself with taking photos. And a good thing I did, because the next few hours wouldn’t be as lucky for me!

Always smiling

After the National Anthem, we were off.  Stadium to Sea, get ready!

See the sky? Get ready for some action!

This would be the last photo I would take. Relish it!

Leaving Dodger Stadium

About 90 seconds after we started, it started to rain. I quickly took the above photo then stashed my camera in a Heavy Double Duty ZipLoc bag. And prayed it would hold up to its end of the bargain (it did).

Now, normally I love to run in the rain. Really I do. But today would be a whole new take on running in the rain. Not only did the rain POUR, but the winds were vicious. It made for a very cold day.

Each mile I passed I kept telling myself I was closer to the finish line. Student Run LA had over 2000 kids running the marathon. They were all wearing bright green shirts and easy to spot. I would run along aside the kids and chat with them, give them a thumbs up if they had headphones in or a pat on the back. Seeing them out there made me almost cry. I can’t imagine running a marathon when I was 13. Or 16. These are AMAZING kids!

As the miles rolled on, so the did the rain. And, oh my gosh the wind. Every runner was soaked to the core fiber of our being. I was really glad I wore what I did (knee-high compression socks, capri’s, sleeveless shirt, arm warmers, gloves, baseball cap). The rain absolutely pounded us. When we ran between the buildings the rain & the wind collided and made conditions even worse.

Some parts of the course we ankle and shin deep in water. In all my years of running and racing, I have never seen anything like it!

Despite the weather, the volunteers had a smile (albeit soggy) on their face. From kids to adults they were keeping us going. Not many spectators were on the course, but those who were made sure to give us high-fives, orange slices and donuts and whatever else they think we crazy runners must like. I always find it rather amusing.

One of the highlights of the race was a HUGE line of guys (off duty firefighters?) screaming, cheering and giving high-fives as we were running up a hill. They were a little out of the course direction, but there was NO way I would miss high-fiving some hotties. I ran over to the “guy line” and they screamed even louder. It got me up the hill.

Another highlight was with a SRLA kid I ran with about 3 miles. I asked him how old he was and he replied “13″. I asked him what his secret was [for running] and he said “no secret ma’am. I just run”. I could not have said it better.

The rain kept beating down on us and I was getting tired. I kept thinking “finish line, finish line, finish line”. I saw mile 23 and saw my friends Lori & Penny. Just a 5k left. I can do this. Then I spotted my friend Chris. He jumped in. I told him I was struggling. After chatting a bit, we let the rain take over. With about 2 miles to go, he asked me if I wanted to push it or stay the same. I said push it. And with that we picked the pace (to about a 7:40pace). As the rain beat harder and the wind blew stronger off the ocean, I let Chris guide me in. IT WAS AWESOME. I was spent and it was the boost I so needed.

He left me just shy of the finish line and gave me a strong pat on the back. THAT WAS AWESOME. And with that I gave the finish line my all. 4:03:20. Not the time I wanted, but afterall it was just a training run. And honestly, given the weather, I am happy with my time. It was a good day.

After I crossed the finish line. I immediately started to freeze. The wind was whipping us and the Mylar “blanks”et around. After I got my medal (yay!) I tried to keep from freezing. Not so easy. A bunch of us from Team World Vision huddled in a cafe. First time out of the rain in hours. It was bliss. But then I had to go get my gear check bag. More rain. More wind.

To say it was a race I will never forget was an understatement. About 2.5 inches fell in downtown LA and up to 7 inches of rain fell in the surrounding areas. LA Marathon 2011 was recorded as the worst weather in the history of the race. And I was there and lived to tell about it!

Later that evening I did a search on Twitter for #LAmarathon and the Tweets were hilarious. From needing swim fins to people feeling sorry for all the runners to others complaining about the traffic to one runner calling it quits at mile 19, each post was a small representation of a very epic day.

However, despite the brutal weather (and as I write this, I feel like I am still drying/thawing out) I will say that I will take this weather over sun and heat any day! Why? My 100 miler I ran was in 95 degree furnace. Trust me, you can’t escape the sun.

All in all, no matter how bad the weather was I am thankful I had the opportunity to run and encourage some kids along the way. They inspired me to the finish line. I am proud to be a part of an epic day- that made for a really sweet (but dry) race recap too

Sarah Stanley likes to run, cycle and practice yoga but doesn’t like ice cream. For more inspiration, sign up for FREE and FABULOUS monthly e-digital magazine.

I left you at the start line of the Mardis Gras Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon (and full). Ready to come run with me?

In case you are new and are wondering what the FIT Project is all about, here is a quick link that will explain the project.

The race started at 7 a.m. It was a little chilly before the race. Thankfully I had a throw-away shirt! I love the row of palm trees below, don’t you?

IN the start line- getting ready to run!

Probably one of my favorite things about a race is the moment when everyone is the coral. Together. A couple of thousand people from all walks of life. Some to win the race. Others to just finish. One of my rituals is to pray right after the National Anthem is sung. In the midst of the adrenaline, it’s awesome to bow your head, close your eyes and pray for everyone to have a good race. And to thank God that we are given this great opportunity!

A beautiful race morning!

7 a.m. came and we were off! Well, right before I crossed the start line I threw my throw-away shirt over the heads of the runners. Or should I say attempted to. I was stuck in the middle of the crowd and I think the shirt landed on some poor persons head. OOPS!

The first miles were a little bland. But that was okay, because I knew that soon beautiful views would engulf us. (I had a sneak preview the previous days:).)

Wonderful canopy of trees!

I believe this is a cupcake shop

After the first 5K we ran through an adorable little part of the city. Lots of quaint shops – talk about SPEEDY window shopping!

More cute shops!

Love running through a canopy of trees!

Beautiful Homes (and Mardis Gras flags)

Hearing church bells on the course during the race? Amazing.

The homes were gorgeous!

Southern style

Cool house

Last shot of a tree filled sky- I think

More church bells! Sweet!

Church 3! (not pictured is a priest passing out beers:))

Coming into the home stretch!

A donut sign. The smell was overwelming.

Almost there baby! Love that bright, blue sky!

Finished! Warm, dry clothes at the VIP tent. Score.

Pretty flowers.

Post race concert. And naps for some.

Bands! It is Rock n Roll afterall!

And with that, New Orleans Mardis Gras Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon is a wrap! It was a fun (and flat) course! It was great to see a city be rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.

AND … everyone always want to know “what was your time?” Well, here ya go!

Time: 1:51:18, 95/1255 division, 421/6511 women, 1365/10262 overall.

Next FIT Project race is Dallas – a week after L.A. Marathon. See ya on the trail!

Once upon a time, there was a little race with a hill to kick off the party, screaming HOYA students, pricey shops (that beg you to shop but aren’t open), a lonely island called Hains Point, some more hills to keep the party going, the “Gauntlet” and a hill to finish the party.   And some years ghosts & goblins also show up for the big day. What is all this ooh-rah about? Why it’s the Marine Corps Marathon! The MCM holds a special place in my heart. It was my first marathon (2005). Now I’m getting to run it for a third time (making it marathon number 10 or 13 if you count the training marathons I’ve run:)).

If this is your first time running MCM, here is a little preview of what you can expect come Halloween race day.

Men (and women) in uniform! For us gals out there, this makes the pain of 26.2 miles worth it. From the start of the race to the bitter sweet end, there will always be a uniform to comfort your sweaty soul. I know that brings comfort to a lot of women .

Weather! The weather can be a bit unpredictable (welcome to DC!). In recent years it has been warm. For the 2010 edition, the temps are supposed to be in the 70s. Dress for the heat. Your body will warm up. Trust me on this.

Hills. I have run Boston Marathon (forwards & backwards actually) and I think the hills on the MCM course could compete with Beantown. You start on a hill. You end on a hill. Be prepared. Don’t go out to fast at the start. You’ll pay for it later on.

Party! There are plenty of wild, cheering crowds (hello Georgetown party people!) The first mile that takes you up a hill in Rosslyn, VA is lined with people. Then again in Georgetown, M Street, Constitution  Avenue, before & after Hains Point, Crystal City and the end. The finish is spectacular. You won’t even notice you are running UP the Iwo Jima hill. Well maybe you will, but seriously let the  party crowd take you home!

Course. The route has changed from when I ran it in 2005. Hains Point is a very lonely area come mile 18. Today it’s mile 13. So you don’t have to be worried about that! It does tend to be windy out there, so take note. The 14th street bridge is also another lonely area. One of my favorite parts of the route is running by all the monuments. Sure, I can run by them daily, but running with 34,999 of your closest friends, acquaintances (or enemies) makes it feel like one large, happy, sweaty field trip. Or frat/sorority party. Take your pick:) Be prepared for the loop around the Pentagon. You’ll run (or hobble) down a hill and you can hear the screams. You think you are close, but realize that you still have a good mile to go. Let the screams pull you up the hill (it does have an end) and across the finish line into the arms of a Marine. In theory, mind you.

Have Fun! As with every race, I encourage you to have fun, enjoy the sights, sounds and smells. Leave the iPod at home. You are running in the nation’s capital for pete’s sake. Enjoy it. Relish it. Run it.

The running of the 35th Marine Corps Marathon is about to happen. If you’re running it in spirit (injury) or for real, take a moment & thank the men & women who serve our country. And run like the wind!

Sarah Stanley is still deciding what she’ll be for Halloween. Perhaps a runner. With a Marine Corps Marathon twist What do you think she should be? Leave a comment below! May the best guess win!

Photo by: dbking

Its off the to the races!

Kate & I woke up this morning to 60 degree temperatures! Whoa! After getting the sleep out my eyes, we waited and waited and waited for the CTA, aka the bus. It was late. Not a good way to start race day off!

We arrived at the race about 5:50am. Dashed to the restrooms first, then over to gear check. I already knew that my 4 mile warmup was out of the question. I got in .40 mile but my legs didn’t feel ready. I was in coral 1. There were 20, Yikes.

I thought I would catch a glimse of Kara Goucher, but alass I didn’t.

6:30am, gun went off & I was running with the rest of the speedsters. Almost ran me over! I felt very slow and when I hit the mile one clock it was right. See all the stats below.

So, I will say this. The race course was great. Lots of crowds. Good placement of water. Loved, loved the sponges at mile 7 & 10. Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers for being out there! Mile 10-12 was a little difficult as we were running on the Lake Shore front and the trees kept getting in our way. Because we were in the lead, I don’t think it was too bad for us, but I think for the people behind us it might have been.

5k time came & went. I can run a 5k in 20 minutes, so being at 26 minutes, I knew that my goal time was not going to happen no matter how much I was able to increase the pace in the next 10 miles.

6 miles. Yada, yada. I started to feel good. But by mile 10, I knew that it was going to be hard to run 3 miles in like 3 minutes. Even though my head+body were cheering for me.

I reminded myself that my goal race is in 3 weeks. Not today. It was a hard pill to swallow as I crossed the finish line. Not the time I wanted. But you know what? I am thankful I can run. I am grateful to be given the gift of running. And even though my time was not what I wanted, I did run. I finished.

After finishing the race. I know I can do WAY better. I think I will focus on this distance to get really good & really competitive at it. I think Kevin G. will help me in the speed department, right my friend? I just may have to move!

The stats!
Chip Time 1:46:57
Overall Place 1640 / 14438 (ok, not that bad!)
Gender Place 450 / 9348 (I’ll take it)
Division Place 152 / 2584 (see, I just need some speed work)
Pace 8:10 (this is not good)
5 Km 26:10
6 Mile 50:17
10 Mile 1:22:47 (negative splits, that’s what we want baby!)

Photo by marktollerman

Well, the last 24 hours were pretty much a nightmare. Only I was wide awake. Not very fun! I am sure you are dying to hear about it:)

As I mentioned yesterday I drove down to Richmond to attend the kickoff event for http://www.overtheedgeva.com/ & http://twitter.com/overtheedgerv. To do something fun (and a challenge) my friend Whitney and I decided to CLIMB the 30 flights of stairs up the Sun Trust building. It took us around 5 (fun & sweaty) minutes.

After that it was on to the Richmond airport. Well, the story gets really good from here on out! My flight was to leave at 4:30pm, layover in Atlanta, then onto Chicago. Piece of cake, right? Well, not really (maybe it was agreeing with my “no sweet” kick).

First, my flight was delayed. Fine, I can deal with that. Then it was delayed for the 2nd time. Still sitting in a cold airport. I always forget to bring a sweater with me! Finally we are called to board.

Nightmare #1) AirTran system went down so they took our boarding passes.

So I didn’t know the seat I was in. I boarded to the end, so I took the closest seat to me which happened to be business class. The only dream I had!

We taxi out to the tarmac.

Nightmare #2) Engines turn off. Pilot comes on & says we will be sitting for at least an hour. Make yourself comfortable.

Some guy apparently had already been drinking so riddles became our source of entertainment. It was rather funny. Thank god for Twitter. It helped to pass the time!

Then, we went back to the gate-cause, guess why, a passenger wanted to get off. He gets off.

Nightmare #3) We go back to the tarmac lot. Sit some more. Along with more riddles.

At 8pm, pilot said everything was shut down in ATL so we would go back to the gate. No word on when we would get to fly.

Nightmare #4) Stood in line to get our boarding passes. Remember they took them?

Nightmare #5) If we wanted to leave, that thought quickly vanished. The security check point closed at 8:15pm!  Whoa!

Finally around 9:30pm we got the clear to board. Woohoo!!

Got into ATL around 10:45 or so. It was a mad house. Beyond crazy to say the least! I got a little work done then went over to my gate. Helped a women find a hotel room (having a BlackBerry does pay off!). It was now 12:30am. Scanned my boarding pass. Heading down to the plane when…..

Nightmare #6) hm, ma’am, this isn’t your flight. YOUR flight has been cancelled. I walk back. I must have looked really tired or something. The people behind the conter somehow got me on the flights. Only I had to fly on to Chicago without my luggage. Since they didn’t know when the next flight was going to be going out, I just wanted to get to Chicago at this point!

So, on the flight. Feel asleep from sheer exhaustion. Landed at Midway at 2:30am. I did go to baggage claim just in case. You never know!

Stephanie & Kate picked me up! Awesome. Thank you ladies!! Arrived at Kate’s. Practically fell into bed. It was now 4am. Its been a long day! Just happy to be here!

Woke up at 8am to call the airport about re: suitcase. After over an hour on hold (I put it on speakerphone and fell sleep, lol!) I woke back up & contacted some friends & with in 2 hours I had located my bags. YAY!!

After getting my act together (hello Chicago!) Deon took Kate & I to the race expo. I love race expo’s! Then back to Midway to retrive my suitcase. Glad to have clothes again:) Thanks to Kate for letting me borrow hers for today!

Dinner with friends. Now time to crash. 10pm and I am tired. 4am is coming way to soon!

Oh, HAPPY AUGUST!!

Photo by Alex-s

Thought I was going to die. No, really I did.

Here is the deal. When you race fast, you also have to train fast.

SO. This morning I had to run 10 miles. Breakdown: 3 easy, then 5 at 7:40 pace, then 2 easy. Ugh. Tempo/speed work solo for me is hard. It’s nice to have someone drag me for the fast miles. Even if it’s in my head. BUT. Didn’t have that option.

Ran late morning to once again get my body ready for the altitude/heat on race day. Ran on flat trails to make it a little easier for me. Surprised myself by running ALL (count ‘em) 10 miles in 1:25 and change. Sweet. Did it. Now I can die. Well, not really. But you get the idea.

After getting my breath back, I quickly hurried on to the rest of my day.

Sneaked  in a quick 30 minute core/weight work out, then taught swim lessons to kids for 1.5 hrs. I swam too. But not sure if I can count it or not.

Still thinking about sticking in a few tri’s. Training hardcore. May as well.

Photo by Sir Mervs

I have received many requests on breathing, keeping cool in the heat & WHAT DO I DO? So, here are a few thoughts on overheating.

#1) try a slower pace, even if just 30-50 seconds slower per mile
#2) try breathing with your mouth closed. This may sound strange or hard to do, but it actually cools you down when you can breathe through your nose. This takes a little while to get the hang of. Don’t try to do the entire run like this, but start out trying it for 30-60 seconds and go back & forth between mouth open/closed.
#3) make sure you hydrate, hydrate, hydrate as much as you can before run/rides. Drink Smart Water (has the electrolytes s without the HFCS). I always try to drink at least 2 large (50oz I believe) before a long run/ride the next day.
#4) Make sure you are NOT wearing cotton clothes!! This will make you hot for sure!
#5) Try using a hat while on your run, will help to keep the sun from you face & may make you feel cooler over all.

Photo by ReneS

Today’s tip is brought to you by questions I have received. And it is “race is a week away, what do I do?”. If you remember nothing else, remember this. Don’t change a thing (well, do taper) but please DON’T change shoes, socks, diet, your routine!

Get up when you usually do. Eat what you usually do (well, you may want to skip the beer/wine). And for Sarah’s sake (going to give “Pete” a break) don’t try anything new!!! And above all, breathe & be at peace. Race week/day is here. Training is done. Race your best. Then do another one:)

Photo by Lululemon Athletica